"Try taking one more step forward."
Chu Wenfeng turned the blade to one side and pressed it against the skin on the man's neck.
The sharp blade instantly left a bloody mark on the man's skin.
"Please do not act rashly, Your Excellency." Chu Guiyi remained seated, holding a nine-section whip in one hand and a teacup in the other, speaking without even glancing at the man.
Xie Shuci's gaze, however, followed the suddenly appearing bronze medicine cauldron to the opposite side, where several solemn-faced cultivators in blue robes stood.
One of them formed a hand seal in front of his chest, manipulating the bronze medicine cauldron that floated in mid-air.
Perhaps sensing Xie Shuci's gaze, the several blue-robed cultivators turned their heads away to cover up their actions, scratching their foreheads, looking at the ceiling, and counting on their fingers. Later, probably realizing it was inappropriate, they glared at Xie Shuci again.
What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a handsome man before?
Xie Shuci miraculously understood what they meant and awkwardly looked away.
Sikong Ye sat in the first seat to the left of the main seat, resting his chin on one hand, watching the scene with great interest. His light brown eyes held an ambiguous smile, and the golden light shining in them seemed to reflect the beautiful starry sky, fully exuding his exotic aura.
“You…” The man’s hand holding the sword trembled violently as he looked at the people in the hall in disbelief.
Seeing his furious expression, Xie Shuci blinked innocently. "Why don't you put your sword away first, and we can talk this out?"
"Let go! Do you all want to oppose my Yin family?!" The female disciple ran to the man's side, looking at the group of people writing the letter with hostility.
Elder Meng's eyes gradually turned cold. "This is the Meng family, not the Yin family. Your coming here to cause trouble must be on behalf of the family head, right? In that case, I will truthfully inform the elders about this matter during the upcoming Immortal Sect Selection and ask them to make a decision. Please leave now."
Upon hearing this, the Yin family disciple's face instantly turned ashen. "Elder Meng..."
In recent years, the elders have held many grievances against the Yin family. If it weren't for the memory of the unjustly killed Yin Mingyuan, the Yin family's ranking among the Hundred Sects would have long since fallen out of the top four. Despite this, the Yin family disciples remain fearless. As long as the world remembers the unjustly killed Yin Mingyuan, their position among the Hundred Sects will remain unchanged. However, Elder Meng's status in the cultivation world is not something that these few disciples can shake. If Elder Meng reports this matter to the Hundred Sects, the patriarch, in order to protect the Yin family's reputation and status, will certainly punish these few disciples to give Elder Meng an explanation.
The disciples of the Yin family couldn't help but shudder at the thought of the horrific scene in which Yin Mingyuan was executed.
In recent years, the Yin family's power has been steadily increasing. Furthermore, that mysterious alchemy family has been secretly supplying them with top-grade pills—at least three a year. Almost all the inner disciples know this, so they've gradually become accustomed to looking down on others, since they always receive the utmost treatment wherever they go. Today, they heard that the Meng family head personally welcomed several guests and even arranged for some wandering cultivators to stay overnight on the immortal mountain. As Yin family disciples, they hadn't even seen Elder Meng once, and were staying in a simple inn like everyone else. Naturally, they couldn't accept this, which is why they visited late at night.
However, it was obvious that they were too arrogant. Elder Meng and his group of people did not take the Yin family seriously at all. They were laughed at like monkeys, humiliated themselves, and even angered Elder Meng. They were removed from the auction and Elder Meng even threatened that he would not give the Yin family any more pills. If the family head found out about this, given his ruthless nature, they would surely die when they returned!
"Please forgive me, Elder Meng!" The man threw down his sword, ignoring the wound on his neck, and knelt down abruptly.
Seeing this, Xie Shuci pouted angrily. He nudged Xie An behind him and said, "Am I right? This guy is obviously a brainless cannon fodder. He's only here to slap the protagonist in the face and incidentally push the plot forward."
Xie An raised an eyebrow noncommittally, without replying.
Xie Shuci said to himself, "Sikong Ye is the main character here, which shouldn't be the case, since we haven't offended him yet."
However, Sikong Ye is no saint either; if you really offend him, you're sure to suffer the consequences.
"Lord Meng is magnanimous, please forgive our ignorance."
"Please forgive me, Elder Meng."
Old Master Meng stroked his beard. “I’ve never been one to hold a grudge. Your coming to my Meng family to cause trouble today means that the Yin family wants to climb over my head. If you really want to apologize to me, I’d like the head of the Yin family to come to Jiyue City in person so I can see your sincerity. The Yin family has no place in the auction. Please leave.”
"Elder Meng!" The leading man's face was ashen. "We've heard that Elder Meng is very interested in that alchemist named Xie Shuci, but his background is mysterious and his whereabouts are uncertain. Even if he receives the token, he may not go to Jiyue City. We are willing to find him and bring him to you. Please, Elder Meng, have mercy on us this time!"
Xie Shuci: "..."
No, what does that have to do with me?
Upon hearing this, Elder Meng couldn't help but chuckle, and the others in the hall also cast strange glances at him.
The man, unsure of their meaning, gritted his teeth and said, "Elder Meng, Xie Shuci is a rogue cultivator. There are quite a few sects in the cultivation world who want to win him over. The Yin family has this plan, and I'm sure Elder Meng has the same intention. However, this person has never shown his face, and many sects are secretly eyeing him. Elder Meng, aren't you worried that someone will beat you to it? As long as Elder Meng nods, we will do everything in our power to bring him before you..."
Upon hearing this, the crowd's gazes became even more strange.
"..."
Xie Shuci felt a mix of emotions at that moment.
Therefore, one must always be humble and never look down on others, otherwise you never know if the person you offend will become your lifeline at a critical moment.
Xie Shuci held up two fingers, pinched the chopsticks between them, brought them to his lips, took a sip, and then exhaled, his expression full of vicissitudes. "Brother, may I ask what methods you plan to use to bring him before Elder Meng?"
The man glanced at Old Master Meng and said with certainty, "As long as Old Master Meng nods, we will bring him to you by any means necessary."
Xie Shuci said, "Whether he likes it or not?"
The man glanced at him, not taking Xie Shuci seriously, and said, "Of course."
Xie Shuci clicked his tongue. "So it's all fate. If you had said a few nice words now, he might have put aside his past grievances and said a few words for you. Who told you to be so stubborn?"
Xie Shuci imitated the melancholy and world-weary big shot on TV, smoking chopsticks like cigarettes, acting so convincingly that he was even reciting in his mind, "A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs, a dragon swimming in shallow waters..." Before he could finish reciting, he looked up and met the eerie gazes of several blue-robed cultivators not far away. Xie Shuci suddenly felt like he was being watched by the teacher for daydreaming in class. He shuddered, put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and looked at the person in the main seat with a serious expression.
After laughing enough, Old Meng raised his finger, pointed at Xie Shuci, and asked, "Do you know who he is?"
Xie Shuci sat upright, his expression solemn.
The man looked at Xie Shuci and frowned. "I don't know."
Old Master Meng said to Xie Shuci, "Young friend, you should tell him yourself."
"receive."
Xie Shuci nodded and stood up abruptly. He said in a serious tone, "My name is Xie Shuci, I am male, nineteen years old, I enjoy watching dramas and surfing the internet, I have an optimistic and cheerful personality, and I have no bad habits. Please take care of me."
After speaking, Xie Shuci nodded to Elder Meng, then straightened his back and sat back down, looking straight ahead without glancing to the side.
Everyone: "..."
Chu Wenfeng scoffed, "Xie Shuci, are you crazy?"
"Don't whisper in class, it's affecting my learning."
Chu Wenfeng: "..."
"ill."
Upon hearing Xie Shuci's words, the Yin family disciple's face paled even further, staring at Xie Shuci in disbelief, "He... how could he be..."
Xie Shuci said, "I'm sorry to have disappointed you."
Chu Wenfeng: "..."
"Xie Shuci, can't you be normal for once?"
"That's not right..." Xie Shuci couldn't keep up the act halfway through his sentence. "Yes, that's right. I am Xie Shuci, and I do not change my name or surname."
The man's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale, his eyes unfocused. "It's over...it's all over..."
These familiar lines! It's true what they say, all cannon fodder are the same.
Xie Shuci shook his head helplessly. Out of the corner of his eye, he felt a gaze fall on him. He subconsciously looked over and found that it was Sikong Ye, who looked thoughtful.
Xie Shuci still remembered his idea of getting along well with Sikong Ye and avoiding dying at Xiao Xun's hands, so he grinned and nodded in acknowledgment.
Sikong Ye stared at him blankly for a moment, then laughed.
"Xie Shuci." Xie An suddenly called out to him in a deep voice.
Xie Shuci turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xie An tightened his lips, his expression not looking good, and said in a muffled voice, "Nothing."
The disciples of the Yin family were slunk out of the immortal mountain. Several senior brothers from the Little Immortal Sect also planned to go back to their rooms to rest. Before leaving, Xie Shuci wanted to stop them and ask if they had anything to do with Yin Mingyuan's death. He also wanted to thank them. However, the group walked past Xie Shuci without looking at him, turning their faces to the side and not even giving him a glance.
Xie Shuci: "..."
You're so arrogant! You're so great!
Xie Shuci watched their departing figures, muttering to himself. The last senior brother, as if sensing something, suddenly turned around. Xie Shuci immediately shut his mouth, looking up at the night sky. "Little blind boy, the sun is really bright today," he said.
Xie An: "?"
Chu Wenfeng looked at Xie Shuci suspiciously and asked, "Xie Shuci, did you take the wrong medicine today?"
Seeing his senior brother turn his head back, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You're wrong, I didn't take any medicine at all."
Just then, Elder Meng came out, and Xie Shuci had a sudden inspiration. He asked, "Elder Meng, does your auction still accept items? I have something I want to sell?"
Old Meng looked at him with surprise: "What are you selling things for?"
Xie Shuci laughed and said, "Of course it's to make money. Look at me and Xie An, we're both wearing coarse linen clothes. I want to earn more money so I can take him to buy some nice clothes."
Xie Shuci certainly had the money to buy clothes; the token given to him by Luo Xianyu alone was enough to ensure he and Xie An would never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of their lives. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Meng family, the number one alchemy family in the cultivation world, and their auction—all the attendees were prominent figures in the cultivation world. These people were definitely not short of money, and the prices here would certainly be much higher than outside. If he put it more pitifully, the auction price might even be higher.
Chu Guiyi smiled upon hearing this, while Chu Wenfeng looked at him with a half-smile, but did not expose him.
After hearing this, Old Meng looked at them suspiciously. These two people didn't have the air of ordinary people. At first, he hadn't paid attention to their clothing, but now that he looked closely, they were indeed dressed in coarse linen clothes. However, their extraordinary bearing made people overlook their attire.
Old Master Meng stroked his beard and nodded: "Alright, prepare what you want to buy tomorrow, and I will send someone to pick it up."
Xie Shuci's face immediately lit up with joy. "Okay, thank you, Grandpa Meng."
When Xie Shuci was happy, he changed the way he addressed her.
Old Master Meng glared, "Insolence!"
"Hey, there's no one else here, what's wrong with calling out?"
The blue-robed cultivator, who had already left, stopped for some unknown reason.
"Did you hear that?" the young man in the lead asked.
The group of cultivators behind him nodded solemnly, "We heard you."
"That Xie Shuci is so poor that he can't even afford clothes."
"They were so confident back then, saying they'd come back to see us when they had the money."
"It's his own fault for not studying hard enough."
"Serves you right!"
Back in their courtyard, Xie Shuci saw that it was getting late, so he told Xie An to go back to his room to rest. He then found a secluded spot, opened the Shenzhou, and took out all the luggage inside.
Upon seeing him, the king burst into tears. Xie Shuci held him and comforted him for a long time inside the Shenzhou. The king clung to his arm, afraid that he would abandon him. Xie Shuci felt a little sorry for him, so he coaxed the king to sleep before quietly leaving the Shenzhou.
Carrying a large pile of things back to the courtyard, Xie Shuci guessed that the little blind man was already asleep. This man was a very light sleeper, and Xie Shuci was worried about disturbing him, so he put the things on the stone table in the courtyard, intending to sell the things he didn't really need first.
Xie Shuci had no intention of selling the pills. Having experienced so much, he knew very well that getting injured was inevitable in the cultivation world. With these pills, even someone on the verge of death could be saved. He also had many treasures he had looted from the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect. Apart from the Divine Boat, the other items were of little use to him. Xie Shuci planned to let Chu Guiyi and Chu Wenfeng each choose one item tomorrow, and sell the rest.
After tidying up the things to sell, Xie Shuci's back and neck ached from sitting. He stretched and saw that the moonlight was still bright on the horizon. It would be dawn in two hours. If he went back to his room now, he would definitely disturb the little blind man. He decided to spend the night outside.
Xie Shuci wasn't tired at all. He had planned to ask Chu Wenfeng to come out and play, but the lights in his and Chu Guiyi's room had been turned off early, so they were probably already asleep.
Xie Shuci was bored out of his mind. He should have stayed in the Shenzhou to play with the king for a while. Now the king was asleep.
Xie Shuci rested his chin on his hands, gazing at the moon hanging in the night sky. Hidden by thick clouds, only a faint glimpse of the moon was visible, its pale light spilling into the courtyard and vaguely illuminating the outlines of some objects.
He used to be afraid of the dark and dared not walk alone at night. If he were left alone in a dark courtyard, Xie Shuci might be scared crazy by his own imagination. However, after being in the cultivation world for several months, he felt nothing when he sat alone in the courtyard. This was because he was a cultivator with a sea of consciousness. Although his sea of consciousness was still very small, he could sense any movement in the quiet courtyard at night.
"So boring," Xie Shuci muttered, slumped over the stone table. He used to have his phone and computer to play with when he stayed up late, but now he could only sit there. Xie Shuci wanted to go back to his room to rest, but after drinking several cups of tea that evening, he really wasn't sleepy at all. The day after tomorrow was Xie An's birthday; he should start thinking about what birthday present to prepare for him.
Thinking about Xie Xiaoxiazi's upcoming birthday, Xie Shuci's cheeks flushed slightly. He didn't dare to think about it too much, afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop once he started.
Putting everything else aside, this was the first birthday he had spent with the little blind boy, a very memorable day, and he wanted to make sure the little blind boy had a birthday he would never forget.
But what does he like?
Xie Shuci frowned and tried to recall. In her memory, the little blind boy didn't seem to like anything; he seemed uninterested in everything.
He still carries the bell and peach blossoms I gave him... That's right! Peach blossoms!
The peach branch that Xie Shuci had casually given him back then had somehow been preserved until now. Moreover, Xie Shuci noticed that even after all this time, the petals on the peach branch were still intact. Several times when they were being intimate, he would put the peach branch away beforehand to prevent it from being crushed by Xie Shuci. So it seems that he quite likes flowers.
However, it's fine if he wears one flower after I give him one; it's conspicuous but doesn't seem out of place. But what if I give him a few more and he gives them all to someone else? It's not impossible that he might do that.
Xie Shuci shook his head, feeling it was inappropriate, but apart from that, he couldn't think of anything else the little blind boy liked.
In the end, Xie Shuci felt somewhat frustrated. He suddenly realized that after knowing the little blind man for so long, he not only knew nothing about his background, but he didn't even know his likes and dislikes. He was a bit too incompetent as both a brother and a partner.
"What does the little blind man like..." Xie Shuci murmured to himself.
He couldn't just ask the blind boy directly; he wanted to give him a surprise.
Xie Shuci fiddled with the small objects on the table. Could it be that he really wanted to wrap himself up as a gift and give it to him like in TV dramas?
No, no, that's too old-fashioned.
Xie Shuci had never been in a relationship before, and he didn't have many friends. Almost all of them were people he met online. His parents were abroad all year round and never came back. Since he could remember, the only time he celebrated his 18th birthday was when a few close online friends traveled a long distance to celebrate with him. He hadn't really celebrated his birthday much, nor had he helped anyone else celebrate. Little Blind Man was the first one to do so.
He wanted to give the little blind boy a birthday he would never forget.
Xie Shuci was mentally rehearsing how to celebrate his birthday when he suddenly felt a chill. He pulled his arm back, thinking it was just the temperature dropping at night, and didn't think much of it.
"Hiss—" A faint sound suddenly came from above. Xie Shuci was startled and instantly pulled his attention away from his mind.
Hiss—
Xie Shuci's voice froze. He felt that the voice was very familiar, like the sound of a cold-blooded animal flicking its tongue.
"No way..."
Xie Shuci swallowed hard, stiffly raised his head, and suddenly, a green shadow hung down from the branch, almost touching the tip of Xie Shuci's nose.
"hiss--"
A cold tongue was spat onto Xie Shuci's face, and a strange fragrance wafted over. Xie Shuci stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the thing that had suddenly landed in front of him. By the faint moonlight, Xie Shuci could see what it was. His mind went blank, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He couldn't help but shiver.
"hiss--"
Xie Shuci abruptly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and the fear in his heart reached its peak at this moment. The sound uncontrollably squeezed out of his throat: "Ah—Ugh!"
Xie Shuci screamed in fright, but before he could make a sound, a figure descended from the sky, hooked his arm, and lifted him off the stone bench. The figure spun around in the air, and Xie Shuci felt dizzy. When he came to his senses, his back slammed heavily against a tree trunk. He gasped in pain as an unfamiliar body pressed down on him, while a hand tightly covered Xie Shuci's lips and teeth, silencing him completely.
"Hmm!"
Xie Shuci stared in horror at the person who had suddenly appeared before him. Stimulated by both fear and pain, his eyes filled with tears. In the shadows, he saw a pair of eyes reflecting the pale moonlight.
"Shh." The man put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
"Hmm!" Who?
"Ugh! Let me go! I'll fight you to the death!"
Xie Shuci struggled to her feet, but when she looked up, she saw a pair of slightly mocking eyes. "It's me, Sikong Ye."
Upon hearing it was him, Xie Shuci struggled even more fiercely, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from her mouth. Finally getting some fresh air, Xie Shuci took a couple of heavy breaths, disregarding Sikong Ye's status, and shoved him away, cursing, "Are you sick? Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night, playing with snakes here?"
Unable to see his expression in the darkness, Xie Shuci ignored him and asked, "Where's the snake? Put it away quickly. Do you two brothers have some kind of problem, both liking to carry a snake with you?"
Sikong Ye was pushed away but not angry. He shrugged and said, "I'm used to resting in trees when I'm out."
Xie Shuci rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you have given me a heads-up earlier? You almost scared me to death."
Xie Shuci glared at him irritably. Seeing that the little green snake had returned to Sikong Ye's body, Xie Shuci wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling somewhat weak, and sat back down at the table.
Sikong Ye followed him to the stone table, staring at Xie Shuci suspiciously for a few moments. "Why are you so timid?"
Xie Shuci, still harboring resentment, retorted, "My reaction was mild. If it were any other ordinary person, they might have been scared to death."
Sikong Ye's cultivation was far superior to his, and Xie Shuci had not been able to detect his presence until now. He was startled by this sudden appearance and broke out in a cold sweat.
Xie Shuci looked around the rooms and thankfully didn't disturb the little blind man and the others.
Sikong Ye didn't take it seriously. "Is that so?"
"Yes, don't you know that people can scare each other to death?"
Sikong Ye swept the objects off the stone table, sat down, crossed his arms, looked down at Xie Shuci, and asked, "Are you so timid? Are you afraid of Xiao Xun?"
"I'm quite brave," Xie Shuci corrected, his courage now clearly much greater than before.
“Fine, you’ve got guts. Are you afraid of Xiao Xun? He’s infamous in the cultivation world. You must have heard of him,” Sikong Ye said.
Xie Shuci glanced at him, thinking that his reputation was bad, and yours wasn't much better, plus you'd be family with him in the future.
"Of course I'm afraid of Xiao Xun. Go out and ask any cultivator you can. Who among them isn't afraid of Xiao Xun?" After saying that, Xie Shuci beckoned to him mysteriously, "I'll tell you a secret."
Sikong Ye raised his eyebrows and leaned down. "What?"
"Just a reminder, don't go against Xiao Xun in everything."
Why?
"In short, just listen to me, this is to save you from making the same mistakes in the future."
—On the road of love.
Xie Shuci's thought process was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, but Sikong Ye didn't care much and asked again, "Do you know who that blind man next to you is?"
Xie Shuci gave him a wary look. "I'm warning you, don't get involved with him."
Sikong Ye chuckled, "Don't worry, my interest in him isn't as great as my interest in you."
"Then why are you asking this?"
Sikong Ye said, "I'm just curious, after all, his background is very mysterious in the storybooks."
Xie Shuci looked at him suspiciously and said, "Xie An is Xie An, what other identity does he have?"
Sikong Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, "You really don't know his background."
"So what?"
Sikong Ye's lips curled into a meaningful smile as he said, "You're afraid of Xiao Xun, yet you're willing to keep a blind man of unknown origin by your side."
Xie Shuci disagreed, saying, "They have no connection whatsoever."
Sikong Ye chuckled, "No connection? Xie Shuci, have you never suspected anything..."
"Thank you for your letter."
Before Sikong Ye could finish speaking, a gloomy voice suddenly came from behind them.
Hearing the sound, Xie Shuci turned around.
The room behind him was already lit up, the door was wide open, and a yellowish light spilled into the courtyard. Xie An stood against the light at the door, with a shadow in front of him, making it impossible to see his expression.
In the darkness, those eyes gleamed with a cold light as they fell upon the two of them.
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