The warm breath filled his nostrils, just like being held in his mother’s arms when he was young. Xi Jianlan stared blankly for a long time, then suddenly couldn’t help but sob.
With tears streaming down his face, he bit his finger and whimpered: “…I caused my parents’ deaths. It’s all my fault. I know I was wrong, Mother. I won’t go out to play anymore.”
Lady Wan gently patted his back, her voice even softer: “It’s not your fault. How could it be your fault?”
Xi Jianlan’s whole body was trembling. Like someone possessed, he kept repeating “it’s my fault.” Lady Wan’s fingers accidentally touched his sweat-drenched forehead and only then realized his entire body was burning hot.
Lady Wan quickly laid him gently on the soft couch, her gentle spiritual power slowly flowing into his meridians.
This time Xi Jianlan burned with such fever that his eyes were unfocused. Like a half-grown child, he clutched Lady Wan’s sleeve tightly, crying until his face was covered in tears, randomly calling out “Mother.”
Feng Yu had been keeping watch outside. Hearing the commotion, he slowly poked his head out and said quietly: “Lady, A-Jue… do you need my help?”
Lady Wan was afraid Xi Jianlan would say something delirious, so she quickly refused: “It’s fine. Good child, go play first.”
Feng Yu vaguely saw Xi Jianlan burning up like that and had no mood to play, but Lady Wan clearly didn’t want him staying here. He dryly said “oh” and reluctantly went to find Liu Changxing.
Xi Jianlan burned with fever until he felt dizzy and disoriented, as if walking on a white mist-filled road to the underworld, surrounded by darkness with no end in sight.
It seemed like he was the only person in the entire world.
Finally, the dark clouds dispersed and bright moonlight illuminated the surroundings.
He was in Tianyan Academy.
“…Have you thought it through?”
Someone was speaking.
Xi Jue looked up in confusion.
Under the magnolia tree, Wen Gubai in Tianyan Academy director’s robes was looking at him with a smile, saying gently: “Your xiangwen ability is growing stronger. The Central State aristocratic families are already planning to have Xi Jue completely transform his xiangwen into a dead object for their use on his coming-of-age day.”
The Xi Jianlan in the dream was still confused. His gaze shifted slightly and he saw his own reflection in Wen Gubai’s clear eyes.
Little Xi Jue had a slender frame, his pupils flashing with golden Tianyan patterns, sinister and eerie.
Xi Jue said carelessly: “Can you guarantee complete slaughter of all the Xi family members?”
Wen Gubai smiled: “Don’t we still have you? The twelfth xiangwen can manipulate Tianyan with ease.”
Xi Jue said lightly: “I’m currently trapped in the Xi family’s Tianyan spiritual vein and cannot use spiritual power.”
“There are still four years until your coming of age.” A flash of coldness appeared in Wen Gubai’s gentle eyes. “To break the Xi family’s spiritual vein formation, we have plenty of time.”
Xi Jue was about to speak when he suddenly heard a rustling sound.
Both turned around abruptly.
Feng Yu and Heng Yudu stood not far away in shock, having listened for who knows how long.
Xi Jue’s pupils contracted.
Wen Gubai smiled with interest: “What are two good students doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”
Heng Yudu’s heart pounded wildly. Before he could speak, “Exchange for Bright Moon” keenly sensed killing intent. With a bird’s cry, it instantly formed a protective barrier around both of them.
“Clang—”
With a crisp sound, the spiritual-grade xiangwen “Exchange for Bright Moon” was directly shattered by Wen Gubai.
Wen Gubai still wore a gentle expression, as if he were still the warm director teaching in Jiusi Courtyard. He dispersed the spiritual power in his hand, his voice suddenly turning ice-cold: “…This is exactly why I detest all Tianyan xiangwen.”
Clearly taking shortcuts to gain spiritual power, yet speaking of Tianyan’s grace.
A group of hypocrites.
Heng Yudu sensed something was wrong and shouted: “Feng Yu! Run—!”
Feng Yu hadn’t reacted when Wen Gubai’s Spirit Transformation realm spiritual power arrived in an instant.
Even with spiritual and heaven-grade xiangwen, the two were ultimately just sixteen-year-old youths. Under absolute spiritual power suppression, they could barely move.
A deadly chill instantly struck both their hearts.
The two had only come out for a late-night stroll because they couldn’t sleep, never expecting to stumble upon Wen Gubai and Xi Jue discussing the slaughter of the Xi family.
Heng Yudu’s face was pale as paper.
Xi Jue merely stood alone under the magnolia tree, his eerie golden pupils looking over coldly, his face full of indifferent coldness.
Just as Wen Gubai’s spiritual power was about to pierce Heng Yudu and Feng Yu’s hearts, Xi Jue finally spoke lightly: “Forget it.”
Wen Gubai’s spiritual power paused.
“The Heng and Feng families are not to be trifled with.” Xi Jue looked down at his fingers carelessly, saying casually: “Alter their memories and let them go.”
Wen Gubai smiled ambiguously: “Are you still concerned about fellow student bonds?”
“Fellow students?” Xi Jue seemed to hear the world’s greatest joke, smiling mischievously. “Me and them? I haven’t spent even half a day with them—what fellow student bonds?”
Wen Gubai’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to discern the truth of Xi Jue’s words.
Finally, Wen Gubai withdrew his sinister, cold spiritual power. While Heng Yudu and Feng Yu were still in shock from the killing intent, he sent a stream of spiritual power into their minds, forcibly erasing this segment of memory.
When Heng Yudu and Feng Yu groggily came to their senses, they only vaguely saw the gradually retreating figures of Wen Gubai and a slender youth.
The two looked at each other.
“The director and a student… a moonlit tryst?!”
“Hiss—”
***
Xi Jianlan suddenly woke with a start, opening his eyes with his heart pounding like drums.
Lady Wan was wiping his sweat. Seeing him finally awake, she quietly sighed in relief: “I thought something was wrong with the ‘Yinhua Rao.’ Thank goodness you’re alright.”
Xi Jianlan’s ears were empty, but somehow he could faintly hear Lady Wan’s voice, as if it came from far away through a barrier, requiring great effort to hear.
He was covered in cold sweat, his limbs weak and unable to move. He could only move his lips, asking in confusion: “The Endless Period, it’s dissolved?”
“Mm.” Lady Wan said gently, “You’ve slept for most of the day.”
Xi Jianlan’s head ached terribly. Just as he was trying to clear his thoughts, a cat suddenly jumped onto his chest, nearly knocking the breath out of him.
“Jianlan! Meow wuwu!” The black cat, with tears and snot, hooked Xi Jianlan’s clothes with its paws, crying dramatically: “I knew you still had a conscience and wouldn’t really kill me. Wuwuwu I want to follow you for life! I want to bear you several litters of kittens! Meow meow meow! Meow meow!”
Xi Jianlan: “…”
Xi Jianlan nearly spat out his ghostly white soul, saying weakly: “Please, no need to repay kindness with enmity like this.”
Black cat: “…”
“Yinhua Rao” could reshape the body. The Endless Period was reformed from spirit medicine, completely separated from Xi Jianlan’s meridians, gaining an independent body.
Xi Jianlan’s meridians, forcibly occupied for over ten years, could finally function normally. Having lost half his xiangwen spiritual power, it flowed like intermittent trickles, unable to recover quickly.
Lady Wan helped him sit up, her gentle expression rarely showing slight displeasure: “Your meridians are severely withered. It seems you took something harmful to your body a few days ago?”
Xi Jianlan felt somewhat guilty: “Cough, circumstances forced it.”
“Don’t let it happen again.” Lady Wan flicked his forehead and smiled: “If you have nothing else to do, stay at the Medicine Sect for a while. I’ll nourish you with spiritual power daily.”
Before Xi Jianlan could respond, the door was gently knocked.
Both turned to look.
Sheng Jiao stood outside the threshold, his expression indifferent: “No need to trouble Lady Wan. I’ll take him back.”
Lady Wan: “…”
Xi Jianlan: “…”
Lady Wan was puzzled by this “take”: “Take him where?”
“Xiezhi Sect.” Sheng Jiao hesitated, then stiffly added: “…My cave dwelling.”
Lady Wan recalled Lezheng Jiu’s words about “Sheng Jiao having improper designs on Xi Jue.” Thinking of something, she looked thoughtfully at Xi Jianlan: “Jue’er, when you mentioned wanting to register a union back then, was it with Sect Master Sheng?”
Xi Jianlan: “…”
Sheng Jiao: “?”
Xi Jianlan hadn’t expected Lady Wan to suddenly say this. His face instantly turned red, and he somehow found the strength to push Lady Wan away, embarrassed enough to want to burrow underground: “No, no such thing, no! Lady, Lady, please go busy yourself with other things. Doesn’t the medicine garden need watering?!”
Lady Wan: “…”
Water what after it just rained?
Seeing Xi Jianlan’s embarrassed face, Lady Wan considerately nodded: “Mm, yes, it does need watering.”
She stood up and pointed to neatly folded clothes nearby: “After bathing, change into new clothes. Be careful not to get feverish again.”
Xi Jianlan’s meridians needed spiritual power nourishment, and the Medicine Sect was never as capable as Sect Master Sheng, the number one person in the Thirteen States.
If the two really registered their union, dual cultivation could make Xi Jianlan’s meridians flow even more smoothly.
But seeing Xi Jianlan’s ears turn completely red, Lady Wan didn’t say more to embarrass him, only saying: “Then you’ll need daily spiritual power to clear your meridians, plus spirit medicine. I’ll get some for you.”
Xi Jianlan wanted to bury his head in his chest, randomly petting the black cat and mumbling: “Mm, mm mm! Got it.”
Only then did Lady Wan leave.
The rain outside had finally stopped. The sky was clear, the sun setting in the west, twilight vast.
Xi Jianlan’s long hair was loose, black clothes wrapped around his body making his frame appear even more slender. He rarely felt shy, absentmindedly petting the cat, not wanting to look at Sheng Jiao’s expression.
Without thinking, he knew Sheng Jiao would definitely settle accounts with him for the “Spirit Binding.” He wondered if he could brush it off this time.
But thinking carefully, Xi Jianlan thought: “Wait, that’s not right. I’ve always been openly wicked, never harboring good intentions. Why should I explain or make excuses?”
Xi Jianlan immediately gained confidence. No longer feeling guilty, he looked up and glared at Sheng Jiao with righteous indignation despite being in the wrong.
Sheng Jiao was about to speak.
Xi Jianlan skillfully turned the tables, cutting off his words: “You can use the Heart-Binding Ribbon on me, so what’s wrong with me using Spirit Binding on you? I already said this is about individual skill—no one should complain about anyone else. At worst, when my spiritual power fully recovers, we’ll have a fight.”
Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly. Only after he finished his tirade did Sheng Jiao speak indifferently: “I wanted to ask when you told Lady Wan we were registering our union?”
Xi Jianlan: “………..”
Xi Jianlan’s momentum instantly deflated. His hand unconsciously tightened while petting the cat, nearly pulling out a tuft of the black cat’s fur.
Black cat: “Owwww!! It hurts!”
Xi Jianlan quickly loosened his grip, looking down sullenly without making a sound.
Sheng Jiao stepped forward several paces, his tall frame looking down at him: “Speak.”
Xi Jianlan suddenly snapped back to attention, looking confused: “Huh? What? Did you say something? I didn’t hear?”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Sheng Jiao patiently repeated it.
“What?!” Xi Jianlan acted like a deaf old person, shouting loudly: “I can’t hear! What about fish? Small crispy fish? Mm, yes, I quite like eating fish. How did you know?! How many? Five fish, thank you Sect Master Sheng!”
Sheng Jiao: “………..”
**
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152