Chapter 105#
An Wuxue looked at the lanterns, finding them exquisite and meticulous. Even the thin wood for hanging them had no sharp edges, and their sizes were uniform.
The ink-painted details on the lanterns were lifelike; the little rabbit lantern was even cuter than the one An Wuxue had taken from Zhaoshui City.
As he looked at them, he began to imagine how beautiful they would be when lit, hanging from the eaves and beside the windows.
The hands of a man accustomed to holding a sword to slay demons were unexpectedly adept at making lanterns.
He couldn’t help but ask: “When Junior Brother went to learn this craft, did the craftsman not praise your high talent?”
“…Hmm?” Xie Zhefeng clearly didn’t expect such a question, and after a moment of daze, he answered honestly, “No. They didn’t speak.”
An Wuxue laughed.
—Did they not speak, or did they not dare to speak?
As he watched the lanterns swaying slightly in the breeze, for some reason, despite having just eaten sweet ice treats, his throat and chest felt as if they were filled with something sour and numbing—both tart and sharp, yet seemingly without bitterness.
He had received many gifts today.
Aside from the snow lotus from early this morning, some he had kept of his own accord, while others had been forced upon him.
Among them were countless rarities and spiritual treasures.
In his previous life, occupying a high position, he had always received precious objects, whether it was his birthday or not. He wasn’t a minor cultivator who had to look up to others; whatever he wanted, he could obtain as he pleased. Birthday gifts were truly nothing special to him.
Reborn, those people called him “First Seat” and “Brother”…
They still treated him as “An Wuxue.” Their gifts were still things befitting the First Seat of Falling Moon.
He had thought Xie Zhefeng had come for the same purpose.
He had exposed the man’s presence with the intention of sending him away, not caring what else Xie Zhefeng wanted to give him.
But he hadn’t expected these mere mundane objects.
Amidst Xie Zhefeng’s anxiety, An Wuxue suddenly said: “You… haven’t changed at all either.”
He was the Immortal Venerable Chu Han, so cold that a craftsman didn’t dare speak to him. He was the Xie Zhefeng who would not hesitate to draw his sword to cut down An Wuxue’s mundane attachments. And he was the junior brother who had scraped his hands while practicing his sword yet still brought ice treats to his elder brother.
“…Senior Brother?”
Xie Zhefeng was unsure of his mood. “You say I haven’t changed, but where have I failed to make progress?”
The question was quite unexpected. An Wuxue didn’t know how to answer and asked instead: “Does Junior Brother not have the Qu family’s affairs to handle?”
“The Falling Moon disciples and North Abyss cultivators are still handling the wandering puppets throughout North Abyss. I haven’t touched Qu Wenxin; I want to see if the mastermind behind her will come for her. For now, I can only wait and see.”
“As long as it doesn’t hinder important matters.”
“Naturally not. Senior Brother need not worry. Before…” Xie Zhefeng said in a low voice, “I said you couldn’t let go of the common people. That was only out of my own selfishness, because I feared you would leave and that something would happen to you while alone with the puppet seal. I used it as an excuse.”
“The affairs of the four seas and two realms are my concern as the one in this position. You may do as you please.”
An Wuxue gave a light laugh but said nothing.
Having finished the ice treats, he used his spiritual energy to crush some snow to clean his hands. He stood up and went to the plum tree, where he summoned a swing large enough for one person to sit or lie in.
He sat down with Kun Kun in his arms and pulled out the manual on puppet techniques, flipping through it in silence.
Amidst the snow and beneath the blossoms.
An Wuxue was tall, yet as he lay there, he seemed on the verge of merging with the frost and snow.
He appeared too fragile for a body that had once supported all living beings.
Xie Zhefeng watched him in a daze for a long moment. A light breeze swept past, and petals fell before his eyes, reminding him that he had been inside for a while.
An Wuxue showed no intention of driving him away.
…That means he isn’t angry, right?
He let out a sigh of relief and, holding his breath, silently hung the lanterns he had finished this morning throughout the courtyard.
He hung the little rabbit on the railing beneath the plum tree, the little fish from the eaves, and placed several more by the window…
He walked to the bedside in the bedroom and took out a lotus lantern. He then produced another lantern, completely different from the others, in the shape of a small beast, and hung them both by the bed.
At some point, Kun Kun had flown out from An Wuxue’s embrace and quietly found Xie Zhefeng.
It looked at the lantern by the bed, its round eyes darting about. Resting its claws on the beast lantern, it turned to look at Xie Zhefeng: “Whine?”
Xie Zhefeng’s gaze softened slightly. “It is you.”
The beast lantern was indeed in the shape of a miasma beast, looking just like Kun Kun.
Kun Kun licked his wrist in delight.
He went to other places to decorate, finally bringing the bustle and prosperity of the mortal world into this seemingly isolated plum grove in silence.
Having finished, he was filled with reluctance to leave.
With no more reason to stay, he should go.
Xie Zhefeng desperately wanted to stay, but he knew he might instead cause his Senior Brother annoyance.
His Senior Brother had gained a few days of hard-won peace, and it was his first birthday since his return; he didn’t want to ruin it.
He walked back to the plum tree, wanting to take one last look at An Wuxue before leaving.
But when he reached the swing, he saw the manual had fallen onto the snow. The swing was swaying gently in the breeze, and the person lying upon it had his eyes closed and his brow relaxed.
He had fallen asleep.
Kun Kun flew over to him, about to speak.
He covered the little creature’s mouth, saying silently: “Shh.”
Do not disturb An Wuxue’s hard-won peaceful dream.
Kun Kun’s wings grew much quieter as it flew to An Wuxue’s side and lay down beside him, falling asleep as well.
Xie Zhefeng stepped forward, picked up the manual, and sat at the stone table.
He didn’t leave.
Outside the courtyard.
Shangguan Liaoliao had only walked a short distance when she stopped.
She saw with her divine sense that Xie Zhefeng had gone inside and hadn’t come out for a long time.
How is it that Xie Chuhan hasn’t been driven out?
Unable to understand, she waited outside for a long time before suddenly saying: “Since you two are also here, why not go see him?”
Qin Wei and Qi Xun emerged reluctantly.
Though her cultivation had dropped, her divine sense remained at the half-step to ascension stage. Although Qi Xun had hidden well, Qin Wei’s cultivation wasn’t what hers had been, and she had discovered them.
Qin Wei gave a bitter smile: “How would I dare see him? On such a good day as his birthday, should I go and make him unhappy?”
He coughed as he spoke.
The Ancient Tower had damaged An Wuxue’s foundation back then, and it had naturally done the same to Qin Wei.
“North Abyss is truly cold,” he said. “Why didn’t I feel it before?”
Qi Xun sneered: “Serves you right.”
Qin Wei raised an eyebrow: “I deserve it, and you—cough, cough… are you innocent? Then why don’t you go inside?”
Qi Xun’s eye twitched, and he was left speechless for a long time.
He and Qin Wei hadn’t come together. While he was hesitating outside, he had noticed someone else acting suspiciously.
Upon closer look, it turned out to be Qin Wei.
But since before An Wuxue’s return, he and Qin Wei had barely spoken more than a sentence to each other. They had both simply hidden on their respective treetops, ignoring the other.
Now that they were called out by Shangguan Liaoliao, Qi Xun noticed Qin Wei’s robes were in a mess, with several sword gashes.
Having no rebuttal, he teased Qin Wei: “Is Falling Moon Peak out of spiritual stones? Why are Elder Qin’s clothes so tattered? Been fighting with dogs?”
“Worse than dogs!” Qin Wei said crossly. “On my way to North Abyss, I heard a Tribulation-Transcending cultivator and several Great Success cultivators talking about A-Xue’s return. They insisted that even if he were innocent of the other things, he must have killed the entire Li Huo Sect. They said having an Immortal Venerable as a junior brother is good; he can easily clear your name after your return—bullshit!”
“Of the things Xie Chuhan announced to the world, which one was said without definitive proof?”
“I was so angry I beat those men up. Mere middle-stage Tribulation-Transcending cultivators; if it weren’t for my injuries, how could I have let them draw near?”
He spat on the ground, then turned to Shangguan Liaoliao: “How is A-Xue now?”
“He’s recovering well,” Shangguan Liaoliao said dejectedly. “He just doesn’t want to speak with me. I was just an eyesore staying there, so I left.”
Qi Xun toyed with his folding fan, saying bitterly: “Forget it. Staying outside like this is fine too. I asked him yesterday if he wanted any birthday gift, but he didn’t answer. I don’t even know what he likes after a thousand years. But he never lacked treasures before, so he likely doesn’t care for mundane things.”
" I’ve prepared a small gift for him, something he never wanted to miss seeing in the past. I’ll give it to him at nightfall."
“I hope he can be a bit happier…”
An Wuxue had a light sleep.
His realm had suddenly soared, placing a great burden on him. He had slept through the last few days, yet today he still felt as if he hadn’t slept enough.
He had only intended to take a short nap, but when he opened his eyes, the light was only a thin sliver in the west. The night was flowing from the east, and the bright moon had appeared.
He saw the courtyard full of lanterns.
It was exactly at the moment when twilight turned to night.
The lanterns, imbued with an immortal’s spiritual energy and set with a spell, were lit instantly the moment night fell.
Before the darkness could settle for even a second, the lanterns bloomed, their radiance filling his eyes.
His junior brother was sitting at the stone table nearby, which was now piled with ancient books and jade slips.
The man was wearing the white robes An Wuxue had given him, his hair held by the snow-colored pin and dotted with plum petals. He was intently reading an ancient book.
Sensing he had awakened, his junior brother put down the jade slip and turned his head, petals falling in the gentle breeze.
“Is Senior Brother awake?”
“I…”
Before An Wuxue could respond.
Boom—
Boom boom—
Boom—boom boom…
Streaks of fireworks soared into the sky, circling the City Lord’s manor and blooming one after another in the nearby sky.
The North Abyss night, which had just begun, was lit as bright as day.
The fireworks hung in the air, overlapping and intertwining to form a vast and magnificent landscape painting.
An Wuxue seemed to hear the shouts of the mortals outside the City Lord’s manor.
In this world, only the Li Huo Sect, which excelled in smithing and fire manipulation, could create such exquisite and wonderful fireworks.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up in a daze.
The courtyard was full of life, the snow beneath the plum trees had begun to melt, and the night sky was filled with brilliant light.
Neither he nor Xie Zhefeng spoke at this moment.
But someone suddenly burst into the courtyard, running in out of breath.
“Pei Qian…?” An Wuxue said helplessly. “Have you finished delivering those spiritual pouches? Why do you look like you’re running for your life? Those immortal families shouldn’t have attacked you.”
Pei Qian only said: “Help!”
An Wuxue: “?”
“That fellow surnamed Qu just broke the illusion I placed on him! Not only did he break it, he learned the technique within the illusion! Now he says he wants revenge and is going to place me in the same illusion!”
“Genius isn’t scary; a sick genius is the scariest of all!”