【IF line extra—if Xi Jue hadn’t awakened ‘Kan Tianyan’ in that world.】
**
Yan Family Mountain, midsummer swelter.
Yan Ling sat on the lowest step, eagerly peering through the semi-transparent water barrier in front of him at the outside world.
After the Qiqiao Festival, Yan Ling felt he hadn’t had enough fun and wanted to run out again. Yan Hanque strictly forbade it—he couldn’t step half a foot outside Yan Family Mountain.
With no choice, Yan Ling could only prop his chin and gaze longingly outside to satisfy his cravings.
Yan Yue ran down from the mountain, a cold melon in his arms, covered in sweat and panting. Before catching his breath, he said in a tiny voice: “Shi—Shixiong, melon.”
Yan Ling used his fingers as a knife, making a “swoosh” sound with his mouth, cleanly cutting the cold melon into one large and one small half, revealing the moist red flesh inside.
He skillfully bullied Yan Yue, pushing the small piece to him, saying without any guilt: “Ayue, eat up.”
Yan Yue didn’t get angry either, obediently sitting beside his shixiong and gnawing the small piece of melon.
This conscienceless one immediately laughed heartily, reaching out to grab Yan Yue’s little topknot: “If someone else bullied you like this, what should you do? Remember?”
Yan Yue’s head shook from being pulled. He spat out a few black seeds, baring his teeth fiercely at Yan Ling: “Like—like this?”
Yan Ling laughed even harder.
The two sat together eating melon in the scorching heat. But before eating much, they suddenly saw an earth-shattering violent collision in the clearing outside the barrier.
With a “bang,” thick smoke and dust rose up.
Yan Ling and Yan Yue were startled, nervously hugging their melons with wide eyes to look.
That thing landed exactly ten steps outside the barrier. Through the barrier, they vaguely heard violent coughing—it seemed to be a person.
The smoke gradually dispersed, faintly revealing a half-grown child in warm yellow robes.
When Yan Ling saw the person’s appearance clearly, he stood up abruptly. The melon rind nearly landed on Yan Yue’s head as he said in surprise: “He… isn’t he that flower—flower peacock?!”
The surnamed Xi “flower peacock” walked out from the smoke. His gaze met Yan Ling’s on the mountain steps. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his face full of “Who’s this?”
Yan Ling still remembered this person cursing at him on Qiqiao that day. He rolled his eyes and sat back down sullenly.
Young masters from clans and wandering cultivators had completely different status and positions. Their lives had no intersection. He didn’t want to conflict with this wastrel young master over trivial matters, lest he cause trouble for his parents.
But while Yan Ling wanted to keep the peace, Xi Jue wasn’t willing.
He took out a fan and fanned himself, walking to the barrier and tapping it with the fan handle: “Hey, shorty, open this barrier. Let me in to play.”
Though Yan Ling couldn’t hear much of what he was saying, he could barely make out his lip movements. The anger he’d just suppressed rose again.
He bared his teeth, raging: “I won’t!”
“Hurry up.” Xi Jue didn’t care about his wishes. He was the Xi family’s most pampered young master. Wherever he went, people should accommodate him. He tapped the barrier again: “Let me in. I’ll give you candy to eat.”
Yan Ling glared at him, ignoring him completely. He got up, took Yan Yue’s hand, and was about to run to the top of Yan Family Mountain.
Anyway, with Yan Hanque’s barrier there, that flower peacock couldn’t barge in.
Xi Jue: “Hey! Hey hey!”
Yan Ling turned a deaf ear.
Just then, another “bang” of landing sounds came from behind—a group of people seemed to be densely approaching this place.
Yan Ling turned back in shock.
An airship landed in the distance. Many wandering cultivators quickly descended from above, seemingly searching for something.
Xi Jue’s small face turned green: “I still can’t shake you off?!”
Seeing Yan Ling still staring blankly, Xi Jue stopped pretending to be a wastrel. He quickly put away his fan and clutched the transparent barrier, patting it flexibly: “Kuafu, wise and mighty, those people want to kill me. Quickly let me in to avoid danger. After I escape, I’ll definitely reward you handsomely.”
Yan Kuafu: “?”
He was just calling him shorty a moment ago.
Yan Ling frowned tightly. Seeing he didn’t seem to be acting, he hesitated before pushing Yan Yue away, saying softly: “Ayue, go home first.”
Yan Yue clutched his sleeve, his face full of confusion: “Not—not going home.”
Yan Ling, seeing he still wouldn’t let go, said with a stern face: “Not listening to Shixiong anymore?”
Yan Yue’s face was full of grievance, but he never disobeyed his shixiong. Reluctantly releasing his hand, he stumbled obediently up the mountain steps.
Only when Yan Yue had run out of sight did Yan Ling frown and come back to his senses, facing Xi Jue with a barrier between them.
Xi Jue kept looking back. The spiritual power in his magical artifacts was nearly depleted. If caught by those wandering cultivators, he probably wouldn’t have a good outcome. Seeing Yan Ling run back, he patted the barrier again: “Let me in!”
Yan Ling asked with a tense face: “Why are they chasing you?”
Xi Jue suppressed the urge to roll his eyes: “I left Central State without guards. They obviously want to kidnap me to extort my family.”
Yan Ling said in surprise: “Isn’t your family very powerful?”
Xi Jue glanced back to see several cultivators already heading his direction. He hurriedly said: “Not powerful, not powerful at all. Quick, save me!”
Completely without his威风 from the Qiqiao Festival.
Yan Ling was also startled. After all, no matter how much he disliked Xi Jue, he couldn’t watch this child die. He frantically scratched at the barrier a couple times like a cat scratching at a door, at a loss: “But—but I don’t know how to open the barrier! Can you get in yourself?”
Xi Jue was dumbfounded: “You!”
Then why waste all these words with him here?
Though precocious, Xi Jue had just turned twelve this year. Keenly sensing someone approaching him, his heart pounded wildly, his hands pressed on the barrier trembling slightly.
Burning all over from tension, the xiangwen that had just awakened in his body was like boiling magma, suddenly flowing wildly through his frail meridians, turning his amber eyes brilliant gold.
Tianyan spiritual power surged violently from his palms.
Yan Ling was anxiously trying to figure out how to open the barrier when he saw Xi Jue in front of him suddenly disappear.
But it was only for a brief instant. Then a figure appeared out of nowhere, falling toward his eyes.
Yan Ling’s thin small frame was pressed down onto the stone steps without a sound, the back of his head hitting exactly on a sharp corner, stunning him immediately—his eyes lost focus.
Xi Jue didn’t know how he’d silently entered Yan Family Mountain’s barrier. He himself was also dazed. Realizing he was pressing down on Yan Ling, he hurriedly helped him up: “Hey! Shorty?!”
The shorty’s eyes were unfocused, looking like he’d been knocked stupid from pain.
Xi Jue felt inexplicably guilty, reaching out to rub the back of his head, discovering he’d actually knocked it bloody.
Startled, before he could take out candy for Yan Ling to eat, violent collision sounds suddenly came from the barrier.
The wandering cultivators who’d come to kill him had already discovered him, cursing as they attacked the barrier with magical artifacts.
Yan Family Mountain’s barrier was left by ancestors—unless someone at Spirit Transformation realm or above came personally, it couldn’t be broken.
But Xi Jue didn’t know this. Fearing the barrier would be broken, he hurriedly hoisted the dazed and confused Yan Ling onto his shoulder, gritting his teeth with all his might to activate the xiangwen in his body.
A golden light suddenly enveloped them both. After the brilliant flash, Xi Jue and Yan Ling had disappeared without a trace.
***
Yan Ling’s head hurt.
Vaguely he even felt his head might have been split open like the cold melon he ate this morning—it hurt so much he wanted to cry.
Everything around seemed to be spinning. There was also a strange incense scent. Figures swayed back and forth before him, making him feel even more uncomfortable.
Before long, someone pinched his chin and stuffed in a sweet-tasting spirit pill, silently transforming into a warm current flowing into his meridians. The pain at the back of his head finally gradually receded.
Yan Ling remained drowsy for a long while before finally awakening from darkness.
He opened his eyes in confusion, looking at the unfamiliar bed curtain tassels above. In his nose was an incense scent he could tell was extraordinary at one whiff. Spiritual power was rich all around. He vaguely knew his own home didn’t seem this ostentatious, but still instinctively called: “Mother.”
Someone lazily said by his ear: “Call me father.”
Yan Ling, just waking up and still a bit dazed, obediently changed: “Father.”
“Aye.” Someone laughed quietly and leaned forward. “Father’s here.”
Yan Ling’s hazy vision gradually cleared. Suddenly a face magnified several times was thrust before his eyes. Startled, he instinctively shrank back. After being dazed for a while, he came to his senses, saying in surprise: “You?!”
Xi Jue sat cross-legged on the bed’s edge, grinning: “You’re finally awake? You slept a whole day and night. I was wondering if you got knocked stupid?”
Only then did Yan Ling belatedly realize his head was injured. Reaching up to touch the back of his head, he detected no pain. He frowned slightly, his small face still carrying baby fat showing unconscious dissatisfaction and grievance.
“Where is this?”
Xi Jue said: “My home.”
“Your home?” Yan Ling was confused for a while, nearly jumping up. “Your home? Central State?!”
“Yeah.”
Yan Ling’s small face turned deathly pale: “I’ve been in Central State… for a day?!”
Yan Hanque and Madam Zhao must be worried sick!
Yan Ling hurriedly got out of bed to go home, but though his injuries had healed, his head was still dizzy. Just getting out of bed, he nearly fell straight to the floor.
Xi Jue, quick-eyed and quick-handed, hooked Yan Ling’s waist with his calf, preventing him from sprawling on the ground.
“Slow down.”
The young acolyte serving Xi Jue concealed his inner surprise.
Xi Jue had always been unruly, never showing good faces even to blood-related siblings. When encountering things not to his liking, he’d directly lash out with his whip. This was the first time he’d shown such concern for a strange child.
Xi Jue had no other feelings for Yan Ling—he simply found this bristling little furball interesting, completely unlike Central State’s other wooden people.
He grinned, propping his chin as he watched Yan Ling struggle to get up: “So anxious to go back? My place is great—whatever you want, you have it. Stay a few more days.”
Yan Ling’s face looked sickly. He turned to glare at him: “Don’t want to.”
Xi Jue clicked his tongue.
Rejected again.
But the young master wasn’t angry. After all, it was he who caused the injury and brought him to Central State—he should send him back.
Though saying this, Xi Jue wouldn’t proactively offer, instead saying cheekily: “Shorty, you planning to just run back to Northern Border like that?”
Yan Ling barely walked two steps before freezing at these words.
When Yan Hanque usually brought him to Central State to play, it took most of the day by airship, let alone his little short legs running back.
Yan Ling, just waking up, his brain not working at all, immediately reddened his eyes, stammering: “Then… then what do I do?”
Xi Jue: “…”
Xi Jue thought uh-oh, this little dumpling was kind of cute.
Bullying him inexplicably brought some guilt.
“Cough.” Xi Jue said. “In that case, this young immortal lord will show great mercy and personally send you back?”
Yan Ling asked confused: “Really?”
Xi Jue, seeing him still questioning, nearly laughed in anger: “Really. I’ll let you see your parents right away, okay?”
Yan Ling said dejectedly: “Not ‘right away.'”
What great ability did he have to shrink distance, turning thousands of li into “right away”?
Xi Jue grabbed the little dumpling who didn’t even reach his shoulder: “Come, I’ll use my xiangwen to send you back.”
The young acolyte beside them was startled, hurriedly saying: “Young Master! The family head and madam said your xiangwen isn’t fully controlled yet—you can’t use it casually.”
“So noisy.” Xi Jue glanced at him coldly. “Where do you get the gall to meddle in my business?”
The young acolyte’s face turned white.
Xi Jue had been a wastrel young master since childhood, rarely showing good faces to anyone. But after scolding the young acolyte, he turned to the bewildered Yan Ling, changing expression like flipping faces to grin and poke his face: “I’m sending you back. What should you say to me?”
Yan Ling frowned and glared at him: “I’ll say it after you send me back.”
Xi Jue laughed heartily, skillfully hoisting Yan Ling onto his shoulder. Amid the young acolyte’s alarmed cries, he activated his xiangwen again.
Familiar Tianyan spiritual power enveloped them both.
The familiar spinning sensation—after Yan Ling’s miserable scream, his whole person dizzy and disoriented, he sat with a thump on the cold mountain steps.
Yan Ling looked around in confusion and immediately froze.
The moment before, he’d been surrounded by extravagant mansions, but now there were deep mountain cicadas chirping, thousands of mountain steps stretching upward continuously.
He’d arrived at Yan Family Mountain in an instant?!
Yan Ling looked at Xi Jue in surprise.
Having just activated his xiangwen, Xi Jue’s small face was deathly pale, but in front of Yan Ling he barely maintained face, forcing a composed smile: “How about that? Pretty impressive, right?”
Just as his words fell, he could no longer hold it in and squatted down: “Urgh.”
He threw up.
Yan Ling: “…”
Xi Jue vomited until his face was pale as paper, but barely steadied himself, casually wiping his mouth while still feigning profundity with a smile.
“…Call me big brother and let me hear it?”
Yan Ling said blankly: “What… was that?”
“Tianyan xiangwen.” Xi Jue said with false modesty. “Just a mere Spirit-grade, not worth mentioning.”
Yan Ling hadn’t yet distinguished the grades of Tianyan xiangwen. Thinking “Spirit-grade” was the lowest, he dryly said “Oh”: “So it’s a xiangwen not worth mentioning.”
Xi Jue: “…”
Xi Jue nearly choked to death on that statement.
“Shorty.” Xi Jue reached out to smack Yan Ling’s head, glaring at him: “Do you know what’s valuable or not? This is Spirit-grade xiangwen—there are very few in the Thirteen States. It’s called…”
Yan Ling looked at him blankly while holding his head.
Xi Jue stood on the mountain steps, his warm yellow robes gradually merging into the sunlight filtering through leaf gaps. The summer wind seemed to dance with him—lively, flamboyant, and full of vitality.
“…It’s called ‘Wheresoever I Roam.'”
Coming through emptiness, going in haste—wherefore do I roam everywhere in the mortal world.
**
T/N: names of xiangwen in if line will be somewhat different from the main story
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152