PID Chapter 12

The weather was nice, with a pleasant breeze. On the wall, a cat and an inner demon lazed about, boneless. Below the wall, three young men and a young woman stood, full of life and dressed ornately.

 

From their positions, the man in the center, surrounded by the others, seemed to be the leader. He also looked more mature and was taller than those around him.

 

Xiao Mo estimated his height based on the wall: hmm, still a bit shorter than Chu Jinglan.

 

Assessment complete: not as tall as Chu Jinglan, but looks older.

 

Xiao Mo, lounging on the cat, heard the only girl speak: “Congratulations to Brother Yusheng on your fruitful travels. In three days’ selection… oh no, in the Mu Mountain Secret Realm, you’ll surely shine!”

 

The surrounded man, Chu Yusheng, laughed heartily: “Isn’t it the same for you, Fifth Sister? This time, we’ll all surely qualify. When the time comes, we’ll support each other and not let the Chu family lose face.”

 

They praised each other, except for one frail-looking boy who hadn’t spoken much. Probably the most introverted, he weakly said amidst the cheerful voices: “Isn’t Chu Jinglan leading the team this time? Shouldn’t we interact with him beforehand?”

 

With these words, the cheerful atmosphere suddenly became awkward, and the smiles slowly faded from their faces.

 

Xiao Mo perked up, rolling over on the cat’s body: Finally, they’re talking about Chu Jinglan.

 

Fifth Sister Chu sighed lightly: “Ah, Brother Jinglan is good in every way, just a bit too cold. I’ve never even seen him smile at me.”

 

Chu Yusheng smiled insincerely and patted the frail boy’s shoulder: “Tenth Brother, you used to be closest to him. What, you want to go back now?”

 

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” The young Tenth Brother shuddered, as if recalling something terrifying, his face panicked: “It’s so dangerous around him, how could I go back!”

 

Seeing his panic, Chu Yusheng was satisfied: “That’s right. He’s often targeted by assassins. That time you were almost caught up in it. It’s better to stay away from him.”

 

When Chu Jinglan had just formed his Golden Core, before receiving the protective talisman from the Huanjian Sect elders, assassination attempts came in waves. Young Tenth Brother, who had been trying to curry favor with Chu Jinglan, was with him daily and nearly became collateral damage, almost losing his life.

 

Young Tenth Brother hadn’t expected that his attempt to get close to Chu Jinglan would almost cost him his life. He wanted to enjoy the benefits of being close to Chu Jinglan, not share in the hardships.

 

So even though Chu Jinglan had protected him, Young Tenth Brother’s already small courage shrank further. The incident left a deep shadow, and he no longer dared to get close to Chu Jinglan.

 

Young Tenth Brother’s agitation came and went quickly. After calming down, he pursed his lips and mumbled: “Do you think he’s keeping his distance to avoid implicating us…”

 

“Tenth Brother.”

 

Seeing Chu Yusheng’s displeased expression, the boy next to him quickly put his hand on Young Tenth Brother’s shoulder, interrupting him: “That’s enough. After the Mu Mountain Secret Realm, Chu Jinglan will turn eighteen soon and go to the Huanjian Sect. The young master title will return to Brother Yusheng. Our future family head is Brother Yusheng, so don’t mention others.”

 

Young Tenth Brother, watching Chu Yusheng’s expression, finally shut up.

 

Chu Yusheng patted their backs, his warning clear: “Now that’s what good brothers do.”

 

I see, Xiao Mo thought, finally understanding.

 

The other children were deliberately distanced by Chu Jinglan. Whether it was for their safety, Xiao Mo didn’t know. But given their young age, even as young masters and misses of a prominent family, they might have some cunning but lacked the foundation of rich life experience. Their foolishness was somewhat understandable.

 

Children are easily swayed and prone to forming cliques.

 

But that Chu Yusheng looked about nineteen, right? At eighteen, he’d start dealing with family affairs and should know better. He even wanted to be the family head in the future, but did he have the brains for it?

 

Didn’t he realize that if Chu Jinglan went to the Huanjian Sect, yes, he’d be far from them, but that was in the Middle Realm with resources far superior to the Lower Realm? Instead of actively maintaining good relations with Chu Jinglan for future benefits, he was leading the group in distancing themselves?

 

What a fool.

 

Small-minded and short-sighted, he felt Chu Jinglan had stolen his young master title and held a grudge, unable to see beyond the “young master” position.

 

Chu Jinglan didn’t even want the title. Why didn’t Chu Yusheng resent the elders and family head who insisted on burdening Chu Jinglan with the responsibility?

 

The Chu family main branch had seven houses. Chu Jinglan’s father was the second son, while Chu Yusheng’s father was the eldest and the family head. The young master position should have been Chu Yusheng’s, but because Chu Jinglan was exceptionally talented, the Chu family wanted to promote him to the Huanjian Sect. To enhance his status, they temporarily gave the young master title to Chu Jinglan.

 

The elders hoped that Chu Jinglan would make a name for himself in the Middle Realm, help the Chu family, and transport cultivation resources, while Chu Yusheng would manage internal family affairs.

 

Good idea, wrong people.

 

But it didn’t matter.

 

The black mist ball shifted on the soft cat, as Xiao Mo the inner demon gazed mysteriously at the people below: After all, the Chu family would be almost entirely wiped out in the future, so it really didn’t matter who became the family head.

 

Xiao Mo, having solved the mystery, lost interest in listening further. He floated back to the pavilion just as the Grand Elder finished talking and left. Not having to listen to his chatter made the demon happy.

 

Just as Xiao Mo thought they could finally return to Chu Jinglan’s courtyard, a servant came running towards the pavilion, looking flustered.

 

Though not one of Chu Jinglan’s personal servants, when Chu Jinglan saw her, his expression immediately tightened, and he even took two steps forward.

 

Xiao Mo noticed keenly: Hmm?

 

The servant seemed to have run all the way, panting and speaking urgently: “Young Master, it’s terrible, the Madam, she, she—”

 

Chu Jinglan’s voice was tense: “What happened to her?”

 

This was the first time Xiao Mo had seen anxiety and worry on Chu Jinglan’s face. But it was understandable, as he had guessed the servant’s identity.

 

This was a servant from Chu Jinglan’s mother’s side.

 

And Chu Jinglan’s mother… suffered from hysteria, commonly known as madness.

 

“She’s having an episode again,” the servant said quickly, catching her breath. “This time she’s insisting on seeing you.”

 

Hearing that his mother wanted to see him, a flash of helplessness and a hint of hope crossed Chu Jinglan’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. If Xiao Mo hadn’t been watching closely, he might have missed it.

 

Chu Jinglan clenched his fist, the pain grounding him. He lowered his eyes and said softly: “She shouldn’t see me when she’s having an episode. What’s different today?”

 

The servant wiped her sweat: “Today her condition is somewhat different. She kept demanding to see you. We managed to get her to take her medicine by telling her you were coming. But before the medicine took effect, and when you didn’t show up, she flew into a rage. We could barely control her.”

 

In the entire Chu family, only Chu Jinglan truly cared for her. He had been clenching his fist so tightly it was about to bleed when he suddenly relaxed it.

 

Chu Jinglan: “Alright, take me to her.”

 

The original story didn’t describe Chu Jinglan’s mother much, so Xiao Mo didn’t know what would happen during this visit. But he knew her fate.

 

She would die, just days after Chu Jinglan was crippled.

 

Her death would be the final straw that broke Chu Jinglan, also causing him to develop a deep, blood-soaked grudge against the Chu family.

 

Xiao Mo looked at Chu Jinglan, whose expression remained neutral but whose hurried steps clearly showed his anticipation to meet his mother. He silently followed.

 

Though he had grown up without parents, Xiao Mo knew what a harmonious family looked like. Walking down the street, he’d often see smiling parents holding the hands of even happier children.

 

Xiao Mo had never had this, so he could only feel envy and loneliness. As for pain, it was limited.

 

But to have something and then lose it—for a person walking alone in the darkness to lose the last light they carefully protected—the depth of that moment’s despair was something Xiao Mo couldn’t bear to imagine.

 

…It was hard to say who was more pitiful between him and Chu Jinglan.

 

Led by the servant, they arrived at Chu Jinglan’s mother’s residence.

 

This was Xiao Mo’s first time here since coming to the Chu family.

 

The courtyard was secluded but not desolate. There were many servants coming and going, all looking tense and serious. As they entered, they saw a noble lady humming a tune while setting dishes on a stone table in the yard.

 

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, her eyes immediately brightening with joy: “Jinglan, you’ve finally come!”

 

The woman was beautiful, though her hairpins were slightly askew, probably from her earlier outburst. She happily took Chu Jinglan’s hand, fussing over him like any loving mother.

 

She didn’t look mad at all.

 

Chu Jinglan’s expression softened as he reached out to tidy her hair and straighten her hairpins, allowing his mother to lead him to sit at the table.

 

“I’ve prepared so many dishes. Come, let’s taste them together.”

 

The table was laden with steaming dishes, far more than two people could eat. All were mouth-watering delicacies. Xiao Mo thought Chu’s mother’s condition had temporarily improved, that she was lucid now and had simply missed her son and wanted to share a meal with him.

 

The original story mentioned that before her madness, she loved Chu Jinglan dearly. In this cruel world, her young child had become her only solace.

 

The dishes were different from those prepared by the cook in Chu Jinglan’s courtyard. Thinking it was a false alarm, Xiao Mo floated closer, wanting to appreciate the different cuisine and enjoy the meal. But as the aroma wafted around the black mist ball, Xiao Mo sensed something was off.

 

Hmm? Something didn’t seem right…

 

Xiao Mo was puzzled. He sniffed left and right, growing increasingly anxious. Something was definitely wrong here! But he seemed to be separated from the truth by a layer of mist, just a bit short of figuring it out—

 

As if struck by lightning, the inner demon’s abilities awakened further. Xiao Mo finally understood what the problem was.

 

“Chu Jinglan!” Xiao Mo shouted, “It’s poisoned!”

 

However, Chu Jinglan showed no surprise, not even blinking. Seeing his composed expression, the anxious demon ball suddenly stopped spinning.

 

Xiao Mo realized: Chu Jinglan had detected the poison in the food even before him.

 

At this moment, Chu’s mother smiled as she ladled a bowl of soup for Chu Jinglan: “Jinglan, why aren’t you eating?”

 

Xiao Mo felt chilled to the bone by her gentle smile.

 

So even tenderness could be a death sentence.

 

Chu Jinglan’s expression remained unchanged as he picked up the spoon and gently stirred the soup. Without looking up, he asked the servant: “What’s in it?”

 

The servant, sweating profusely, stammered: “Shadowbane.”

 

So they knew too.

 

“Shadowbane doesn’t affect me.”

 

After saying this, Chu Jinglan actually raised the bowl and drank the soup!

 

Xiao Mo’s cry of shock was cut short.

 

He knew Chu Jinglan couldn’t die here, but seeing him drink the soup without hesitation still made his heart stop instinctively.

 

This was a human reaction, beyond his control.

 

Xiao Mo opened his mouth, but a thousand words stuck in his throat. There was too much to say, resulting in not a single word coming out.

 

The servant also looked like she wanted to say something but closed her mouth, secretly wiping her eyes.

 

Mother Chu smiled as she watched her son finish the poisoned soup. Chu Jinglan even said softly to her: “Mother, it tastes very good.”

 

She blushed like a young girl: “That’s good.”

 

Then she stared intently at Chu Jinglan’s face, watching him taste other dishes, chewing slowly as if savoring delicacies rather than poison.

 

As time passed, the smile gradually faded from Chu’s mother’s face.

 

When Chu Jinglan swallowed another bite, his mother suddenly grabbed him.

 

She tilted her head in confusion: “Why aren’t you dead yet?”

 

The false smile was stripped away, revealing the grotesque riverbed beneath.

 

“You should be dead, shouldn’t you?”

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter