Chapter 26#
Dead Serious#
When it happened, Ye Shu was at the foot of the steps, observing the ceremony alongside others.
At that time, the crowd was jubilant, not a hint of anything amiss. After they had bowed to Heaven and Earth, Kong Yan, representing the Kong family, helped the newlyweds rise. Everything was going smoothly. But then he saw Kong Yan’s expression shift dramatically the moment he took Kong Xiaoyun and Ni Lu’s hands—as if he’d seen a ghost.
In that split second, both brides struck simultaneously. Their movements were so swift and bizarre that even Kong Yan couldn’t dodge. He took both palms square in the chest, his spiritual sense violently disturbed. In almost an instant, he fell into demonic possession, surging demonic qi flinging everyone in the vicinity outward.
Meanwhile, Kong Xiaoyun and Ni Lu had already collapsed limply to the ground.
The light-wielding sword blades had been stained a sinister black.
“He fell into demonic possession after taking just two palm strikes?” Feng Xianyu said incredulously. “Just two?”
“It does seem excessive, but that’s how it appears on the surface—unless I’m allowed to check his pulse.” Ye Shu nodded, frowning. “After the incident, I took the opportunity to check Ni Lu and Kong Xiaoyun’s pulses. Neither had had any vital signs for at least two hours. You could say that by the time today’s ceremony started, this couple were already dead.”
“Living corpses?” Feng Xianyu’s frown deepened.
Ye Shu said, “Probably. But who could be controlling them?”
Feng Xianyu’s first thought was whether someone had a grudge against Kong Xiaoyun and Ni Lu, but that wouldn’t explain targeting Kong Yan. Today’s incident ultimately was aimed at Kong Yan. But Kong Yan… Feng Xianyu racked his brains but couldn’t think of who would bear a grudge against him—or against the Blue Sparrow Sect. Who could it be? The Blue Sparrow Sect was one of the seven great sects, and aside from loving to flaunt their wealth, they had no other hobbies. They were the type to mind their own business and let things be. What enmity could they possibly have incurred?
“Afterwards, the Kong family elders reacted and joined forces to subdue the young master, but they were all beaten back. It was then that Sect Leader Kong was injured,” Ye Shu continued. “For two perfectly fine people to meet such a tragic end… If the culprit is found, Xuanji Mountain will surely never rest until they are dead.”
Feng Xianyu pondered for a moment before asking, “Have you questioned the attendants who were with them?”
“When the young master went berserk, he killed them all,” Ye Shu sighed. “The others don’t know much either. Asking them would be pointless.”
Zhuo Yu, who was outside the window, suddenly asked, “Where are the bodies?”
“In the Peach Blossom Hall,” Ye Shu replied. “The Kong family sealed it off too quickly. I didn’t have a chance to examine them.”
Zhuo Yu: “And Kong Ji?”
Ye Shu turned to look at him. “What do you mean by that?”
Feng Xianyu immediately understood what Zhuo Yu was thinking. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Brother Ye, I shouldn’t say too much, but please pay close attention to the injured person’s meridians—I think you can tell that this is no ordinary case of demonic possession.”
Ye Shu didn’t understand but nodded anyway. “I know. If it weren’t serious, a Sect Leader at the Nascent Soul stage wouldn’t have been unconscious for this long. Xianyu, do you know something?”
Catching a certain word, Feng Xianyu noticed Zhuo Yu suddenly lift his head to look over, his expression cold. Feng Xianyu wondered who had managed to upset him this time, even as he answered noncommittally, “I can’t say for sure. Regardless, please do be vigilant.”
Ye Shu wanted to ask more, but Feng Xianyu was already pushing open the door to leave. “Wait!” he blurted out.
Zhuo Yu was already several steps ahead. Feng Xianyu was in a rush to catch up, his head turned back to Ye Shu while his eyes remained fixed on Zhuo Yu. “Is there something else?”
Ye Shu asked stubbornly, “Where are you going?”
“Peach Blossom Hall.” Feng Xianyu dropped this reply and immediately gave chase without a moment’s delay. Ye Shu could still hear Feng Xianyu cheerfully calling out “Senior Brother” several times before Zhuo Yu condescendingly slowed down to wait for him.
Ye Shu stood silently in the empty room for a long time before returning. Along the way, he kept turning over Feng Xianyu’s words in his mind. Only when he entered the Long Wind Hall did the disciple of the Piaomiao Palace, who had been playing the zither, stop and say softly, “You’ve finished meeting that person, True Person Ye?”
This man was named Yuan Jidong. Ye Shu swept his gaze across the hall and, seeing that no one was paying him any attention, said, “I don’t know who True Person Yuan is referring to.”
Yuan Jidong just smiled, ran his fingers across the strings, and began a new tune.
Ye Shu went straight back to Kong Ji’s bedside. After thinking it over, he once again began to sort through Kong Ji’s meridians. Holding his breath and focusing his mind, he let his spiritual power flow through Kong Ji’s spiritual channels, repairing damage as he went. After circulating several cycles, he found nothing unusual. There was a stagnation near the heart, but that was from the injury itself—nothing strange about it. Ye Shu sat down, deep in thought, recalling Feng Xianyu’s hesitant expression.
Just what was the issue?
Just then, the unconscious Kong Ji’s lips moved slightly. Ye Shu thought he was about to wake up, but his eyes didn’t open. Driven by curiosity, Ye Shu leaned in and heard Kong Ji call out in a shaky voice, “…My son…”
In front of the Peach Blossom Hall, a green-feather phantom the height of two men stood erect. A four-sided barrier had risen from the ground, sealing the entire hall tightly.
Feng Xianyu flicked a small ball of spiritual energy toward it, but it was as if he’d touched a mesh screen—the moment it made contact, it immediately bounced back.
“This is troublesome,” Feng Xianyu said with a frown. In his previous life, he’d never had the chance to face this kind of Blue Sparrow Sect barrier, and for a moment, he was at a loss for how to break through. “Senior Brother, do you have a way?”
“Only by force,” Zhuo Yu replied.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deafening boom rang out in the air.
Feng Xianyu felt the very ground beneath him tremble. Spiderweb-like cracks suddenly burst forth from the Peach Blossom Hall, spreading rapidly in all directions. Within seconds, they had already reached Feng Xianyu’s feet. He swiftly retreated several steps. Hearing the sound of footsteps from the direction of the Long Wind Hall, he grabbed Zhuo Yu’s hand and pulled him onto the thick canopy of a nearby tree, taking the opportunity to ask with a grin, “How does it feel to climb a tree for the first time?”
“Acceptable,” said Zhuo Yu.
Feng Xianyu looked at him, then at himself, and felt a surge of injustice. Both of them were in a tree, so how was it that Zhuo Yu still managed to look like a perfect gentleman? Heaven was truly unfair. He could never, in a thousand deaths, pull off that kind of upright look—yet Zhuo Yu achieved it without even trying.
Members of the Kong family, alerted by the noise, had already gathered outside the Peach Blossom Hall, still shaken. One of them said, “Can’t even the barrier hold him?”
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. After a while, someone couldn’t help but ask, trembling, “Is this really just demonic possession?”
No one could answer that question.
“We can’t just keep him locked up forever… We won’t be able to keep this quiet. Especially with all these people around. And to make matters worse, Xuanji Mountain and Piaomiao Palace are here too. How are we supposed to cover this up? Ni Lu was a disciple of Xuanji Mountain! Ye Shu is the head disciple of Xuanji Mountain! Do you think Xuanji Mountain is just going to sit back and do nothing?”
“Then what do you suggest we do? The Sect Leader hasn’t woken up, the young master is inside—who’s going to take charge? Are you willing to bear that responsibility?”
Feng Xianyu watched them argue and noticed a man and a woman standing together among the crowd. They had arrived late, looking dazed, as if they’d suffered a severe shock. They hadn’t joined in the argument at all.
He nudged Zhuo Yu and transmitted his voice: “That couple over there—guess who they are, Senior Brother?”
Zhuo Yu had been staring down at his hand, which Feng Xianyu was still holding. He only looked up at the question, glanced over, and said flatly, “Kong Xiaoyun’s parents.”
“I figured as much.” Feng Xianyu didn’t seem to notice anything unusual about his actions. Suddenly, another crash rang out. The already precarious plaque above the Peach Blossom Hall couldn’t hold on any longer and came crashing to the ground with a clatter, splitting into several pieces. But the booming didn’t stop. It only grew louder and more intense, as if the entire hall was being shaken to pieces.
In the brief lulls between tremors, Zhuo Yu suddenly said, “West.”
“West? What about the west?” Feng Xianyu was puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he released his spiritual sense to investigate. Sure enough, on the western side of the barrier—directly behind the Peach Blossom Hall—he discovered a small crack, apparently created by Kong Yan’s rampage.
What perfect timing. Feng Xianyu was overjoyed. Just as the people in front were arguing heatedly, he and Zhuo Yu silently slipped around to the crack. It was quite small. Feng Xianyu measured it with his eyes and decided he would need some kind of treasure to pry it open quietly, without attracting attention. Before he could find a suitable tool in his Qiankun pouch, a hand suddenly pressed against the barrier.
Feng Xianyu: “?”
Zhuo Yu pressed his palm against it. Feng Xianyu blinked in confusion. Suddenly, a massive burst of spiritual energy exploded from his palm. With a loud bang, it blasted the crack in the barrier wide open, creating a hole almost as large as a door. To Feng Xianyu’s ears, the noise was like a thunderclap out of a clear blue sky. He jumped in shock and frantically tried to pull Zhuo Yu away to hide.
But Zhuo Yu remained as steady as a mountain. He even took the time to whisper into the flustered Feng Xianyu’s ear, “No one’s coming.”
When no one arrived after a while, Feng Xianyu finally understood—Kong Yan’s ruckus inside had conveniently masked the sound of Zhuo Yu’s palm strike.
“Can you give me some warning before you act next time?” Feng Xianyu gritted his teeth, his voice low.
Zhuo Yu said softly, “Is this your request?”
“???” Feng Xianyu was momentarily confused. “Y-yes, I suppose!”
“I understand.” Zhuo Yu’s hand landed on Feng Xianyu’s head with a gentle pat. A faint, barely perceptible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Then, without waiting any longer, he turned and slipped through the tear in the barrier into the Peach Blossom Hall.
Feng Xianyu, left behind, was stunned for a moment. Then he jumped up in indignation, hitched up his robe, and chased after him. “Zhuo Yu! What do you think you’re doing, patting my head?! Don’t you know that patting someone on the head stunts their growth?! Are you afraid I’ll catch up to you?! How cruel! How malicious!”
“Oh,” Zhuo Yu said flatly. “Still growing, are we?”
“What do you mean by that?!” Feng Xianyu was so angry he felt like he was going to fall over backward. He wanted nothing more than to grab Zhuo Yu by the ears. “Who says I can’t grow anymore?! I can still grow! You just wait! I’ll definitely grow to be two heads taller than you!!”
“Mm. I’ll wait,” Zhuo Yu replied.
His calm tone only made Feng Xianyu angrier. He was just plotting his revenge when Zhuo Yu, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Feng Xianyu couldn’t brake in time and crashed straight into Zhuo Yu’s back. The impact made his nose sting and his eyes water. Rubbing his sore nose, he grumbled sullenly, “What did you stop for all of a sudden!?”
He then leaned out from behind Zhuo Yu and looked ahead. The inside of the Peach Blossom Hall was in complete disarray. Corpses lay everywhere. In the center lay two figures in wedding robes—presumably the victims. The large red wedding candles looked as if they had only just been extinguished, red wax tears clinging to the golden candlesticks. But there was no sign of Kong Yan.
Where was Kong Yan?
Feng Xianyu cautiously stepped forward. Suddenly, he thought he heard someone muttering indistinctly. He stopped immediately, trying to listen, but he couldn’t make out a word. He took another step forward. The murmuring started again—this time, two distinct voices. But when he stopped, it fell silent again.
Who was speaking?
Feng Xianyu had a very bad feeling. The further he walked, the more voices there were, the more chaotic they became. In a daze, they merged into a single dull roar, like mud pouring into his heart, dragging it down. His entire body felt heavy, and his head began to ache terribly.