AVL Chapter 40.1

Sheng Jiao wasn’t welcome at Lezheng Jiu’s place and couldn’t even enter Luojiu Courtyard, standing alone under the white crane pine outside.

 

He seemed accustomed to waiting.

 

Feng Yu was jumping around anxiously, running out of Luojiu Courtyard and circling Sheng Jiao: “When exactly did you owe Lezheng Jiu so much spirit stones? Sheng Jiao, Sheng Wuzhuo, Sect Master Sheng?”

 

He circled again, jumping frantically: “How about this—I’ll help you pay the debt, and you tell me what happened?”

 

Sheng Jiao: “……”

 

The door to Luojiu Courtyard opened, and Xi Jianlan walked out.

 

From inside came the faint sound of Lezheng Jiu’s angry shouting, apparently still arguing with Lady Wan about refusing to go out.

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t care whether Lezheng Jiu would come or not. He walked over with his hands behind his back, approaching Sheng Jiao with a cheeky grin and calling out brightly: “Sheng Wuzhuo!”

 

Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly.

 

Wasn’t he furious and ready to devour someone just now? How had he changed his tune in less than half an hour?

 

Feng Yu quickly grabbed Xi Jianlan, chattering: “Do you know about Sheng Jiao owing Lezheng Zheng… bah, Le, Little Poison a huge debt? A whole three hundred thousand spirit stones!”

 

Xi Jianlan raised his eyebrows in surprise: “That much? No wonder Sect Master Sheng doesn’t even have spirit stones to buy a decent riverboat.”

 

“Right, right.” Seeing that Xi Jianlan didn’t know either, Feng Yu leaned in to whisper in his ear: “Go ask Sheng Jiao what happened—I’m dying of curiosity. Go on, he’ll definitely tell you.”

 

Xi Jianlan was in an excellent mood, like a miser secretly delighting in getting something good. He glanced at Feng Yu with disdain: “It’s their business—why are you joining in the excitement?”

 

Feng Yu: “?”

 

You didn’t have this hateful attitude when you usually joined in the excitement with me!

 

Seeing the two whispering together, Sheng Jiao frowned: “You’re poisoned?”

 

When he’d asked earlier, Xi Jianlan had been furious and snapped at him, but now he was completely different, smiling as he said: “Yes, so what, are you worried about me?”

 

Sheng Jiao automatically ignored his flirtation: “What poison?”

 

Xi Jianlan was about to launch into a string of lies, but hesitated at the last moment and changed his words: “I’m not telling you.”

 

Sheng Jiao frowned.

 

Even if he pressed further, Xi Jue would just make up some lie to brush him off.

 

Fine then—it saved Sheng Jiao from having to expose him in front of others.

 

Feng Yu was stunned, frowning: “You’re poisoned? What poison, who did it, how long can you live, what did Little Poison say, can it be cured?”

 

“It can be cured.” Xi Jianlan answered what he could: “It needs ‘Yinhua Rao’ from the Southern Territory. I’ll go there with Lezheng Jiu tomorrow.”

 

Feng Yu frowned: “What poison is it exactly? I remember ‘Yinhua Rao’ is highly poisonous—fighting poison with poison?”

 

“Idiot.” Xi Jianlan said, “I won’t even tell Sheng Jiao the truth—how could I tell you? Do you dare believe what I say?”

 

Feng Yu: “……”

 

Xi Jianlan, abandoning his good brother for romance, circled around Sheng Jiao, calling “Sheng Wuzhuo” repeatedly.

 

Sheng Jiao found him noisy: “When are you leaving?”

 

“Tomorrow morning. Lady wants me to stay at the Medicine Sect for the night.”

 

Sheng Jiao grabbed him and started walking.

 

Lezheng Jiu was so hostile toward Sheng Jiao that he wouldn’t even let him meditate outside, considering it bad luck. If Xi Jianlan stayed alone at the Medicine Sect, Sheng Jiao would probably have to chase him to the Southern Territory tomorrow morning.

 

Xi Jianlan was dragged along but wasn’t angry—instead, he grinned: “Sheng Wuzhuo, are you planning to take me back to Xiezhi Sect?”

 

Sheng Jiao remained silent.

 

Feng Yu followed: “I won’t be going.”

 

Xi Jianlan was being dragged away while struggling to turn back, looking shocked: “You’re not going to watch the fun?!”

 

Feng Yu nearly rolled his eyes: “My father called me home—says there’s urgent business.”

 

Feng Chongyang?

 

Xi Jianlan raised an eyebrow slightly, saying with a half-smile: “Fine, go back first. Tomorrow we’ll take the Qianyu riverboat to the Southern Territory at the Chen hour.”

 

Feng Yu looked at him strangely: “Didn’t I say I’m not going?”

 

Xi Jianlan just grinned and didn’t answer.

 

Just as Sheng Jiao led Xi Jianlan out of the Medicine Sect, Lezheng Jiu came chasing after them in a rage, shouting: “Xi Jue! Don’t even think about dragging me to the Southern Territory!”

 

Xi Jianlan waved without looking back: “Tomorrow at Chen hour, Qianyu riverboat.”

 

Lezheng Jiu: “—Screw your father!”

 

Xi Jianlan laughed heartily as he escaped.

 

The Medicine Sect’s gate slowly closed.

 

Lady Wan, dressed in white, stood at the entrance, watching Xi Jianlan and the others fooling around as they walked down the mountain steps, their figures gradually disappearing into the thick green shade.

 

For some reason, she quietly shed a few more tears, gently wiping them away before turning to check the herbs in the medicine garden.

 

The garden was full of various herbs and poisonous flowers. Lady Wan was about to see if the Yutan flowers could sprout new buds when a strand of spiritual power silently emerged from the ground, forming a shadowy human figure beside a poisonous flower.

 

Lady Wan crouched down to examine the dry soil, saying quietly: “He’s back. You must be worried to death.”

 

The shadowy figure’s gender and age were indiscernible, its voice chaotic, but it seemed to be laughing.

 

“Lady Wan, do you still think he’s truly innocent?”

 

Lady Wan picked up a Yutan flower seed that had turned to stone in the soil, crushing it to powder with a slight movement of her fingertip, saying coldly: “You’re always using others as pawns and shifting blame—how can I trust you?”

 

“He’s just a little fox cub,” the person laughed softly. “How many family elders from Central State have died by his hand these years? Can he ever repay these blood debts?”

 

Lady Wan suddenly turned around, her usually gentle eyes nearly fierce.

 

“…Now he’s recklessly approaching Sheng Jiao again.” The person continued laughing. “It’s perfect that he’s back. Years ago, Sheng Jiao’s Tianyan pearls determined he was connected to the Xi family massacre. I’ll pin the whole thing on him. Xiezhi Sect shows no mercy—Sheng Jiao will kill him for me, eliminating future troubles.”

 

 

Lady Wan shouted sternly: “You dare?!”

 

The voices of men, women, old and young laughed together, chaotic and chilling: “I dare—why wouldn’t I dare?”

 

Lady Wan’s body suddenly rippled with spiritual power, sweeping out with tremendous force, pulverizing all the herbs in the vast medicine garden along with that strand of divine sense that had trespassed into the Medicine Sect.

 

Lady Wan said coldly: “If you’re not afraid of death, then try it.”

 

The shadowy figure flickered a few times, laughed eerily, then dissipated.

 

Lady Wan stood alone in the devastated medicine garden for a long time without moving.

 

***

 

After wandering outside for several days with two unfinished dramas on his mind, Feng Yu returned to the Feng family, his heart itching with curiosity.

 

The Feng estate was shrouded in yin energy everywhere. Even in the hot summer, it was more bone-chillingly cold than winter. No one dared live within miles, and wandering lonely souls and wild ghosts were everywhere.

 

Still pondering the mess between Lezheng Jiu and Sheng Jiao, as well as what poison that Xi Jue bastard had been hit with, Feng Yu muttered to himself as he arrived at the Feng family’s Tianyan ancestral shrine.

 

Feng Chongyang stood alone beside the incense-wreathed memorial tablets, as if he’d been waiting for a long time.

 

Feng Yu was inexplicably afraid of his father. He coughed lightly and obediently knelt on the prayer mat: “Father, what urgent matter did you need me for?”

 

Feng Chongyang had his back to him, staring at the two short, one long incense sticks in silence for a long time, then raised his hand to light another stick of incense.

 

A moment later, it was still two short, one long.

 

An ominous sign.

 

Feng Yu’s knees were uncomfortable from kneeling, but he didn’t dare make a sound, only watching helplessly as his father seemed to have some illness, inserting incense three or four times in a row.

 

Finally, Feng Chongyang extinguished the incense, closed his eyes slightly, and said: “You saw Xi Jue?”

 

Feng Yu nodded, his heart full of confusion.

 

This was the urgent matter his father spoke of?

 

“I have something for you to deliver to Master Wen,” Feng Chongyang suddenly said.

 

“The headmaster?” Feng Yu was bewildered. “Isn’t the headmaster in seclusion at his family home in the Southern Territory?”

 

The previous headmaster of Tianyan Academy was named Wen Gubai, from a great Southern Territory family. He was upright and just, gentle and benevolent. When the Xi family was massacred, the Central State master at the time also perished.

 

Learning from the Xi family’s precedent, the Central State families thought it over and simply pushed Wen Gubai to the position of master, overseeing all matters large and small across the thirteen provinces.

 

“Yes,” Feng Chongyang said. “Go to the Southern Territory.”

 

Feng Yu was stunned, then nodded happily: “Great, great.”

 

Feng Chongyang handed Feng Yu a small box bearing ghost-pattern talismans. While Feng Yu wasn’t paying attention, a palm-sized paper figure silently burrowed into his wrist, adhering to the inside of his forearm and merging with his bones and blood.

 

Feng Yu was completely unaware, taking the box and bowing respectfully before cheerfully preparing to leave.

 

Feng Chongyang watched his foolish son’s happy expression and suddenly said: “Bushu.”

 

Feng Yu turned back: “Father?”

 

After a long silence, Feng Chongyang asked: “You and Xi Jue… how is your friendship?”

 

Feng Yu snorted coldly, wanting to say who has friendship with that little liar, but when he looked up and saw Feng Chongyang’s inexplicably serious expression—though he usually couldn’t read his emotionless father, this time was different.

 

Feng Yu hesitated, then reluctantly said through gritted teeth: “Some friendship, I suppose. We could barely be called father-kind, son-filial.”

 

Feng Chongyang: “……”

 

Feng Yu almost slapped himself. After reuniting with Xi Jue for just two days, he’d already picked up his crude language. Afraid Feng Chongyang would beat him, he quickly added: “Xi Jue and I have known each other well for years, we’re close friends. He’s my… dear friend.”

 

He felt like vomiting after saying it, goosebumps falling all over the floor.

 

Feng Chongyang’s eyes moved slightly, studying Feng Yu for a long time.

 

So long that Feng Yu almost thought he really was going to get beaten, before he saw his father’s complex expression as he said: “Mm, go then.”

 

Feng Yu was stunned, quickly feeling reprieved, backing away a few steps before running off cheerfully.

 

Fortunately, Xi Jue had mentioned tomorrow’s departure time and location—perfect for hitching a ride on the riverboat to watch the drama.

 

***

 

Since Xi Jianlan didn’t reject Xiezhi Sect, Sheng Jiao didn’t deliberately annoy himself by returning to the Sheng family, walking expressionlessly along the waterway back to Xiezhi Sect.

 

Xi Jianlan had fallen asleep from exhaustion again, skillfully curled up in Sheng Jiao’s arms, his hand still clutching the robe and refusing to let go.

 

Hearing that the sect master had returned, Juan Xunfang hurried to greet him. Seeing the fox spirit in the sect master’s arms, he only twitched slightly and didn’t explode like before.

 

“Sect Master, those who attempted to destroy Shentian She today… how should they be dealt with?”

 

Sheng Jiao said expressionlessly: “Kill those who acted, expel those who didn’t from Xiezhi Sect.”

 

“Yes.” Juan Xunfang nodded, hesitating before adding: “Regarding the xiangwen trading at Evil Qi Road, logically Ying Zhuo can’t escape involvement, but after careful questioning, Xiezhi Sect found no trace of connection to the Ying family.”

 

Ying Zhuo was clever, using puppets for everything. Once exposed, the puppets would self-immolate on the spot, leaving no evidence whatsoever.

 

Sheng Jiao nodded, indicating he understood.

 

Juan Xunfang was about to report other matters when he belatedly realized the sect master was still holding someone, quickly lowering his head and watching Sheng Jiao return to Qingche Zhu.

 

The fox spirit surnamed Xi was quite delicate. As soon as Sheng Jiao placed him on the hard stone bed, he frowned, reaching up to hook around Sheng Jiao’s neck and trying to cling upward, preferring to be held rather than lie on the hard bed.

 

He mumbled: “Too hard.”

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)