AVL Chapter 83.3

Heng Yudu pulled his wheelchair over with a stern expression, examining Sheng You’s xiangwen.

 

The heavenly-grade xiangwen had been extracted completely clean, not a single trace of Tianyan spiritual force remaining.

 

The path of cultivation had come to a halt.

 

Heng Yudu rubbed his brow wearily with a headache.

 

He had brought students for historical trials and experience, yet somehow a xiangwen had been lost for no reason. He feared the Sheng family would cause an uproar upon his return.

 

However, encountering someone as mad as Yu Tuishan, having a life to survive was already great fortune.

 

The scene of Sheng You’s xiangwen being forcibly extracted startled the other students into trembling like quails, their horrified gazes fixed on Yu Tuishan, fearing he would point his hand at them.

 

Yu Tuishan lazily wiped his hands and tilted his head to look at this group of chicks like small children, letting out a “pfft” laugh.

 

Qin Banban stared at him blankly.

 

Yu Tuishan extended his hand and pointed at Qin Banban.

 

In an instant the others’ bodies tensed rigidly, believing Qin Banban would be the next one to have her xiangwen extracted. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, some even covering their eyes, not daring to look further.

 

Yet they heard Yu Tuishan laugh and say: “Come.”

 

Qin Banban, who had been dazed for a long while, finally returned to her senses and said in shock: “Yu-gege?”

 

She finally recognized Yu Tuishan and harbored no fear that he had just extracted a classmate’s xiangwen. Immediately, overjoyed, she ran wildly forward and suddenly threw herself at him, embracing his neck. Standing on her tiptoes, she happily called out: “It really is Yu-gege!!”

 

Yu Tuishan carried Qin Banban and spun her around half a circle, laughing heartily: “It’s me! Banban has grown taller, not bad, not bad, much more promising than your Lan-gege. Try to grow even taller and surpass him.”

 

Qin Banban laughed until tears streamed from her eyes.

 

The crowd watched with stunned expressions.

 

Qin Banban’s family ran a pastry shop, so how could she be acquainted with someone from the Evil Qi Road, and so intimately?

 

Sheng You, lying on the ground unable to lose consciousness, felt his pupils constrict, his eyes filling with terror.

 

That man…

 

Had he really extracted his xiangwen just because of those few sentences he said about Qin Banban?!

 

Endless remorse swept through his heart and tears suddenly gushed forth.

 

He finally knew fear.

 

Qin Banban jumped down and straightened her disheveled hair. Happily she said: “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other! Later I’ll make pastries for gege to eat. Aren’t you the one who loves osmanthus cakes the most? I’ll make you a pile of them!”

 

Yu Tuishan’s face clearly showed joy, as if he wanted to hoist Qin Banban onto his shoulders and run off.

 

In Wuyin City for six years, in the earlier years Yu Tuishan loved nothing more than going to Qin Banban’s pastry shop to buy pastries, going almost every single day without fail.

 

Though Yu Tuishan went there in a split consciousness form, even with all his restraint, he still leaked Tianyan spiritual force out of his body that contaminated Qin Banban.

 

Yan Jianglan discovered the abnormality at the time and immediately ordered Yu Tuishan to never approach Qin Banban again.

 

Yu Tuishan was furious, even going on a hunger strike in protest—but within half an hour he sheepishly went to find Yan Jianglan to act obedient, promising he would never go again.

 

Qin Banban was carefree and didn’t notice that Director Heng’s face had gone green. Happily she pulled Yu Tuishan wanting to return to the pastry shop to make pastries, asking if permission was granted.

 

Heng Yudu: “…”

 

Heng Yudu’s headache was killing him. He only felt that the children of Lixiang Zhai were too difficult to manage. He casually waved his hand, motioning for her to go, go, go.

 

Qin Banban let out a cheer and pulled Yu Tuishan to run.

 

Yu Tuishan loved eating pastries, and loved eating those Qin Banban made even more. In an instant he forgot his original purpose of coming out was to see if Sheng Jiao had arrived, and happily ran off with Qin Banban.

 

“Hey,” Yu Tuishan inadvertently caught sight of the bells in Qin Banban’s hair and asked curiously: “Where’s the bell on your head?”

 

Qin Banban pouted: “That was a gift from Lan-gege. A really detestable person stole it from me.”

 

Yu Tuishan froze.

 

A detestable person?

 

It was just a bell. Who would snatch something from a child?

 

***

 

When Yan Jianglan and Yan Yuhu returned to Wuyin City by river boat, it was nearly midnight.

 

Upon suddenly catching sight of the brightly lit city as if it were daytime, Yan Jianglan momentarily thought he had taken the wrong direction and flown to Central State City instead.

 

After carefully identifying for a moment, he finally confirmed that this place was indeed the northern border.

 

Bringing the river boat to a stop, Yan Jianglan disembarked in his robes, looking at the bustling long streets in confusion: “Is there some ritual ceremony happening these days?”

 

How could there even be Nuo opera? Where was it invited from?

 

Yan Yuhu thought for a moment: “There doesn’t seem to be any important dates recently.”

 

The most important was Yan Jianglan’s birthday.

 

Yan Jianglan had gained vengeance for his great grievances and successfully evaded the divine punishment. This trip to Yanwen Mountain was like setting down the greatest burden in his heart. Seeing the mortal world so lively, he found himself with rare interest.

 

“A-Yue, let’s go and play.”

 

Yan Yuhu was startled, and in his trance finally had the illusion that Yan Ling had returned.

 

He pressed his lips into a smile and spoke softly: “Okay.”

 

Yan Jianglan, dressed in crimson robes, walked through the crowd of all kinds of people, half-wearing the mask Yan Yuhu had bought for him, obscuring half his face.

 

The mortal world suddenly seemed to have color in everything. The bustling cacophony that had once made Yan Jianglan world-weary and despondent now felt lively and vibrant, no longer tedious.

 

Hearing passersby chatter that around midnight there would apparently be magnificent fireworks.

 

Yan Jianglan collected a pile of fresh novelties and found a lively place to wait and watch the fireworks.

 

Yet for no discernible reason, a clear bell chime suddenly reached his ears.

 

Yan Jianglan dumped the pile of things in his arms into Yan Yuhu’s arms to hold. He puzzled raised his hand and looked at the bell on his wrist.

 

That was the resonating bell he had placed on Qin Banban’s body three months ago.

 

Had Qin Banban come to Wuyin City too?

 

Thinking of why he had originally given Qin Banban this bell, Yan Jianglan inevitably thought of Sheng Jiao. He suddenly shut his eyes looking absolutely wretched.

 

He wished he were dead.

 

If Sheng Jiao caught him, surely it wouldn’t be as easy to fool as the previous times.

 

“Perhaps I should just turn myself in voluntarily,” Yan Jianglan thought. “Maybe Sect Master Sheng will forgive me a little if I’m this obedient.”

 

He was just nervously calculating this when the bell on his wrist rang louder and louder.

 

Qin Banban approached. Yan Jianglan was not particularly excited. He tilted his mask slightly to cover his ears and looked up searching for Qin Banban’s figure.

 

Yet looking around, he couldn’t spot any small girl anywhere.

 

The bell chime grew louder and louder. Another resonating bell was gradually drawing near.

 

Yan Jianglan suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart, but there were too many people around and the sounds were too chaotic for him to discern where the ominous feeling was coming from. He could only look around in all directions.

 

Behind him, someone seemed to be pushing through the crowd moving toward him.

 

Yan Jianglan seemed to sense something and turned around in confusion.

 

In his field of vision, a tall figure stood out extremely prominently among the crowd, his entire being like snow that doesn’t melt year-round on mountain peaks, cold as frost. That face wore a ferocious demon mask, making the aura even more fierce, cold, and grim.

 

A small bell strung on red cord hung loosely around his wrist.

 

It trembled continuously because of the two drawing close.

 

Ting.

 

Ting-ling.

 

Yan Jianglan shuddered all over. His mind hadn’t yet reacted to who this person was when his subconscious already produced an alertness and terror as if meeting a demon alone in some wild wasteland.

 

Instinct urged him forward.

 

—Escape.

 

***

 

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