Chapter 28#
His Lips Pressed Thinly#
Yan Wushu paced in a small area, his folding fan tapping lightly against his palm, searching for clues in his memory.
Suddenly, something occurred to him. He covertly observed Shi Tang for a few moments, then turned his head to ask Xiao Man, “The spiritual energy that enveloped the Unheard Bell just now came from your hand, and you also pulled me back over a zhang away, not letting me get close. You took these precautions—is it because it cannot be touched by living beings?”
Xiao Man thought to himself that the man had a sharp eye. However, his gaze remained steady, fixed on the Unheard Bell without granting Yan Wushu a single glance. He said softly, “Only Miss Shi can.”
“It seems the young lady’s constitution is unusual,” Yan Wushu said with a hint of sighing in his tone. Then, he added another sentence: “This magical artifact is also unusual.”
Hearing this, Xiao Man turned his head immediately.
His movement was slightly abrupt, causing the dark hair on his back to lift for a moment, loosely scattering and tracing an arc of light in mid-air. Yan Wushu smiled at the sight. “It is indeed just a low-level magical artifact, ordinary and of little use. But at the same time, it is also a ritual vessel.”
The emphasis fell on the last two words, and the smile in his speech receded slightly.
Xiao Man’s brow furrowed slightly.
The “ritual” in “ritual vessel” (jì qì) stems from the meaning of sacrifice or offering. This is a type of magical artifact specifically used to enhance the quality and grade of other magical artifacts. They are not easy to manufacture; besides requiring a considerable level of skill, one must also have great opportunity and excellent luck to find the materials for their creation.
As he pondered, Yan Wushu spoke again: “Ritual vessels are very rare. One like the Unheard Bell, which naturally rejects living beings and exclusively accepts spiritual energy, is even more so. Its quality is excellent. The probability of using it to nurture and refine a high-level magical artifact to make it even better is extremely high. Therefore, it’s only natural that it would incite contention.”
“Since it’s such a treasure, why haven’t people come up to Tiger Drum Mountain to steal it before?” After listening to Yan Wushu’s words, Shi Tang’s eyes widened, her face full of confusion.
“Because before now, no one but you could take it away,” Yan Wushu said. “Now that Xiao Man has thought of a method and brought it down the mountain, those lurking in the shadows have revealed themselves.”
Shi Tang’s eyes darted around, quickly thinking of a method for those villains: “Wouldn’t it be enough to go up the mountain and threaten me?”
“There are formations placed outside your family residence; outsiders cannot easily pass through,” Xiao Man patiently explained to her. “Furthermore, perhaps they didn’t know that you were able to touch the Unheard Bell.”
“That’s true, it’s something passed down from my ancestors!” Shi Tang was convinced by Xiao Man, a hint of pride showing in her eyes. Then, realizing something was wrong, she held out the Unheard Bell she was cupping in her hands and said, “In that case, isn’t it exceptionally dangerous and risky for me to keep it?”
Previously, she had thought the Unheard Bell was just an ordinary magical artifact. So, after hearing that Xiao Man and the others had encountered villains on the road, she merely treated it as a plot point from a storybook coming to life. Although worried, she wasn’t tense, and even felt a bit excited. Now that she understood the background and value of the Unheard Bell, she felt as if she were holding a hot potato, and worry and fear surged up all at once.
Yan Wushu smiled and comforted her: “No need to worry. At the necessary time, I will intervene.”
“When is the ’necessary time’?” Shi Tang asked, then immediately thought of an answer, her volume rising considerably: “It wouldn’t be when my life is in danger, would it?”
Yan Wushu stopped speaking. Shi Tang’s heart tightened, and she looked at Xiao Man. Observing his expression closely, she realized it was indeed so.
Shi Tang thought: If it truly comes to a life-threatening moment, and if this person is just a half-beat late, wouldn’t I lose my life?
She wrinkled her nose, her feet shifting unnaturally. She looked at the sky and then at the ground, and finally back at the Unheard Bell in her hands. After staring for a while, a spark of inspiration flashed in her mind.
“How about this? Senior Wu, you are Xiao Man and the others’ teacher, and I heard you’re the supervisor for their mission, so you must be very fair. Could I please ask you to help keep it on our behalf?” She smoothed her brow, took half a step forward, and smiled sweetly.
It was the first time Xiao Man had seen this girl act so well-behaved, and he couldn’t help but tilt his head and let out a soft laugh.
This laugh was extremely brief, his dark eyes curving into fans, the starlight and moonlight breaking into fine fragments. It dissolved the habitual coldness on his face, making him appear exceptionally brilliant.
Yan Wushu caught this scene, and the tip of his tongue unconsciously pressed against his upper palate. But then he suddenly remembered that Xiao Man hadn’t smiled at him for a long time.
He lowered his eyes, his thoughts shifting for only a moment before he looked up again and nodded to Shi Tang. “You have some cunning; not bad.”
There was a hint of praise in his tone, but his words shifted in a blink. “Rather than handing it to me, it’s better to wait until we reach Shenjing, spend some money, and store the item at Xijiang Yue.”
“Xijiang Yue?” Shi Tang asked.
Yan Wushu replied, “A shop specifically for keeping valuable items for guests. They employ many experts, so there’s no need to worry about items being lost—and of course, even if they are lost, you can get compensation.”
“Oh…” Shi Tang’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “Then thank you very much for the guidance, Senior Wu.”
Xiao Man regrouped a ball of spiritual energy to shroud the Unheard Bell, then placed the bell into the jade box and back into the Qiankun Ring. Shi Tang took the Qiankun Ring and went back into the house, leaving only him and Yan Wushu in the courtyard.
The wind passed silently, the starlight and moonlight pouring down like water, making the bluestone slabs beneath their feet exceptionally bright. Yan Wushu’s robe hem was deep black, rising and falling in the swirling wind. Light slid across the satin surface, reflecting exquisite hidden patterns. Xiao Man took a glance and then passed by, turning toward his own room.
Yan Wushu stood in place, unmoving.
The wind also didn’t stop. Xiao Man took two steps, then turned back to look at him and asked, “Still not leaving?”
“You still have things to ask me.” Yan Wushu smiled and turned slightly to face Xiao Man directly, the folding fan in his hand spinning into a beautiful and crisp flower.
Xiao Man did indeed have doubts in his heart. His lips pressed thinly as he phrased his words before speaking: “Did Gushan know from the start that the Unheard Bell we were to find in the mission is a ritual vessel?”
“You know I haven’t spent time in the Disciples’ Hall of Baihua Peak, so I can’t say for sure,” Yan Wushu said slowly. “However, I once heard a bit: for this training mission for low-level disciples before the Sword Trial Assembly, if they draw a mission to find an item, that item is ultimately awarded back to the person who performed the mission.”
“As a magical artifact, the Unheard Bell has little to offer; as a ritual vessel, its value is extraordinary. But if, upon returning to Gushan to settle the mission, Gushan awards the item back to us as a reward… in that case, this should be a coincidence,” Xiao Man analyzed in a low voice.
Yan Wushu chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.
Xiao Man stood in the courtyard for a while, thinking deeply about whether there were any oversights. Finally, he said, “In any case, let’s wait until we get to Shenjing.”
This was just a low murmur to himself. As his words fell, he lowered his sleeves, stepped into the room, and closed the door.
The starlight and moon shadows remained, and the fragrance of autumn osmanthus drifted from the street, faintly sweet.
Yan Wushu looked up, glanced nonchalantly toward the inn, flicked open his folding fan, and vanished from the courtyard.
The next day, the weather remained fine.
Wuxiu Hui did its business at night, appreciating the wind and the moon rather than the morning mists, so they didn’t have a habit of rising early. Xiao Man followed suit and indulged in a bit of laziness, not getting up at daybreak. However, he didn’t miss the morning meal, going back to the same noodle shop as yesterday and ordering a bowl of sliced noodles in broth.
In the afternoon, the woman who followed Sister Qin gathered the girls from the establishment to practice their dance. Xiao Man and Mo Juntian appeared calm as they walked onto the stage, but in truth, their hearts were utterly numb.
Fortunately, such days only lasted for two days. By the third day, the group from Wuxiu Hui who were to perform at the festival began to pack up and set off for Shenjing.
Yuntai Town was just to the west of Shenjing, extremely close. They set off in the morning and arrived in the afternoon, but they didn’t expect to encounter difficulties when entering the city.
The group from Wuxiu Hui wasn’t too large, but the girls’ luggage was extremely heavy. Including the dance costumes, bead flowers, and hairpins, there were a total of six carriages. It was normal for such a convoy to stop and go at the city entrance checkpoint, but since the last stop, they hadn’t moved forward for a full half-quarter of an hour.
Shi Tang lifted the curtain and looked outside several times, finally discerning the situation: “Someone is contending with us for the road.”
Xiao Man was kneeling on a soft cushion. Though his eyes were lowered, he was constantly paying attention to the movements outside. He hummed an “Mm” in response.
Contending with Wuxiu Hui was a dance troupe from another place. They had no fewer people than Wuxiu Hui, and the woman sitting in the lead carriage had an aura no less imposing than Sister Qin’s. The two sides seemed to be old rivals; meeting outside the city gate, neither was willing to give way, resulting in the current situation.
“I really didn’t expect such a thing to happen,” Shi Tang sighed.
Before setting off, the weather in Yuntai Town had suddenly turned cold, so she had dressed a bit more warmly. To her surprise, upon arriving in Shenjing, the sun came out again. She wasn’t like Xiao Man and the others, who could circulate spiritual energy to regulate their temperature. At this moment, it wasn’t convenient to change her clothes. During this half-quarter of an hour spent in the carriage, she was so hot that her forehead and back were covered in sweat, and she couldn’t help but complain.
She simply rolled up the curtain so some wind could get through.
“Fortunately, they haven’t started quarreling, otherwise it would be too undignified,” Shi Tang said softly. But after a while, she added, “However, I would rather the two sides have a quarrel and decide a winner than this!”
Xiao Man took an object from his Qiankun Ring and said to Shi Tang, “Hold this in your hand.”
It was a round, emerald-green object that looked somewhat like jade, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t. Shi Tang was puzzled: “What is this?”
Mo Juntian cast a glance and said, “You’ll know once you hold it.”
Shi Tang reached out her hand. As soon as she touched it, the exhaustion and gloom on her face vanished.
“It’s so cool!” she exclaimed.
“This is a type of fruit from Gushan. Its taste isn’t much to speak of, but its skin is icy cold and can be used to keep cool,” Xiao Man explained warmly.
Shi Tang thanked him repeatedly.
After another half-quarter of an hour, the convoy finally moved forward. Sister Qin of Wuxiu Hui had used some means to win the contention.
“The girls of Wuxiu Hui love to quarrel and fight; it seems it all starts with this proprietress,” Mo Juntian said, shaking his head, his words tinged with a sense of disgust.
They arrived at the official inn of Shenjing.
Carriages were forbidden inside; all luggage had to be taken down and brought in personally.
Xiao Man and his group had hardly brought anything and were lightly burdened. Wuxiu Hui, on the other hand, had much luggage. Only a few musicians in their party were men, and they were working busily at the moment, while the girls were haughty and completely unwilling to help.
Xiao Man flicked his finger, performing a small technique to help out. After the musicians had unloaded the items and Sister Qin was leading everyone to prepare to enter, he suddenly heard two or three familiar voices coming from the inn.
“It’s… it’s Qian San, Ma Wu, and Zhao Liu!” Mo Juntian recognized who they were and appeared somewhat anxious. “I remember now, their mission was to help out at the Shenjing festival!”
“What? There are people you know at the festival?” Shi Tang became energized upon hearing this.
Unlike Shi Tang’s expression, Mo Juntian grabbed Xiao Man’s arm and pulled him toward a corner. “Quick, quick, let’s turn our backs, don’t let them see us!”
“No need to be so nervous; they might not recognize us,” Xiao Man comforted in a low voice.
But just then, one of the three men—Qian, Ma, or Zhao—suddenly raised his voice and said excitedly, “Eh, isn’t that…”