Chapter 63#
Chapter Sixty-Three#
When they returned to the inn, both of them were inevitably soaked by the heavy rain.
The bowl lotus, however, was intact.
Xue Jingci was weak, and the rain in the mortal realm carried too much Yin energy. Fearing that wind-cold would enter his body and worsen his illness, Pei Huang hurriedly urged the waiter to bring hot water and told him to soak in it with added herbs.
Xue Jingci rarely encountered such considerate treatment.
He didn’t feel very cold, but he didn’t refuse, obediently changing his clothes and soaking in the water.
The herbs had a sweet fragrance. Xue Jingci stared at them for a while, even seeing fragmented flower petals in the herb pack, and secretly thought of the osmanthus cakes he had tasted yesterday.
Pei Huang had already prepared clean clothes. When Xue Jingci stepped out from behind the screen, he saw that this man had already taken out the bowl lotus and placed it in a small porcelain bowl.
In just this short amount of time, Pei Huang had actually prepared the materials for making the amber; large pieces of rosin were placed on the table, making him crave food even more.
He sat down and drank a cup of tea before asking, “Where did these things come from? I didn’t hear you go out.”
Pei Huang patted the storage bag at his waist: “Things I’ve used before. Fortunately, I didn’t throw them away, and they can still be used.”
Xue Jingci lowered his head to examine the mold, about to speak when there was another knock on the door.
Pei Huang opened the door and soon brought back a plate of osmanthus cakes.
Xue Jingci’s eyes widened in surprise: “How did you know I wanted to eat this!”
The astonishment in his tone couldn’t be hidden. Pei Huang smiled and placed the plate in front of him.
“Just a guess. I felt like you would want to eat them.”
The system, which hadn’t moved for a long time after turning into a doll, actually jumped out, returning to its cat-like form, and used its small paws to steal a cake to eat.
Pei Huang looked at it, reached out to rub its furry head, and asked without surprise, “You’ve recovered?”
Since the system entered its rest state, the Little Berry also felt bored and followed it into the system space. Sure enough, once the system recovered, this little thing also jumped out, making “bo-bo” sounds as it asked for treats.
Xue Jingci’s expression became serious as he divided the osmanthus cakes on the plate into four portions. However, after eating his own portion, he still felt like he hadn’t had enough.
The system and the Little Berry took after Xue Jingci’s appetite, and naturally wouldn’t share their portions.
Seeing this, Pei Huang found it amusing and turned to say, “You can have mine. If it’s not enough, I’ll have the kitchen make another portion.”
Xue Jingci instantly became happy, tilted his head, and said, “No need, I want to eat Eight-Treasure Duck tonight.”
Pei Huang nodded in agreement and continued fiddling with the mold on the table.
Xue Jingci didn’t make a sound, his full attention focused on Pei Huang’s deft hand movements, falling into a daze.
Perhaps because he hadn’t heard any sound for a long time, Pei Huang felt a bit worried and quickly looked up at Xue Jingci.
Candles were a luxury in the mortal realm; the room was not bright, with only faint light spreading out, softening the coolness of the moonlight.
Xue Jingci leaned against the soft pillow on the bed, his black hair cascading over his shoulders, silently watching Pei Huang like this.
The light in those eyes was more beautiful than the moonlight and candlelight combined, seemingly carrying a hint of pride.
Pei Huang could even imagine Xue Jingci’s voice, as if he were saying again: “My disciple is the most capable.”
He hurriedly looked away, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise slightly. He slowed down his movements so Xue Jingci could see more clearly.
The process of making amber was very simple; the most difficult part was to shape and dry the bowl lotus, after which it was placed in the mold, and rosin was poured in to wait for it to solidify.
Although simple, it was very time-consuming. By the time Pei Huang had finished everything, it was already the middle of the night.
He looked up and saw that Xue Jingci had fallen asleep at some point.
Originally, the ugly little cat had occupied the spot next to Xue Jingci, but now it was scooped into Xue Jingci’s embrace, as if he had intentionally left a space for him.
Pei Huang lifted the blanket and quietly lay down, not disturbing Xue Jingci.
The room was filled with the scent of rosin. This thing was toxic, but after a little treatment with magic, only a sweet fragrance remained.
Pei Huang turned on his side, staring at Xue Jingci.
These past few days he had brewed medicine for Xue Jingci every day, finally nourishing back a bit of the energy he had previously consumed. However, his lip color was still pale and wan; he would still need to be nursed slowly for some time.
There were many things happening in Nanzhou now—the disappearance of the prince, and this eerie divine statue was likely related to demonic cultivators. He didn’t know what they were plotting.
Pei Huang’s gaze grew cold.
With that thing in his possession, the demonic cultivators would find him sooner or later.
He only hoped that before then, he could completely restore Xue Jingci’s health.
Pei Huang sighed, suddenly noticing Xue Jingci’s nostrils twitch, and then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
He guessed that Xue Jingci was having a beautiful dream, likely due to smelling the scent of rosin.
He wondered if he was dreaming of osmanthus cakes or Eight-Treasure Duck.
Pei Huang closed his eyes, relaxed his mind, and soon fell asleep as well.
Not long after he fell asleep, Xue Jingci woke up.
Xue Jingci dreamed that Pei Huang had completely agreed to be his disciple, and his mission was successfully completed; he woke up all at once.
He blinked, his gaze falling on the newly made amber nearby.
The bowl lotus was sealed in the rosin, its form delicate and lovely. Xue Jingci wanted to reach out and touch it, but feared waking Pei Huang, so he had to give up.
He recalled his previous dream, thinking about when Pei Huang would pass his trial period, and unknowingly sat until dawn.
It was time for his medicine again. Xue Jingci saw Pei Huang sleeping soundly and thought in his heart that he wouldn’t have to drink medicine this morning.
To his surprise, Pei Huang woke up on time. Their gazes met, and both were stunned for a moment.
Pei Huang had just woken up, his voice still a bit hoarse. A hint of bewilderment appeared in his eyes as he asked, “Is it dawn?”
Xue Jingci said, “You slept late; why not sleep a bit more.”
Pei Huang quickly became alert, however, shaking his head: “There are other things to do today.”
With that, he went to brew medicine for Xue Jingci. When he returned with the medicine, he saw Xue Jingci playing with the finished amber on the table, his eyes unable to hide his fondness for it.
Pei Huang set down the medicine bowl and said, “There was one last step left unfinished last night.”
Xue Jingci lowered his eyes to look at the amber in his palm, seeing that the surface had been polished smooth. He asked in confusion, “Which step?”
Pei Huang suddenly played mysterious: “Drink the medicine, and I’ll tell you.”
Xue Jingci was curious and quickly finished the medicine, holding out the empty bowl for Pei Huang to see.
Pei Huang didn’t speak, but just picked up the amber. With a flicker of his fingertips, a silver needle hidden weapon appeared, and he pierced a hole at the top.
He pretended not to care as he suggested, “This way, if you want to wear it in the future, just tie a knot with a string.”
Xue Jingci took the amber, reached out to touch the hole, a look of hesitation flashing across his face. In the end, he didn’t wear it, but just took a box from his storage bag to store it.
The joy in Pei Huang’s eyes gradually faded, and he asked cautiously, “Don’t you like it?”
Xue Jingci shook his head: “I don’t dislike it, but I’m afraid of breaking it again.”
Pei Huang was stunned, his heart feeling a bit sour.
It was as if he had taken another bite of those tooth-achingly sour sugar-coated haws from that day.
He reached out and picked up the box, took out the amber again, chose a red string from his storage bag, and leaned over to tie it to Xue Jingci’s waist.
“If it breaks, it breaks; we can just make a new one. You are so good-looking, it will surely be very pretty on you.”
Xue Jingci’s heart skipped a beat.
Although Pei Huang was looking down at the amber and not at him, his gaze was filled with sincerity, and his tone was more solemn than ever before.
A few days ago, the system had told him to praise Pei Huang. After he did so, he found that Pei Huang was thin-skinned and would actually feel embarrassed. He then felt like teasing him, praising him whenever he got the chance.
But now, when it was Pei Huang’s turn to praise him, Xue Jingci actually felt a bit embarrassed as well.
He secretly reached out and pressed his chest, feeling that the room had suddenly become a bit warmer.
Xue Jingci tried to change the subject: “You said earlier that you have something to do today?”
Pei Huang let go and nodded: “I want to go to the theater troupe again to have a look.”
Xue Jingci hurriedly opened the door. Blown by the cold morning wind, the heat on his face finally dissipated completely.
The two walked toward the theater troupe. There were few pedestrians on the road in the early morning, but a long line had already formed at the troupe’s entrance.
When it was Pei Huang’s turn, he secretly gave more money, but he still couldn’t see that old woman role player.
This continued for seven consecutive days.
On the night of the seventh day, Pei Huang suddenly said, “We won’t go tomorrow. Why don’t we go directly into the theater troupe tonight to investigate.”
Xue Jingci could see that Pei Huang cared about that divine statue. Although he didn’t understand why, he didn’t ask further and accompanied him.
The two of them used magic to hide their presence and soon landed lightly inside the theater troupe’s grounds.
The noise of the day had faded, but it was eerie and quiet.
Pei Huang said in a deep voice, “Strange.”
Xue Jingci asked, “What did you find?”
Pei Huang lowered his voice and said, “In an ordinary theater troupe, when they aren’t performing, they should be practicing their skills and voice. But it’s dead quiet here, not even a single person practicing.”
Xue Jingci nodded: “No wonder they sing so poorly.”
The system was nestled on Xue Jingci’s shoulder. Hearing this, it flicked its tail and said, “Don’t be afraid, Host! I’ll go in and scout the way first.”
Its body was small, and it had the form of a cat; it was indeed not easy to attract attention.
Xue Jingci set it down and waited behind a rockery with Pei Huang. Not long after, the system darted out of the room and dived into Xue Jingci’s embrace, its fur standing on end.
“Host! Inside are all living dead…”
The system panted, its pupils constricted in fear, but seeing that Pei Huang and Xue Jingci had no reaction, it couldn’t help but ask, “Host, aren’t you afraid?”
Xue Jingci squeezed its cat paw: “You weren’t there last time when Pei Huang and I went to that Ghost Pearl; it was full of paper effigies.”
However, that said, this was not an illusion but Nanzhou under government rule. How could anyone be practicing such eerie arts here?
Xue Jingci gestured for Pei Huang to go in and have a look with him.
The system, with the Little Berry on top, refused to go in no matter what.
Xue Jingci and Pei Huang jumped in through the window and soon saw the “living dead” the system mentioned.
Several paper effigies were lying on the bed, with theatrical costumes placed beside them. It was truly ghostly.
Xue Jingci was about to take a closer look when the sound of footsteps came from outside the room.
Before he could react, he was pulled under the bed by Pei Huang.
The space underneath was enclosed. The two were pressed together, their breathing intertwining and sounding in each other’s ears.
Pei Huang was accustomed to being a thief and immediately withdrew his presence. However, seeing that Xue Jingci was completely uncomfortable, he couldn’t help but tease, “One look and I can tell you’ve never been a thief.”
Xue Jingci raised an eyebrow: “Why should I be a thief?”
Pei Huang said softly, “But didn’t you say you wanted to be my master?”
Xue Jingci was about to say something when the footsteps grew heavier, and both fell silent.
Pei Huang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had said that just now as a slight test.
He was full of demonic arts and had nothing to do with the righteous path; being a thief was actually the most honorable among his identities.
Xue Jingci still knew nothing now, which was why he kept wanting to take him as a disciple.
Pei Huang lowered his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.
It wasn’t until the person who entered organized the costumes and left the room that he regained his composure.
Seeing that Xue Jingci was still crouching under the bed, Pei Huang found it a bit funny. He pulled him out and patted the dust off his clothes.
As they were about to leave, they turned around and suddenly found a divine statue of Empress Tianlu being worshiped in the corner.
This divine statue was as large as a real person, sitting cross-legged there with four incense sticks burning in front of it.
The incense had already burned to the base. At the moment they looked over, it was completely extinguished, and four wisps of blue smoke drifted out.
Pei Huang stared at the incense, his brow furrowed slightly.
Xue Jingci knew Pei Huang knew a lot, especially about these eerie things, so he asked, “What did you see this time?”
Pei Huang held up four fingers and said softly, “There is a saying in the mortal world: three for gods, four for ghosts. The people in this theater troupe worship a god but light four incense sticks; it’s truly strange.”
Xue Jingci was bold and walked directly over, wanting to investigate.
To his surprise, as soon as he approached, a golden light suddenly lit up at the edge of the divine statue, and then it started speaking!
“Who dares to disturb my peaceful cultivation? Retreat quickly!”