Chapter 127#

As soon as Xie Zhefeng followed An Wuxue into the room, that subtle smile was completely hidden away.

The joy was real, but the worry was also real.

There were many things to worry about, but a single open door was enough to wash away all the gloom in Xie Zhefeng’s heart.

With a movement of spiritual energy, the door closed. An Wuxue set up the fire essence again, and the surroundings became brightly lit.

Xie Zhefeng, carrying the Hansang-flavored ice cakes, walked to the tea table and slowly knelt down, lightly placing the plate of ice cakes he had prepared for half a day in front of An Wuxue.

An Wuxue said in surprise: “This flower lantern…”

The ice cakes were clearly made from Hansang flowers, and in the corner of the plate sat a very delicate and small flower lantern, only the size of a single pastry.

The lantern was a snow-white lotus in full bloom.

“It’s a snow lotus,” Xie Zhefeng said. “Now that I remember… I thought the snow lotus was never late, but I didn’t expect it to be a thousand years late. The snow lotus from a thousand years ago has already withered, but I can make a different snow lotus for Senior Brother every day…”

He watched An Wuxue’s reaction.

His senior brother picked up the snow lotus lantern, holding it in his hands as he watched it quietly for a while.

The light from the lantern spread out, illuminating An Wuxue’s face.

His senior brother slowly blinked his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings dancing in the firelight.

Xie Zhefeng recalled the time a thousand years ago when the Northern Ming Sword Array was established. Upguan Liaoliao had held a feast to celebrate the return of “Upguan Ran.” At that time, no one knew what would happen afterward. In the midst of the tense danger, the First City had finally gained a night of joy.

He had also been invited. Passing by piles of bonfires, he saw Hansang flowers piled up around his senior brother.

In the flowers, one sees grace; under the light, one sees a beauty.

His heart had been moved for an instant, so under the influence of the Unfeeling Curse, he had forgotten that moment for a thousand years.

A thousand years had passed, and his senior brother under the light was still so peaceful and beautiful. All the past injustices and hardships had failed to leave a single speck of filth on An Wuxue.

He was dazed as he watched until he heard his senior brother ask him: “You’re from Langfeng and have never made ice cakes with Hansang flowers. Without a recipe, it must have taken some effort to make them. Why… so suddenly today?”

Xie Zhefeng had a belly full of words prepared.

But when it came to his lips, he hesitated.

“…Senior Brother accepted a jar of Winter-Harvested Hansang today.”

An Wuxue was confused: “Hmm…? What’s wrong with the Winter-Harvested Hansang? I gave it all to those furnaces to drink.”

He paused and, for some reason, added, “I didn’t know the Xue family had sent furnaces. I’ll send them back tomorrow.”

Xie Zhefeng’s eyes darkened.

It wasn’t about what was wrong with the wine.

It was that the person who gave the wine wasn’t him.

An Wuxue hadn’t even kept the thank-you gifts from the major immortal sects and families, yet the wine sent by Jiang Qing was kept, even if it was drunk by the Xue family’s furnaces?

He said in a low voice: “I know I have no right to manage Senior Brother’s romantic affairs now. It’s a great blessing for me that you’re willing to keep a small place for me by your side.

“But… I was just thinking, if Senior Brother truly needs a furnace in the future, I… I am also willing. My realm is higher than theirs. If Senior Brother likes the taste of Hansang flowers, I can also make it for you.”

Xie Zhefeng had to admit that a jar of Winter-Harvested Hansang could easily disrupt his thoughts and make him restless.

An Wuxue had already picked up a piece of ice cake and taken a few bites.

But hearing Xie Zhefeng’s words, his brow furrowed, and he immediately put down the cake.

Xie Zhefeng’s heart tensed: “Is it not good? If it’s not good, I’ll try another way. Don’t eat these tonight; just feed them to Kun-kun.”

Before An Wuxue could speak, the man spoke a flurry of words.

“I’ll go call Xuan Fang and the others to help me taste them… Senior Brother, go to sleep first. I’ll wait for you to wake up tomorrow morning and bring them in immediately—”

“It’s very delicious,” An Wuxue said as he pulled him back.

Before tonight, it had always been Xie Zhefeng wanting to keep An Wuxue, trying to pull him back from leaving. An Wuxue had never taken the initiative to grab his wrist like this.

He was stunned, but saw that his senior brother had already retracted his hand.

Xie Zhefeng instinctively touched the wrist his senior brother had grabbed, as if wanting to interlock fingers with that remaining warmth.

But An Wuxue was thinking of something else.

He asked oddly: “What did you just say? My romantic affairs? What romantic affairs do I have?”

This time it was Xie Zhefeng’s turn to be dazed.

“It’s… it’s about Senior Brother and Jiang Qing…”

“What romantic affairs could I have with Jiang Qing? You—”

An Wuxue’s voice stalled.

He understood everything in an instant.

The night before last, Xie Zhefeng had stood outside for a whole night. After he called the man in, he thought that since the rumors were baseless and he had already said as much, there was no need to make additional explanations; that would have been too awkward.

But he didn’t expect… in Xie Zhefeng’s eyes, his lack of explanation was instead an admission that he had an unclear relationship with Jiang Qing.

It was originally a ridiculous misunderstanding.

But looking at the ice cakes and flower lantern, and seeing his junior brother still confused and at a loss, An Wuxue’s heart suddenly twinged.

Xie Zhefeng thought he and Jiang Qing had romantic feelings.

Therefore, even after the Unfeeling Curse was broken, he never mentioned his feelings of going beyond their relationship as fellow disciples.

And just because of a jar of Winter-Harvested Hansang that he had accepted for other plans, he had hurriedly made a plate of ice cakes mixed with Hansang flowers after four or five days of non-stop work.

He thought he had moved on and had someone else in his heart, yet he still sat before him in the night, holding his favorite ice cakes.

“You…”

Xie Zhefeng keenly noticed his mood: “Senior Brother, you’re unhappy? What’s wrong? What made you unhappy?”

An Wuxue took a step forward.

They were already very close, and with this one step, they could hear each other’s breathing.

Xie Zhefeng’s breath immediately became chaotic, and his whole body tensed up.

An Wuxue raised his hand, and spiritual energy suddenly condensed at his fingertips, tapping on Xie Zhefeng’s chest.

The man didn’t know what he was going to do, yet he had no desire to resist.

The spiritual energy formed frost, slowly covering the man’s chest.

Xie Zhefeng’s expression became even more confused.

An Wuxue took a deep breath before asking him: “Is it cold?”

Xie Zhefeng shook his head.

“This is a manifested body. Although it’s the true body, strictly speaking, it can be considered an ‘incarnation’—just an incarnation holding my Sword Bone.”

“If Senior Brother wants to hit me to vent your anger, you might have to find another way. If you have anything else you want to say, I’m listening.”

An Wuxue: “…”

With a flick of his sleeve, he retracted his spiritual energy and asked: “When you slew yourself to ascend, did it hurt?”

“No—”

“Tell the truth.”

“It was just pain of the flesh and soul.”

An Wuxue looked slightly up at his junior brother.

Just pain of the flesh and soul.

How could it be “just”?

That was all the pain a living being could possibly feel.

He couldn’t help but blink, hiding the sourness in his eyes.

“Give me your hand,” he said.

Xie Zhefeng immediately showed the pulse on his wrist.

An Wuxue calmed his mind and once again examined Xie Zhefeng’s “meridians” and skeletal structure.

Last time he only detected a Floating Life skeletal structure, and this time he still only detected a Floating Life structure.

That made sense.

He had seen in the past brought out by the Soul-Nurturing Tree essence that after Xie Zhefeng underwent the tribulation, there was a moment of death. During that moment, the Heavenly Dao would decide whether Xie Zhefeng’s “Slaying the Self” was successful. In that split second, the demon bone that had been separated from the Sword Bone merged with it again, rather than being destroyed by the lightning tribulation along with the inner demon.

Heavenly lightning only destroys inner demons and similar obstacles; it doesn’t destroy the skeletal structure.

Xie Zhefeng was between life and death at that time and didn’t know about the existence of the demon bone.

But even a thousand years after his ascension, Xie Zhefeng himself hadn’t realized he had two skeletal structures.

This demon bone was hidden very deeply.

Such a superficial examination was likely useless.

Right now, they were in the Northern Ming City Lord’s Mansion, and there weren’t many Luoyue disciples guarding nearby. It would be a bit dangerous for Xie Zhefeng to shed his incarnation and reveal his skeletal structure…

He said: “The reason the inner demon could control your body when you were undergoing the tribulation was related to your skeletal structure. I previously thought your inner demon was related to the Unfeeling Curse. Is your inner demon still there?”

As An Wuxue discussed serious matters, Xie Zhefeng was apprehensive, but hurriedly adopted a solemn expression and answered: “It is.”

As expected, it wasn’t because of the Unfeeling Curse.

Then it must be because of the demon bone—that made sense.

When the inner demon was first rooted out, it had concluded that it would meet Xie Zhefeng again.

Because that demon bone was still on Xie Zhefeng.

As long as the demon bone was there, the inner demon would resurface no matter how many times it was rooted out.

“I suspect your inner demon is related to your skeletal structure, but now your skeletal structure is your everything. An investigation must be done when everything is perfectly safe. I have things to handle tomorrow. After I’m done, can we go back to Luoyue Peak?”

Xie Zhefeng answered without thinking: “Okay.”

An Wuxue lowered his eyes slightly, silent for a moment, and suddenly said: “There’s nothing between Jiang Qing and me. The womb stones were once used by the culprit, and he’s from the Womb Stone tribe, so there might be some connection. My accepting the Hansang flowers and the Winter-Harvested Hansang was just to leave a little bit of room.”

Xie Zhefeng was stunned.

An Wuxue said: “It’s late, and you haven’t rested well for a long time. Go to sleep.”

Xie Zhefeng didn’t move.

His eyes flickered, showing joy—An Wuxue had just explained things to him!

He asked: “When Xuan Fang and the others reported today, I had to leave first. Does Senior Brother really have nothing more he wanted to say?”

“What, are you all ears?”

Chu Han Xianzun nodded seriously.

An Wuxue: “…”

In the end, under An Wuxue’s slightly darkened expression, Xie Xianzun quickly hurried out.

Before closing the door, Xie Zhefeng also asked: “Senior Brother, did you feed the remaining vision from the Soul-Nurturing Tree essence to Kun-kun? If not, should I feed it…?”

“No need.” An Wuxue stirred his spiritual power.

Bang—

The door closed.

An Wuxue blew out the lights, letting the person outside think he had truly gone to rest, before sitting by the tea table to finish the entire plate of ice cakes.

Afterward, he used a cleansing spell and got onto the bed while holding Kun-kun.

But just as he lay down, thinking back to what happened just now…

He sat up abruptly.

“…Wuu?” Kun-kun poked its head out from under the blanket.

An Wuxue murmured: “Wait, that’s not right…”

Why did he open the door in the first place?

It seemed his junior brother had said the ice cakes needed spiritual power to be maintained, and if he had gone to rest, Xie Zhefeng would have had to protect the ice cakes and wait outside the door all night.

But—maintaining ice cakes didn’t require Xie Zhefeng’s personal and constant protection. Let alone an immortal, even a cultivator in the initial success stage could wrap a pastry in spiritual power for an entire day. If placed in a spiritual bag, they could be stored for even longer.

So there was no need at all for Xie Zhefeng to personally protect them and wait outside!

“He…” An Wuxue said in disbelief, “he was playing for sympathy!?”

Kun-kun rolled over, belly up, its ears covering its eyes.

“Wuu.”