Chapter 13#
As soon as An Wuxue finished speaking, Yun Zhou and Yun Yao, who were following behind, happened to catch up with the two of them.
Hearing this, Yun Zhou blurted out, “Fellow Daoist Xie, why are you bringing up such a sore subject! Su Xue entered Luoyue Peak all by himself, so he must be all alone—”
“Yun Zhou.” An Wuxue interrupted him.
“Huh?”
“You’re also bringing up a sore subject.”
Yun Zhou: “…”
True.
So he shut his mouth.
An Wuxue had originally wanted to turn around and leave, but he vaguely remembered that in the Zhaoshui City of the past, they couldn’t even paste lanterns properly. Even cultivators were afraid that decorating with lights at night would attract demons. For a mortal to hang a mediocre, bright red lantern during the New Year was already considered a luxury.
Looking at the little rabbit he had put down, he was actually a bit reluctant to part with it.
Might as well buy it.
He didn’t have gold or silver used in the mortal world, but a single spirit stone from a cultivator was worth ten thousand pieces of gold. In his spirit pouch, there was still a bag of spirit stones that Shangguan Liaoliao had forced upon him last time.
He looked down and picked up the spirit pouch hanging at his waist, wanting to open it and take one out, but then he remembered that the Soul Bell he had stolen was also in the spirit pouch.
And the owner of this Soul Bell was standing right beside him, watching him.
“.”
Reluctantly, he tightened the spirit pouch even more and hung it back at his waist.
Xie Zhefeng asked, “You have no silver or money?”
As he spoke, he actually casually took out a spirit stone and handed it to the stall owner.
The stall owner took the spirit stone and beamed with joy: “Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master!”
Xie Zhefeng turned to him and said, “Take it.”
An Wuxue didn’t move.
He lowered his eyes to look at the constantly swaying reflection under the lanterns on the ground. He heard the sound of gongs and drums from the float getting closer and closer; the crowd was clamorous, and only the tunes from the nearby opera stage could reach everyone’s ears.
The first and only time in his previous life that he had asked Xie Zhefeng for something was when he heard that in the Guixu Sea near Langfeng City, there was a type of sea snow lotus that was like a morning star in the water. He wanted to find one to place in the small pond of his cave dwelling, so he said to his junior brother with expectation: “The snow lotus is hidden in the sea spray of the Guixu Sea. The Guixu Sea is vast and freezing, and it’s difficult for my divine sense to expand; I can’t distinguish between the snow lotus and the spray. Could Junior Brother help me find one?”
Xie Zhefeng answered him: “When I am free.”
At first, he took this perfunctory sentence seriously, waiting day after day until Xie Zhefeng happened to receive an order to go to the Guixu Sea to eliminate demons. Upon his return, he asked: “Junior Brother, where is my snow lotus?”
Xie Zhefeng was startled: “What?”
He had actually forgotten.
After that, he never mentioned it again.
It turned out that Xie Zhefeng could also be kind for a moment and give someone a lantern in passing.
A pity, truly a pity, that he gave it to the wrong person.
Relying on the fact that Xie Zhefeng didn’t know he had already recognized his true identity, he spoke his thoughts directly: “Thank you for the kind intention, Fellow Daoist Xie, but I don’t want your things.”
Immortal Venerable Chuhan had ruled the two realms for over a thousand years; who knows how long it had been since he had heard words of refusal from someone—and over a small rabbit lantern at that.
Xie Zhefeng was stunned.
Yun Zhou let out an “Aiyoh” and hurriedly tried to smooth things over: “Fellow Daoist Xie, don’t think too much of it. He’s just like this, always deliberately annoying people. I get annoyed by Su Xue three times a day.”
Xie Zhefeng didn’t say much, only: “Find an inn to stay at. Zhaoshui City has clues to the extermination of the Yunjian Sect. We will stay in Zhaoshui City tonight.”
The man had already paid a spirit stone, so he simply picked up a lotus lantern from the rack at random, and holding it just like that, he turned and walked forward, avoiding the crowd.
Amidst the prosperity, the man’s back seemed exceptionally lonely.
Yun Zhou muttered: “Fellow Daoist Xie seems as cold as the Immortal Venerable, but his temper isn’t bad.”
An Wuxue: “…”
It wasn’t that Xie Zhefeng had a good temper; it was that Xie Zhefeng was different toward Su Xue.
He still didn’t know why Xie Zhefeng had changed his nature after ascending to immortality and kept a “cauldron” by his side, but this man seemed to have some exceptional tolerance for his bedfellow—even one who couldn’t even be a good “cauldron.”
Yet he couldn’t see any intention of dual cultivation in Xie Zhefeng’s attitude toward Su Xue.
Could it be that he was kept by his side purely as a decoration?
Perhaps Su Xue was indeed very good-looking.
In just the short time since he walked into Zhaoshui City, he had felt many gazes directed at him, both openly and covertly.
He shook his head.
The little rabbit lantern he had put back was suddenly held up in front of him.
He blinked and followed the string attached to the rabbit; the long handle of the lantern was being held by Yun Zhou.
Yun Zhou gave a proud “Hmph” and lightly shook the rabbit lantern: “I’ve already paid the money. Do you want it or not?”
An Wuxue gave a light laugh, took it, and said: “Then I won’t be polite.”
His smile paused. “Yun Zhou…”
“Huh?”
“Your eyes are red.”
Yun Zhou raised his hand to wipe his eyes: “It’s nothing. I just remembered that when I was in the sect before, the junior brothers and sisters were still young. Sometimes they complained that sword practice was too hard and clamored to come to Zhaoshui City to play. My senior brother is a dull one and couldn’t look after kids at all; I was the one who took them.”
An Wuxue followed his words and asked: “Did they also like lanterns?”
“The first time I brought them to play, I was brainless and didn’t bring mortal silver. I spent a lot of spirit stones, and when I got back, Master scolded me and made me sweep the mountain gate steps for a month. Those little brats even laughed at me; only senior brother helped me sweep.”
“I used to think Master’s punishment was too heavy and the junior brothers and sisters were too noisy…”
“Yun Yao is still here, isn’t he?”
Yun Zhou paused.
“Yes, I still have senior brother.”
An Wuxue glanced at Yun Yao, who had been standing silently to the side. After thinking for a bit, he still said: “Yun Zhou.”
“Hmm?”
“Back in the Yunjian Sect, things should have been quite good between you and your senior brother, right?”
“That’s for sure.”
“There are too many paths; don’t wander off. If you take the wrong path, Yun Yao will have to laugh at you.”
After saying this, he took the lead and followed in the direction Xie Zhefeng had left.
Yun Zhou immediately started blustering, giving a “Tsk”: “You think I’m like you, with no cultivation at all? We cultivators have divine sense; we won’t get lost.”
An Wuxue shook his head.
One after another, they walked into a rather expensive-looking inn.
Xie Zhefeng directly threw out a bag of spirit stones and asked for four rooms.
The shopkeeper beamed with joy just like the stall owner from before and ordered someone to lead them to the best upper rooms.
An Wuxue hadn’t even stepped onto the stairs when a few more people, clearly cultivators by their attire, walked in.
Those cultivators were talking.
“…How did you only just arrive? I’ve been waiting for you in Zhaoshui City for several days.”
“I was originally going to take the path through Jingji Stream, but for some reason, Sect Master Qi Xun of the Lihuo Sect is going crazy. He actually led most of the masters of the Lihuo Sect to seal off Jingji Stream and is digging three feet deep there, as if looking for something. I had to take a detour, which is why I was delayed.”
“Jingji Stream has thin spiritual energy and is covered in thorns; hasn’t it always been uninhabited? Could there be some heavenly treasure there?”
“Who cares? The Lihuo Sect isn’t something rogue cultivators like us can afford to provoke.”
“…”
Jingji Stream.
Lihuo Sect.
Qi Xun.
These were all words An Wuxue had known by heart in his previous life.
His expression didn’t change, and his footsteps didn’t even pause; he directly followed the waiter upstairs.
But Xie Zhefeng stopped for a moment.
“…”
“Speaking of which, a thousand years ago, after An Wuxue exterminated the entire Lihuo Sect, wasn’t it at Jingji Stream that Sect Master Qi and the other masters found An Wuxue? Although An Wuxue ultimately died under the Immortal Venerable’s sword, who’s to say there aren’t remnants he left behind in Jingji Stream? Perhaps the Lihuo Sect is going to pull them out by the roots—”
With a “clack” sound.
The cultivator who was speaking let out an exclamation before finishing.
The long sword in that person’s hand actually unsheathed itself, flew into mid-air, and then suddenly dropped!
The sword’s edge brushed past the person’s cheek and pierced into the ground, vibrating and emitting a sword hum.
An Wuxue looked in the direction of the spiritual power flow and saw Xie Zhefeng standing on the stairs. One hand still held the lotus lantern, while the two fingers of his other hand were joined together, once again driving a hand seal to pull up the spiritual sword and return it to the person’s scabbard.
The man’s voice was deep: “If you want to gossip about Luoyue Peak and the Lihuo Sect, then go and gossip in front of the gates of Luoyue Peak and the Lihuo Sect.”
The person’s face first turned pale, then grew redder and redder, as they forced down their anger.
Although a cultivator had to enter the Great Achievement stage to form a natal sword, the spiritual swords of ordinary cultivators were not something others could easily command.
Xie Zhefeng was wearing the attire of a Luoyue disciple, yet he could command another’s weapon with a wave of his hand; how could they compare?
The faces of those people went from green to white, and ultimately, no one spoke.
They didn’t dare stay there either. After looking at each other for a moment, they turned and fled dejectedly.
The people passing through the hall were all frightened by this disturbance; for a moment, no one dared to move.
Xie Zhefeng, having caused this disturbance, only turned around and said to the waiter: “Lead the way.”
The waiter nodded repeatedly: “Ah, yes, yes, this Immortal Master, please follow me.”
An Wuxue was still standing where he was.
Yun Zhou watched the whole process with his mouth agape. Forgetting that he had just praised Xie Zhefeng’s good temper, he stuttered: “Fa-Fellow Daoist Xie’s temper is quite big…”
Xie Zhefeng’s outburst was also very unexpected for An Wuxue.
He wasn’t even angry himself.
“Perhaps he doesn’t want people to gossip about Luoyue Peak behind its back,” he said.
But what had those people done wrong?
They were only saying what was an accepted fact in the eyes of people in the two realms.
“Forget it, a master in the Great Achievement stage like Fellow Daoist Xie must have his own thoughts,” Yun Zhou said worriedly. “But now that the situation of the sect is uncertain, are we really just staying temporarily in Zhaoshui City? Fellow Daoist Xie said there are clues, but why can’t I figure it out?”
An Wuxue admired the swaying little rabbit lantern in his hand, put what had just happened behind him, and said: “Do you still remember how your sect master replied to those who came to visit?”
Yun Yao finally spoke: “Honored guest, please wait a moment, we will come immediately.”
Yun Zhou nodded repeatedly.
“Such words don’t seem like something a murderer would make up. If it were someone who exterminated the sect, it would be better to just make up something like ‘closed to guests, please return.’ These words are exactly what your sect master said on the day of the extermination. The murderer only used what happened that day after the extermination to create an illusion to maintain the facade that the Yunjian Sect was still safe and sound.”
“You mean…”
“Since it’s something that happened, it means someone did indeed visit the Yunjian Sect that day.”
Yun Yao took up the conversation: “Master Su’s meaning is, since they were an ‘honored guest’ and could ‘wait a moment,’ the visitor most likely came from nearby Zhaoshui City, which is why they left after being unable to wait for anyone, thinking to come again next time?”
An Wuxue nodded.
Answering Yun Zhou’s question served as a gesture of thanks for the little rabbit lantern in his hand.
He stepped forward and said to Yun Zhou: “To untie the knot, one must look for the person who tied it. Therefore, your Fellow Daoist Xie has come to Zhaoshui City to find that person. That person is either the culprit who exterminated the Yunjian Sect or someone who can lead us into the Yunjian Sect’s illusion.”
How could Xie Zhefeng possibly do something useless?
This person had been able to reach the position of Immortal Venerable in his youth not just because of his cultivation in the way of the sword.
Whether Yun Zhou had fallen into thought or not, he didn’t react much, but Yun Yao said instead: “I didn’t expect Master Su to have such insight.”
An Wuxue suddenly withdrew his solemn expression from just now and smiled as if in casual conversation: “I came from the mortal world, so I’ve read too many storybooks and am just guessing blindly.”
After saying this, he immediately turned around, chose one of the remaining three rooms at random, and went inside.
Once inside, he looked at the little rabbit lantern in his hand, somewhat unwilling to let the candle flame burn out.
He used a simple hand seal to seal the little rabbit lantern along with the candle flame, then took a new spirit pouch and carefully placed some items he might need, along with this little rabbit lantern, into the new spirit pouch.
As for the spirit pouch containing Xie Zhefeng’s Soul Bell, he tucked it inside his robe.
Let this Soul Bell be sealed in the spirit pouch forever.
He hoped that after the matter of the Yunjian Sect was finished, he would be able to find an opportunity to leave directly.
The next morning.
An Wuxue walked out of the guest room and saw the back of Xie Zhefeng standing on the corridor.
The man stood by a bright window in the tall building, seemingly looking down at the flow of people in Zhaoshui City outside; who knows how long he had been standing there.
An Wuxue’s smile paused, and continuing to pretend not to recognize Xie Zhefeng’s true identity, he said politely: “Good morning, Fellow Daoist Xie. What are our plans for today?”
“Didn’t you already guess yesterday?” Xie Zhefeng turned back slightly. “Go to the Zhaoshui City Lord’s Manor and find that ‘honored guest’ who visited the Yunjian Sect on the day of the extermination.”
An Wuxue: “…”
This person was indeed releasing his divine sense to observe everything around him.
Fortunately, he hadn’t tried to escape in the middle of the night.
He said unhurriedly: “I actually guessed right? It seems there’s some benefit to reading storybooks. Yun Zhou should also be awake; I’ll go call him.”
Just as he turned around, the person behind him suddenly said: “After I entered my room last night, I heard you talking to Yun Zhou and Yun Yao about the matter of the Yunjian Sect, and suddenly many, many past events came to mind, and I didn’t sleep all night.”
What kind of past events would keep someone like Xie Zhefeng up all night?
He vaguely sensed what Xie Zhefeng was going to say.
But this was too unreasonable.
Xie Zhefeng said in a low voice: “There was once a person for whom I never needed to speak and explain my actions, yet he knew what was in my mind.”
“When you discuss matters…”
“You are very much like him.”