Xie Shuci, sensing his unpleasant tone, wisely shook his head.
"It's not fun, there's nothing fun about it. There's a candied hawthorn stall up ahead, do you want some? I'll go buy you one," Xie Shuci said with an awkward smile, changing the subject.
"No need."
Xie Shuci nodded, "There's more over there..."
"You should buy it for that girl; it's only fair to reciprocate."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Xie Shuci's face fell. "Oh, I was really just joking. Please believe me a little."
"Don't you need to reflect on yourself?" Xie An's smile didn't reach his eyes.
Xie Shuci hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, of course I must reflect on myself."
After watching the excitement to their hearts' content, Chu Guiyi and his companion walked over to Xie Shuci and his companion and said with a light laugh, "Shuci, there's a teahouse up ahead. Let's go in and have a seat, and while we're at it, let's find out which other immortal sects have come besides us."
Xie Shuci nodded and said, "Okay."
Because there are too many cultivators from all walks of life gathered in Jiyue City, the city is under very strict security. Although the Meng family is the number one alchemy family, it does not only have alchemy disciples. There are also many disciples with profound cultivation. Meng family disciples can be seen patrolling the streets from time to time.
After all, although alchemists have a high status, it is well known that alchemists are the cultivators who are closest to ordinary people among all cultivators.
Upon arriving at the teahouse, Xie Shuci requested a private room, but Chu Guiyi refused.
As the saying goes, wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue. Not to mention that this place is a gathering place for cultivators from all walks of life in the cultivation world. It's hard to guarantee that no one will take advantage of the chaos to do something. It's not uncommon for this to happen before. Therefore, Chu Guiyi suggested that they stay in the main hall to make it easier to find out what's going on.
Chu Guiyi was always meticulous, and the other three had no objections, so they found a seat by the window in the lobby.
"Gentlemen, what would you like to drink or eat?" the waiter asked.
"Just bring out two pots of tea and some pastries."
"Alright, please wait a moment, sir." The waiter replied and then left.
Xie Shuci and the blind man sat in a corner of the lobby, where they could easily see everything happening in the lobby.
Clearly, many people shared the same thought, dressed in casual clothes and unwilling to reveal their identities for the time being. There were more than a dozen tables of people sitting in the hall. Xie Shuci could sense that they were almost all cultivators. They seemed to be chatting casually with others, but in fact, they were paying close attention to their surroundings.
Chu Guiyi lowered his voice and said, "Shuci, remember, do not take out the token given to you by the Meng family before revealing your identity."
Xie Shuci asked in confusion, "Why?"
Chu Guiyi explained, "In this auction, the Meng family only needs to submit their bidding paddles. No matter who ends up with the paddle, as long as they have the token, they can enter the auction venue smoothly."
Xie Shuci nodded in understanding. "I understand. So, the auction only recognizes the nameplate, not the person?"
“That’s right. The Meng family ranks fourth among the Hundred Sects. Once, at an auction, they sent their token to the Xiaoyao Sect, which ranks third. However, the Xiaoyao Sect disciple lost the token and traveled all the way to Jiyue City. Even though he showed his inner disciple token to prove his identity, he still couldn’t enter the auction venue.”
Xie Shuci was speechless. "They even dare to offend the Xiaoyao Sect? The main branch of the Xiaoyao Sect is located in the Floating Pagoda Realm."
Chu Guiyi explained, "The Floating Pagoda Realm and the Cultivation Realm have long been separated. The conflicts between the various immortal sects in the Cultivation Realm cannot be interfered with by the main sects within the Floating Pagoda Realm, otherwise they will be expelled from the Floating Pagoda Realm by the Fate Pavilion."
Hearing this, Chu Wenfeng scoffed and said, "Of course the Meng family is not afraid of offending the Xiaoyao Sect. Although the Meng family ranks fourth among the Hundred Sects, seventy percent of the top-grade and best-grade pills in the cultivation world come from the Meng family. It's not that the Meng family doesn't dare to offend the Xiaoyao Sect, but that even if the Xiaoyao Sect loses face, they can only grit their teeth and swallow it. The Meng family can't afford to offend them."
Xie Shuci nodded as if he understood, "So, the Meng family's rule of recognizing only tokens and not people must be followed even by the number one immortal family among the hundred sects?"
"That's right."
When Xie Shuci raised his head and looked at the other people in the hall, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"So, the cultivators who came to Jiyue City didn't necessarily receive tokens from the Meng family; they might have come to steal tokens from other people?"
"Yes, the Meng family never discloses to the outside world who they will hand over their tokens to; everything depends on the cultivators who ultimately participate in the auction."
Xie Shuci clutched his small pouch tightly, saying nervously, "Wouldn't it be more dangerous to expose my identity sooner?"
“That’s right. Before the auction begins, most cultivators, even if they reveal their identities, will not reveal whether they have received a token from the Meng family, nor will they enter the residences arranged by the Meng family.”
Entering the accommodations arranged for them by the Meng family would be tantamount to publicly revealing that they had a badge on their person.
Xie Shuci was a little surprised and said, "Is it not safe to stay in the place they arranged?"
Chu Wenfeng rolled his eyes at him. "Are you stupid? No matter how high the status of the Meng family is, they are still a family of alchemists. If someone is really so heartless as to attack them, even if they can resist, they won't be able to resist for long, let alone protect other cultivators. Some people don't dare to offend the Meng family, so why would they be afraid to offend others? If they stay in the place arranged by the Meng family, wouldn't that be telling others, 'I'm a target, come and shoot me'?"
Xie Shuci, unusually, didn't argue with him and nodded in agreement, "That makes sense. Luckily, I didn't give them the token directly just now."
Chu Guiyi smiled and said, "But not everyone will deliberately hide the fact that they have the Meng family token."
"Huh? No way, are there really people this arrogant?" Xie Shuci said incredulously. If it were him, he would definitely wait until the day the auction started before entering the venue with his token.
Chu Wenfeng pouted and said, "Xie Shuci, have you been kneeling for too long and can't stand up anymore?"
"You... don't fucking use my words to insult me."
Chu Wenfeng ignored him and continued, "Not everyone is as timid as you. If people knew that those prominent immortal sects held tokens but dared not reveal their identities beforehand, how embarrassing would that be? Besides, some proud cultivators wouldn't bother to hide."
"Then you two..." Xie Shuci looked at the two of them suspiciously.
Chu Guiyi chuckled softly, "I don't care about these things."
Chu Wenfeng said, "My senior brother and I didn't originally intend to hide our identities, but we have you two as a burden. My senior brother and I aren't afraid of anything, but you two are a different story. I'm really afraid that if you see a robbery, you'll be eager to throw the things away. It would be so embarrassing if word got out."
Xie Shuci was not angry after hearing this. Instead, he sighed deeply and said, "Good brothers, you are really my good brothers. If you had left me and the little blind man here, we would have been stripped naked within a day."
Xie An pursed his lips upon hearing this, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't.
Chu Guiyi paused for a moment, then gave Xie An a meaningful look, “Not entirely.”
"Awooo!"
The king, who had been obediently lying on the ground, barked twice.
No, baby will protect you from falling!
Xie Shuci always kept in mind his identity as the king. Seeing this, he patted the dog's head and said in a low voice, "You are not allowed to use your spiritual power in front of outsiders, understand?"
"Aww..." The king always listened to Xie Shuci's every word.
The king's identity is special; if it were exposed here, it's easy to imagine how many people would target it.
Chu Wenfeng said in surprise, "Xie Shuci, when did you become so self-aware?"
Xie Shuci rolled her eyes at him and said, "I did have one before, but I was just concerned about saving face."
"Don't you care about saving face now?"
Xie Shuci shook her head. "No, thank you."
This world is different from the one he lived in. In his original world, he didn't have to pay any price to occasionally show his male pride. But in the cultivation world, the price of saving face is too high. He could really die, and he could really bleed.
Chu Guiyi frowned, her expression turning serious, as if she had just remembered something. "Shu Ci."
Xie Shuci looked up and saw his serious expression, so she frowned. "What's wrong?"
Do you still remember Sun Xiaohu?
Xie Shuci paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and said, "I remember, the person whose golden core was destroyed by Xiao Wenzi in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm."
Chu Guiyi nodded and said, "That's right. The Sun family disciples had been trapped in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm for a long time. Not long ago, Senior Banxia opened the secret realm and released them. I'm worried that they will take this opportunity to come to Jiyue City to seek a way to restore their Golden Core."
Xie Shuci asked, puzzled, "Let him come. He's just an ordinary person anyway, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Chu Guiyi said, "Sun Xiaohu saw you outside the Dragon Fang Secret Realm. At that time, you did not have the Great King by your side. Other disciples of the Sun family also saw the Great King in the secret realm. Now that it has come to the cultivation world with you, I am worried that they will guess the Great King's origin and may take action against it."
Xie Shuci waved his hand and said, "It's alright. He's just like Xie An now, maybe even a little more powerful than Xie An. He can't do anything to the King."
Chu Guiyi frowned even more deeply and said, "Shuci, if it were only the Sun family, I would naturally not be worried. However, this is Jiyue City, where cultivators from all states gather. If he were to tell others about the King's background, it might cause some trouble."
Xie Shuci was stunned upon hearing this.
He looked down at the king at his feet. If other cultivators knew the king's identity... he knew very well how capable he was, and he would definitely not be able to protect the king.
Let alone protecting the king, he wouldn't even have the slightest chance to fight back. This little guy might be much stronger than him and could even escape on his own. In the end, he and Xie An would just become a burden to it.
As Chu Guiyi spoke, there was a probing undertone in his voice, and his gaze would occasionally drift toward Xie An.
Now that Chu Guiyi had guessed Xie An's identity, she couldn't help but be wary of him.
Although he couldn't say for sure whether Xie An was good or bad, he certainly wouldn't let his guard down around such a dangerous person.
Xie An listened to his words, but his expression remained largely unchanged.
Unable to discern his attitude towards the matter from his expression, Chu Guiyi had no choice but to look away, sighing inwardly. This man was truly difficult to fathom.
However, whatever his purpose in staying by Shuci's side, if he harbored any intention to harm Shuci and the King, he likely wouldn't have allowed them to live this long. Moreover, given his current relationship with Shuci…
Chu Guiyi did not believe that he would really suffer a qi deviation and lose his cultivation. If he were here, there would be no need to worry about the lives of Shuci and the King.
"What should we do then?"
Xie Shuci asked nervously, bending down to hug the Great King, looking around warily, afraid that Sun Xiaohu would jump out from some corner and point at the Great King, saying, "It's a spirit beast, everyone hurry up and get its inner core."
The king looked at him blankly, "Huh?"
What is Diedie afraid of? Baby is very strong now, and can protect Diedie.
Xie An, who had remained silent until now, spoke calmly: "Just leave it on the ship."
Xie Shuci was taken aback. "Oh, right!"
The King: "..."
It understands this sentence perfectly.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
No! Baby wants to stay with Daddy! Don't go back to the ship!
Xie Shuci pressed down on its paw with one hand, "It's too dangerous outside. Go back and play with the crane. I'll bring you some delicious food later."
"Awooo!"
No! Baby won't go back!
The little guy, Da Wang, has grown quite a bit in this period of time. He bounced around in Xie Shuci's arms, protesting vigorously, and Xie Shuci almost couldn't hold him down.
"Awooo..."
The king was throwing a tantrum at Xie Shuci when it suddenly felt a chill approaching. Then, it was lifted by the back of its neck, its body lifted into the air, and then landed in a cold embrace.
The king immediately dared not move, his round eyes timidly glancing up at the top of his head.
Xie Shuci was kicked twice, and his wrist was scratched by its claws, and blood was oozing out.
"Damn it! You're still kicking me with the same force as before? Don't you know you've gained a few pounds?"
Xie Shuci gasped; he had always been most afraid of pain.
The king used to love to whine and jump around in his arms, but back then it was small and it didn't bother him much. But now it's grown several sizes bigger and its claws have become very sharp.
Seeing that Diedie had been scratched by him, the Great King whimpered and nervously tried to snuggle closer to Xie Shuci, "Aww..."
Are you alright, Diedie?
It had only gotten halfway there when it suddenly felt the hand gripping the back of its neck tighten. The king froze, and it raised its head in a daze, glancing at its mother's face. Its mother's lips were tightly pressed together, and her gaze was fixed on Xie Shuci's wrist, which had been scratched.
The king's breath caught in his throat, and he dared not move an inch from his mother.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, I've made Mom angry.
The king leaned against his mother's chest, barely daring to breathe, and worried about Diedie's wound, so he secretly glanced at Diedie.
"Ouch..." Baby knows she was wrong, please forgive her!
Xie An gripped the scruff of its neck with one hand, his tone inscrutable and tinged with a hint of danger, and said, "You seem quite dissatisfied?"
The king knew these words were directed at it, and it practically shook its head like a rattle-drum, "Awooo..."
Satisfied, very satisfied.
Waaaaah... Mommy is so scary!
Even though the baby scratched Diedie first, the baby didn't do it on purpose, so can you please not be so mean!
"Ouch..." Are you alright, Diedie?
Xie Shuci turned around and saw the little guy looking worried and guilty. He rubbed its head and said, "It's too dangerous here. I can't protect you. Go back to the ship and stay there. I'll let you out in a couple of days."
"Awooo." The king responded, gently placing its paw on Xie Shuci's arm, its expression somewhat uneasy.
Are you alright, Diedie?
Xie Shuci chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm a cultivator, I'll be alright in a bit."
"Aww." The king nodded obediently.
Xie Shuci asked the waiter to lead him to an empty room, then dismissed the waiter. He activated the divine vessel, transforming it into a small boat, and placed the Great King inside. Before leaving, the Great King looked at him with reluctance. Xie Shuci suddenly felt that it was a bit like a left-behind child, and waved his hand, saying, "Go back and play with Brother Crane. Don't be naughty, understand?"
"Aww..." Baby knows, you need to come back to pick up baby soon.
Xie Shuci retrieved the Shenzhou spacecraft, pushed open the door, and went out.
When he returned to the main hall, a storyteller had appeared there at some point and was telling a story incessantly. Xie Shuci overheard a few lines as he passed by; it was probably a poignant love story.
For some reason, the cultivators in the hall listened very attentively, and several sentimental girls even had tears in their eyes.
Xie Shuci found it somewhat amusing and walked back to Xie An and the other two. He asked curiously, "What is he talking about? Why are you all listening so attentively?"
Chu Guiyi glanced at him, raised his teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Just some fabricated stories."
Xie Shuci didn't take it too seriously and said with a smile, "What's so interesting about a fabricated story?"
Chu Wenfeng smiled maliciously and said, "So what if it's a fabricated story? Didn't you read it yourself the whole way?"
"..." Xie Shuci pouted, with an expression that said he would never admit it, "Don't insult my character."
He walked over to Xie An, sat down, and nudged him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't listen to them, I'm not that kind of person."
Xie An smiled meaningfully and said, "I know you like reading stories about little monks."
Xie Shuci: "..."
No, you obviously don't know.
After Xie Shuci sat down and drank a cup of tea, he listened as the storyteller vividly recounted the plot of the story.
But the more I listen, the more familiar it seems, yet the more something feels off.
When the storyteller reads out the name of a certain alchemist and tells the story of the love-hate entanglement between a certain alchemist and a certain young man, there is actually not much entanglement. It is just that he runs away and he chases, and he can't escape even if he has wings.
"Unfortunately, Xie Shuci was indulging in pleasure at a brothel when the Xie family patriarch sent men to find him, arrest him, and punish him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall. Who would have thought that this seemingly cold and aloof young man would actually bring him food every day..."
Xie Shuci's face turned pale. He said the plot seemed so familiar because it was the same book he had read before.
As the story progressed, the others in the hall listened intently, occasionally letting out sighs of regret or exclamations of joy in sync with the plot's twists and turns. Only Chu Wenfeng, sitting opposite Xie Shuci, kept giggling and couldn't stop.
Xie Shuci covered her ears with her hands, glared at him, then nudged Xie An's shoulder and said, "Quickly plug your ears, don't listen, don't taint your pure heart."
Xie An: "..."
Chu Wenfeng laughed so hard he could hardly breathe. "No way! It's so new and exciting! The people have gone to great lengths to write stories just for you. You should listen to them more often."
Chu Guiyi smiled and comforted him, "Shuci, you don't need to take it to heart. It's just that the people love and respect you."
"Love me?" Xie Shuci pouted, thinking to himself, if he loves me, then let him be on top. If he can't have me in real life, he can still have me in a storybook.
When the story reached the part where the two were "loving each other" in the ancestral hall, gasps of surprise rang out in the hall, accompanied by some shy laughter.
Xie Shuci covered his ears tightly and lay face down on the table, his body almost shrinking under the table.
The experience of reading a storybook alone is obviously different from listening to it with a group of people.
Although the storyteller described the story verbatim, it was pretty close to the truth. Xie Shuci's cheeks burned as he listened. During the conversation, he secretly glanced at Xie An, who, as another protagonist in the story, was clearly much calmer than Xie Shuci.
Holding a half-full cup of tea, gently swaying it, she listened to the storyteller's melodious voice, occasionally revealing a mysterious smile, seemingly listening intently.
"Is it that nice to listen to?" Xie Shuci muttered.
"Let's learn from it."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Without a word, he scrambled up, covered Xie An's ears with both hands, and angrily said, "What are you learning? What's so good about it? His behavior is not something to be encouraged, do you know that?"
Xie An pulled his hand away from his ear and said with a smile, "Didn't you think I was boring? I'll learn from him."
"You're talking nonsense! When have I ever looked down on you?"
"Although you didn't say it, that's what you were thinking."
"Don't talk nonsense, I never thought that way."
"Yeah."
After exchanging a few words with the little blind man, he managed to divert his attention from the storyteller.
Xie Shuci felt like he was sitting on pins and needles in the teahouse, finally enduring until the storyteller struck the gavel and the next chapter began.
"This story is too outrageous," Xie Shuci exclaimed.
"What's so outrageous? Outrageous because you've misunderstood your brotherhood?" Chu Wenfeng sneered.
Xie Shuci said, "That's one point."
"And the second one?"
"Secondly, the premise is a bit too outrageous. Even if Xie An and I had some kind of... you know... relationship, shouldn't it be me forcing him? Don't you think so?"
Chu Wenfeng curled his lip, "That makes some sense, but the storyteller wasn't talking about you deliberately seducing him, and then..."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Xie Shuci jumped up from the stool as soon as he heard the word "seduce," and tried to cover Chu Wenfeng's mouth.
Chu Wenfeng acted swiftly, pressing down on his forehead, "Can't I even talk?"
"That's made up! How could I possibly do such a thing!"
"Shh!" Chu Wenfeng pressed him back down. "Keep your voice down, aren't you afraid of being exposed?"
Xie Shuci shrank back, quickly covered his mouth, and nervously looked around. Fortunately, the hall was bustling with people, most of whom were discussing storybooks, and no one noticed them.
Xie An lowered his eyes, his gaze unfocused. "You're right, you won't do that."
"A story is just a story, it shouldn't be taken seriously. If this were real, you probably wouldn't let me touch it at all."
Xie Shuci: "..."
He spoke with such conviction, his self-deprecating tone and downcast expression making it seem as if he had suffered a great injustice. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Xie Shuci was a heartless man.
Xie Shuci looked at him speechlessly. This guy liked to play the victim, and Xie Shuci actually fell for it.
"Xie An, how could you say such a thing? Search your conscience, when have I ever not gone along with you?"
Xie An pursed his lips. "It's different."
“What’s different?”
"It's different everywhere."
"Please be more specific."
Xie An tightened his lips and said, half-jokingly, "I haven't done any of the things he did to you."
"Then wasn't he making it up?"
Chu Wenfeng rested his chin on his hand, watching the two people opposite him with great interest, thinking to himself that these two really didn't bother to hide anything at all.
"Have you heard that the Meng family has already submitted a bid for Xie Shuci to participate in the auction?" In the bustling hall, someone uttered these words, and the hall fell into an eerie silence.
Xie Shuci was stunned and looked at the person who had spoken.
In the lobby, everyone's eyes fell on that person.
Whatever their reasons for gathering here, the tokens and the auction are very sensitive topics for them.
The speaker was an ordinary-looking male cultivator who probably didn't expect his words to attract so much attention. When all eyes were on him, the cultivators sitting at the same table with him gripped their swords tightly, and the previously harmonious atmosphere in the hall was instantly shattered.
The air in the lobby grew thin; no one dared to make a move, and everyone was wary of each other.
No one broke the silence first; no one wanted to attract too much attention before the auction began.
"Oh, sir, your snacks..."
The waiter, unaware of the situation, ran in from the backyard. Seeing the silence in the main hall, he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to continue forward.
However, the arrival of the waiter broke the eerie tranquility of the lobby.
"What's so strange about that? Xie Shuci is young and promising, and he and the Meng family are both alchemists. Maybe they want to win him over."
"Yes, I'd like to meet this legendary knight-errant."
The hall instantly returned to its noisy state, and many cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Shuci huddled in the corner, shook his head, and said, "How scary."
They appeared to have returned to normal, but in reality, everyone remained extremely vigilant, as if a fight could break out at the slightest mishap.
“No one here knows the other’s background,” Chu Guiyi said.
Xie Shuci leaned against Xie An, whose long arms half-embraced him, a posture that made him feel very safe.
Xie Shuci sighed, feeling the atmosphere in the lobby was oppressive. He leaned his head against the windowsill, watching the crowds on the street, and suddenly regretted coming to join in the fun.
"Sigh." Xie Shuci sighed deeply.
He raised his eyes, and suddenly several familiar figures appeared in his line of sight.
Xie Shuci rubbed his eyes and suddenly sat up straight.
"What's wrong?" Xie An asked, frowning.
Xie Shuci stared in disbelief at the several cultivators who were walking slowly down the street.
Not far away, the leader of the group of cultivators by the roadside turned his head and, as if guided by some unseen force, looked directly at Xie Shuci.
The two looked at each other and were both startled.
Xie Shuci: "Senior Brother?!"
Cultivator: "..."
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