AVL Chapter 11

Xi Jianlan ran while laughing: “Hahaha!”

 

Heaven is helping me!

 

Who could have thought that the toughest nut to crack would directly leave, letting him slip through a huge gap and easily escape from under Xiezhi Sect’s nose—it was like a pie falling from the sky.

 

Xi Jianlan ran down the wooden steps from the third floor of Guchangsi Temple in high spirits, almost spraining his ankle.

 

At noon, the sun was overhead.

 

The black cat appeared from nowhere, silently jumping onto Xi Jianlan’s shoulder and bristling: “Ugh! It stinks! What is that thing?!”

 

Guchangsi Temple was extremely large. Xi Jianlan ran with his head down and finally made it down to the first floor.

 

He ran until his cheeks were slightly flushed, leaning against a stone pillar and breathing lightly. As if long accustomed to this cat’s mysterious appearances, he raised his hand to randomly stroke its neck twice.

 

“The scent of Yutan flowers.”

 

The black cat raised its head. Its neck was too fat, and Xi Jianlan had to work hard to finally touch a tongueless bell.

 

That was a storage magical device.

 

Xi Jianlan skillfully felt around for clothes, hurriedly avoiding people and quickly changing out of the divine beast Xiezhi-patterned crane cloak and outer robe, lest these clothes carry tracking magical devices.

 

When he emerged from behind the stone pillar again, Xi Jianlan had completely transformed.

 

—Even when disguising himself to escape, Xi Jianlan refused to make himself too ugly. Now wearing crimson clothes with a bright and flamboyant appearance, he even had a red mole at the corner of his eye. When he looked at people with slightly raised eyelashes, he seemed to contain a thousand kinds of affection and endless tenderness.

 

Even if Sheng Jiao were here, he probably couldn’t see through his disguise.

 

The black cat was made listless by the Yutan flower scent, lying weakly on Xi Jianlan’s shoulder, almost about to vomit: “Not continuing to escape?”

 

Xi Jianlan found a hidden corner, sitting on the first-floor window frame and staring directly at that Xiangwen painting through the carved window’s concealment, saying casually: “I want to know who the seller of this painting is.”

 

The seller must be connected to the real culprit who massacred the Xi family back then.

 

The black cat was speechless.

 

It could never understand how Xi Jianlan’s brain worked.

 

Having finally escaped from the devil’s clutches, shouldn’t he run as far away as possible?

 

Xi Jianlan was incredibly carefree, reaching out to pick a cluster of osmanthus flowers from the tree outside, lazily putting them to his lips to lick and eat.

 

The Yutan flower had already gone to Feng Yu.

 

Under the bodhi tree, the young monk brought another flower—it was another Yutan flower?!

 

Xi Jianlan: “…”

 

Xi Jianlan’s lips twitched: “Seems like more than one person wants to kill me.”

 

But why did they all use the same stupid method to bait him?

 

In those people’s eyes, would he lose his mind and pounce whenever he saw a Yutan flower?

 

The black cat was about to be sick from the smell, its four paws limp and drooping on Xi Jianlan’s shoulder: “…Ugh!”

 

Xi Jianlan gently patted its head, calculating what to do while casually saying: “If you vomit on me, I’ll stew you.”

 

The black cat: “…”

 

With such a beautiful face, why would he say such terrifying things?

 

The second Yutan flower had no suckers like Feng Yu and Sheng Jiao, so naturally no one bid.

 

The young monk waited patiently. After the chime sounded, he obediently carried the flower away, apparently returning it to its owner.

 

Xi Jianlan’s eyes flickered slightly. He suddenly leaped lightly down from the window frame, his crimson clothes flying with scattered osmanthus petals.

 

The black cat was almost made sick by his movement. Catching sight of Xi Jianlan’s expression, it suddenly had a bad premonition: “You… what are you going to do again?”

 

Xi Jianlan said: “Hehe.”

 

The black cat: “…”

 

Got it, definitely up to no good.

 

Xi Jianlan strolled after the flower-carrying young monk, seeing him enter an elegant dharma hall on the first floor and respectfully leave after a short while.

 

The black cat trembled: “Calm down. There might be your enemies inside. Going there so openly—isn’t that seeking death?”

 

Xi Jianlan blinked lightly: “Openly?”

 

The black cat was about to speak when it saw Xi Jianlan take a step forward.

 

Within three steps, the crimson clothes he had just changed into seemed to ripple away like water marks, and then under the black cat’s stunned gaze…

 

Xi Jianlan disguised himself as Sheng Jiao again.

 

The black cat: “…”

 

The black cat almost fell off his shoulder, cursing angrily: “Don’t you want to live?! Impersonating their Sect Master in front of Xiezhi Sect people?!”

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t care at all. With fake Tianyan pearls wrapped around his wrist, he forcibly put on Sheng Jiao’s “I’ll take your life soon” face and walked calmly to the dharma hall entrance without changing expression.

 

“Bang—”

 

The sound of dishes breaking came from inside, along with an angry man’s voice.

 

“…Impossible! Xi Jue is definitely here! I don’t believe that with the Xi family’s Xiangwen painting hanging there for anyone to buy, he can still sit still?!”

 

“Young Master, there was already one Yutan flower sold earlier. I went to look—it wasn’t Xi Jue.”

 

The young master cursed: “Keep looking! The rumor that we extracted and took his Spiritual level Xiangwen for our own use was definitely spread by him! He’s harmed my Qu family so badly—if I don’t kill him, I can’t vent my anger!”

 

Xi Jianlan raised an eyebrow slightly.

 

People from the Qu family?

 

What a narrow path for enemies.

 

Xi Jianlan pushed the door open under the black cat’s terrified gaze.

 

The person inside angrily said: “Who dares to be so bold?!”

 

When his gaze fell on Xi Jianlan, the person’s voice stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed his throat. After a long time, he managed a distorted: “Sect… Sect Master?”

 

The guards about to protect their master also suddenly froze.

 

Xi Jianlan imitated Sheng Jiao’s gaze, looking at him coldly as if viewing an ant.

 

Six years ago, the Qu family controlled Xiezhi Sect and could stand as equals with the Xi family.

 

Logically, after the Xi family’s downfall, the Qu family should have risen to control Central State. But somehow it was the Sheng family that rose to prominence, while the Qu family declined and became increasingly destitute.

 

It was said that because of the rumor “the Qu family took Xi Jianlan’s Xiangwen for their own use,” the Qu family had been ostracized by other prestigious families in Central State over the years, and even their Tianyan spiritual vein had been divided up under various pretexts.

 

This cursing person was the youngest son of the Qu family, named Qu Rao.

 

He originally relied on his family background to act recklessly, but deep down he was a bully who feared the strong. Upon seeing Sheng Jiao, he was immediately scared out of his wits and sat down hard on the ground.

 

After a long while, he stammered: “Sect Master Sheng, why are you here?”

 

Xi Jianlan looked at him coldly, expressionlessly raising his hand in a beckoning gesture.

 

Qu Rao was timid and thought this killing god was going to grab his head, so he immediately crouched down holding his head: “Sect Master Sheng, spare my life! I’m not trying to kill Xi Jue—please show mercy and spare my life!”

 

Xi Jianlan was confused, thinking: “You think saying this to Sheng Jiao will save your life? If Sect Master Sheng knew you were willing to help him kill me, he’d definitely praise you for being promising at such a young age.”

 

Qu Rao was so frightened he trembled all over. His impulse to lure Xi Jue out and torture him to death for revenge instantly vanished, and he wished he could slap himself.

 

But after trembling for a long time, he didn’t feel any pain coming.

 

Qu Rao timidly raised his head, only to see “Sheng Jiao” holding something in his hand and turning to leave indifferently.

 

Qu Rao: “?”

 

Qu Rao said in confusion: “Sect Master Sheng… what did you just take?”

 

The guard stammered: “It seemed like… a Yutan flower?”

 

***

 

Xi Jianlan walked leisurely out of Qu Rao’s private room, holding the blooming Yutan flower in his hand, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile.

 

“Worthy of Sect Master Sheng.” Xi Jue spun the beautiful Tan flower around, pinching the cicada-wing-thin petals and lightly licking them with his lips. His crimson lips looked as if painted with rouge as he smiled coquettishly, “What a useful reputation.”

 

The black cat: “…”

 

The black cat was stunned by Xi Jianlan’s smooth series of actions—even after following this person for so long, it was still shocked by his death-defying behavior.

 

This person… when would he ever know fear?!

 

Just brazenly taking someone’s Yutan flower like that—wasn’t he afraid of being exposed?

 

One of Qu Rao’s guards was at the Spirit Transformation realm—crushing him would just take a little force from two fingers.

 

The black cat said weakly: “What if they come to their senses and cause trouble for you?”

 

Xi Jianlan said lazily: “If they’re looking for trouble, they’d look for Sheng Jiao—but did you see how that little rabbit acted when he saw Sheng Jiao? Would he dare?”

 

The black cat: “…”

 

True.

 

Yutan flower petals were all highly poisonous and usually had to be refined into medicine before consumption, but Xi Jianlan’s meridians were aching all over, so he could only roll a petal into his mouth and swallow it forcibly.

 

The black cat extremely disliked the smell of Yutan flowers and immediately ran away cursing.

 

Xi Jianlan closed his eyes and waited for a while. When the Yutan flower’s effects took hold and his meridians felt like gentle spring water flowing through them, he exhaled and tucked the remaining Yutan flower into his clothes.

 

Sheng Jiao’s face was too useful—Xi Jianlan was reluctant to change it, so he continued wearing that face while watching from the corner.

 

The monk under the bodhi tree struck the chime.

 

The Xiangwen painting that had been hanging in mid-air was finally slowly lowered and placed on the high platform.

 

The crowd, who had been bored enough to swat flies, finally perked up.

 

Guchangsi Temple’s finale spiritual objects were always rarer than the last, once-in-a-lifetime encounters.

 

But something as special as selling a dead person’s Xiangwen today was the first time everyone had seen.

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t care who would get this painting—it would just be used by some Central State families with grudges against the Xi family as victors to humiliate and vent their anger on this painting.

 

When a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out. Even if the Xiangwen was a “living thing,” it was no longer that person.

 

Xi Qingfeng’s Xiangwen painting had begun the bidding.

 

Hundreds of people had come to Guchangsi Temple today, most just to watch the excitement. When the bidding suddenly began, the entire temple fell into deathly silence.

 

No one spoke up.

 

Finally, it was Feng Yu with his foolish generosity: “One hundred thousand.”

 

Xi Jianlan couldn’t help but laugh softly.

 

Since Feng Yu had bought the Yutan flower, it meant he had been targeted by whoever was using Yutan flowers to lure Xi Jue out.

 

If Xi Jianlan went over, he’d probably be caught red-handed by his enemies.

 

Seeing Feng Yu’s determined effort to buy this Xiangwen painting, Xi Jianlan decided to wait for his good news outside Guchangsi Temple first.

 

After all, in all the Thirteen States, not many people could out-spend Young Master Feng.

 

Xi Jianlan walked calmly toward the exit.

 

But whether it was his imagination or not, the further he walked, the more he felt a subtle pain in his little finger, as if it were being strangled by some hard spider silk.

 

Xi Jianlan frowned and raised his hand to carefully examine his finger.

 

Nothing there.

 

Xi Jianlan vaguely felt something was wrong and immediately abandoned his plan to leave through the main gate, silently following the corridor to the rarely visited back door of Guchangsi Temple.

 

The surroundings were empty, and the pain in his finger became more and more subtle.

 

Xi Jianlan rubbed his finger twice. Seeing the back door within reach, he imperceptibly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Just as he was about to raise his hand to push the door, his palm barely touching the paint-peeled vermillion wooden door, he felt someone pull the door from outside.

 

Xi Jianlan was stunned.

 

The wooden door creaked open, splitting left and right to reveal a face that made Xi Jianlan’s teeth ache.

 

Sheng Jiao, wearing that disguised face, met his own face directly.

 

Xi Jianlan: “…”

 

Sheng Jiao: “………..”

 

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