Sikong Ye casually sat down on the rooftop, thoughtfully watching the people coming and going below.
On the other side of the jade artifact, after a moment's hesitation, having received no response from Sikong Ye, she called out, "Brother?"
Sikong Ye, however, was somewhat dismissive. "A task given to me by the Siming Pavilion?"
Sikong Xin clearly knew his elder brother's character, and sighed almost imperceptibly, "Yes."
Sikong Ye chuckled softly after hearing this, and said sarcastically, "Those old fools from the Siming Pavilion still don't know what kind of person I am?"
“Brother,” Sikong Xin cried out helplessly, “Xiao Xun is related to Bixie. He must die. His Dao heart is damaged now, and there is no better opportunity than this.”
Sikong Ye's expression was mischievous. "Knowing that you went down to the border to investigate the matter of defying destiny, not only did he not kill you, but he also took the initiative to bring up the matter with you, saying that it was related to him? Xiao Xun, you did it on purpose."
Sikong Xin remained silent for a moment. Earlier, he had already told his elder brother some things, but he hadn't gone into too much detail.
After a long pause, Sikong said, "Yes, he and Bixie are going to refine the Book of Reincarnation."
Sikong Ye smiled and said, "I will not get involved in this matter. I will not help either Xiaoyao Sect or Xiao Xun."
“Brother,” Sikong Xin was already well aware of his brother’s unruly personality, so he was not surprised when he heard this. After a moment’s pause, he said, “Take Xie Shuci away before he goes mad.”
Xie Shuci is the culprit who caused Xiao Xun's Dao heart to be damaged. Once Xiao Xun falls into demonic possession, the first person he will kill is Xie Shuci.
Sikong Xin couldn't explain why Xiao Xun hadn't stopped him from reporting the matter to the Si Ming Pavilion. Or perhaps Xiao Xun wanted this situation to turn the entire Fu Tu Realm against him. However, Xie Shuci was innocent. Xiao Xun had to die, but Xie Shuci didn't have to.
Sikong Ye, seemingly lost in thought, laughed merrily and said, "He won't leave with me beforehand; he won't turn back until he hits a brick wall."
After saying this, before Sikong Xin could speak again, Sikong Ye crushed the jade artifact and severed the connection.
He leaned back, lying on his side on the roof, a smirk playing on his lips. Things were getting more and more interesting. Had he led Xiao Xun astray? How would Xie Shuci's secret realm react once he truly witnessed Xiao Xun's wickedness?
He was so excited!
Inside the inn, Du Pingsheng led the group to a private room.
As soon as they entered the room, Xie Shuci hooked his arm around Du Pingsheng's neck and said through gritted teeth, "My dear brother, as long as we are separated by oceans and mountains, we are as close as neighbors. Do you want to explain to me what this 'Strange Tales' with its incredibly long, awful, and hard-to-remember name is?"
Du Pingsheng was a scholar who could be both flexible and resilient. Seeing Xie Shuci looking at him with a mixture of anger and sullenness, he smiled obsequiously and winked at his page, "Brother Xie, you must be tired from your long journey. Come, have some tea and sit down to rest."
The pageboy deftly poured a cup of tea and respectfully presented it to Xie Shuci with both hands, saying, "Young Master Xie, please have some tea."
"Don't give me that, Du Pingsheng. What did you promise me back then?"
Du Pingsheng feigned ignorance and asked, "I don't know what Brother Xie is talking about?"
Xie Shuci glanced back at Xie An behind him and said, "You said back then that you would resolutely protect my clean and pure brotherhood with so-and-so, but what's going on now? Why is everyone saying that so-and-so and I have some kind of improper male-male relationship?"
Xie Moumou glanced up at Xie Shuci's face, but the latter pretended not to see him and refused to look at him.
Chu Wenfeng and Chu Guiyi sat down at the table. Chu Wenfeng curled his lip at Xie Shuci, "Childish." Du Pingsheng looked innocent, "What I wrote in my book was your earth-shattering brotherhood. Maybe they misunderstood. Brother Xie, why do you take what outsiders say to heart? What they say is their business. You just don't have to listen to them."
"Pah! You think I want this? I'm going to be surrounded by that stuff wherever I go..."
Before Xie Shuci could finish speaking, several opera singers entered the hall. Coincidentally, they were performing an opera featuring Xie Shuci and Xie Moumou.
"Damn it!" Xie Shuci cursed under his breath, releasing Du Pingsheng and covering his ears with his hands. "So annoying, so annoying..."
Actually, Xie Shuci wasn't bothered by the opera performance in the main hall; he was bothered by his own heart. He couldn't explain why, he was just incredibly annoyed, so annoyed that he wanted to go outside and run around naked. He was so annoyed, so incredibly annoyed!
Before Xie Shuci could finish speaking, Xie An, who was standing behind him, suddenly stepped forward, grabbed his hand tightly, and pulled it off his ear. His grip was quite strong, and his warm palm pressed against Xie Shuci's skin, carrying a sense of unquestionable authority.
His behavior was as if Xie Shuci didn't want to hear about him and Xie Shuci, or about Xie Shuci being annoyed by them, but he insisted that Xie Shuci listen and be annoyed by them.
Almost the instant he touched her, Xie Shuci thought, "See? He couldn't hold back anymore. He's about to reveal his true nature."
Xie An simply kept his lips pressed together, his expression cold, and without saying a word, pulled Xie Shuci to sit at the table, without doing anything else.
After they sat down, Xie Shuci pulled her hand back from his palm, and Xie An did not try to stop her. He let go of her hand, but neither of them looked very happy.
Chu Guiyi looked at the two of them and sighed imperceptibly.
Xie Shuci wasn't very good at hiding his emotions; what he was thinking was written all over his face. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened between them last night, he knew that things hadn't been peaceful. Shuci's thinking was too simple, sometimes a bit stubborn, and quite childish. His way of expressing emotions wasn't very direct, but it was still very easy for people to sense.
As expected, Xie An's true identity was not so easily accepted by him.
On the other hand, because of his simple mindset, a little coaxing or indulgence can improve his mood. However, Xiao Xun doesn't seem like the type to take the initiative to show weakness, especially not in front of so many of them.
At the table, Xie Shuci remained silent, and Xie An naturally did not speak either.
Chu Guiyi shook his head inwardly.
Du Pingsheng and his page exchanged glances, clearly noticing the awkward atmosphere between them.
They glanced at the young Xie brother who had coldly carried them back to Xie Shuci, one in each hand, and finally realized something: wasn't the young Xie brother blind? How come he doesn't seem blind at all now, and his cultivation level seems quite high?
"Well..." Du Pingsheng hesitated for a moment and took two steps forward, "Would you like something to eat? I'll have someone bring some up?"
"I won't eat—"
"Um."
Xie Shuci said he wouldn't eat, while Xie An said "hmm".
Xie An glanced at Du Pingsheng and said, "Bring up some light food."
Xie Shuci said goodbye, "Don't give me any, I won't eat them."
Du Pingsheng gave a dry laugh but did not reply.
Xie An frowned and looked at Xie Shuci: "You should eat some."
Xie Shuci said expressionlessly, "I'm not hungry."
Xie An said, "Take some tonics."
"unnecessary."
Chu Wenfeng: "..."
He looked at Xie Shuci and Xie An with suspicion. Although they were cultivators, they hadn't completely abstained from food; going ten days or half a month without eating wouldn't be a problem. The key was that Xie Shuci was usually the only one who ate his meals on time every day and liked to snack occasionally. Yesterday, he was busy all day preparing for his birthday and barely ate anything that night, so he slept until the afternoon of the next day. Normally, he would have been complaining of hunger by now. Xie An was the same; he was usually the one who disliked eating the most. How come their roles seemed to have reversed overnight?
Just because Xie An is Xiao Xun? Didn't Xie Shuci say he didn't care?
"What exactly happened between you last night?" Chu Wenfeng asked suspiciously.
Xie Shuci gave Chu Wenfeng a cold look, deliberately bringing up the very thing he didn't want to talk about, "None of your business."
Chu Wenfeng: "..."
Then you might as well starve to death.
"Go ahead," Xie An said to Du Pingsheng and the other man.
The pageboy, intimidated by Xie An, nodded and prepared to leave. Du Pingsheng instinctively wanted to follow, but he felt the atmosphere in the room was a bit eerie, and it was safer outside. However, he turned back and glanced at Xie An, signaling with his eyes that he shouldn't follow.
Du Pingsheng immediately thought of the group of people from the Xiaoyao Sect he had just encountered. They might not have gone far and might be waiting for him somewhere. He figured it was better not to wander off. Before Xiaobao's mother arrived, he should stay obediently by their side.
Xie Shuci patted the spot to his left and said to Du Pingsheng, "Come here, I want to talk to you."
Du Pingsheng nodded and was about to walk towards Xie Shuci when he met Xie An's gaze, who was sitting to his right. Xie An's gaze was as cold as the December weather. Du Pingsheng's face fell, and he dared not walk towards Xie Shuci. He turned around and sat down next to Chu Wenfeng.
"Brother Xie, let's talk this out, let's talk this out," Du Pingsheng said with a dry laugh.
Xie Shuci pursed his lips and said, "I'm asking you, how many volumes of the Strange Tales series do you plan to write?"
Du Pingsheng said, "You should write at least two books, right? I've only written half of the truth about the disappearance of the Banxia clan that you asked me to write before."
Xie Shuci nodded. "Perfect timing. I've got some more news about the Banxia clan. You can continue writing the second part."
"Really?!" Du Pingsheng's eyes lit up.
While most readers focused on Xie Shuci and Xie An, the immortal sects and aristocratic families were more curious about the truth behind the disappearance of the Banxia clan. Several sects secretly approached Du Pingsheng, hoping he would write about the Banxia clan as soon as possible. However, Du Pingsheng had reservations because Xie Shuci's account was incomplete, containing many points that warranted further investigation. These included why a group of mortals could have killed the Banxia clan; even using fire, the clan shouldn't have been completely wiped out.
"Brother Xie, good brother, tell me quickly," Du Pingsheng said excitedly.
Xie Shuci glanced at him. "I have one condition."
"What are your conditions? Just name them!"
"First of all, in the second part, I'm going to be a carefree, solitary hero, unburdened by worldly affairs. And you have to clarify for me that there's absolutely, positively, no feeling between me and him... and so-and-so, anything more than friendship, understand? Anyway, after the auction, we'll go our separate ways. Don't overthink it. Letting others suspect things isn't good for either of us. What if our future crushes see this? They might think..."
Anyway, the person so-and-so likes is probably Sikong Ye.
Xie Shuci thought sourly.
"Xie Shuci," Xie An called out in a deep voice.
Xie Shuci pretended not to hear.
Actually, he also felt that there was something wrong with him. He was the one who wanted to leave, and Xie An said that he could leave, which made him feel even more suffocated.
He just doesn't understand. He believes what he sees in you, doesn't care about your identity, doesn't care how many people you've killed, he just wants you to stop killing people, stop fighting with others, and live a good life. But you're not willing to do that, you still want to be the same as before.
The key point is, if, like in the original book, he and Sikong Ye were to fight and love each other to the end, the person he would love would be Sikong Ye!
Whenever Xie Shuci thought of this, he felt extremely distressed, feeling that Xie An had still chosen Sikong Ye over himself.
I'd rather lose him than not fight with Sikong Ye.
"In short, just write it as I say. Come sit over here. This is a long story, I'll explain it to you slowly." Xie Shuci patted the table and said to Du Pingsheng.
Du Pingsheng looked up at Xie An, who was standing silently beside him, and felt extremely uneasy. Under the gaze of those eyes, he felt that if he dared to take a step closer to Xie Shuci, that person would break his legs.
Du Pingsheng's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he hurriedly shook his head, saying, "No need, no need, this is fine."
Xie Shuci pursed her lips, "Then I'll go over there."
As Xie Shuci was speaking, he tried to stand up from the ground, but the person next to him reached out and pressed his hand directly between his legs.
Xie Shuci froze, looking at Xie An in disbelief.
The latter's face stiffened, his jawline taut, and as Xie Shuci looked over, he increased the pressure in his hand.
"Damn..." Xie Shuci gasped, then sat up straight, hiding his lower body under the table to avoid being discovered by others.
Two blushes crept onto his cheeks as he nervously looked at the person opposite him.
Chu Guiyi lowered her head and pursed her lips, seemingly unaware of anything;
Chu Wenfeng wiped his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, showing no interest in their conversation;
Du Pingsheng's face turned pale, and large beads of cold sweat dripped down his face; he was clearly overwhelmed and unable to take care of himself.
Seeing this, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief.
He grabbed Xie An's arm, trying to pull him away, but the guy was just as strong as Xie Shuci was in pulling him away. Xie Shuci straightened up, stiff and unable to move, his face as red as a boiled crab.
Fortunately, Xie An did not make any other moves, otherwise Xie Shuci might have been so ashamed that he died of embarrassment.
Although Du Pingsheng was somewhat apprehensive, he also wanted to know about the Banxia clan. Seeing that Xie Shuci had not spoken for a long time, he said, "Brother Xie, just say it like that, I can hear you clearly."
A few beads of cold sweat dripped from Xie Shuci's forehead. A little afraid of being discovered by others, he leaned his upper body against the table, completely blocking the view of the others.
"Hmm... okay," Xie Shuci said in a muffled voice.
However, Xie An did not seem to want to let Xie Shuci off so easily. When Xie Shuci pretended to be nonchalant and told Du Pingsheng about what happened in Chunsheng Mountain, he would sometimes punish Xie Shuci by increasing the force of his blows.
Xie Shuci was utterly defeated. He was so angry he wanted to bite Xie An to death. He never expected this guy to be so shameless as to threaten him in this way.
When the page boy led the waiter to knock on the door, Xie Shuci was startled. From the direction of the door, he could see Xie An's actions! Xie Shuci became a little anxious and slapped his hand hard to make him let go.
Xie An clearly didn't want to really provoke Xie Shuci, so he suppressed the corners of his mouth and gently rubbed them with lingering satisfaction.
Xie Shuci: "..."
He clenched his teeth so tightly that he wanted to go back to the night before when Xie An handed him the knife. If he had a knife in his hand now, he would definitely chop off Xie An's sinful hand!
After making this gesture, Xie An slowly withdrew his hand.
Xie Shuci breathed a heavy sigh of relief, turned around and glared at him fiercely, but the latter ignored her and instead took Xie Shuci's hand that was hanging on his knee.
Xie Shuci cursed inwardly a couple more times, but didn't dare to break free again. He was afraid of this guy, worried that if he broke free, he would do something even more outrageous.
At the same time, the door was opened from the outside.
The pageboy stood stiffly at the door, holding a tray filled with light food, staring at the group with a deathly pale face.
Everyone in the room immediately sensed something unusual, and their expressions simultaneously turned serious.
The pageboy didn't immediately enter the room; his lips trembled as he spoke, "Young...Young Master..."
"What's wrong?" Du Pingsheng looked completely bewildered. "Come in, what are you doing standing at the door?"
The pageboy closed his eyes, put on a look of resignation, gritted his teeth, and roared into the room, "Young master, run!"
The next moment, the page was slapped away from behind, the tray slipping from his hand and flying into the air.
Xie Shuci's expression hardened, and he was about to step forward to catch him when Xie An beside him made his move. He leaped up and rushed towards the pageboy. In that instant, Xie Shuci admitted that he was a little moved. Under his tutelage, even the Great Demon King knew how to save people...
Xie An caught the tray in mid-air with lightning speed, not spilling a single drop of food, and landed almost simultaneously with the page who had been sent flying.
Xie Shuci: "..."
He stared blankly at the intact tray in Xie An's hands, then at the pageboy on the ground wailing incessantly.
Goodness, I thought he was saving someone.
"Brother Sikong, why frighten them?" Chu Guiyi said calmly, sitting in place.
Xie Shuci was taken aback. He looked towards the door and, sure enough, saw a pair of light brown eyes smiling at them.
Sikong Ye stretched and walked into the room, picking up the pageboy from the ground. "Don't mind me, I was just joking with you."
The pageboy was lifted up like a chick, “…”
Should I thank you?
Xie Shuci was speechless. This guy's personality was really awful. He turned around, intending to explain to Du Pingsheng across from him, but found that Du Pingsheng was nowhere to be seen in the opposite seat.
Xie Shuci looked puzzled: "?"
Chu Wenfeng pointed to the window with a half-smile. Xie Shuci looked up and saw Du Pingsheng lifting his robe and pushing open the window. One foot was already on the windowsill, and he was about to climb out and make his escape.
Xie Shuci: "..."
Pageboy: "..."
Seeing everyone's gaze fall on him, Du Pingsheng coughed, pulled his leg back from the windowsill, straightened his robes, carefully closed the window, turned around, assumed a stance, and returned to the stone table with his hands behind his back. "I'll practice a bit beforehand, just in case."
The pageboy looked at Du Pingsheng with teary eyes. "Young master, you ran away so decisively..." Of course, in the same situation, he would have been just as decisive as the young master.
Xie An didn't care about anything else. He carried the tray, which hadn't spilled a drop, back to Xie Shuci's side, placed the food in front of Xie Shuci, and said, "Have something to eat."
Xie Shuci glanced at him, sniffed, and decided to forgive Xie An for a little while.
"I'm not hungry yet." Xie Shuci's tone was no longer as assertive as before.
Xie An's voice softened a bit, "Eat a little."
He placed a bowl of congee in front of Xie Shuci, and Sikong Ye was amazed by his serious and meticulous manner.
But Xie Shuci was the kind of person who would take an inch and then a mile and like to push his luck. When Xie An softened his tone, he felt like he had won and muttered, "If you tell me to eat, I'll just eat. How embarrassing would that be?"
Xie An glanced at him indifferently, "Then don't eat it."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Good grief, would you die if you just held on a little longer?
Xie An dipped the spoon into the congee, urging Xie Shuci to hurry up with his eyes.
Surprisingly, Xie Shuci actually understood what he meant.
Xie Shuci said that it would be embarrassing for him to eat if he listened to him, so he simply told Xie Shuci not to eat, so that if Xie Shuci ate, it would be considered that he disobeyed him and that he would save face.
Looking back on her behavior, Xie Shuci felt a little hot in her cheeks, like a primary school kid seeking validation from his parents. She took the spoon and silently shoveled two spoonfuls into her mouth.
Xie An watched him intently from the side, his eyes never blinking.
In fact, Xie Shuci could understand to some extent that Xie An did not necessarily want him to drink the porridge; rather, Xie An was using this method to show goodwill towards him. He had probably sensed the resentment in Xie Shuci's heart that he could not explain, and was trying to appease Xie Shuci with his actions.
Xie Shuci couldn't help but sigh. In Xie Shuci's eyes, both Xie An and Xiao Xun were intelligent, yet they would use such clumsy methods to please and comfort her.
"You need to be coaxed to eat? How old are you?" Chu Wenfeng scoffed.
The word "哄" (coax/entice) was used in a very ambiguous way here. Xie Shuci's heart skipped a beat, and she threw down her spoon. "Don't talk nonsense, I won't eat it!"
Xie An glanced at Chu Wenfeng, but Chu Wenfeng, being young and fearless, didn't take him seriously at all.
Xie Shuci was a little worried that he would frighten Chu Wenfeng, so she quietly tugged at his clothes and whispered, "Don't scare him."
Xie An withdrew his gaze, hummed in agreement, and said to Xie Shuci, "Eat."
"oh."
Xie Shuci lowered his head and drank his porridge. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the people in the room were acting strangely. No one was talking; they were all just watching Xie Shuci eat.
Xie Shuci is the kind of person who gets angry easily but is easily appeased. He probably became unusually well-behaved after being ridiculed by Chu Wenfeng.
After finishing his bowl of porridge, he looked up and noticed their gazes were intentionally or unintentionally falling on him. A little confused, he said, "Why are you all looking at me?"
Chu Wenfeng sneered, "Which eye of yours saw me looking at you?"
Du Pingsheng said, "You haven't finished talking about the Banxia clan yet! Are you finished eating? Let's continue after you finish eating?"
Sikong Ye was quite frank, resting his chin on his hand and smiling like an old fox who had lived for hundreds of years, "Things that are pleasing to the eye should naturally be looked at more."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xie An looked at him coldly, and their gazes met in the air, clashing like swords in mid-air.
Xie Shuci looked at this one and then at that one. Both of them had very strong auras, and he felt that if he looked at them any longer, they would start fighting.
Xie Shuci felt a strange sensation in his heart. Why did it feel like a story about the main characters pulling each other's hair?
Sikong Ye was the first to look away, then smiled at Xie Shuci, "Young Master Xie, the auction is rather boring. How about we go boating on the lake tonight?"
Xie Shuci stared at him blankly, thinking, "Could it be this melodramatic? After Xiao Xun, is this silly protagonist going to become his 'subject' as well?"
Xie Shuci shook his head and waved his hand in refusal, saying, "No, thank you."
Upon hearing this, Sikong Ye regretfully curled his lips, "I invited you, so don't regret it later."
"No, no, absolutely not."
Sikong Ye pouted, "Ah Xin, did you see that? I tried to take him away early, but he didn't want to. What could I do?"
Xie An wore a cold smile. "How about I accompany you on a boat trip?"
Xie Shuci looked shocked. "??"
Xiao Xun, you liar?!
"You're not allowed to go!" Xie Shuci slammed his hand on the table.
Sikong Ye looked at him leisurely, "What a pity, today I only wish to go boating with Xie Shuci."
He wanted to see something interesting, and how could he leave out you, the main character?
"Then you don't need to think about it anymore. Xie Shuci won't go today, and he won't go in the future," Xie An said coldly.
Sikong Ye smiled meaningfully, "I just hope you won't regret it."
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