AVL Chapter 13

Xi Jianlan’s curses were forcibly twisted into love words.

 

He covered his mouth and coughed for a while, the corners of his eyes flushed red, his long eyelashes darkened like crow feathers from tears, looking as if he was about to cry.

 

The “tough guy’s” cold aura matched perfectly with Sheng Jiao’s killing god face. Xi Jianlan was greatly shocked, almost thinking Sheng Jiao had arrived in person.

 

This person’s cultivation was higher than his, so Xi Jianlan couldn’t tell at all whether he was disguised now or if his previous plain appearance was fake.

 

Xi Jianlan gestured: [Sir?]

 

Sheng Jiao looked at him with ancient calm: “Didn’t you want to ease your longing?”

 

Xi Jianlan: “…”

 

Xi Jianlan carefully gestured: [As an executor of Xiezhi Sect, aren’t you afraid of being discovered by the Sect Master for impersonating him and being dismissed?]

 

Sheng Jiao said indifferently: “No.”

 

Xi Jianlan thought damn, it was too similar—so similar it made him afraid to act for a moment.

 

But to be safe, Xi Jianlan gritted his teeth hard and quickly walked a few steps, pouncing onto Sheng Jiao, hooking his neck and pulling him down, looking like he wanted to kiss him.

 

Sheng Jiao’s pupils didn’t even move, staring at him expressionlessly.

 

Xi Jianlan’s lips stopped half an inch from Sheng Jiao’s, as if a gust of wind could blow his thin body against him.

 

At the same time, Xi Jianlan’s heart was racing wildly.

 

If it were really Sheng Jiao, being this close would definitely result in being thrown out with a sleeve and falling dizzy.

 

But this “tough guy” in front of him looked at him with no emotional fluctuation—no anger, no embarrassment, only endless coldness.

 

Different from Sheng Jiao.

 

Xi Jianlan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Pretending to gaze lovingly, he stared closely at Sheng Jiao’s face for a while before reluctantly letting go and stepping back a few steps, his hands gesturing as if chopping wood.

 

[Sir is really… so, considerate, and, understanding.]

 

After finishing the last gesture, his wide sleeves made whooshing sounds through the air.

 

Sheng Jiao slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding and coldly said one word: “Look.”

 

Xi Jianlan: “…”

 

Look at your father!

 

But “longing” was something he had brought up, so Xi Jianlan couldn’t slap his own face. He could only pull his wide sleeves, prop his elbow on the table, and grudgingly look to ease his “longing.”

 

Even though Xi Jianlan was a prisoner bound by Binding Silk, he still had a strong presence.

 

Wearing crimson clothes wrapped around his slender body, slightly tilting his body with his side waist showing a faint curve, crossing his legs with an attitude even more relaxed than Sheng Jiao’s.

 

He feared Sheng Jiao, and seeing that face up close still made him instinctively shudder.

 

But probably knowing that under this skin was just a Xiezhi Sect executor and not the person himself, Xi Jianlan gradually became bolder as he looked, eventually staring at him boldly and unblinkingly.

 

It had to be said that among all the people in Zhuxing Zhai, Xi Jianlan still loved Sheng Jiao’s cold and aloof face the most.

 

—As if everything in the world was nothing more than flowing water and falling flowers, passing clouds to him, his well-like eyes never lingering on anything.

 

Young Xi Jue loved to tease cats and dogs. Every time he saw that cold and distant face, his heart would itch unbearably, wanting nothing more than to pull down that lofty flower and roll it around in the mud.

 

And in the end…

 

It was he himself who fell into the mud.

 

On the day Xi Jianlan lost his Xiangwen in Xiezhi Sect, Sheng Jiao endured a hundred thunder tribulations, directly entering the Void Return realm through the overwhelming purple-silver heavenly thunder.

 

Going further up would be the Great Ascension realm, of which there were very few in the Thirteen States.

 

Xi Jianlan’s gaze was like hooks, boldly and wantonly staring at Sheng Jiao’s eyebrows, thin lips, and jaw in circles, as if he could play the rogue just with his eyes.

 

Sheng Jiao’s clothes were about to be stripped off by this person’s gaze, but he remained calm throughout, handing a Xiezhi Sect jade token to Shang Yuan, apparently instructing her about something.

 

Shang Yuan nodded: “Yes.”

 

With that, she flew out silently like a beautiful bird.

 

[Sir.] Xi Jianlan’s eyes rolled around as he began plotting mischief again, his eyes curving with a smile. [If you want me to ease my longing, you can’t just let me stare dryly like this.]

 

Sheng Jiao looked at him, his eyebrows moving slightly, as if saying “what do you want to do now.”

 

Xi Jianlan got excited, his two hands frantically gesturing, almost creating afterimages: [If Sect Master Sheng were here and I stared at him so shamelessly, he would definitely get angry.]

 

Sheng Jiao was silent for a while, then said: “How would he get angry?”

 

[…By pressing me down and kissing me.] Xi Jianlan gestured without blinking. [Sect Master Sheng is thin-skinned. Every time he gets furious, he won’t say harsh words. When he wants to shut me up, he always comes over to entangle intimately.]

 

He touched his lips with his finger, then collided it with his other hand’s five fingers, making a “kissing” gesture.

 

Sheng Jiao: “…”

 

After six years, finally seeing “Sheng Jiao” show that familiar expression of being at a loss for words, Xi Jianlan was so delighted he almost flipped the table.

 

[Also.] Xi Jianlan continued,[“Sect Master Sheng also has Tianyan pearls. Your wrist is so empty…]

 

Before he finished gesturing, Sheng Jiao slightly raised his hand, and a string of thunder-patterned Tianyan pearls instantly appeared on his wrist, gently hanging down along his pale wrist.

 

Xi Jianlan lightly inhaled, shocked by those “fake” Tianyan pearls and leaning back.

 

Too, too realistic.

 

“I…” Xi Jianlan tentatively asked, [Can I touch them?]

 

If it were Sheng Jiao himself, anyone who dared touch his precious pearls would have been struck down by his Worthy of Heavenly Dao thunder, turning their claws into charcoal-grilled pig trotters.

 

Xi Jianlan imperceptibly held his breath, waiting for this person’s response.

 

Sheng Jiao looked at him indifferently and suddenly raised his hand.

 

Xi Jianlan instinctively leaned back, almost thinking he was about to get struck again.

 

But the next moment, the Tianyan pearls were casually tossed over, landing heavily on Xi Jianlan’s forearm.

 

Xi Jianlan: “???”

 

Confirmed again—this guy definitely wasn’t Sheng Jiao!

 

These “fakes” were very heavy. Xi Jianlan, with no spiritual power and weak as a chicken, nearly broke his slender wrist when he lifted the Tianyan pearls.

 

‘How can Tianyan pearls be this heavy?’ Xi Jianlan thought. ‘Doesn’t this person even know how to fake properly?’

 

Every time Sheng Jiao used his Tianyan pearls, those 108 beads floated in mid-air like cotton balls. A gust of wind could make the pearl string collide and ring with crisp, pleasant sounds like porcelain cracking.

 

How could they be like this, heavy as if holding a boulder?

 

Xi Jianlan placed the heavy “fakes” on his knees, casually counting the pearls.

 

Soon, he made a “ha” sound, as if catching a flaw.

 

[Sir.] Xi Jianlan extended his finger. [Everyone knows Sect Master Sheng’s Tianyan pearls are 108 pieces. Yours only has 107—one is missing.]

 

Sheng Jiao impatiently stood up.

 

Xi Jianlan hurriedly hugged the 107 pearls and stumbled after him: “Ugh! My heart is not cold… ptui—”

 

These pearls were too heavy, making Xi Jianlan’s wrist ache.

 

Sheng Jiao ignored him and pushed the door open.

 

Shang Yuan just hurried back: “Sir, Guchangsi Temple’s abbot refuses to reveal who the seller is. When I used the Xiezhi Sect jade token to force him to speak, he changed his story and said he didn’t know who the seller was.”

 

Sheng Jiao frowned slightly.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Apparently it was delivered by a wooden puppet, leaving no name or spiritual power. Even the spirit stones from the auction have nowhere to be sent.”

 

Xi Jianlan, carrying the Tianyan pearls like heavy cargo, cursed inwardly that the tough guy was definitely making things difficult for him on purpose. Hearing this, he was stunned.

 

Wooden puppet?

 

Wuyin City was famous for producing wooden puppets.

 

Sheng Jiao retrieved the jade token and was about to go ask personally.

 

But before he could take two steps, a fierce shout suddenly came from behind.

 

“Xi Jue—!!”

 

Sheng Jiao frowned and turned back.

 

Qu Rao came angrily with a Spirit Transformation realm guard and a Nascent Soul guard, holding a sharp sword and glaring at Sheng Jiao as if wanting to cut someone down.

 

Xi Jianlan was still struggling to carry the Tianyan pearls when he saw this and was immediately delighted.

 

Had this fool Qu Rao finally figured it out and come to settle accounts?

 

Fortunately, Xi Jianlan wasn’t using his own appearance or Sheng Jiao’s face now. In crimson clothes, he leisurely watched the show, almost unable to suppress his smile. The red mole at the corner of his eye seemed about to drip blood, stunningly beautiful.

 

Sheng Jiao glanced at Xi Jianlan from the corner of his eye.

 

Xi Jianlan immediately put on a grave expression.

 

Sheng Jiao: “…”

 

Qu Rao looked like he was about to go mad. Seeing that bastard Xi Jue still boldly wearing Sheng Jiao’s face to swagger around with a flawlessly indifferent expression, he immediately sneered.

 

The two guards instantly disappeared and blocked Sheng Jiao’s path from front and back in the long corridor.

 

Shang Yuan was dumbfounded.

 

This was the first time she’d seen mere Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators dare to block the Sect Master.

 

Did they not want to live?

 

Qu Rao knew Xi Jue was a sickly waste with lost cultivation. He stepped forward boldly, his long sword cutting through the air with a “whoosh” as it pressed against Sheng Jiao’s neck.

 

Shang Yuan gasped.

 

Sheng Jiao’s eyelashes drooped as if he didn’t see the sharp blade, slightly turning his head to look at Xi Jianlan.

 

This was probably trouble caused by this person.

 

Xi Jianlan had already half-retreated into the dharma hall, placing the Tianyan pearls on a high table by the door. One hand propped on the table while the other casually rubbed the “fake” Tianyan pearls with his fingertips. Even his grave expression couldn’t hide the cunning in his eyes from enjoying the show.

 

Qu Rao saw him still daring to look around and angrily said: “Xi Jue, don’t think I can’t tell just because you’re disguised as Sheng Jiao to openly steal the Yutan flower. Now that you’ve fallen into my hands, don’t dream of escaping as easily as you did six years ago!”

 

Sheng Jiao: “…”

 

Xi Jianlan couldn’t help but burst into a soft “puchi” laugh.

 

Sheng Jiao looked at him again.

 

Seeing this person still daring to exchange glances with the beautiful man beside him, Qu Rao’s face darkened as his hand trembled. He pointed at Shang Yuan, whose jaw was about to dislocate, and said coldly: “The people from Xiezhi Sect are right here. I want you to personally tell us how your Xiangwen was lost!”

 

Shang Yuan’s dizzy mind finally managed to sort things out—so Qu Rao thought Sheng Jiao was Xi Jue in disguise.

 

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the audacity to put a sword to Sect Master Sheng’s neck.

 

Sheng Jiao asked indifferently: “How was it lost?”

 

“How the hell should I know how it was lost?! Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Qu Rao was anxious, wishing he could pry open his mouth to make him tell the truth. “Anyway, it wasn’t extracted by my Qu family—clarify this!”

 

The temptation of a Spiritual level Xiangwen was too great. Once seized and fused, one only needed to cultivate for a few years to completely ascend.

 

The previous Sect Master of Xiezhi Sect had been silently killed five years ago, and his private residence was turned upside down, as if searching for Xi Jue’s Spiritual level Xiangwen.

 

Just unconfirmed rumors were enough to make the Qu family fall dramatically within a few years, with even their Tianyan spiritual vein being divided up by other families taking advantage of their misfortune.

 

If they didn’t clarify soon, the once prosperous Qu family would probably completely decline before long.

 

Xi Jianlan thought this Qu Rao was truly a genuine fool.

 

Which of the major families in Central State hadn’t produced Spiritual level Xiangwen?

 

What they wanted was just an excuse to divide up the Qu family’s Tianyan spiritual vein. Even if they clarified that the spiritual pattern wasn’t with the Qu family, those wolf-like families probably wouldn’t let it go.

 

Xiangwen wasn’t absolutely necessary—the Tianyan spiritual vein was the real priority.

 

With a Tianyan spiritual vein, couldn’t they have as many Xiangwen as they wanted?

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t care that all this started because of his Xiangwen. He was happily watching the show with great interest, wishing the two would fight on the spot to vent his hatred.

 

However, Xi Jianlan’s joy soon turned to sorrow.

 

—The table couldn’t bear the weight and directly collapsed at one corner, causing the round Tianyan pearls to instantly crash down with a clatter.

 

Xi Jianlan was watching the excitement when he felt something falling and instinctively reached out to catch it.

 

But the Tianyan pearls were too heavy. As soon as he reached out to catch them, he was pulled down to kneel, with two pearls directly smashing his two fingers against the wooden floor.

 

A muffled “bang.”

 

Xi Jianlan’s whole body stiffened, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

 

Ten fingers connected to the heart.

 

This time, the pain on his face was not fake at all. Tears he couldn’t control from the pain fell patter-patter.

 

Xi Jianlan instinctively moaned to relieve the pain, but what came out was still sobbing: “My heart is not… wu… not cold stone…”

 

Sheng Jiao: “…”

 

Sheng Jiao frowned tightly. With a finger movement, the Tianyan pearls floated over like cotton balls and wound around his wrist several times.

 

“Even the Tianyan pearls are disguised so realistically—you really went to great lengths.” Qu Rao didn’t notice the problem and was still sneering. “Even if you really have Sheng Jiao’s Worthy of Heavenly Dao, you can’t escape today.”

 

The guard beside him was perceptive and vaguely discovered something, his face turning pale as he whispered to Qu Rao: “Young Master, this person…”

 

Sheng Jiao suddenly stepped forward. The ice-cold sword blade scraped against his neck but seemed to touch an iron wall, not leaving even a scratch.

 

He stared directly at Qu Rao, his lips not moving as his voice rang in their ears like a heavy bell.

 

Sheng Jiao repeated again.

 

“How was it lost?”

 

Qu Rao still hadn’t noticed the problem, gripping his sword with false bravado: “The twelfth Spiritual level Xiangwen in the Thirteen States—even the Central State ruler wanted to protect you back then. How would my brother dare to destroy that Spiritual level Xiangwen?! We just made you suffer some punishment to vent our anger. Your, your Xiangwen suddenly disappeared—we want to know how it was lost too!”

 

This was what the entire Qu family said, but how could a Spiritual level Xiangwen just vanish into thin air?

 

In the eyes of the Thirteen States, these words were just excuses to cover up the Qu family taking the Xiangwen for themselves.

 

But if what the Qu family said was true, then how exactly was Xi Jianlan’s Xiangwen destroyed?

 

Sheng Jiao suddenly turned to look at Xi Jianlan.

 

Xi Jianlan was probably really terrified of pain. The scalding tears were completely beyond his control, falling continuously like broken pearls.

 

His eyes were slightly red, his cheeks puffed as he blew on his swollen fingers, still sobbing “my heart is not cold stone.”

 

…Getting his finger smashed once could make him cry like this.

 

Sensing Sheng Jiao’s gaze, Xi Jianlan slightly raised his head.

 

He had also heard Qu Rao’s words but acted as if nothing happened. His pale lips held his slightly red fingertips, the flush from crying at the corner of his eyes seemed to blend with that burning red mole. With tears all over his face, he smiled at Sheng Jiao.

 

Obedient and gentle, like a poppy disguised as a corn poppy.

 

Sheng Jiao’s pupils suddenly contracted.

 

Seeing “Xi Jue” completely ignoring him, Qu Rao’s anger flared up again. He used all his strength to swing his sword at that slender neck.

 

The guard cried in terror: “Young Master, no!”

 

Once Qu Rao got heated, he didn’t care about anything. Since he couldn’t make this person tell the truth, he’d just kill him for revenge!

 

Thinking that the culprit who had harmed his family so badly would finally die miserably under his sword, Qu Rao felt extremely satisfied.

 

The next moment, the priceless Heaven-grade spiritual weapon wrapped in overwhelming spiritual power was about to fall when Sheng Jiao lightly raised his hand. His five fingers were like cold stones, suddenly gripping the ice-cold blade.

 

“Clang—”

 

Qu Rao was stunned.

 

He instinctively pressed the sword down and found it wouldn’t move, then desperately tried to pull it out. After going back and forth twice, the sword remained motionless.

 

Sheng Jiao’s hollow eyes were like storm clouds, freely brewing overwhelming coldness.

 

The smugness on Qu Rao’s face finally slowly faded, and his anger-addled brain also cleared.

 

He stared blankly at the face before him and suddenly shuddered violently.

 

Xi Jue…

 

Wasn’t he a waste with completely lost cultivation?

 

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