Xie Shuci turned around with the king in his arms, looking at the empty deck, feeling a sense of loss.
Du Pingsheng and his companion left early in the afternoon. He said he planned to go to Xiao Bao's mother's place for two months to write the second part of "Strange Tales", hoping to finish it before the Immortal Sect Selection.
Before leaving, Xie Shuci gave them two Resurrection Pills, fearing something might happen to them later. As for the Xiaoyao Sect, almost all the disciples in Jiyue City had died at Xie An's hands, and they were currently too busy to deal with their own problems to have the energy to cause trouble for Du Pingsheng for the time being.
Xie Shuci learned how to set up a barrier from Sikong Ye. He planned to set up the barrier and rest on the ship for a day before setting off again.
As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. By the time those people realized they were no longer in the city, they would have assumed the thieves had already made their escape and wouldn't have bothered searching further, heading straight for the Hundred Gates.
Xie Shuci set up a barrier outside the divine ship, so ordinary cultivators could neither see them nor sense their presence.
Back in the cabin with the king, little Xie An was still fast asleep on the bed.
Xie Shuci walked to the bedside and checked his breathing. After what happened last night, Xie Shuci was afraid that he would suddenly die. Although he knew it was impossible, he still couldn't help but worry.
"You stay here and guard Xie... Brother Xiao Xun, I'm going to see Xie An," Xie Shuci said to the king.
"Aww!" the king responded, and to put Xie Shuci at ease, he even transformed back into his original form and lay down in front of the bed.
Xie Shuci leaned over and rubbed its head, then covered the pearl in the room and turned to open the secret chamber.
Several candles burned in the secret room, casting a soft, dim light. As the door to the secret room slowly opened, the candlelight flickered gently, reflecting Xie Shuci's figure onto the screen.
Xie Shuci walked slowly to the bedside, and the first thing he did was to check Xie An's breathing.
Xie An was sleeping soundly, his breathing steady and even, looking no different from someone who was fast asleep. Xie Shucui couldn't help but breathe softly, always feeling that he would wake up immediately from his sleep at the slightest sound or movement, just like usual.
But this time, Xie Shuci stood beside him for so long, and he showed no sign of waking up.
Xie Shuci couldn't help but sigh, and went to check the wounds on his body. The healing speed was still slow, but it was no longer a big problem.
Finally, Xie Shuci simply sat down on the footstool and lay on the edge of the bed, quietly watching Xie An's sleeping face.
Xie Shuci made a decision in his heart.
Since he couldn't escape fate, he simply stopped trying.
Xie An had important business to attend the Immortal Sect Selection, so he would accompany him. Since he was going to die anyway, he preferred to spend the time before he died with Xie An.
In the silence of the room, Xie Shuci fell asleep without realizing it.
When he woke up slowly in the middle of the night, the candles in the secret room were almost burned to the bottom.
Xie Shuci replaced a few candles, kissed Xie An on the lips, and then left the secret room.
Back in the room, it was pitch black. The king was fast asleep by the bed, occasionally wagging his tail, seemingly having a pleasant dream.
Xie Shuci stepped forward and rubbed the hair on the back of Xiao Xun's neck before stepping over it to check on Xiao Xun's condition on the bed.
He couldn't see Xiao Xun's face in the darkness, and wanted to reach out to check his breath, but before his hand could even touch his skin, it was blocked by a finger.
Xie Shuci was taken aback for a moment, then asked in surprise, "You're awake?"
He couldn't even sense Xiao Xun's presence.
"Hmm." A slightly low, husky voice came from above.
Xie Shuci asked, "How are you feeling?"
Xiao Xun pushed his hand back and asked instead of answering, "Did you go to see the people inside?"
Xie Shuci nodded and said, "He was slightly injured."
After a moment of silence, Xiao Xun asked again, "Is he Xie An?"
Xie Shuci sat down on the edge of the bed and said, "Yes, he is Xie An."
"Are you very worried about him?"
"Yes, I'm very worried about him."
Xie Shuci rested his chin on his hand, and in the dark room, only his outline could be vaguely seen.
"You like him a lot?"
"Yes, I like him very much."
Xie Shuci didn't know why he asked that question. He just wanted to talk to him. Even though his memory, age, and appearance were different, he was still Xie An, just the Xie An from when he was a child.
How much do you like it?
Xie Shuci glanced at him, unable to discern his expression, only a faint glimmer in his dark eyes. "Do you know what liking someone is?"
Xiao Xun lowered his eyes. "I don't know."
Xie Shuci looked at him curiously and asked, "Don't you have anything you like?"
Xiao Xun asked, "What is 'like'?"
Xie Shuci didn't know how to explain "like" to a little kid, so after a moment of thought, he said, "Let me give you an example. Some people like swords, so they become sword cultivators; some people like healing and saving lives, so they become alchemy cultivators; some people like freedom, so they cultivate the path of carefree wandering. Do you understand what I mean?"
He nodded and said, "Do whatever you like."
"Yes, that's pretty much the idea."
Xiao Xun lowered his head, tightened his thin chin, and said, "Does my cultivation of the Path of Slaughter mean I enjoy killing?"
Xie Shuci was taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
He had never thought about this question: Did Xie An cultivate the Path of Slaughter because he liked killing? He also didn't know why Xie An cultivated the Path of Slaughter.
To outsiders, the title of "Heavenly Saint Child" should be a very prestigious one. Why would Xiao Xun choose to cultivate the path of slaughter, which would lead to his expulsion by the Heavenly Dao?
Could he have been this bad from birth?
Xie Shuci turned to look at him and said softly, "Not necessarily. Tell me why you want to cultivate the Path of Slaughter, and I'll help you analyze it."
Xiao Xun said calmly, "Because I want to kill someone."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Such a simple and blunt reason.
Xie Shuci awkwardly ended the topic, afraid that if they continued, the little brat would suddenly blurt out, "I want to kill someone. Go find someone for me, or let me kill someone."
Xie Shuci curled his lip. "Alright, you've been sleeping for so long, aren't you hungry? There should still be some dry food on the ship."
"Do you prefer Xie An or my father?" Xiao Xun asked abruptly.
Xie Shuci said helplessly, "I like them both equally, and I can't say which is better."
Xiao Xun then asked, "What about compared to this dog?"
Xie Shuci didn't know why he asked so clearly, so he could only explain, "My liking for them is different from my liking for the King."
"What's different?"
Xie Shuci was truly at a loss with this kind of relentless pursuit of answers.
"Everywhere is different. You're too young to understand."
"If I don't understand, you can explain."
Xie Shuci never expected that Xie An wasn't quiet from a young age; he actually had a high thirst for knowledge. However, he didn't know how to distinguish his feelings for Xie An from his affection for the King.
He couldn't very well say, "I like Xie An the way your parents like you, and I like the King the way your parents like you," especially since this guy was still young. Xie Shuci didn't want to talk to him about these things.
"I can't explain it to you, it's impossible to explain clearly. Do you have this many problems at home too?"
Xie Shuci was simply asking a question; she had absolutely no other intentions and certainly didn't find him annoying.
But upon hearing his words, Xiao Xun lowered his head even further and said, "No."
Xie Shuci sensed that he was a little down, so she smiled and squeezed his arm. "What's wrong? Is nobody answering you at home?"
Xiao Xun didn't know the reason, but he felt very safe with Xie Shuci. After a long silence, seeing that Xie Shuci was still looking at him expectantly, he slowly said, "I can't speak at home."
Xie Shuci was taken aback. "Why?"
“They say I’m different from everyone else.”
"Them? Who? Are you crazy? How are you different from the others? What are they forbidding you from doing?" Xie Shuci asked, frowning.
Xiao Xun heard the indignation in Xie Shuci's voice, and he somewhat enjoyed the emotions Xie Shuci felt because of him.
He lowered his eyes, paused for a moment, and said, "They keep me locked up in one place, and only let me out when they need me."
Xie Shuci frowned even more deeply. "When will they need you?"
Xiao Xun said, "They have times when they are in trouble."
What do I need you to do?
"They need my help to solve this."
Xiao Xun stared at his fingers with his dark eyes and said, "They will kneel on the ground and beg me. I need to fulfill all their demands."
Like a cold Buddha statue, he needs no sound, no movement; he simply needs to sit obediently on the altar and fulfill their wishes.
What should be placed on the altar is a Buddha statue, not a person with thoughts and a soul.
Because Xie An represents half of the Heavenly Way, they hoped that he could be like the Heavenly Way, simply confined to the altar and accepting their prayers.
He is not a human being at all; he cannot have his own thoughts and can only be manipulated by them.
It is not a symbol of the Way of Heaven at all; it is more like... more like... a slave... driven by people's desires.
Would someone like Xie An willingly become someone else's slave?
No, absolutely not.
So he began to rebel? He rebelled against the laws of nature, and he rebelled against people's desires.
So he cultivated the path of slaughter; people wanted him to bear their hopes, so he personally tore their hopes to shreds.
Unorthodox or heretical?
This is not heresy at all.
This is... a complete destruction.
He was simply rebelling in a suicidal manner.
Xie Shuci felt a pang of sympathy.
From the moment he was born, he was forcibly placed on a pedestal.
Without thought, there is no freedom.
So what's so scary about death? What's so scary about disappearing? What's so scary about pain?
Would he willingly be controlled by others? Would he willingly become someone else's tool?
Xie Shuci gently stroked his temple, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, preventing him from saying any words of comfort.
Xie Shuci's fingers, still warm, touched his skin, giving Xiao Xun a strange feeling. He liked Xie Shuci being sad for him, and he also liked the way Xie Shuci looked at him intently.
He didn't know why; he simply craved Xie Shuci's warmth.
Perhaps it was to see Xie Shuci's concern for him, or perhaps he had never met anyone willing to listen to his thoughts.
He avoided Xie Shuci's starry eyes, his long eyelashes covering his eyelids, and said in a very calm tone, "I cultivated the path of slaughter, and they will not allow it."
Xie Shuci looked at him quietly, listening to his story, "What did they do to you?"
"Do you know what punishments sinners receive in hell after death, according to legend?" Xiao Xun looked up at him.
Xie Shuci felt as if a knife had ripped his heart open, and the pain, like peeling away layers of a cocoon, spread from his chest to every vein in his body. He seemed to have guessed something, yet he was afraid that his guess was true.
His jaw started trembling inexplicably, and he even hoped that Xiao Xun would stop talking.
Xiao Xun, however, seemed oblivious to his trembling and retreat.
He wanted Xie Shuci to feel sorry for him. He wanted to get what he wanted from Xie Shuci, and it was an emotion he had never experienced before. He said, "They said I was guilty, that I had violated the laws of heaven, and that I should be severely punished."
Xie Shuci's expression faltered, but he still tried his best to keep smiling. He was a little afraid to listen anymore, but he had to listen, he absolutely had to listen. He needed to know what his Xie An had gone through, and he wanted to remember it all.
"They pulled out my tongue, then used their spiritual power to restore it..."
He had barely uttered a single sentence when Xie Shuci could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
In the dim light, his teardrop resembled a dim star falling from the night sky, and Xiao Xun's voice suddenly stopped in his throat.
Xie Shuci wiped away her tears and asked, "What else did they do to you? Tell me."
Xie Shuci's voice became hoarse.
Xiao Xun just stared at him, disliking Xie Shuci's tears.
He wanted Xie Shuci to look at him with focused eyes, but he didn't want his eyes to well up with tears.
He shook his head, lowered his eyes, and said, "They didn't have time to do anything to me. You rescued me, didn't you?"
Xie Shuci felt as if he had been pricked by a needle. In his current memory, Xie Shuci had saved him, sparing him from those tortures. But what was the truth? When Xie An was nine years old, after deciding to cultivate the path of slaughter, how many methods did they use to stop him? To punish him?
He didn't even dare to think about it too deeply; if he did, he would feel a bone-scraping pain.
Xiao Xun disliked Xie Shuci's tears, but he liked the tears Xie Shuci shed for him.
He liked the down-to-earth quality about Xie Shuci, which was unlike anyone he had ever met before. Yet, even though this was the first day he had met Xie Shuci, he felt as if he knew him very well.
He raised his arm, his hand, which was two sizes smaller than Xie An's, and placed it on Xie Shuci's cheek. His cool fingers wiped away the tear stains on Xie Shuci's cheek, and as if possessed, he said, "Xie Shuci, can you like me as much as you like my father and Xie An?"
His gentle movements were like a comforting gesture. Xie Shuci felt a little embarrassed and pushed his hand away from her face, saying, "No, you're too young, but I can like you as much as I like the King."
Xiao Xun was a little unhappy. He glanced at the sleeping king on the ground, then looked at Xie Shuci, frowned slightly, and said, "Am I like a dog?"
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xie Shuci burst out laughing.
Looking at him, Xiao Xun suddenly realized that he preferred Xie Shuci's smile to Xie Shuci's tears and heartache.
In the dimly lit room, his eyes still glistened with tears, and he smiled, his eyes narrowing like crescent moons.
Xie Shuci raised her hand and ruffled his hair. "Then how about I like you a little more than it?"
His voice carried a faint smile, and Xiao Xun suddenly felt as if he were fighting with a dog for food. He lowered his head and remained silent.
But Xie Shuci deliberately teased him, relentlessly asking, "What's wrong? Say something, okay?"
Xiao Xun was only nine years old and couldn't stand being teased. His cheeks flushed, and he lowered his head, trying to speak, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
Xie Shuci couldn't help but find his reaction amusing. His little blind boy was quite cute when he was young, and he even knew how to be shy... Xie Shuci had never seen Xie An shy before. He usually looked very serious, but he had a lot of unserious tricks up his sleeve.
The more unfamiliar something is, the more novel and exciting it seems, and the more you want to see it.
He leaned down and nudged Xiao Xun's arm. "I'm asking you. Is it okay or not? If you don't say anything, I'll like it a little more than you."
Xiao Xun's face tightened. She looked up at Xie Shuci, then quickly looked away. "Hmm..."
"Huh?" Xie Shuci pretended not to hear. "What did you say?"
"Mmm." Xiao Xun's voice was a little louder.
"Huh? I didn't hear you clearly."
Xiao Xun: "..."
Even if Xiao Xun was stupid, he should have realized that Xie Shuci was deliberately teasing him, not to mention that he was not stupid to begin with.
He looked up and met Xie Shuci's smiling eyes, then angrily shoved Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci never expected that this little brat would be so strong. He pushed him off the bed and he landed on the floor with a thud.
"Ouch—" Xie Shuci hadn't even recovered from the fall during the day when she was hit again. "Why did you hit me so hard? I was just joking with you."
"Not funny."
Xie Shuci stood up while rubbing his bottom, muttering, "Not cute at all."
He walked to the king's side, used its tail to cushion the ground, and sat down with his back against its belly. Sensing the familiar presence approaching in his sleep, the king did not wake up, but instead habitually curled Xie Shuci up with its tail.
Xie Shuci said, "I won't hold it against you. Take a rest for the next couple of days, and then I'll take you out to play."
Where to go?
"A fun place."
After resting in the mountains for half a day, Xie Shuci and the King had almost recovered. Xie Shuci then put away the Divine Boat and took Xiao Xun and the King to a nearby town.
The town was not far from Jiyue City. Xie Shuci planned to buy some valuables, dry food, and maps in the town before taking the trade route to Tianzhu City.
In the cultivation world, there is trade between various states and countries. There is usually a road specifically for ordinary merchants to travel. The journey is a bit longer because it passes through many commercially developed towns and requires special travel permits. Only some institutions and fortresses will allow entry and exit.
Xie Shuci considered it for a moment. Although the trade route was winding and required changing travel permits at each fortress before reaching the next place, it was relatively safe. Those people would never have imagined that Xie Shuci and Xie An, two cultivators, would choose to leave via the trade route at such a critical moment.
However, obtaining the travel permits specifically for merchants was a problem for Xie Shuci.
He originally wanted to sneak into a caravan with Xiao Xun and leave, but the trade in the town was basically all with Jiyue City, and there were no caravans heading to Bianzhou. Xie Shuci could not return to Jiyue City, and there seemed to be no other towns nearby. Things suddenly reached a stalemate.
Without obtaining the travel permit, Xie Shuci could not risk taking Xiao Xun away directly.
After arranging his valuables and learning some information in the town, Xie Shuci didn't rush to leave. He followed Chu Guiyi's previous method of gathering intelligence, found a crowded teahouse, and sat down to see if he could find any opportunities.
However, he sat in the teahouse for half a day without finding out anything useful. On the contrary, the two of them were too conspicuous. The teahouse owner's granddaughter would run over to them from time to time and secretly touch the king.
When the king transforms into a puppy, he is adorable and very lovable. In addition, his likable personality means that when a stranger rubs the fur on his neck, he immediately squints his eyes familiarly and even goes further by snuggling into the stranger's arms.
The little girl was a bit timid at first, but seeing that the king was not afraid of strangers and was particularly attached to her, she relaxed and hugged the king into her arms.
The little king has grown quite a bit in its original form, and its cultivation seems to have improved as well. When it transforms into a puppy, it can freely change its size. It probably discovered that the puppy form is the most popular and the most comfortable to hold, so it simply transformed into the form of a puppy.
Xie Shuci saw it snuggling in the little girl's arms, licking her fingers and making her swoon, its tail practically wagging in the air.
"Uncle, what's its name?" the little girl asked with a smile.
Xie Shuci: "..."
Did he actually look like an uncle?
"Don't call me uncle, call me brother."
"Oh." The little girl nodded sweetly. "Brother!"
Xie Shuci was immediately in a good mood. "Its name is Great King."
The little girl immediately picked up the king, "Your Majesty?"
"Aww!"
"Your Majesty?"
"Aww!"
Xie Shuci looked at its fawning appearance and felt a deep sense of contempt.
Xie Shuci sat for a long time without any results. With the idea of trying anything as a last resort, he tapped the table with his finger to attract the little girl's attention. Xiao Xun, who was sitting opposite him, also looked over at him.
"Well... I have something to ask you," Xie Shuci said in a low voice.
The little girl asked in confusion, "What is it?"
Xie Shuci asked, "Are there any merchants in your town who are going to Bianzhou to buy things? Or anywhere near Bianzhou?"
The little girl said, "Bianzhou is so far away, no merchants here would go to Bianzhou to buy things."
"Is that so..." Xie Shuci sighed. It seemed there was really no other way. They could only go to the next place to see if there were any caravans going to Bianzhou.
Xiao Xun stared at him for a moment. When Xie Shuci was buying things, he asked the cloth shop owner for a long time about the trade route. Xiao Xun roughly understood the situation and knew what Xie Shuci was planning. He directly asked the girl, "Can I buy a trade route pass?"
The young girl looked at Xiao Xun for a moment, then nodded and said, "Sure, my grandpa sells them for fifty taels, and they even have a stamp on them."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Damn, I forgot about that!
As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. With enough money, how could you not buy a simple travel permit?
After an incense stick had burned, the teahouse owner handed Xie Shuci a document and a token.
Xie Shuci held it in his hand and sighed, "This is the power of money!"
After obtaining the travel permit, Xie Shuci prepared to leave the town with himself and his dog.
The King and Xiao Xun were the key contributors to his obtaining the travel permit. When they passed by a meat bun shop, Xie Shuci bought each of them a large meat bun. However, Xiao Xun was extremely disgusted with it. After Xie Shuci used a series of methods, including coercion, enticement, and feigning pitifulness, he took a bite of the large meat bun. It was probably the first time he had eaten this kind of food, and he frowned for a long time before swallowing it.
How does it taste?
"Mm." Xiao Xun nodded.
The two people and their dog walked toward the town's exit, where they could see a large crowd gathered.
Xie Shuci curiously stepped forward, but with so many people surrounding him, he couldn't see what was inside at all.
He patted a passerby next to him and asked, "What's going on?"
A passerby said, "Not long ago, someone from Jiyue City sent a portrait of Xie Shuci, saying that he had protected the criminal Xiao Xun and that he had escaped. Now many immortal sects and families are tracking down their whereabouts."
Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then immediately covered his face with his hands, leaving only his eyes showing. "Whose portrait is this?!"
"It is said that Xie Shuci was written by Old Master Meng, who is the only one who has seen Xie Shuci up close."
Damn! Old Meng?!
The reason he was so confident that he didn't even cover his face was because he was certain that they didn't have his portrait. How did he end up being betrayed by his cheap master?
It's all over... We can't even leave the town now...
"To be honest, Xie Shuci's appearance has nothing to do with what is described in the Strange Tales. He's too ugly."
Xie Shuci: "?"
"Who's ugly? Who are you calling ugly? Say it again!"
No one has ever said Xie Shuci is ugly since I was a child!
"Tsk, you don't like him too, do you? There was a girl who really liked him just now, she almost fainted when she saw his portrait. Look, see for yourself."
Nonsense! How could he believe that?! While he might not be the most handsome man in the world, he certainly couldn't be ugly, right?
Passersby made way for him, and Xie Shuci gestured for Xiao Xun and the King to wait a moment before squeezing into the crowd.
A passerby pointed to a portrait on the wall and said, "Look at it yourself. I'd be giving him too much credit if I said it was ugly."
Xie Shuci gritted his teeth, thinking to himself, "You're the ugly one, your whole family is ugly, and I don't know what I look like."
He looked in the direction the passerby was pointing and saw the portrait on the wall.
Xie Shuci stared at it for a moment, expressionless. Who the hell is this?
He thought he was seeing things, rubbed his eyes, and continued looking—"Ugh!"
It's so ugly!
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