Beneath Chang River, Evil Qi Road.
Evil ghosts roamed freely with resentment soaring to the sky. Xi Jianlan hummed a leisurely tune while pushing Heng Yudu through all kinds of demons and monsters, as if long accustomed to it, looking straight ahead.
Heng Yudu, such a gentle gentleman raised in luxury, had never seen such scenes. Holding his glass bird, his brow had never relaxed.
“Do you have news about the painting’s seller?”
Xi Jianlan picked some osmanthus flowers from the roadside, putting them to his lips to eat lightly, saying casually: “Why would I search for news myself when I can just ask you?”
After all, Heng Yudu had gone to see the Guchangsi Temple abbot before Sheng Jiao arrived.
“Exchange for Bright Moon” could definitely extract quite a bit of information.
Heng Yudu’s hand stroking the glass bird paused.
Both being smart people, Heng Yudu didn’t play dumb, saying lightly: “I won’t tell you, and I have my reasons.”
Xi Jianlan choked slightly, a small golden osmanthus petal sticking to his lips before he lightly hooked it with his tongue tip and rolled it into his mouth.
“You’re talking more and more like Rang Chen. He’s always so mysteriously profound too, as if strategizing and controlling everyone’s fate with his words.”
Heng Yudu began explaining again: “I’m not pretending to be profound. I really didn’t get much information from the Guchangsi Temple abbot.”
Xi Jianlan tilted his head: “He was a wooden puppet?”
Heng Yudu fell silent.
Xi Jianlan’s perceptiveness and intelligence were sometimes truly chilling.
“Yes.”
But strangely, Xi Jianlan casually acknowledged this and didn’t pursue it further.
Evil Qi Road truly had thirty-six alleys as Xi Jianlan said. The wide main roads were lined with brightly lit brothels and entertainment districts, and through Chang River overhead, the bright moon could be vaguely seen.
Xi Jianlan reached the twenty-first alley, holding a small ghost fire lamp and pushing the wheelchair forward with one hand.
The twenty-first alley was extremely lively, the ground covered with piles of yellow paper. When the wooden wheels rolled over, faint screams could be heard, as if running over someone’s hand.
Heng Yudu looked back.
“The twenty-first alley has many dishonest little ghosts causing trouble.” Xi Jianlan leaned down to whisper in Heng Yudu’s ear, “It’s best not to accept their money or trade your lamp for things.”
The small stalls on both sides of the road all had basins of clear water. A customer nearby took a fancy to a small jade ball flashing with purple water patterns and generously paid a large bag of spirit stones.
The stall owner weighed it, then sneered and poured the spirit stones into the water.
With a clatter, those heavy spirit stones actually floated on the water.
—They were just roughly made from yellow paper.
The stall owner immediately flew into a rage, grabbing a knife to hack at the greatly alarmed customer.
Everyone was used to such sights and didn’t even spare a glance.
Heng Yudu hesitated: “Evil Qi Road… no one manages it?”
Such a chaotic place full of evil energy—even if someone wanted to manage it, they’d need at least Void Return realm cultivation to intimidate everyone.
In all the Thirteen States, there were very few at the Void Return realm.
But Xi Jianlan said: “Naturally there is, otherwise it would have been chaos long ago.”
The stall owner had already hacked the evil ghost into several pieces with random strikes, spat, cursed a few words, took back the jade ball, and continued his stall.
Xi Jianlan added: “…But as long as you don’t violate Evil Qi Road’s iron law, such minor scuffles are barely managed.”
Heng Yudu: “Iron law?”
In a place full of evil people where killing and destroying ghosts was commonplace, what iron law could there be?
In the time it took to say a few words, Xi Jianlan pushed Heng Yudu into a brightly lit, bustling entertainment house.
Two blue fire patterns suddenly burst from the lanterns hanging on the threshold, happily floating in front of the two.
“Gold and jade fill the hall!”
“Fortune changes in a thousand streets!”
Xi Jianlan flicked out a piece of jade with his finger, hitting the fire pattern that cursed him, laughing and scolding: “Fool, can’t you even say auspicious words?”
The two fire patterns scrambled to hold and gnaw the jade. Seeing that their lamps were still lit, they snorted twice and drilled back into the lanterns to let them pass.
Heng Yudu watched quietly, finally speaking: “You seem to come to Evil Qi Road often?”
But the lofty young immortal lord should have had nothing to do with such fallen places in his lifetime.
Xi Jianlan vaguely acknowledged: “Escaping for one’s life—Evil Qi Road is naturally the best place to hide one’s identity and tracks. Oh, we’re here.”
Heng Yudu looked and was surprised to find this entertainment house was actually a gambling den.
Countless people here lived in drunken dreams, hoping to get rich overnight and change their fate, just as those two fire patterns had said.
Some had gold and jade filling their halls, others saw fortune change in a thousand streets.
Red-eyed gamblers were everywhere, with filthy resentment soaring to the sky. Heng Yudu sitting in his exquisite wheelchair was completely out of place with his surroundings. People constantly stared directly at him, plotting who knows what.
The surroundings were like pavilions and temples connected by long corridors in a circle, building within building, ring within ring.
In the center was a huge gambling table. Someone was probably gambling there, surrounded by layers upon layers of people, so densely packed that you couldn’t see who was inside.
Xi Jianlan leisurely pushed Heng Yudu up to the second floor. Standing in the corridor and looking down, they could see the scene at the first-floor gambling table.
A man was gambling heavily.
Countless spirit stones piled into mountains, flickering with rippling light under the swaying candlelight, making the surrounding people restless.
Xi Jianlan lazily sat on Heng Yudu’s wheelchair armrest, a barely perceptible cold light hanging at the corner of his eyes as he coldly watched the man whose face was flushed red with winning.
Heng Yudu sensed his emotions were off and thought for a moment: “That child’s father?”
Xi Jianlan said lightly: “Mm.”
Qin Banban’s gambling father had probably been gambling here for a long time. The spectators on the second floor crowded together whispering.
“I heard this person brought a hundred thousand spirit stones. After all this winning and losing, he’s already down by half.”
“These spirit stones would be enough for an ordinary family to live for three lifetimes, tsk.”
Suddenly, wild laughter came from below. After losing three rounds, Qin Si finally won one and happily pulled over a pile of spirit stones.
The dealer asked: “Continue?”
Qin Si didn’t hesitate: “Continue.”
The short-sighted man used the spirit stones exchanged for his daughter’s Xiangwen, wantonly enjoying the thrill of sudden wealth and high-stakes gambling.
Xi Jianlan’s hand hanging at his side suddenly clenched tight. He seemed unable to bear it any longer, his jaw tensing as he was about to stand, but Heng Yudu grabbed him.
“Jianlan.” Heng Yudu said in a low voice, “Don’t act impulsively.”
But Xi Jianlan said: “I’m not.”
Heng Yudu looked up at him and found Xi Jianlan’s expression was normal. His downward gaze at Qin Si was full of pity and disgust, but without the fury of wanting to rush up and kill someone.
Xi Jianlan naturally extended his hand toward Heng Yudu: “Give me some spirit stones.”
Heng Yudu’s lips twitched slightly: “You lose every bet.”
“What are you thinking?” Xi Jianlan laughed, “This kind of ant definitely won’t live past today. Why would I bother gambling against him? Spirit stones, quickly.”
Heng Yudu didn’t understand but still handed him a storage ring.
Xi Jianlan was satisfied, tsking: “If it were that poor ghost Sheng Jiao, he probably wouldn’t be willing to give me even one spirit stone.”
Heng Yudu said gently: “He’s not poor now.”
“But equally stingy.” Xi Jianlan reached out to a passing servant, “—Come here.”
The servant wore a skull mask and came over respectfully.
“What are your orders?”
Xi Jianlan skillfully tossed the storage ring over: “Get me ‘Abandoned Immortal Bone.'”
The servant’s mask suddenly tilted, his manner becoming even more respectful.
He was about to leave with the spirit stones when Xi Jianlan suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
Even with the skull mask, you could see the servant’s pupils shake violently, the mask almost falling off. Without saying a word, he ran away in panic.
Heng Yudu asked puzzledly: “Abandoned Immortal Bone… what is it?”
Xi Jianlan smiled with curved lips, as if plotting mischief: “It’s something… that makes people lose their minds.”
Heng Yudu had a feeling that what he’d just said to that servant… definitely wasn’t anything good.
Soon, the servant returned, holding an exquisite small box in his hands, offering it to Xi Jianlan with both hands.
Xi Jianlan took it and casually handed it to Heng Yudu.
“Here.”
Heng Yudu gently opened the box. A strange spiritual power suddenly surged forth, blowing his long hair draped over his shoulders backward.
“Click.”
Heng Yudu’s pupils shook violently as he quickly closed the box, a rare look of horror appearing on his usually calm face.
“Tianyan… spiritual vein?”
The “Abandoned Immortal Bone” bought with a pile of spirit stones was actually a small piece of Tianyan spiritual vein!
Tianyan spiritual veins bestowed by Heaven’s will could generate Xiangwen.
They were originally exclusive to the great families of the Thirteen States. Ordinary cultivating families had no chance to know what Tianyan spiritual veins were, so naturally couldn’t generate Xiangwen.
But in Evil Qi Road, you could easily buy them with spirit stones?
However, upon careful examination of the “Abandoned Immortal Bone,” Heng Yudu discovered this spiritual vein only looked like one but wasn’t a real Tianyan spiritual vein.
Xi Jianlan’s eyes coldly watched the man still gambling heavily below, his tone gentle and calm: “‘Abandoned Immortal Bone’ is also called False Tianyan. It can give people temporary spiritual power, but causes extreme damage to spiritual roots.”
But how could people who came to Evil Qi Road care about such minor aftereffects?
Abandoned Immortal Bone—with such a heaven-reaching treasure, naturally even immortal bones could be discarded.
Heng Yudu frowned tightly.
Evil Qi Road’s False Tianyan was like an undercurrent beneath calm waters, ready to break through Chang River’s waters at any moment, sweeping into the world and stirring all the Thirteen States into muddy water.
“Evil Qi Road’s behind-the-scenes controller permits ‘Abandoned Immortal Bone’ to be sold freely.” Xi Jianlan said in a low voice, “But doesn’t allow anyone to privately buy and sell Xiangwen.”
If the Xiangwen business grew large and everyone went to buy “paintings” to become lofty immortal lords with Xiangwen, who would still use something like “Abandoned Immortal Bone” that was like drinking poison to quench thirst?
Heng Yudu looked at Qin Si, who was already addicted to gambling, and seemed to understand something.
“So Evil Qi Road’s golden rule is prohibiting Xiangwen trading.”
As soon as he finished speaking, sudden exclamations came from the crowd on the first floor.
“It’s the skull-masked person!”
“It’s Yu…”
Heng Yudu looked down and saw the bustling crowd seemingly avoiding something terrible, quickly separating to left and right, revealing a long path straight to the gambling table.
A red-clothed man wearing a skull mask strolled leisurely forward. With each step, purple ghostly patterns rippled beneath his feet.
Heng Yudu’s pupils trembled.
This person… was actually a spirit formed from a Tianyan spiritual vein?
At this moment, someone nearby said in shocked whispers: “Yu Tuishan?”
Skull mask, Yu Tuishan.
Everyone in Evil Qi Road knew this person, but legend said he only appeared to restore order when someone violated Evil Qi Road’s rules, and never entered gambling dens.
Why today…
Yu Tuishan walked leisurely, every movement carrying indescribable nobility and elegance. He slowly walked along the path cleared by the crowd to the gambling table, bringing with him a strange scent of…
Salt and pepper crispy fish.
The gambling house dealer saw him and hurriedly stood up respectfully to bow: “Sir.”
“What’s wrong?” Yu Tuishan’s voice was light and soft. Those few short words were like confessing to a beloved, tender and alluring. “Quite interesting, continue gambling.”
The dealer didn’t know who he had come for and could only continue gambling with the confused Qin Si.
This was Qin Si’s first time at Evil Qi Road. He didn’t understand the others’ fear of this skull-masked person at all, frowning as he threw out a handful of spirit stones.
Yu Tuishan stood right behind him, taking out a paper packet of salt and pepper crispy fish from his bosom and eating with relish.
He was so relaxed and carefree, but the people around were all silent as cicadas in winter, imperceptibly backing away as if afraid of being implicated.
But Yu Tuishan seemed to forget his purpose for coming, seriously finishing the entire packet of crispy fish, even tilting his mask to lick clean the crumbs on his fingertips like an elegant, beautiful cat.
Qin Si had been winning and losing before, but perhaps this person’s overwhelming presence standing behind him made him inexplicably nervous—he didn’t win a single round after that.
“I should stop…” Watching the piles of spirit stones dwindle, Qin Si’s mind suddenly cleared for a moment. He thought: ‘It’s not too late to come back tomorrow. Banban also likes eating fish—I’ll go back and buy her a fish to nourish her body.’
Just then, the dealer said: “You won this round—continue?”
Qin Si’s eyes lit up, instantly casting his previous thoughts to the winds, his eyes completely filled with filth: “Of course continue!”
What gambler thinks they’ve won too little?
What gambling addict doesn’t think they can ride their winning streak and make a comeback?
Yu Tuishan, having just finished his fish, sighed lightly as if regretting something.
He reached out to pick up a jade die from the table, examining it against the candlelight, saying lightly: “Do you like dice?”
Qin Si frowned tightly, finding this person an eyesore: “Get lost.”
As soon as these two words came out, everyone around gasped, looking at him with pity.
This person was clearly new to Evil Qi Road, completely unaware of this skull-masked person’s methods.
Yu Tuishan wasn’t angry and asked gently again: “Do you like them?”
Qin Si vaguely sensed something was wrong, frowning: “What like or don’t like?”
Gamblers tied their entire lives and fortunes to that small jade die.
If the dice showed the number they bet on, they loved it;
If not, it was their mortal enemy.
“Since you love gambling so much, you must like them.” Yu Tuishan chuckled, his slender finger lightly touching Qin Si’s forehead, saying gently: “Whatever you like, you should become. Don’t you think so?”
Qin Si was angered by this forehead-poking gesture and slammed the table to stand up, about to curse, but felt his vision suddenly spin wildly. He felt like someone had violently yanked him and thrown him hard.
The surrounding crowd and huge gambling table seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, leaving only endless blackness.
His vision was low, his whole body unable to move.
The entire gambling house fell silent.
Yu Tuishan had actually transformed a living person into an ordinary jade die in an instant.
The die rolled several times on the gambling table before finally stopping in that pile of spirit stones.
The “one” dot faced quietly upward.
It took Qin Si a long time to realize something was wrong. He wanted to scream in terror, but his internal organs and every meridian seemed fixed in place—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make a sound.
He… had actually become a die?!
“How strange.” Yu Tuishan pushed the immobile jade die with his fingertip, frowning lightly as if very confused. “Didn’t you love dice? Why are you so terrified?”
Qin Si was scared out of his wits. The tiny die trembled finely from his soul’s fear.
Overwhelming terror swept through his entire soul, making him unable to think at all.
He didn’t even know what he’d done wrong and didn’t know how to admit fault even if he wanted to beg for mercy.
Was gambling wrong?
But clearly others were gambling too.
Yu Tuishan seemed to sense something, his eyes beneath the skull mask becoming even colder.
‘An unrepentant fool.’
He lowered his gaze and carelessly tossed Qin Si’s die back into the dice cup, as if he’d touched something dirty. He took a white cloth from a nearby servant to wipe his five fingers, then turned to leave.
Everyone around bowed to him with pale faces, fearfully watching him depart.
Just as Yu Tuishan was about to leave the gambling house, he suddenly seemed to remember something: “The person selling Xiangwen has been found, but what about the buyer?”
The servant stammered: “That person… didn’t say.”
Yu Tuishan tilted his head and glanced at the second floor.
The corridor was empty, with no one there.
“Actually used me as a weapon?” Yu Tuishan smiled. “No good, I should also make use of others.”
“Lord Yu?”
Yu Tuishan strolled outside: “Didn’t Xiezhi Sect people come today?”
The servant hurried to catch up: “Yes, only one came. He seemed to head toward Hezhou City.”
“Perfect, let the Xiezhi Sect people help me deal with Hezhou City.” Yu Tuishan slowly walked out of the gambling house door. “I need to…”
The servant thought this high-ranking lord had other important matters and was listening carefully, but heard him say:
“I need to buy another packet of crispy fish.”
The servant: “…”
Alright then.
***
Xi Jianlan took advantage of the chaos to leave the gambling house with Heng Yudu. His previously cold expression finally relaxed as he leaned against the chair back, his tone lazy.
“I also want to eat salt and pepper crispy fish. There’s a place at the entrance of the nineteenth alley that makes it especially delicious. I’ll take you there later.”
Heng Yudu was in no mood for crispy fish. He didn’t need to think to know Xi Jianlan must have said something to that servant to lure that skull-masked Yu Tuishan over.
But seeing the undisguised happiness on Xi Jianlan’s face, he swallowed back his lecture.
“Alright, go home after buying the crispy fish?”
“Not going home.” Xi Jianlan picked another handful of osmanthus flowers to eat, his cold eyes slightly lifting as if looking through those brightly lit ghostly long streets toward some unknown distance.
“I’m going to get ‘Third Watch Snow’ back.”
##
