Sheng Jiao’s rippling emotions didn’t last too long.
Upon arriving at Central State City, Yan Ling rushed into Lezheng Jiu’s embrace, loudly saying: “Ge, I missed you!”
The other classmates from Central State arrived at the Medicine Sect to play. Yan Ling affectionately said to Rang Chen, Heng Yudu, and Feng Yu: “I missed you all!”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Yan Ling “spread his affection everywhere.” Going with Sheng Jiao to the little snack shop they loved eating at during school, seeing the familiar stall owner, he also happily said: “I missed you.”
Sheng Jiao… Sheng Jiao completely found peace.
Yan Ling had never experienced hardship since childhood. The only time he encountered danger was this time nearly being abducted to Jiuxiao City. From now on, he should grow up step by step, reach the capping ceremony, become dao companions with a beautiful female cultivator, and live a stable life.
This was the life he wanted.
Yan Ling slurped hot steaming little wontons. Seeing Sheng Jiao sitting there lost in thought, he sneakily used his spoon to scoop a small spoonful of dried shrimp from Sheng Jiao’s wonton bowl.
Sheng Jiao looked up at him.
Yan Ling grinned without shame and ate the dried shrimp in one bite.
Sheng Jiao silently sighed, pushing his bowl toward him: “If you want to eat, eat.”
Yan Ling immediately happily scooped dried shrimp, eating with great pleasure.
Before eating much, a bowl went “clang” placed beside Yan Ling. Xi Jue, who’d appeared from who knows when, sat in the chair with legs spread, casually making small talk.
“Eating?”
Yan Ling had long gotten used to Xi Jue’s appearing and disappearing. Not even looking up, too lazy to acknowledge him, he continued scooping dried shrimp from Sheng Jiao’s bowl to eat.
Xi Jue, seeing him eat so happily, tapped his bowl with a spoon: “Eat mine?”
“Don’t want to.” Yan Ling looked at him with disdain. “Two grown men eating from one bowl—you don’t find that strange?”
Sheng Jiao froze.
Xi Jue smiled without mirth: “Yan Ling’er, if my eyes aren’t blind, just now you were sharing a bowl with Lord Sheng, right?”
Yan Ling choked but still argued confidently: “How can you compare to Sheng Jiao? The day before yesterday when we returned to Central State, we even slept in the same room. That kind of bond, no one can compare.”
Just as his words fell, the small wooden spoon Xi Jue held snapped in response.
“What kind of bond?” Xi Jue ground his teeth, saying sarcastically: “Back when we were at school, Zhuxing House people all slept in the same room—what does that prove? —Are you eating this dried shrimp or not? If not, I’m throwing it away!”
Yan Ling didn’t know where this quirk came from—he loved eating the dried shrimp in little wontons most and couldn’t stand others wasting it. He could only frown and scoop the shrimp over, eating while showing disdain.
Xi Jue ground his teeth, pinching Yan Ling’s cheeks to pull them outward: “Don’t recognize a good person’s heart. Someone like you will sooner or later be sold and still count money for the buyer.”
Yan Ling hadn’t dared let Sheng Jiao tell others he’d nearly been sold to Jiuxiao City. Hearing these words, he immediately felt guilty, coughing dryly several times as he continued eating little wontons.
“Ling’er.” Xi Jue directly ignored Sheng Jiao, extending his paw to tap the table. “Zhuxing House gatherings aren’t interesting anyway—just a group drinking and chatting idly, very boring. Want me to take you to play at Jiuxiao City in the Southern Territory?”
Yan Ling: “Cough cough cough!”
Yan Ling directly choked, coughing his life away.
Sheng Jiao stroked his back to help him breathe, frowning: “Be careful.”
Xi Jue grimly watched Sheng Jiao’s paw stroking back and forth on Yan Ling’s thin back. Suddenly golden patterns flashed in his eyes. A chopstick abruptly disappeared, nearly piercing straight through Sheng Jiao’s hand.
Sheng Jiao’s quick eyes and hands grasped the chopstick, coldly glancing at Xi Jue.
Xi Jue acted like he saw nothing, ordering a bowl of water to push over: “What’s wrong with you? Still a child? Even drinking soup you can choke.”
“Cough cough.” Yan Ling coughed until his eyes reddened. Finally stopping his cough, he covered his mouth gloomily: “Who told you to suddenly mention Jiuxiao City.”
Xi Jue asked: “What about Jiuxiao City?”
“No—nothing.”
“That’s a good place.” Xi Jue lazily propped his chin, winking at Yan Ling. “You’re already seventeen—should understand some things.”
Yan Ling didn’t understand: “I’m very well-behaved.”
Xi Jue “pfft” laughed. Finding him so cute, he extended his paw again to pinch his face that was no longer a baozi face: “Yeah, so well-behaved you could die.”
While the two spoke, Sheng Jiao remained silent. Now seeing Xi Jue speaking more and more outrageously, he finally coldly spoke: “Don’t take him to that kind of place.”
Xi Jue sneered: “I only said go to Jiuxiao City—didn’t say go to a flower house. Does all of Jiuxiao City only have flower houses? You forgot ‘Wandering Elixir’ to the ninth cloud? What exactly is Lord Sheng’s mind full of? Truly filthy.”
Sheng Jiao said indifferently: “You know what you really wanted to say.”
Xi Jue, seeing his words had hidden meaning, simply laid it out plainly. Coldly slapping the table: “So what if I take Ling’er to a flower house?! Just seeing the world—let him see how gentle and tender women are, lest he be led astray by certain people with ulterior motives.”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
“What astray path?” Yan Ling said unhappily. “Sheng Jiao is right. You want to take me to a flower house—that’s what being led astray means, right?”
Xi Jue: “?”
Xi Jue raged: “Are you a fool?!”
Yan Ling didn’t understand why he was being scolded, frowning: “I’m going to tell my mother you want to mess around at Jiuxiao City flower houses. Then let her beat you.”
These years, Xi Jue constantly freeloaded meals at Yan Ling’s home. Madam Zhao practically treated him like half a son. If she knew he really went to flower houses, she’d probably chase him to beat him.
Xi Jue felt utterly wronged, glaring angrily at Sheng Jiao.
Sheng Jiao slightly won this round. Seeing Yan Ling had eaten the dried shrimp almost completely, he said flatly: “Going to Zhuxing House?”
“Going.” Yan Ling put down his chopsticks, glaring at Xi Jue once, following Sheng Jiao as they walked away grandly.
Xi Jue stood in place silent for a long while. Suddenly furiously flipping the table, tossing down a handful of spirit stones, he turned and left.
“So angry! Live or die! I don’t care anymore!”
***
Yan Ling didn’t notice Xi Jue’s “well-intentioned reminder.” He was still complaining about him to Sheng Jiao: “The older he gets, the worse his temper. Don’t get angry with him. When we go back, I’ll have my mother nag at him.”
Sheng Jiao had been smiling originally. Hearing these words, he was silent for a while before gently probing: “Xi Jue… often goes to Yan Family Mountain?”
“Yeah.” Yan Ling said casually. “He goes seven or eight times every month. So annoying—appearing and disappearing. A Yue gets scared by him every time.”
Sheng Jiao thought to himself: I’ve never even been once.
Obviously, the gentle gentleman Sheng Jiao wouldn’t say such sour words. He just smiled, saying meaningfully: “Yan Family Mountain’s scenery should be quite nice, right?”
“Mm mm.” Yan Ling nodded. Sure enough, he took the bait in one bite: “If you have time, I can take you to play.”
Sheng Jiao smiled: “Xiezhi Sect is quite leisurely.”
This was of course false, but it was very useful for tricking the naive Yan Ling. Sure enough, Yan Ling went “Wow,” excitedly saying: “Then after this gathering, I’ll take you to Yan Family Mountain. The weather now—spring is warm and flowers are blooming.”
Sheng Jiao said reservedly: “Good.”
Yan Ling became happy: “You’ll reach the capping ceremony this year, right? I’ll definitely come to Central State then.”
Sheng Jiao nodded. Thinking about it, he asked with a thread of hope: “Xi Jue’s capping ceremony—will you come too?”
Yan Ling nodded: “Of course. I even prepared a sword for him—so expensive—shh, don’t tell him.”
Sheng Jiao forced a smile.
Every time he thought he was special in Yan Ling’s heart, Yan Ling would deal him a fatal blow, making him understand he was just a classmate.
But Sheng Jiao didn’t stay dejected for long.
Arriving at Tianyan Academy’s Zhuxing House, Yan Ling exchanged pleasantries with everyone. When mentioning Yan Family Mountain, Feng Yu hooked Yan Ling’s shoulder with a grin: “I also want to go see.”
“I’m too lazy to host you.” Yan Ling disdainfully pushed his face. “If you want to see scenery, go yourself. Don’t look for me—I’m very busy.”
Feng Yu’s face turned gloomy: “This is your way of hosting guests, Yan Ling’er?”
Yan Ling huffed at him: “Exactly so.”
Sheng Jiao froze slightly.
…Every time he felt he was just a classmate, Yan Ling could use “special treatment” only for him to make him harbor delusions again.
Sheng Jiao was pondering when Yan Ling leaned over, pressing against his ear to whisper quietly: “…I only said Feng Yu. If you go, I’ll definitely host you well.”
Sheng Jiao’s fingers trembled again.
Feng Yu furiously grabbed Yan Ling’s ear to yank him over: “Shorty! I heard that!”
Yan Ling immediately jumped up: “I’m not short! Can still grow taller!”
Feng Yu: “I don’t care. Shorter than me means shorty. Look at you standing beside Sheng Jiao—you don’t even reach his chin. So ‘delicate like a little bird relying on a person.'”
Little bird Yan was so angry he chased Feng Yu to hit him.
Heng Yudu sat to the side. Looking at Sheng Jiao’s dazed appearance, and that ear Yan Ling had leaned close to whisper into already completely red, he seemed to understand something. Extending his hand to tap the table.
“Sheng Jiao?”
Sheng Jiao woke as from a dream: “What?”
Heng Yudu winked at him, saying quietly: “You really have guts.”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Everyone made a ruckus all evening. They simply stayed at Zhuxing House, waiting until tomorrow when Fu Man and Liu Changxing all arrived to formally gather.
Yan Ling, yawning, was sent back to his original quarters by Sheng Jiao. Though clearly exhausted to death, he still groggily forced himself to walk to the table, sitting there holding a vermillion brush, idly drawing back and forth.
Yan Ling dozed while drawing. His eyes flashed a trace of golden patterns. Though so drowsy, his brushstrokes were very steady—casually drawing a complex, intricate array.
Suddenly, Yan Ling’s whole body shuddered. He groggily awakened a bit.
He seemed to just realize what he was doing. Looking at the brush in his hand puzzled, then at the strange array on paper, he muttered quietly: “What is this thing?”
Yan Ling was talking to himself, but a voice came from the side.
“This is a forbidden sacrificial array. How can you draw this?”
Yan Ling was scared into a full-body shudder, looking back in terror.
Fu Man, covered in golden light, stood before the table. Seeing him so scared, he looked over innocently: “Sorry, I knocked.”
Yan Ling said incredulously: “Fu Man, when did you arrive in Central State?”
“Honestly…” Fu Man said embarrassedly, “I arrived at noon. We even ate together at night.”
Just no one noticed him.
Yan Ling: “…”
So pitiful.
But Fu Man was used to it. He didn’t feel too sad either. Sitting down, he took that paper and tapped it: “I remember when at the academy, you never passed array class. Even the three circles in ‘Encountering Peach Blossoms’—you couldn’t draw them round. How can you draw this sacrificial array so perfectly?”
Yan Ling’s face was blank: “What sacrificial array?”
“This one.”
Yan Ling took it over to look, frowning: “I drew this?”
Fu Man: “Yeah. I watched you draw it with my own eyes.”
Yan Ling was even more confused, not understanding how he was so capable—able to draw such a perfectly intricate array.
After thinking and thinking without understanding, he simply put it aside, asking Fu Man: “You came looking for me in the middle of the night—is there something important?”
“Oh, yes.” Fu Man took out a scroll. “Three years ago, that technique for changing memory and cognition you found in the library pavilion—I learned it.”
Yan Ling said puzzled: “What?”
Fu Man: “…”
You forgot?
Yan Ling was drowsy and unclear-minded. After a long while, he remembered: “Oh oh oh, I remember now. How was it? Easy to learn?”
Fu Man shook his head.
Seeing he’d studied it for two or three years, you knew it was very hard to learn.
“Last time, didn’t you ask if this array could be used on oneself?” Fu Man said. “I tried—it can’t.”
Yan Ling “oh’d,” happily standing up to bounce: “No problem. I’ve grown taller now—no need to deceive myself anymore.”
Fu Man couldn’t help laughing. Extending his hand to touch Yan Ling’s head: “You really did grow quite a bit taller.”
Yan Ling, praised, had his eyes curve into crescents.
Fu Man, seeing that ominous array on the table, thought about it and still said gently: “Ling’er, this array… don’t complete it.”
Yan Ling said confused: “What?”
“Look here.” Fu Man pointed to a gap in the sacrificial array on the paper. “If you draw the entire array, the sacrificial array will also take your life. This is a forbidden technique of mutual destruction.”
Yan Ling was startled and hurriedly burned the paper.
Fu Man, seeing him like this, vaguely sensed something wrong: “Ling’er, how exactly did you learn this array?”
Yan Ling himself was confused: “I… I don’t know.”
Fu Man frowned. Seeing his small face had turned white, he gradually felt that Yan Ling’s earlier appearance—exhausted to death yet able to draw a stable intricate array—didn’t at all resemble the usual Yan Ling. After long silence, he said: “You sleep first. I’ll go call Feng Yu over.”
“Call Feng Yu…” Yan Ling became more scared as he thought. “Is… is it useful?”
Doesn’t Feng Yu only know how to play with ghosts?
Fu Man pressed two fingers to Yan Ling’s brow, trying not to scare him: “I think you seem to have been… possessed.”
Yan Ling froze.
**
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1