Chapter 30
part 2
Not long after Wen Heng left, a servant rushed excitedly into the main hall. Addressing Shen Gong, he exclaimed, “Sir! Wonderful news! The young mistress fainted and the doctor was summoned. He says she’s pregnant!”
An eerie silence fell over the main hall…
Shen Liang had assigned Wen Heng and the others several rooms, each large enough for one person to sleep in alone. Wen Heng collapsed onto his bed. This was the first time since waking that he’d occupied such a large room alone, and the first time he’d prepared to sleep. Yet he tossed and turned, unable to find rest.
After rolling several times, Wen Heng finally picked up his begging staff and placed it on the bed.
Suddenly, a rhythmic knocking sounded at the door—three soft taps. One might mistake it for an illusion if not listening carefully. But after the first three taps came another set of three, equally faint. Wenheng instantly knew who stood outside. He called out, “Wushang? Is that you?”
Lian Wushang’s voice replied, “Mhm.” Wenheng hurriedly threw on his outer robe and rushed barefoot to the door, flinging it open. Lian Wushang stood outside in his undergarments, his eyes and brows soft and gentle. He smiled, “Did I disturb your rest?”
Wen Heng quickly pulled him inside. “I wasn’t asleep. Why aren’t you either?” Lian Wushang sighed helplessly. “I thought I’d fall asleep quickly, but after trying for a while, it just didn’t work.” Since neither could sleep, why not find someone to talk to?
Besides, the Shen residence wasn’t exactly a peaceful haven. Lian Wushang feared he might be ambushed in his sleep.
“Come on, let’s chat in bed.” Wen Heng pulled Lian Wushang inside and casually closed the door behind them. Lian Wushang didn’t hesitate—he kicked off his shoes, climbed into bed, and wrapped himself in the quilt. Wen Heng soon brought over the candied fruits from the table and climbed in too, pushing the tray toward Lian Wushang.
Two grown men sitting on a bed, each wrapped in a quilt, looked utterly bizarre—but they didn’t care. Wen Heng found the quilt a marvel: “This is truly a wonderful thing, far warmer than straw.” If they ever left Qingcheng Town, he’d buy several quilts to keep on the cart.
Speaking of the cart, Wen Heng asked Lian Wushang, “Is the cart okay?” Lian Wushang replied, “It’s fine. I’ve protected it with a barrier.”
As they chatted about random things, eventually both men couldn’t sit still any longer. They lay down and then… fell asleep. Shen Liang, who had been observing them all night, listened to their idle chatter but ultimately couldn’t make head nor tail of it.
Wen Heng slept soundly. In his dream, a blue lotus blossomed silently in the darkness, emitting a faint azure glow. Lian Wushang also slept peacefully, transported back to the time when he was an underground lotus root. The roots of the sky-piercing giant tree had once again wrapped around his rhizome. Well, if they wanted to cling, let them cling.
On the spacious bed in the Shen residence, Wen Heng and Lian Wushang both slept in perfect postures, like two fried, perfectly straight caterpillars. Their long hair was tangled together, like the inextricable roots of a sky-piercing giant tree, or like lotus threads that were impossible to cut and impossible to untangle.
Early the next morning, Gouzi scrambled out of bed. Standing at the window, he bellowed, “Ah Heng, I’m off to Qingcheng Sect! Don’t wait up if I don’t return today!”
Lian Wushang and Wen Heng both jolted awake. The sudden awareness brought awkwardness—Lian Wushang realized he’d been cradled in Wen Heng’s arms without knowing when. Wen Heng pulled his arms back as if burned, stealing a glance at Lian Wushang. Was he angry?
Lian Wushang looked perfectly calm. Stretching lazily, he sighed, “That was a great sleep. Must have been exhausted from before.” Wen Heng quickly rolled with it, “Yeah, yeah, I slept like a log too.”
Today promised leisure. Wen Heng still carried the silver he’d obtained from Shen Liang yesterday, intending to arrange his identity papers.
Shen Liang was a cultivator, and his friends were cultivators too. Most cultivators abstained from food, absorbing spiritual energy instead. Thus, Lian Wushang and Wen Heng found themselves without meals at the Shen residence.
As Wen Heng and his companion stepped out of the courtyard, the young servant guarding the entrance informed them, “Our young master says you two are welcome to roam freely within the Shen residence. You may come and go as you please in Qingcheng Town. Should you wish to visit the Qingcheng Sect, he will send someone to escort you.”
Wen Heng smiled warmly. “Thank you, young man. We’d like to explore Qingcheng Town today. Could you kindly show us the way?” By “lead the way,” Wen Heng meant having the servant guide them from their courtyard to the main gate of the Shen residence. The Shen residence was truly enormous, feeling even larger than Xiaoyan Town.
Whether it was the servant’s skillful guidance or some other reason, Wen Heng and his companion encountered not a single soul along the way. Upon exiting, the servant handed each of them a copper token. “Gentlemen, keep these tokens safe. When you return, simply show them to the gatekeeper.” “We appreciate your trouble,” Wen Heng and Lian Wushang nodded in unison.
The morning sun bathed the blue stone pavements of Qingcheng Town, the air filled with the fresh scent of flowers. Wen Heng kept stealing glances at Lian Wushang, but whenever Lian caught his gaze, he quickly looked away. “Why are you staring at me?” Lian asked. Wen Heng lowered his eyes in embarrassment. “Nothing…”
Wen Heng’s gaze drifted downward, landing on his begging staff. The sight froze him in place. On the dark wood, near where he gripped it, a small, brownish bud had sprouted. It was no bigger than a soybean. Had Wen Heng not been intimately familiar with this piece of wood, he might never have noticed the anomaly.
Startled, Wen Heng held up the begging stick and called to Lian Wushang, “Wushang, Wushang! Come quick! My begging stick has sprouted!”
Lian Wushang leaned in and gasped—a sprout had emerged from the Ding Tian Giant Wood!
Wen Heng examined the begging stick curiously from all angles. “How strange! It’s actually sprouted. Could it be that Qingcheng Town’s climate and soil are just right? Should we find a place to plant it?”
Lian Wushang stared intently at Wen Heng. The sprouting of the Heaven-Supporting Giant Tree proved that Wen Heng had gained sufficient power to make the giant tree sprout. It was well known that the Sky-Piercing Giant Tree required immense amounts of spiritual energy to grow—no less than what Wen Heng himself had consumed during his own transformation.
“Wushang, what’s wrong?” Wen Heng asked, puzzled by her peculiar expression. Lian Wushang inquired, “Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?”
Wen Heng touched himself. “No, I don’t feel uncomfortable anywhere. On the contrary, I feel quite comfortable today. Probably because I rested well yesterday.”
At the Shen residence, Shen Liang felt the spiritual energy in the house was unusually thin today. What the hell was going on?
Author’s Note:
Wen Heng: Look, look! I’ve sprouted!
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")