Yu Tuishan held a small cup and carefully sipped Nine Heavens City’s wine.
But he had probably never drunk alcohol before. After just one sip, he coughed violently, choking until his eyes turned red. He covered his lips and coughed for a long time before recovering.
Yu Tuishan coughed so hard his mask went askew, vaguely revealing a golden eye.
That peach blossom eye…
Actually resembled Xi Jianlan somewhat?
Wen Gubai said calmly: “Sheng Jiao’s crime-judging Tianyan pearls have already reached fifty. Before long, Tianyan thunder punishment will arrive.”
Yu Tuishan adjusted his mask properly, his voice slightly hoarse from coughing as he said vaguely: “I tampered with Xi Minghuai’s memory. Sheng Jiao will definitely notice. As long as he has doubts, the Tianyan pearls won’t make rash judgments. Besides…”
He finally recovered but was unwilling to try the wine again, sullenly gnawing on pastries as he continued: “That little liar is used to deceiving people. Sheng Jiao’s first reaction will definitely be to suspect he tampered with it.”
Wen Gubai smiled: “Aren’t you thinking of Sheng Jiao as too foolish?”
“If you’re really afraid of dying…” Yu Tuishan said casually, “when the little liar comes later, I’ll place a ‘Disaster Diversion’ formation on him. Even if Sheng Jiao judges you guilty later, we just need to divert the karmic thunder tribulation to him.”
Wen Gubai’s expression darkened slightly as he said with a half-smile: “You’re really willing to do that?”
“Of course I’m willing.” Yu Tuishan said carelessly. “If we don’t push out a scapegoat, Sheng Jiao will eventually trace things back to us. Getting this matter resolved early is good for both of us.”
Wen Gubai remained silent.
Yu Tuishan propped his chin and looked toward the private room entrance, his eyes showing anticipation for the “scapegoat’s” arrival.
“Come on,” Yu Tuishan murmured like reciting poetry. “Hurry over.”
Outside the private room.
The scapegoat surnamed Xi was adjusting his robes that Sheng Jiao had nearly torn off with a dark expression, his eyes suddenly flashing with golden patterns.
“Can you shut up?” he said coldly. “Stop always watching my embarrassment.”
The black cat transformed into black mist and perched on Xi Jianlan’s shoulder, saying in confusion: “What? I didn’t say anything.”
Xi Jianlan didn’t answer, extending his little finger to gently hook it, his expression full of impatience: “Heart-binding ribbon—do you know how to untie it?”
The black cat said quietly: “You’re really overestimating me.”
Xi Jianlan said: “Then what use are you to me?”
The black cat immediately bristled: “Your lover! Xiezhi Sect Master! Void Return realm! ‘Worthy of Heaven’s Way’! Any one of these could crush me, this poor, cute little cat! Even if I used all my strength, I could only devour the heart-binding ribbon for a moment. You still expect me to untie it? Xi Jianlan, tell me, if I had this ability…”
Xi Jianlan suddenly said: “Wait, what did you say?”
The black cat tilted its head: “This poor, cute little cat?”
Xi Jianlan: “……”
Xi Jianlan ignored its self-praise and said: “You said you could devour the heart-binding ribbon for a moment—meaning Sheng Jiao would think the ribbon was broken?”
The black cat didn’t understand: “Right.”
But it would only be Sheng Jiao thinking so. After the spiritual power disappeared, Xi Jianlan would still be a kite on a string, unable to run far.
“Oh.” Xi Jianlan drew out the sound, his lips curving into a sly smile as he reached out to pet the black cat, saying with a grin: “What a poor, cute little cat indeed.”
The black cat: “???”
Why was he praising it out of nowhere?
What bad idea was this little liar plotting now?!
Just ten steps away was the private room where Yu Tuishan was.
Yu Tuishan could really eat—he’d swept away more than half the table full of dazzling pastries. Wen Gubai had transformed into a swallow perched on the windowsill, watching him eat with mixed feelings.
Was he a starving ghost reincarnated?
After eating for so long, there was still no movement at the door.
Yu Tuishan tilted his head, vaguely sensing something was wrong. Just as he was about to call a Hongchen Shijun Tower servant to ask if the courtesan was coming, the tightly closed carved door was suddenly split open by a sword.
Yu Tuishan immediately felt relieved: “Oh oh oh!”
Lan Jiaojiao had arrived!
Wen Gubai: “?”
Which courtesan came to entertain guests by breaking down the door so violently?
Sure enough, someone approached with heavy footsteps. A powerful oppressive aura swept into the private room like a fierce wind, shattering the luxurious, precious furnishings into powder that scattered to the ground.
The large screen crashed to the floor.
Yu Tuishan looked up expectantly.
Sheng Jiao appeared like a killing god, his face cold with overwhelming malice. The Winter Snow sword in his hand emanated such coldness that the entire Hongchen Shijun Tower was covered in a thin layer of frost.
Yu Tuishan immediately looked disappointed as he stuffed a pastry in his mouth, mumbling while chewing: “What? It’s not Lan Jiaojiao.”
Wen Gubai: “……”
The 106 Tianyan pearls scattered out. Sheng Jiao’s long hair flew wildly behind him as he said coldly: “Where is Xi Jue?”
Yu Tuishan looked confused: “Huh?”
The moment the heart-binding ribbon was forcibly severed, Sheng Jiao’s mind went blank. When he came to his senses, he was already charging into the private room where Lan Jiaojiao and Immortal Lord Yu were supposed to have their “spring night” with sword in hand.
Sheng Jiao’s barely concealed malice spread outward like thorns, his Great Ascension stage spiritual power nearly shaking the entire Hongchen Shijun Tower to pieces.
He walked toward Yu Tuishan step by step with his sword, his handsome face cold as frost.
Without moving his lips, Sheng Jiao’s ice-cold voice echoed around them.
“Xi Jianlan.”
Yu Tuishan sat cross-legged there, his mask nearly cracking under the pressure of this aura.
He looked up at Sheng Jiao in confusion: “Ah, you… you mean Lan Jiaojiao? I, I’m waiting too. Have you seen him?”
Sheng Jiao frowned.
Yu Tuishan muttered quietly: “I’m still waiting to have a spring night with him…”
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold gleam flashed in Sheng Jiao’s eyes, and a sword intent too fast to see suddenly struck.
Yu Tuishan was stunned for a moment. A strand of white hair silently slid from his shoulder to the ground, and the horseshoe cake between his fingers crumbled to pieces, covering his hands.
The hair strand representing his head had been severed, but Yu Tuishan acted as if nothing happened, staring blankly at the half-eaten horseshoe cake in his hands as if shocked senseless.
Sheng Jiao looked at him expressionlessly.
Suddenly, Yu Tuishan shot to his feet and roared: “I already said he’s not here!”
The skull mask actually twisted into a fierce, roaring expression, his entire body’s Tianyan spiritual power transforming into menacing claws that lunged sinisterly toward Sheng Jiao.
“Boom—”
Golden Tianyan spiritual power and the dark blue lightning patterns of the Tianyan pearls clashed and intertwined like autumn wind sweeping leaves, making the entire ground of Nine Heavens City tremble.
Xi Jianlan, disguised as a little girl and silently escaping from Hongchen Shijun Tower, stumbled and nearly fell flat.
He steadied himself against a wall with difficulty, looking up at the vast spiritual power surging from the third floor, clicking his tongue in wonder: “They really started fighting.”
Black cat: “……?”
The black cat said incredulously: “Weren’t you going to see Yu Tuishan?”
“That bastard probably has no good intentions. Why would I deliver myself to his door to be humiliated for no reason?” Xi Jianlan had probably stayed at Evil Qi Road too long—his speech was becoming increasingly crude and rough.
The black cat looked at the commotion that was nearly shaking the entire Hongchen Shijun Tower to pieces, standing dazed and disheveled in the wind.
“Are you sure… this isn’t revenge against Sect Master Sheng?”
Xi Jianlan sneered but didn’t deny it.
Anyway, the money he’d earned as Lan Jiaojiao this time could build ten Hongchen Shijun Towers. Xi Jianlan felt no psychological burden as he concealed his form and strolled away from the area.
“How much longer can you hold on?” Xi Jianlan skillfully headed toward “Youdan,” planning to find Lezheng Jiu and Feng Yu first. “Can you manage another quarter hour?”
The black cat looked at the dark rope on Xi Jianlan’s little finger and estimated: “Half a quarter hour is the absolute limit.”
Xi Jianlan moved light as a swallow, gracefully darting through the clouds: “That’s enough.”
Scheming against Sheng Jiao felt good for a moment, but he still needed to find himself an escape route and get a gege to protect him.
But just as Xi Jianlan reached the cloud island where “Youdan” was located, his meridians, gradually withering from temporarily severing the heart-binding ribbon, felt like they were being pricked by countless needles.
The surroundings were full of dense “Abandoned Immortal Bone” aura. No matter how much Xi Jianlan could endure, he couldn’t bear it for a moment, stumbling against a wall and nearly falling to his knees.
The black cat was startled and quickly jumped down, transforming into human form: “Xi Jianlan? What’s wrong?”
The backlash from “Abandoned Immortal Bone” came so fierce and sudden.
Xi Jianlan was already covered in cold sweat, stumbling against the wall into a narrow alley to rest.
He’d thought he could endure the aftereffects of fake Tianyan, but unexpectedly, too much spiritual power in Nine Heavens City seemed to find its source and continuously drilled into his body.
Was it the cloud lanterns Yu Tuishan had lit for Lan Jiaojiao?
Xi Jianlan gasped repeatedly, his back against the wall as he slowly slid to the ground. His eyes alternated between unfocused and focused as he covered his lips, swallowing his agonized moans.
The black cat was frightened and instinctively wanted to restore the heart-binding ribbon.
“No, no…” Xi Jianlan grabbed his hand and weakly shook his head, sweat-dampened black hair clinging to his pale cheeks, looking frail yet beautiful. “I’ll be fine after resting a bit. Don’t let him come…”
Xi Jianlan could lose face in front of all thirteen provinces, but in front of Sheng Jiao he always wanted to maintain the bearing of the spoiled Young Immortal Lord from years past, unwilling to show him even a trace of vulnerability.
As long as he didn’t let “Abandoned Immortal Bone” penetrate his meridians, he could get through this with some rest.
Xi Jianlan forcibly sealed his spiritual platform and inner core, biting his curved index finger knuckle. Sweat and forced tears streamed down his pale cheeks as his body trembled finely all over.
The black cat paced anxiously, but Xi Jianlan had always been stubborn. It could only crouch there helplessly, staring at the heart-binding ribbon on his little finger.
Half a quarter hour passed quickly, and the dark rope gradually returned to its original bright red.
Just as “Endless Period” completely dissipated, Xi Jianlan, looking like he’d been pulled from water, suddenly grabbed the black cat’s paw and forced it to transform into black mist and merge into the back of his neck.
The next instant, a figure appeared out of nowhere, walking with light, slow steps to Xi Jianlan’s side and looking down at him.
Xi Jianlan’s pupils had completely lost focus, his black hair scattered and trailing on the ground. Though he sensed someone’s arrival, he had no strength left to care, his body unable to support itself as he tilted slightly to one side.
A cold hand gently supported his cheek, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Xi Jianlan’s meridians were like drought-cracked earth covered in spider webs. Pain and thirst assaulted his mind, tempting him to absorb the readily available “Abandoned Immortal Bone” around him.
But he maintained his last trace of clarity, guarding his spiritual platform and not letting the fake Tianyan enter his meridians.
In his daze, a familiar skull face appeared in his vision.
Yu Tuishan was disheveled all over, his mask broken in a small piece, revealing one golden eye. Supporting Xi Jianlan’s cheek, he ground his teeth as words almost squeezed out between them: “You schemed against me again?”
Last time at Evil Qi Road he’d been used as a pawn, but unexpectedly this time he’d been schemed against.
Xi Jianlan stared at him blankly, unclear whether he understood his words, and slowly closed his eyes.
Letting himself be dragged into darkness by endless pain.
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152