If he didn’t know Yan Jianlan had tempered his body after breaking through to Void Return, Sheng Jiao would think he’d been made stupid.
Ignoring the muttering Yan Jianlan, Sheng Jiao set down his sword and went to the back courtyard to pack—if he relied on Yan Jianlan, the two of them probably wouldn’t be able to move tomorrow.
Yan Jianlan followed like a little tail, poking his head around and asking persistently: “Heavenly Dao lord, my lord? What about the tribulation? Without tribulation, how could I break through? When I entered Spirit Transformation, I was struck and screamed—why this time… hey, don’t pack those, I don’t want them. Just leave them here.”
Sheng Jiao shook out the brocade quilt, and a hard object “clattered” against the bed edge.
Yan Jianlan was still muttering when he casually picked it up and glanced at it. His expression suddenly froze.
Expressionless, he suddenly raised his hand and hurled the object forcefully out the window, using all his strength as if wanting to throw it to the horizon.
“Plop.”
It seemed to have landed in the small pond in the back courtyard.
Sheng Jiao, face unchanged, raised his hand to summon it back and wiped off the water—it was the mutton-fat jade ruyi from last night.
Yan Jianlan: “…”
Yan Jianlan’s face turned green. He coldly extended his hand toward him: “Sheng Wuzhuo, while I’m not yet angry, destroy that thing for me.”
“Mm.” Sheng Jiao agreed verbally but put the jade ruyi back in his storage ring, continuing to pack things as if nothing had happened.
Yan Jianlan: “…”
Yan Jianlan ground his teeth, making as if to rush forward and perish together with Sheng Wuzhuo. But before moving, he heard Sheng Jiao finally answer his question.
“…The tribulation has passed. No need to worry.”
Yan Jianlan’s toes, which had just lifted, immediately dropped back down, realizing that Sheng Jiao had blocked the Void Return tribulation for him while he slept soundly and had also organized his spiritual veins for him.
He glared coldly at Sheng Jiao for a long while, then suddenly swept his sleeves and walked away.
Forget it.
When you eat someone’s food, your hands are soft.
A moment later, the two boarded Punitive Court’s private small flying vessel, heading toward Central State.
Yan Jianlan sat cross-legged on a cushion, meditating to circulate his Void Return spiritual power throughout his entire body, familiarizing himself with this inner mansion so entirely different from Spirit Transformation.
Sheng Jiao instead sat beside him, head lowered, quietly watching the rhino horn lamp, acting as his guardian.
Without Yan Jianlan’s joking around, the vessel was completely silent, with only faint wind sounds coming through the window cracks.
Midway through the journey, Yan Jianlan finally finished regulating his spiritual power. But having concentrated on meditation for so long, he planned to close his eyes and rest for a while before getting up.
Just as he began resting, he suddenly felt Sheng Jiao silently approaching.
Sheng Jiao’s presence was too strong. The scent of osmanthus mixed with frost and snow from his body drifted into Yan Jianlan’s nose like a pebble dropping into a silent deep pool, instantly creating ripples.
Yan Jianlan opened his eyes irritably. Still holding a grudge about the jade ruyi, he said sarcastically: “Sect Master Sheng, Punitive Court’s vessel is big and free—you don’t need to squeeze together with me like we’re in a tiny room. Be careful not to bump your noble body.”
Sheng Jiao had long learned how to ignore Yan Jianlan’s barbed words. He pressed Yan Jianlan to turn sideways, his five fingers gently gathering up his disheveled long hair.
Yan Jianlan’s hair was only loosely bound with an osmanthus-patterned hair ornament—not even a hair ribbon. After a while, a few loose strands naturally fell down.
Sheng Jiao was meticulous in everything he did. Seeing those few loose strands, he wished he could cut them off. Frowning slightly, he removed the ornament, planning to redo the hairstyle.
Yan Jianlan froze with his back to Sheng Jiao. The last bit of anger in his heart completely vanished.
As a child, he’d been extremely lazy, constantly keeping his black hair tied with just a hair ribbon, carelessly pinning it up with a hairpin. The long ribbon would trail behind his bun as he ran wild all over the mountains.
Lady Chao let him be, but during festivals when they had to see people, she’d haul him over each time and make him presentable before allowing him to go out.
After age ten, no one had ever tied his hair for him again.
Sheng Jiao was the first.
Yan Jianlan felt inexplicably at a loss, his fingers unnaturally drawing circles on his knee. Sensing Sheng Jiao’s hands moving skillfully and steadily through his hair, he said softly: “Sheng Jiao.”
“Mm?”
“My mother would definitely have liked you.” Yan Jianlan never liked using his tragic childhood experiences as talking points, nor did he want Sheng Jiao to pity him. Right after saying this, he quickly added: “…Lady Wan likes you very much too. When we get to Central State, come with me to Medicine Sect first.”
Sheng Jiao’s hand paused, then quickly resumed: “Mm.”
“As for Lezheng Jiu, that’s hard to say.” Yan Jianlan propped his chin up, lazily swinging his feet. “He’ll probably try to fight you to the death. Tsk, Heavenly Dao lord—if you want to register as dao companions with me, there are truly obstacles at every turn.”
Sheng Jiao remained silent, finally finishing arranging Yan Jianlan’s black hair.
But this meticulous work lasted only a moment before Yan Jianlan skillfully leaned backward, falling straight into Sheng Jiao’s arms, tilting his head back and grinning at him toothily.
Sheng Jiao frowned: “Get up.”
“If it gets messy, you’ll tie it for me again.” Yan Jianlan lazily pillowed his head on Sheng Jiao’s lap, closing his eyes and mumbling: “I’ll take a nap. Wake me when we arrive.”
He knew full well that in small matters like this, Sheng Jiao had always indulged him since childhood. He slept with complete peace of mind, comfortably rolling over several times until he’d completely disheveled the hair Sheng Jiao had just tied, leaving even the osmanthus-patterned ornament loose and barely hanging on.
Sheng Jiao silently removed the ornament to let him sleep more comfortably.
Punitive Court’s vessel had a special route. Using several spiritual power arrays, it reached Medicine Sect’s entrance in Central State in just over half a day.
Yan Jianlan was called awake while yawning. After tying his hair, he gracefully descended from the vessel to Medicine Sect’s life gate, gently channeling a wisp of spiritual power into it while waiting for someone to open the door.
Sheng Jiao stood behind, watching Yan Jianlan’s slender figure, his eyes darkening as he thought about something.
Yan Jianlan’s height was no different from six years ago. He’d formed his core too early, and combined with years of weakness and poisoning, his frame was slender and tall—he didn’t look like someone from the Northern Territory at all.
If he’d grown up peacefully, perhaps he’d have achieved the tall stature he dreamed of—not still being mocked for being short at over twenty years old.
Back when Sheng Jiao released Yan Ling from Xiezhi Sect, he’d concealed his presence and followed from a distance for a long time, watching him stumble forward through the snow. Several times he’d wanted to rush forward and embrace him, but the Tianyan Pearl’s killing intent toward Yan Ling on his wrist kept him from approaching.
After leaving Xiezhi Sect’s pursuit range, Yan Ling abruptly stopped in place, looking up blankly at his surroundings.
He seemed not to know where to go.
In the darkness, Yan Ling remained silent for a long time before taking heavy steps toward Medicine Sect.
But halfway there, Lady Wan hurried over and caught him.
Yan Ling collapsed into Lady Wan’s arms. Smelling the cold medicinal fragrance, he suddenly lost all sense of time, breaking down and crying like a lost child who’d finally found home.
“Mother!”
Lady Wan’s eyes reddened as she held him tightly, stroking his blood-stained hair.
At that time, Sheng Jiao thought Xi Jue was crying for Lady Zong.
Only now did he realize—it was a ten-year-old child’s delayed vulnerability and breakdown, eight years after losing both parents.
Lady Wan hurriedly brought the still-unconscious Yan Ling back to Medicine Sect.
Sheng Jiao couldn’t enter. He could only watch their figures disappear into the darkness.
He stood outside Medicine Sect all night, snow nearly burying him, before turning to leave at daybreak.
Inside Medicine Sect, Xi Jue had been waiting anxiously for a long time.
Back then, he hadn’t yet learned to use Tianyan soul manifestation well, only managing to create a barely-visible phantom that couldn’t touch physical objects. He’d waited in Medicine Sect with mounting anxiety. Hearing footsteps, he quickly looked over.
Yan Ling had been tortured until he’d lost a whole circle of weight, covered in grotesque wounds and blood that seemed impossible to wash away—completely different from his usual lively, bouncing self.
Xi Jue immediately froze.
Lady Wan placed Yan Ling on the soft couch, her face grave as she put a spirit pill capable of bringing the dead back to life into Yan Ling’s mouth, letting it dissolve into a stream of spiritual power flowing into his meridians.
Xi Jue walked over in a daze, crouching by the soft couch with a face full of fear like he’d done something wrong, his clear eyes unable to hide his terror.
He timidly tried to reach out and grasp Yan Ling’s blood-stained hand hanging to the side, but his Tianyan-manifested soul passed straight through empty air.
Xi Jue stubbornly tried to touch him as if unwilling to believe it, but no matter what he did, he could only pass through that hand that seemed already tinged with deathly energy.
Unable to touch.
“Is… is he dead?” Xi Jue asked, his pupils unfocused, murmuring: “Has he abandoned me?”
With Lady Wan’s spirit pill entering his body, the external wounds on Yan Ling’s body had already healed, scabbed over, and fallen off. But the Endless Period poison inside had spread through half his meridians, as if wanting to devour all his life force.
“He’ll be fine,” Lady Wan gently reassured him. “They’re just surface wounds. I’ve already sent someone to fetch Yutan Flowers. Once refined into a spirit pill and consumed, his life won’t be in danger.”
Unable to touch Yan Ling, Xi Jue could only press his fingertips glowing with golden patterns virtually against Yan Ling’s icy pale fingertips, as if this way he could actually touch him.
“Oh.” His eyes were blank, as if possessed, whispering softly: “He still wants me. He won’t leave.”
Lady Wan said gently: “Yes, he won’t leave.”
Xi Jue hummed dully: “It was someone from Xiezhi Sect who hurt him, that Qu… Qu…”
He struggled with “Qu” for a long time without remembering who Xiezhi Sect’s sect master was. Lightly touching Yan Ling’s fingers as if playing, he whispered: “I can’t recognize them, so it’ll be the entire Qu family.”
Lady Wan sighed silently and said: “Qu Minglian wanted to obtain ‘Kan Tianyan.’ Ling’er somehow made up some xiangwen story, saying he’d already devoured ‘Kan Tianyan,’ and if he died, both spirit-level xiangwen would disappear with him, so they didn’t dare take Ling’er’s life.”
But in the end, Qu Minglian gave up trying and had Qu Xiangren forcibly extract Yan Ling’s xiangwen.
To cover up the lie—or perhaps Yan Jianlan also secretly wanted to destroy “Sound of Leisure”—he actually let the Infinite Stage poison devour half his xiangwen, creating the illusion that his xiangwen had been extracted.
“But he hurt.” Xi Jue looked at Yan Ling’s finally peaceful face, whispering softly: “I’ll make the entire Qu family die. Not one can live.”
Lady Wan froze.
After Xi Jue spoke this vicious sentence, he changed expressions as if his face were a mask. His eyes reddened like an abandoned child hugging his knees, murmuring:
“Don’t abandon me.”
From now on, he’d become very powerful and kill everyone who’d bullied them.
No one would dare bully them again.
Xi Jue didn’t accomplish this, but Yu Tuishan did.
Six years gave him complete mastery of “Kan Tianyan,” and because Tianyan favored him, he could control all Tianyan spiritual power across the Thirteen States. As long as he wanted, even Sheng Jiao might not be his match.
Except for freedom and death, he could have everything.
***
“Tss—”
Sheng Jiao snapped back to reality, discovering the rhino horn lamp was faintly glowing—it was Shang Yuan sending a voice transmission.
“Sect Master, message from Punitive Court—Yu Tuishan has arrived in Central State.”
Sheng Jiao frowned.
Yu Tuishan had come too quickly. He’d still been in Wuyin City last night. Even riding a vessel non-stop through the night, he shouldn’t arrive in Central State until late at night.
Sheng Jiao thought of something and extinguished the lamp wick, saying coldly: “Yan Jianlan.”
Hearing this name, Yan Jianlan froze before turning back in surprise: “Huh?”
This was the first time Sheng Jiao had called him by this name—it sounded rather novel.
“Yu Tuishan.” Sheng Jiao said coldly: “Are you still privately communicating with him?”
Yan Jianlan blinked innocently: “I’m wronged, Sect Master Sheng! I saw him once yesterday and chatted briefly. I didn’t leak half a word of your secrets—please see clearly!”
He didn’t want to lie to Sheng Jiao, but these words were evasive and vague. Upon closer thought, they were full of holes.
Not leaking secrets—so there really was private communication?
Sheng Jiao expressionlessly extended his hand toward him.
Yan Jianlan: “What?”
“The rhino horn lamp.”
Yan Jianlan looked at him darkly: “Sheng Wuzhuo, don’t you trust me? I really didn’t say half a word.”
Sheng Jiao said: “Then let me see.”
Yan Jianlan: “…”
Yan Jianlan’s mind flashed through countless voice transmissions where he and Yu Tuishan muttered about Sheng Jiao. He immediately clutched the rhino horn lamp protectively—a clear case of “no silver buried here.”
“Really nothing! I just chatted about everyday life with him!”
Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly.
He’d originally wanted to check if Yan Jianlan and Yu Tuishan had used any coded language when chatting that wouldn’t leave evidence. He hadn’t expected this unexpected harvest.
“Hand it over.”
Yan Jianlan stepped back: “I won’t!”
Just then, Medicine Sect’s life gate opened. Yan Jianlan immediately darted inside like a rabbit, leaving only an afterimage.
Sheng Jiao followed with a dark expression.
Lezheng Jiu probably wasn’t at Medicine Sect today, or he’d have come out to bare his teeth at Sheng Jiao long ago.
Yan Jianlan ran in one breath to Lady Wan’s main courtyard. Feeling Sheng Jiao’s aura tight behind him, afraid of being dealt with again, he was forced to channel spiritual power and rush inside, quickly hiding the rhino horn lamp.
By the time Sheng Jiao arrived, he could no longer detect where the rhino horn lamp was hidden.
Yan Jianlan grinned at him fearlessly.
Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly.
Without even thinking, he knew Yan Jianlan must have gossiped about him plenty with Yu Tuishan.
Lady Wan wasn’t in the main courtyard. Yan Jianlan practically treated Medicine Sect as his own home. Without needing anyone’s invitation, he cheerfully walked with his hands behind his back toward the side courtyard Lady Wan had kept for him.
“Don’t look so grim,” Yan Jianlan said triumphantly, grinning at him. “This is called ‘all’s fair in war.’ Even if you want to find fault with me, you need evidence, right? I’d like to see how you have the nerve to search for the rhino horn lamp in someone else’s home.”
Sheng Jiao, a man of few words, watched him gloat coldly.
“I’m putting it out there right now—if you can find the rhino horn lamp and convict me, I’ll absolutely let you do as you please. If I make a sound, I’m not a real man.”
While boasting, Yan Jianlan cheerfully opened the side courtyard door. Passing under the shade of the towering osmanthus tree in the courtyard, just as he was about to push open the carved wooden door, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from inside.
“…Are all men naturally this terrible?!”
“Ha! …Looking all proper and respectable, but actually…”
Yan Jianlan’s brow furrowed.
That was his own voice?
As he hesitated, Sheng Jiao seemed to sense something. Standing behind him, his tall figure loomed like a black shadow over Yan Jianlan, bringing immense pressure.
Then a hand reached from behind, brushing past Yan Jianlan’s ear to push open the door ahead.
Creak.
Yu Tuishan, who’d been sitting in a chair hugging his knees while happily devouring food, was startled. With a mouthful of medicinal cuisine, he stared wide-eyed.
Yan Jianlan was slightly stunned.
Yu Tuishan sat alone here. The entire table was covered with Lady Wan’s signature medicinal cuisine, which he was eating with great relish. On the table, a rhino horn lamp’s wick glowed, several clusters of flames floating beside the wick—seemingly spiritual power transmissions.
When the door swung wide open, the flames inside were dancing gently.
—Those were Yan Jianlan’s voice transmissions.
“…Cold and distant flower on a high peak? Emotionless and desireless? Heavenly Dao lord? Ha, I never knew any flower on a high peak could have so many wicked ideas?”
“Spirit fox! Spirit fox! If he likes it so much, why doesn’t he transform himself? Achoo! No good—just mentioning foxes makes me want to sneeze. How can foxes shed fur?”
“Brother! Brother, I want elaborate hair ornaments, the gaudy kind.”
Yan Jianlan: “………..”
Yan Jianlan’s face turned green, sensing the oppressive presence behind him growing even darker.
Yu Tuishan, seeing Sheng Jiao’s expression wasn’t great either, clutched his medicinal soup bowl in panic. Even though it burned him, making him whimper unclearly, he forced back his tears and drained the soup to the bottom.
Terrified that Sheng Jiao would knock over his bowl.
Sheng Jiao had no intention of upsetting Yu Tuishan’s meal. His eyes icy, he reached out and heavily brushed the back of Yan Jianlan’s neck.
Yan Jianlan abruptly shrank his head like a cowering quail.
Sheng Jiao spoke each word like ice: “…Evidence.”
Yan Jianlan: “…”
***
**
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152