As soon as he finished speaking, Lady Wan’s always-smiling eyes suddenly froze, a flash of sorrow and grief seeming to pass through them. She reached out to caress Xi Jianlan’s cheek, murmuring with a smile: “…formed the nascent soul too early.”
But this sentence had a completely different tone from the previous one.
Xi Jianlan pressed Lady Wan’s hand and nuzzled against her warm palm, grinning: “Lady, can’t you tell? Feng Yu is jealous of my good talent and early nascent soul formation. Tsk tsk, even if your eyes turn green with envy, you still formed your nascent soul at twenty—many years later than me.”
Feng Yu immediately bristled: “My heaven-grade xiangwen! Heaven-grade! Forming a nascent soul at twenty already shows exceptional talent! Go ask around—who in the entire Thirteen States can compare to me?!”
“What’s there to be proud of compared to those fools?” Xi Jianlan said cheekily. “Feng Twenty, compare yourself to me, Xi Seventeen.”
Feng Twenty was so angry he chased after him to hit him.
Xi Jianlan laughed heartily.
He could lose at anything, but never with his mouth.
Soon after, Lezheng Jiu brought out new robes he’d made in his youth but never got to wear before growing taller, casually tossing them to Xi Jianlan: “Here, Xi Seventeen, these are my childhood clothes—they should fit you perfectly.”
Xi Seventeen: “…”
Xi Jianlan’s face turned green as he took the clothes to change in the inner room.
Once he reached a place with no one around, the black cat suddenly emerged from the back of his neck, urgently saying: “You got the ‘Yinhua Rao’?!”
Xi Jianlan stripped off his wet clothes, saying casually: “Mm.”
The black cat paced anxiously: “Can Lady Wan really ‘dissolve’ me? Is she going to kill me?! What is ‘Yinhua Rao’ for? Why use it in medicine?”
Xi Jianlan focused on getting dressed properly, ignoring it.
The black cat was nearly in tears: “Xi Jianlan! Jianlan, you can’t abandon me! Back then I didn’t want to eat your xiangwen—you voluntarily made a deal with me to destroy it. These past years I’ve never thought of harming you, and I’ve even saved your life several times. You can’t be so heartless!”
Hearing the black cat’s endless tearful complaints, Xi Jianlan inexplicably felt like he was some heartless scoundrel who’d deceived someone’s feelings.
“Don’t you like hearing cat sounds?” The black cat’s tears streamed down as it said with wounded dignity: “Meow meow, meow meow meow!”
Xi Jianlan: “…”
Xi Jianlan couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to hold the black cat in his arms and rub it, smiling: “I already said I like cats—how could I let you die?”
The black cat sniffled, choking up: “Really?”
It didn’t dare believe a single word from this little swindler.
Xi Jianlan said gently: “Of course I’m lying to you.”
Black cat: “…”
The black cat immediately bristled, extending its claws to scratch him: “I’ll kill you!”
Xi Jianlan laughed heartily.
Lezheng Jiu impatiently knocked on the door: “Are you done yet?”
The black cat was so frightened it immediately burrowed back into Xi Jianlan’s neck, not daring to show itself.
After Xi Jianlan finished dressing and came out, Lezheng Jiu looked him up and down, then disdainfully reached up to remove Xi Jianlan’s earring.
“Doesn’t that earring feel heavy hanging there? And it doesn’t match my clothes either.”
Xi Jianlan was startled and immediately lunged forward to grab it: “Give it to me!”
“What’s the rush?” Lezheng Jiu held his hand high, watching the little shorty jump to reach it. Unable to hold back his laughter, he raised an eyebrow: “Is this some important item you can’t live without?”
Xi Jianlan broke out in a cold sweat: “Gege, gege, give it back to me, this is…”
As the two were struggling, Feng Yu, who was leisurely eating spirit pills by the door, casually interjected: “…That’s a token of love Sect Master Sheng gave him—how could he bear to take it off?”
Feng Yu was deliberately using Xi Jianlan’s previous lie to provoke him, but unexpectedly, the little swindler acted as if he hadn’t heard him at all, still standing on tiptoe with his back to him, trying to reach the earring in Lezheng Jiu’s hand.
Xi Jianlan’s eyes reddened slightly, his sadness genuine as even his lips trembled: “Gege, please, this is the only memento my mother left me.”
If he said it was a birthday gift from Sheng Jiao, Lezheng Jiu definitely wouldn’t return it.
Better to play the emotional card.
But unexpectedly, when these words came out, Lezheng Jiu froze.
Xi Jianlan was still trying hard to grab the earring: “Gege! Gege!”
Lezheng Jiu’s expression inexplicably darkened as he stared directly into Xi Jianlan’s eyes. After a long while, he said in a low voice: “Jue’er…”
Xi Jianlan looked confused: “Huh?”
Lezheng Jiu’s eyes were gloomy, almost grinding his teeth: “Your ears…”
Xi Jianlan’s eyes suddenly widened.
Where had his words revealed a flaw?
Or had Lezheng Jiu, like Sheng Jiao, become skilled at identifying his lies?
Just as Xi Jianlan’s mind was in chaos, he caught sight of Feng Yu standing at the door with a shocked expression, and suddenly froze.
—Feng Yu looked like he’d been standing there for quite a while.
Feng Yu’s pine nuts scattered all over the floor as he stared at him in disbelief, murmuring: “You can’t hear?”
Xi Jianlan: “…”
It was over.
The Rang family’s residence was called Gushe Secluded Valley—a place of natural beauty with mountains on three sides and only one winding river extending to the entrance.
Sheng Jiao didn’t take a boat, instead stepping on a piece of lightning-struck banyan wood and floating downstream, his black robes fluttering.
He arrived in moments.
Before entering the valley, someone was already waiting in a waterside pavilion by the riverbank.
Sheng Jiao touched down silently with his toes and walked slowly toward the pavilion.
Beside the waterside pavilion, myriad ravines competed in their flow, crystal-clear water passing through moss-covered pebbles. A snow-white waterfall hung between the mountains, its falling water seeming to weave into a white robe that silently intertwined with the white-robed man sitting in the pavilion.
Rang Chen had his long hair half-bound, wearing plain white robes as he sat alone in the pavilion, slightly lowering his eyes as he brewed tea with heated fire stones.
Sheng Jiao arrived at just the right moment—the water had just boiled, snow-white steam rising up, half-concealing Rang Chen’s refined and elegant features.
The mist from the waterfall passed around him, seeming to suddenly slow down, as if all things in the world would pause for him.
Sheng Jiao sat down across from Rang Chen expressionlessly.
Rang Chen slightly raised his eyes, his handsome face showing a faint smile.
“Yudu mentioned you just returned from the Southern Territory?”
Unlike Heng Yudu’s gentle warmth, Rang Chen seemed to have cultivated Buddhism, his entire being radiating the detached transcendence of one who had seen through worldly affairs.
He was untainted by the six dusts, his gaze gentle yet vacant—to him, all things in the world were merely a glance of spring and autumn passing before his eyes.
Sheng Jiao looked down at the tea, carelessly humming in acknowledgment.
Back at Tianyan Academy, one had cultivated a vow of silence while the other was a tight-lipped gourd. When alone together, they could go days without making a sound—eerily quiet.
Except for little Xi Jue, who could chat with both of them, no one else liked being alone with them.
After Rang Chen’s vow of silence was broken, he no longer continued that cultivation. Lifting his snow-white wide sleeves to pour tea for Sheng Jiao, he said lightly: “Regarding the Xi family matter, have you found the real culprit?”
Sheng Jiao didn’t answer, channeling spiritual power to produce an icy voice.
“Six years ago, what did you say to Xi Jue?”
Rang Chen smiled, saying without evasion: “I spoke of heavenly secrets.”
Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly.
Rang Chen seemed not to notice his murderous gaze, saying gently: “Wuzhuo, do you remember Bushu’s ghost blade?”
Sheng Jiao didn’t want to talk about Feng Yu—he only wanted to discuss Xi Jianlan.
But Rang Chen continued on his own: “Back then, Bushu had just obtained that fierce blade and was overjoyed, bringing it to Jiusi Courtyard to show us.”
Feng Yu was a straightforward person who wore all his thoughts on his face. Getting his first natal weapon, he was so happy he slept with the ghost blade for several days.
Finally waiting for Tianyan Academy to start, the half-grown youth couldn’t contain his vanity and immediately ran around showing off the ghost blade to others.
“Look! My dad found this for me—he said it’s the fiercest blade in all Thirteen States… A-Jue! Don’t touch it carelessly—can you afford to pay if you break it?”
Several youths who didn’t have natal weapons all crowded around, marveling as they circled to look.
Liu Changxing was extremely envious: “What a fine blade! Is there a fierce ghost inside?”
Feng Yu’s eyebrows rose: “Yes! They say it’s incredibly vicious. Ha! I’ll definitely be able to completely subdue it and make it serve me!”
Xi Jue also looked eagerly, and hearing Feng Yu bragging, said with a grin: “I’ll find a very fierce sword too in the future. Then we can clash and see whose is more vicious!”
Feng Yu snorted: “Mine, naturally!”
The youths chattered excitedly, happily envisioning the future.
Rang Chen had also been watching from the side, but the moment his gaze fell on Feng Yu, he suddenly froze.
Before obtaining this ghost blade, Feng Yu’s aura had been like ghostly blue flames, but now, as he happily held the ghost blade with animated expressions…
His entire body was covered in ominous blood red.
That searing red color kept drilling from the ghost blade into Feng Yu’s meridians. Feng Yu’s complexion grew paler and more haggard. Amidst the laughter, he instantly transformed into a ghastly pale figure with blood flowing from all seven orifices—the hideous death of one devoured by a fierce ghost.
Rang Chen was so shocked he kept backing away.
Looking again, Feng Yu was still happily holding the ghost blade, his complexion unchanged.
Rang Chen’s heart pounded wildly, breaking out in cold sweat—the golden patterns of Tianyan in his eyes were turning slightly, his “Glimpsing Heaven’s Secrets” operating instinctively beyond his control.
Feng Yu was still arm-in-arm with Liu Changxing, fantasizing about completely subduing the ghost blade.
Rang Chen had only recently begun cultivating his vow of silence. He gently parted his lips as if to say something, but choked.
This was his first time experiencing “Glimpsing Heaven’s Secrets” so vividly, yet he was drenched in cold sweat and terrified.
Little Xi Jue, who had been happily chatting with Feng Yu, suddenly turned to glance at Rang Chen, randomly touching his ear with a confused expression.
“…What?”
Rang Chen’s forehead was covered in sweat. The first operation of “Glimpsing Heaven’s Secrets” had drained all his meridian spiritual power. He barely managed to steady himself for a moment before he could no longer endure it and collapsed.
Everyone hurriedly surrounded him.
“Rang Chen?!”
When Rang Chen woke up again, it was three days later.
He instinctively wanted to find Feng Yu, but heard Heng Yudu laughing so hard his eyes curved, telling him the excitement.
“Feng Yu is chasing Xi Jue to kill him.”
Rang Chen was puzzled and made a hand gesture: ‘What?’
“While you were unconscious these past days, Xi Jue was being mischievous, saying he wanted to admire Feng Yu’s ghost blade. Somehow he suddenly broke that fierce blade, and the ghost inside immediately dissipated.”
Heng Yudu coughed dryly but couldn’t help laughing: “Now Feng Yu is chasing Xi Jue everywhere to kill him.”
Rang Chen was stunned.
The ghost blade…
Was broken?
At that moment, Feng Yu burst through the door carrying the broken blade, roaring: “Where’s Xi Jue?! Is that bastard here?!”
Heng Yudu said with a smile: “He’s not here.”
Feng Yu turned and stormed out, running while cursing: “He must be at Sheng Jiao’s! Ahhh I’ll kill you! Wuwu give me back my ghost blade—!”
He wailed as he ran away.
Rang Chen watched Feng Yu’s departing figure as if in a dream.
—The hideous blood red he’d seen on Feng Yu three days ago had completely disappeared, returning to ghostly blue flames.
“What are you trying to say?” Sheng Jiao said coldly.
Rang Chen took a sip of tea, lowering his thick lashes, asking gently: “Wuzhuo, what do you think A-Jue’s xiangwen really is?”
Sheng Jiao frowned: “He only said it was useless.”
Rang Chen smiled: “A spiritual-grade xiangwen—how could it be useless?”
Sheng Jiao didn’t answer. This was one of Xi Jianlan’s few truths.
“Back then, I saw Xi Jue’s ending.” Seeing Sheng Jiao didn’t want to discuss it further, Rang Chen simply answered the question he’d always wanted to know: “…He would die by your hand because of the Xi family matter.”
Sheng Jiao’s pupils contracted sharply.
This was exactly what Xi Jianlan had said.
Sheng Jiao said in a deep voice: “What did you see in that heavenly secret?”
“Not much.” Rang Chen shook his head.
Sheng Jiao set down his teacup, scalding water spilling on his fingers: “You…”
Rang Chen appeared gentle, but having cultivated his vow of silence for eight years, his patience and determination were evident. Whatever he didn’t want to say, even if Sheng Jiao held Winter Snow to his throat, he wouldn’t get half a word.
Sheng Jiao rose with a dark expression, not having drunk even a sip of tea, and turned to leave.
Rang Chen called out to him: “Wuzhuo, I truly have important matters to discuss with you today.”
Sheng Jiao stopped but didn’t turn around impatiently to listen.
“The thirteenth spiritual-grade xiangwen…”
Rang Chen refilled Sheng Jiao’s tea, saying in a casual conversational tone: “…may have already appeared in the Thirteen States.”
Sheng Jiao whirled around.
**
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152
Hmmm, it’s possible to change someone’s fate. Then… Maybe Jianlan won’t die by Sheng Jiao’s hand…