Chapter 16: The father-son bond is weak, the boy is depicted in the painting...
The governor's mansion, the study in the main courtyard.
The man sat upright in a blue robe, with a few white hairs at his temples, clearly indicating that he was over forty. From a distance, he appeared as sharp and sturdy as a blue stone, exuding a mature and dignified air, yet also carrying a sense of tranquility.
It would be vulgar to talk about his appearance at this age; judging from his demeanor, he seems more like a refined and noble elder than a governor of a prefecture.
The steward stepped forward respectfully, bowing his head, and said, "Sir, Deputy Envoy Bai of the Demon Suppression Pavilion requested an audience earlier, but left upon hearing that you were on official business. As for the young master..."
Shen Mushan put down the book in his hand, raised his eyes, and asked in a calm tone, "Has Zhang Xuan returned?"
The butler looked troubled and shook his head helplessly.
Shen Mushan smiled silently. As expected of Zhang Xingwen's only son, he was reckless and brainless, just like his father.
He glanced at the sky outside the window; the sun had already set, and night was approaching.
“Tell Bai Lang that I will give them an explanation.”
Shen Mushan picked up his pen and continued his annotations. The ink lightly soaked the paper, the pages rustled as they turned, accompanied by his indifferent tone.
"Withdraw our people. Don't worry about what happens at the Four Seasons Inn tonight."
The butler was not surprised, bowed his head in agreement, and silently left the study.
No one was allowed to serve the governor in his study. After the steward left, Shen Mushan would sit alone in the study, handling official business in the quiet solitude, just like the bright moon hanging high in the sky at this moment, where all was silent and still.
A gentle evening breeze swept by, and moonlight entered the courtyard at some unknown time, illuminating the stillness. The courtyard, though in all four seasons, seemed deathly silent.
Inside the room, the young man stared silently at the painting before him.
The scroll was not particularly ornate; the paper was slightly yellowed, and it looked old but not decayed.
On the scroll, a woman smiles gently.
The painting was superb; the woman, dressed in purple, was depicted with lifelike detail and posture, her gentle smile making her seem as if she were a real person right before one's eyes.
It is worth mentioning that she was not a beautiful woman; in any case, she was of ordinary appearance. However, the woman's eyes were full of gentleness, like a galaxy, which attracted attention.
Outside the painting, a tall, handsome young man stood silently, gazing at the artwork.
Shen Dongsheng resembled his father and was born with a handsome appearance. Unfortunately, at this moment, he was restless and quietly faced the painting, leaving only a sense of vicissitude.
Time was almost up, Shen Dongsheng thought.
He thought for a moment and decided to release the person in the painting. The woman in the painting had an accident last night, and tonight—
"Knock knock—"
The study door was knocked twice very politely.
Shen Dongsheng was startled. He said in a deep voice, "Didn't I say no one is allowed to come in—"
"Bang--"
The door was kicked open, and a girl in red clapped her hands. She turned to face Shen Dongsheng, the moonlight shining and the evening breeze lifting her skirt.
The girl slightly raised her chin, exuding an arrogant and unrestrained air from the bottom of her being.
Her red lips parted slightly, her tone calm yet laced with murderous intent.
"Your painting is very interesting, I'll take it."
...
Let's go back half an hour.
Are you sure this is the place?
Qingyu felt a little embarrassed looking at Qin Tianshu sneaking around. She looked at the courtyard in front of her and thought it was quite interesting.
I really like the spacious and empty courtyard; it's nice and convenient.
Qin Tianshu nodded, his gaze still fixed cautiously on the surroundings of the courtyard.
Qingyu tilted her head, her eyes full of confusion, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's charge in!"
Qin Tianshu hissed, then shook his hand and muttered angrily, "You witch! This is the governor's mansion, what are you thinking! Show some respect for human rules!"
Wen Chuan looked at Qin Tianshu, "You mean, we should try diplomacy first, then resort to force?"
Qingyu responded with an "Oh," nodded, and stepped forward blatantly, saying, "I understand."
Qin Tianshu: It's not about what you said about "courtesy first, then force," it's not about what she knows.
Qingyu strolled leisurely into the courtyard. A servant saw her and prepared to stop her and call for help, but she waved her hand, preventing anyone from making a sound.
Wen Chuan followed behind her, smiling, and helped her along the way.
Qin Tianshu opened his mouth slightly and leaned closer to Wen Chuan, "This is too conspicuous. My original intention was to sneak in secretly. Besides, this isn't the way to start with politeness before resorting to force."
Wen Chuan turned his head slightly to look at him, and the white-robed youth spoke gently, "Just knocking them unconscious is our way of showing our sincerity before we begin our ceremony."
The implication is that we will not kill them; we will reason with them.
Qingyu, who was moving freely ahead, couldn't help but laugh when she heard their words behind her. In the end, whether human or demon, as long as you have enough strength, who cares how you came here?
She turned around, and the girl, dressed in a shimmering red dress, looked flamboyant and arrogant under the moonlight.
"Let alone the three of us here, even if one of us comes out alone, we can still turn this governor's mansion upside down—who cares about demons or evil cultivators, we'll find out everything after a fight."
Wen Chuan followed her slowly, smiling gently as his eyes followed Qing Yu. It seemed that traveling wasn't so bad; at least he could see some beautiful scenery.
Qin Tianshu opened his fan and looked at them (including himself) who were swaggering around as if strolling in a garden. Then he looked at the servants and guards on the ground. He took a deep breath. This was improper and disgraceful.
The scholar shook his head and waved his fan, then his expression changed and his tone became calm.
“What you say makes sense. Come on, let’s walk this way.”
As the moonlight shifted, the three entered the study in the Four Seasons Courtyard.
The night was as dark as ink, and moonlight streamed into the room, illuminating the firefly-like candlelight on the table, but it paled in comparison to the silvery light illuminating the three boys.
Shen Dongsheng looked at the three people in front of him and sneered.
"You three seem to be in a good mood, trying to snatch someone's painting in the middle of the night. I'm afraid that's not a good idea!"
The leader, Qingyu, did not continue forward. She simply let out a soft "heh." The moonlight gently swayed the girl's crimson skirt, but she tilted her head slightly, her expression calm yet revealing a hidden murderous intent beneath her smile.
"It is an honor for you that I have come to ask for it in person."
Shen Dongsheng was deeply shocked as he looked at the scene he would never forget in his life.
The girl in red spoke arrogantly, her murderous aura revealing her inherent arrogance and confidence. Yet, at this moment, she smiled, her slightly raised eyebrows even carrying a hint of innocence.
The two boys behind her also appeared relaxed. The boy in white remained silent, simply watching her with a composed expression, the gentleness in his eyes seeming more like absolute contempt.
And that scholar in blue robes leisurely walked to the table and started flipping through books, leaving only his back view and not even glancing in his direction!
This scene made Shen Dongsheng's heart sink.
They are definitely not from the Demon Suppression Pavilion; it was Zhang Xuan who brought this trouble!
"To be honest, because of all this mess, I haven't had a proper meal yet, and I'm really unhappy..."
Qingyu looked up at Shen Dongsheng, speaking slowly as she turned her delicate hand.
"Let's cut to the chase and just tell us what we want. Will you give it to us or not?"
Ancient and simple patterns appeared and disappeared beneath Shen Dongsheng's feet. A red array had been activated, and the killing intent materialized, entangling Shen Dongsheng and rendering him unable to move.
Shen Dongsheng suddenly burst into laughter, while Qingyu frowned and lightly raised her fingertips.
"Pfft—" The young man instantly spat out a mouthful of blood. Qingyu sighed. He was indeed a cultivator, but he was so weak. She twitched her fingertips slightly, and the red spiritual energy fluctuations became more and more obvious.
"Just say what you have to say. Your sudden laughter almost startled me."
Shen Dongsheng clutched his chest, the red array light swirling around him. He felt as if his internal organs were being compressed by a force, a pain and despair that arose from within!
He couldn't hold it in and vomited some blood again, so you were almost scared and you were about to kill me?
The young man casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and for a moment his white clothes were stained with blood, his lips were bright red, which added a touch of beauty to his already handsome face.
He mustered his strength to consider the situation, then frowned, clutching his chest. He weakly gazed at the powerful girl in red before him, his eyes filled with helplessness and pain. He spoke softly…
"etc."
Qingyu stared intently at the handsome but frail young man in white. Suddenly, the girl smiled faintly, looked at Wen Chuan, and spoke with a curious tone.
"You'll vomit blood for me sometime, and your white clothes will be stained with blood. You'll look even better then."
Shen Dongsheng: "..."
Wen Chuan: "..."
Qin Tianshu, who was flipping through a book behind him: "..."
"Don't rush to refuse, wait until I'm done with my work—"
Qingyu stopped Wen Chuan from speaking. She turned to face Shen Dongsheng, raised her hand slightly, and spoke with a smile.
"You still haven't said whether you're going to give me the painting or not. If you don't—I'm going to kill you."
Shen Dongsheng: "...Even if I give it to you, you still can't save Zhang Xuan."
He paused, then hesitantly added, "...And the chicken?"
Qingyu raised an eyebrow and slightly lowered her fingertips. Only then did Shen Dongsheng feel that the powerful oppressive feeling in his body had subsided somewhat. The girl spoke up, "Explain yourself clearly."
“He can’t explain it clearly,” Qin Tianshu, who was flipping through a book behind him, suddenly said.
He casually picked up a book from the table, turned around, and still didn't give Shen Dongsheng a single glance, only quietly flipping through the contents of the book.
"He probably didn't even understand the mystery of the painting himself; he just used it as a container."
Wen Chuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing his words, "A container is probably not the right word. He should have figured out a path of unorthodox cultivation on his own."
Shen Dongsheng, who was still coughing up blood, seemed to be provoked by Qin Tianshu and Wen Chuan's words. He stared at them intently, his eyes bloodshot.
"A vessel? A heretical cultivator? Does it matter as long as the goal is achieved?"
His eyes were red as he smiled at Qingyu, who was still confused at the head of the group.
"You're so strong at such a young age, you must have suffered a lot. I just want to ask you, along the way, have you ever lost anyone who was very important to you?"
The young man clutched his chest, trying to walk toward them, but he was trapped by Qingyu's formation and could not move. He struggled with a low laugh, but tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
Qingyu hadn't felt anything before, but now she truly sensed a trace of pain in the young man before her. She sighed, neither withdrawing the formation nor answering Shen Dongsheng's question, but simply raised her head slightly to look at Wen Chuan.
Wen Chuan lowered his eyes. "The deaths of the victims in these cases are all quite unusual. Three were missing arms, and two were missing legs. I suspect that he couldn't find suitable bodies, so he had to keep killing people to obtain fresh body parts, which he then refined and pieced together to cultivate—"
He paused for a moment, then spoke, "The method of resurrecting a substitute."
Qin Tianshu sighed softly, "In this world, apart from ghost cultivators, all things enter the cycle of reincarnation after death. Even if the body is reborn, it's just a dream in the Yellow Springs. The soul of this life has long since left. Where is there any rebirth or resurrection?"
Shen Dongsheng, struggling within the formation, looked at them. The young man's eyes were lifeless and expressionless. "How will you know if you don't try?"
Qingyu took a deep breath, feeling a headache coming on. People who insist on things are the hardest to persuade; they won't turn back until you try a thousand times. Besides, he had already committed murder and was beyond redemption.
She closed her eyes and said, "Never mind that, where are Zhang Xuan and Cai Cai?"
Shen Dongsheng: "...in the painting."
Qingyu glanced at him, then strode forward and approached the painting. She met the woman's gaze—the painting was quite good, the woman was quite beautiful, and there was nothing strange about it.
Wen Chuan: "It seems that nothing can be seen from the outside of this painting."
Qin Tianshu smiled and said, "Then let's go in and take a look, and also have a good taste of this method of resurrection and rebirth."
Before the words were finished, the pages shifted slightly, the scholar's fingertips traced the paper, then he suddenly looked up and smiled faintly—
At this moment, the cold moonlight poured down on the ground. As the group looked at each other, the book in his hand began to turn rapidly on its own. The wind blew the pages, making them fast and chaotic, so eerie that it made it hard to concentrate.
Finally, the "whooshing" sound grew faster and faster, and everyone present closed their eyes in an instant, their ears ringing, unconsciously following the rhythm of the text and thinking.
With a "snap," the scholar closed his book, silencing the entire hall.
Shen Dongsheng fainted on the ground.
Three people are depicted in the painting.
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