Chapter 31#

Bamboo-Woven Little Deer#

Three other pairs of eyes also looked over, their gazes filled with tension, surprise, and concern. Under their watch, Xiao Man chewed very slowly. The candle on the table flickered several times before he put down his chopsticks, swallowed the slice of meat, and said, “The taste is very ordinary.”

Qu Hanxing’s eyes widened, wearing a “That’s it?” expression.

“There is indeed medicine inside, but it’s not poison; it’s just some croton seeds,” Xiao Man stated his conclusion. “And there is indeed spiritual energy, which is very strange. These are just ordinary ingredients, not any spiritual plants or spirit beast meat.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Mo Juntian said, “I’ll taste it too,” and the always steady Wei Chuyun also picked up his chopsticks to try. Seeing them like this, Shi Tang’s eyes lit up with interest, but Xiao Man was quick to catch her and press her back onto her stool.

Xiao Man shook his head at her. “There are croton seeds in here after all. Nothing will happen if we eat it, but you can’t.”

“Sigh, if only I were a cultivator too,” Shi Tang said, her face full of disappointment.

Watching Mo Juntian and Wei Chuyun eat the dishes with normal expressions, she added: “When I was a child, while chasing a cat, I inadvertently got close to the Unheard Bell once. When I realized it, I almost cried. Who knew the Unheard Bell wouldn’t make a sound? At that time, I thought I had a talent for cultivation.”

“Maybe you’ll encounter some opportunities in the future, and then you’ll naturally find your path,” Qu Hanxing comforted her.

Shi Tang said: “I’d rather pray for the next life.” After speaking, she closed her eyes and pressed her palms together.

“Every dish contains a trace of spiritual energy, including the rice,” Wei Chuyun said in a low voice after tasting all four dishes and the soup and putting down his bamboo chopsticks.

Mo Juntian also tasted all the food and said, “But there are no croton seeds in the rice.”

Everyone’s attention returned to the meal. The candlelight on the table flickered slightly, casting half the table in light and half in shadow; the four dishes and one soup looked somewhat eerie.

Xiao Man pondered for a while, and the scene of Rong Yuan cooking in a corner of the courtyard on Xueyi Peak surfaced in his mind, giving him a fragmented line of thought: “Whether stir-frying or steaming rice, water must be used. Could it be the spiritual energy in the water?”

“In that case, is there also spiritual energy in the tea?” Qu Hanxing immediately poured a cup of tea, threw his head back, and drained it. He gave another “hiss”—“There really is!”

Everyone began flipping over the teacups on the table and pouring out tea.

Shi Tang was eager to try again: “Can I drink it?”

Xiao Man poured a cup for her: “This you can.”

After drinking, Mo Juntian said in wonder: “Is Shenjing City so luxurious that even the water contains spiritual energy?”

There was no one here who was a native or had lived in Shenjing, so naturally, no one could provide an answer.

“The water is drawn from a well, and the well is connected to the river channels below. Could it be that the entire river is rich in spiritual energy?” Qu Hanxing tried to speculate.

Xiao Man shook his head: “If an entire river were rich in spiritual energy, we should have noticed it when we were above Shenjing.”

Qu Hanxing stood up and walked around the cramped room twice, coming up with another theory: “In that case, the spiritual energy must be underneath… Could there be spirit stones at the bottom of the river?”

“I don’t think so. If that were the case, there would have been rumors in the martial world long ago,” Wei Chuyun spoke up in disagreement. After a short pause, he added: “Even if Shenjing deliberately concealed it, the major clans and sects would surely have heard something.”

“Baffling, truly baffling,” Qu Hanxing said with a furrowed brow, but a moment later it smoothed out, and he laughed: “But anyway, it’s not a bad thing.”

Xiao Man softly said, “Hopefully so.”

It was getting late. Wei Chuyun and Qu Hanxing took their leave and went to the backyard to fulfill their assigned tasks. Shi Tang put out the screen and asked Xiao Man to perform a cleansing spell on her to wash away the dust of travel before lying down on the bed.

Mo Juntian threw the food box of croton-seed-laced food outside and found that in an open space some distance away, Qian San, Ma Wu, Zhao Liu, and several other fellow disciples were practicing their swordplay. His heart stirred, and he changed back into men’s clothing and took his sword over.

Xiao Man also didn’t stay long in the room. After reading a few pages of a book, he rose and went outside.

It had been some time since they returned to the inn. The people who were noisy just now had all extinguished their lights and retired for the night. The girls from Wuxiu Hui were much better after drinking their medicinal soup and were no longer frequently going to the latrine.

It was quiet all around. Closing his eyes and listening carefully, the faint sound of swords could be heard in the wind.

Xiao Man didn’t practice his sword. He walked along a small path out of the inn and onto the street filled with moonlight where the sound of people had faded.

The streets of Shenjing were different from those of Yuntai Town.

Although the small town was lively, it was far less prosperous than the imperial city. The road surfaces here were wide and level, allowing four carriages to travel side by side. There were no small pebbles to trip on, no weeds growing haphazardly, and very little moss could be seen at the base of the walls.

The mortar used for the walls was of top quality, and even the flowers peeking over the walls looked opulent. The roof tiles were all neatly arranged; surely no family would worry about a leaking roof.

He walked under the moon, which followed above him. His steps were slow and his direction random.

As he turned a corner, a bamboo-woven dragonfly suddenly appeared, dangling down in front of him.

Attached to it was a bell, which let out a crisp ring as it swayed.

Ding-ding-dang-dang—

Xiao Man stopped in his tracks, a complex emotion flitting through his eyes. He stared at the dragonfly for a long time, then followed the long, slender bamboo pole hanging the dragonfly to see the person holding it.

Yan Wushu was sitting on the top of the wall, his black robes and silver-frost hair rising and falling in the wind. The moonlight shone on his face, a hint of a smile in his eyes, looking somewhat lazily nonchalant.

Seeing Xiao Man look over, he shook the bamboo pole again.

Ding-dang—

Perhaps the moonlight was very good, perhaps the craftsmanship of the bamboo dragonfly was excellent, or perhaps the long-bustling Shenjing City had finally quieted down. Xiao Man unusually spoke before Yan Wushu, slowly uttering a reflective thought: “I didn’t expect to come to Shenjing at a time like this.”

“I also didn’t expect to come to Shenjing with you in this manner,” Yan Wushu said in a low voice.

Xiao Man stepped around the bamboo dragonfly in front of him, adjusted his sleeves, and continued his stroll.

Yan Wushu silently moved to a different position, sitting on the other side of the wall slightly ahead of Xiao Man. He shook the bamboo dragonfly and asked, “Don’t like this one?”

Xiao Man thought to himself, Even if I said I didn’t like it, could you possibly bring out something else? He didn’t answer.

To his surprise, Yan Wushu really did change it, pulling out a bamboo-woven little deer. The deer’s head had antlers made from trimmed branches, and two black beans were used for its eyes, making it look lifelike.

Xiao Man liked antlers, and by extension, he liked deer as well; otherwise, after dispelling the demonic nature from Fuzhu that day, he wouldn’t have agreed to let it hide in his Buddhist beads.

But Xiao Man no longer liked the things Yan Wushu gave him, regardless of what intentions the man had in wanting to give them. However, he thought of something else and finally stopped, slightly tilting his head to look at Yan Wushu.

“You must have heard our discussion just now,” Xiao Man said.

This was actually a question.

Yan Wushu was silent for a moment before saying, “Although Shenjing is the capital, it’s not so grand that ordinary well water would contain spiritual energy.” He answered the underlying question in Xiao Man’s words, then added:

“Don’t investigate too closely.”

These words made Xiao Man frown imperceptibly. He raised his hand to touch his chin and asked, “Is it what you said before—that Shenjing won’t be peaceful?”

“I can get that girl to dance on ‘Famous Flowers Overthrow Kingdoms’,” Yan Wushu answered without directly addressing the question.

“There’s no need for your help with that,” Xiao Man refused without hesitation.

Yan Wushu lowered his eyes and said to Xiao Man, “Something is about to happen in Shenjing City; I’m afraid you’ll be in danger.”

His voice was very soft, seemingly somewhat helpless, mixed with an indescribable tenderness.

From not far away came the sleep-talking of a family in their dreams, and somewhere a dog was startled and began to bark, adding a bit of noise to the night.

Suddenly, Xiao Man caught a faint scent on Yan Wushu that belonged to someone else.

Yes, a scent rather than a smell—it didn’t smell good, it had a bit of a sinister quality, strangely similar to the three who had self-destructed with reverse spiritual energy by the tea stall at the entrance of Yuntai Town that day.

“Who did you kill this time?” Xiao Man slightly narrowed his eyes.

Yan Wushu was startled for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly. “A few annoying ones.”

Xiao Man stared at him without blinking. “Were they those who heard news and came to snatch the Unheard Bell?”

Yan Wushu lowered his eyes and stopped speaking.

Silence was the most affirmative answer.

“There are still many people secretly coveting the Unheard Bell. In these days, Shenjing City is even more filled with dark undercurrents. Fulfill that little girl’s condition early and return to Gushan soon,” Yan Wushu returned to the previous topic, his tone having a hint of urging. “Otherwise, you might encounter danger.”

At this moment, Xiao Man desperately wanted to retort: You’re afraid I’ll be in danger too?

During the war between Dao and demons that year, you said you were afraid I’d be in danger and didn’t let me participate, but what end did I eventually meet?

Why do you want to protect me so much?

The night wind brushing his face calmed him down.

Looking at the long bamboo pole in Yan Wushu’s hand swaying gently up and down, Xiao Man pressed his lips and said, “If something really happens, everyone in this city will be in danger.”

Then he added, “I know you don’t want to get involved in the imperial city’s affairs. If I really get caught up in it, you don’t have to intervene.”

Surprise flashed in Yan Wushu’s eyes—surprise that Xiao Man understood him so well even though he hadn’t told him anything, and at the same time, he was a bit angry—angry that Xiao Man told him in such a cold tone that he didn’t have to intervene in a critical moment.

What was their relationship?

Their lifelong commitment had been made three years ago.

Yan Wushu’s hand gripping the bamboo pole exerted a bit more force, but in the next moment, he found a stubbornness hidden in the depths of Xiao Man’s eyes.

The moonlight was melting, the long street deep. He stood in his light clothes, cold and still. His waist was extremely slender, looking as if it would break with a slight fold, yet he stood here upright, letting the night wind blow.

How thin and small he had been when they first met. Suddenly, he had grown this big.

Yan Wushu’s heart softened, and he said in a low voice, “This is your training mission. My offering help is a violation of the rules, but if you truly are in danger, I will not stand by and watch.”