Chapter 50: She must retrieve the immortal bone and return it to him. ...
(Fifty)
“One year I went to the southern border to distribute porridge. I think I was fifteen years old then. It was late autumn and early winter.”
Shang Xinglan didn't want to bring up the matter. He knew that Chu Li must have forgotten about it, otherwise she wouldn't have seemed so unfamiliar with him on their wedding day.
He lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "It's my fault that you came here begging for food. I gave you some money, which made you a target of other beggars and you were almost beaten to death."
Chu Li was stunned. She had no memory of this incident whatsoever. If she had to recall, she did receive a large sum of money one year from a kind middle-aged man, definitely not from a fifteen-year-old child.
However, she was indeed targeted later, but she hid the money in other places beforehand, only putting a steamed bun in the money bag. Those people were furious when they couldn't find the money, so they beat her up.
She feigned death on the ground to escape, but was thrown into a mass grave and fled to another city overnight. She never returned. With the money, Chu Li lived frugally for a period of time, during which she was able to eat her fill. It was the happiest time of those years.
"Did you give me that money?" Chu Li looked at his remorseful expression and suddenly wanted to laugh. "But I clearly remember that it was a very tall man who gave it to me."
Shang Xinglan said in a low voice, "That was the servant I sent. Did he have a red birthmark on his face?"
Chu Li's eyes widened slightly as a memory from the depths of her mind resurfaced. Yes, the man did indeed have a birthmark on his face, and there was a child beside him. She had assumed the child was the man's and hadn't paid much attention to it.
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been beaten like that. I sent people to look for you back then, but we searched the entire mass grave and couldn’t find you. The servants said you were probably eaten by wolves. I recognized you on our wedding day, but I didn’t dare ask how you survived back then.”
Shang Xinglan finally spoke up. He turned to look at Chu Li, who was still in a daze, and said in a low voice, "I really didn't expect that money might cost you your life. I didn't think things through..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Li suddenly rushed up and hugged him tightly.
"What are you saying?" Chu Li kissed his lips excitedly. "I had a great time during that period. I had food to eat every day, and I even bought a cotton-padded coat, which kept me warm all winter."
Shang Xinglan paused slightly as she listened to her recount those days. "It cost a total of 680 coins and two small silver ingots. I spent a whole year on it. I would buy steamed buns to eat as soon as I woke up in the morning, and occasionally I could have a bite of meat if I was feeling craving something."
If it weren't for that money, Chu Li would have had no way to beg his way from the Southern Territory to the Northern Territory.
She heard that there were many wealthy families in the North, and at that time, demons were rampant in the South, so she set off for the North. It was there that she met Achu and became Shang Xinglan's wife.
It was that money that brought Chu Li to Shang Xinglan's side.
"real?"
Shang Xinglan didn't show much joy on his face. He simply hugged her gently and whispered, "But you still got beaten up, didn't you?"
Chu Li smiled nonchalantly, "It happened so many years ago, I don't remember it anymore. I just remember that the cotton-padded coat was really warm, but unfortunately I wore it until it was torn."
That's just how Achu is. For her, being beaten is nothing. As long as she can get the money and survive, no amount of beatings will hurt.
Shang Xinglan sighed, touched her face, and said gently, "Go and sleep with Yinyin. I'm going to cultivate in the bamboo forest."
"I know." Chu Li let go of him, and after a while, she couldn't help but step forward and kiss his lips. "You're so good, my husband."
No matter what she did, it seemed impossible to make up for it; Shang Xinglan always did more than she did.
She must retrieve the immortal bone and return it to him.
*
Chu Li lingered suspiciously near the Linshui Pavilion. Today, there were two extra guards at the entrance, as if they were there specifically to keep an eye on her.
Holding Shang Xinglan's jade pendant, she was about to use her power to trick the guards into opening the door when a figure suddenly flashed past behind her, startling her.
Chu Li turned around in alarm, only to see a familiar face.
Yan Xinbai walked past her expressionlessly, as if he hadn't seen her at all.
Chu Li frowned and grabbed him.
What are you doing here?
This is a commercial area with countless cultivation experts. If Yan Xinbai is discovered to have sneaked in, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause.
Yan Xinbai seemed to finally see her, and stopped in his tracks. His voice was very calm, "Go see the master." He had found some painkillers for Shang Xinglan, which might help relieve Leihen's pain.
Chu Li's lips twitched slightly as she looked him up and down. "You're a demon, don't show up in Shang's business. It'll be troublesome if people find out you're Shang Xinglan's subordinate. Don't you have an invisibility talisman?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Xinbai replied calmly, "I understand."
He readily agreed, but still brazenly headed towards the east courtyard.
Seeing that he was about to be discovered by the servants, Chu Li rushed forward and pulled him back, saying irritably, "Can't you do something like flying over walls? You could have just flown over there. There are too many people in the Shang family, and I already told you you would be discovered. You're so stupid!"
Yan Xinbai turned to look at her, and pulled his sleeve back from her hand. "I have concealed my demonic energy."
"..." Chu Li paused for a moment, then became even angrier. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Are you mute?"
She just couldn't stand him. This Yan Xinbai was so annoying. Not only did he speak rudely, but he was also two-faced and always seemed to be deliberately going against her.
Yan Xinbai glanced at her, too lazy to pay attention to her, and was about to leave.
Chu Li didn't want to pay him any attention. As long as he didn't cause them any trouble, she wouldn't talk to Yan Xinbai. Her top priority was to steal the immortal bone as soon as possible. Shang Xinglan would definitely cultivate at a rapid pace, and she would have done him a great favor.
Before Yan Xinbai had gone far, he saw Chu Li heading towards Linshui Pavilion, seemingly arguing with the guards.
"Why can't I come in? Look carefully, this jade is from the direct line!" Chu Li took out the jade and almost shoved it into the guard's face. "I am here on my grandmother's orders."
The guard took a half step back and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "No, yesterday Grandmother did give the special permission for Linshui Pavilion not to be guarded, but today Grandmother has not given any orders, so we cannot let you in."
Chu Li was stunned. No wonder she came here as if on flat ground yesterday. It turned out that her grandmother had arranged it in advance. But she didn't find the immortal bone yesterday.
"Please be lenient, my grandmother's order yesterday was for me, but I didn't get the item yesterday..." Chu Li was still racking her brains to persuade the guards when a cold, piercing mist suddenly swept past her.
The next moment, the two guards collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Chu Li was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously checked their breathing and found that they were still breathing. She was slightly relieved and turned around. Sure enough, she saw Yan Xinbai standing there with a cold expression.
He actually helped her; I thought he would pretend he didn't see it and just leave.
"What are you looking for?" Yan Xinbai rarely spoke to her. "That demonic energy can only bewitch them for half a quarter of an hour."
If too much demonic energy is used, the experts here will notice.
Chu Li scoffed lightly, "Of course I'm helping your master find something."
Yan Xinbai knew, of course, that she was helping her master find something; otherwise, he wouldn't have helped. What was she looking for, carrying her master's jade pendant in the dead of night?
Why not leave this to Chu Li?
He thought this, and he asked this question.
"Looking for immortal bones, what else could I be looking for?" Chu Li didn't even look at him, stepped over the two guards, pushed open the door of Linshui Pavilion, and eagerly searched everywhere. "Perfect, you can help me too."
She was completely unaware of the sudden freeze in the expression of the person behind her after hearing those words.
"Immortal bones? Didn't he make up his mind not to want those immortal bones anymore?"
Chu Li opened the boxes one by one, then stood on tiptoe to reach the wooden crates on the shelf. "How can he ascend without immortal bones? He'll die if he doesn't ascend."
Yan Xinbai's expression grew increasingly cold. He said in a low voice, "Can't one become an immortal without immortal bones? There are countless people in the world without immortal bones."
This was a strange statement. Chu Li stopped what she was doing, turned around, and looked at him. "What are you trying to say?"
What do you want to say?
He had so much to say.
After ascending to immortality, did they take Chu Li and the child to the celestial realm to live a life of immortals? What have they been doing all these years?
Shang Xinglan was born with immortal bones. He was a person who ascended to heaven favored by the Heavenly Dao and enjoyed the best of timing, location, and people. How enviable he was! He was worlds apart from someone like him who was born with extremely poor talent and was surrounded by demonic energy.
He had previously thought that Shang Xinglan didn't care about that immortal bone, otherwise why would she voluntarily dissect it and give up the preferential treatment bestowed by Heaven?
Unexpectedly, Shang Xinglan, in order to save his own life, actually sent Chu Li to steal this immortal bone. Isn't that a betrayal of the oath of universal harmony that he made with him? All the talk about enabling demonic cultivators and mortals to embark on the path of ascension, freeing them from discrimination and trampling, is a lie.
Yan Xinbai despised him.
Ever since learning Shang Xinglan's identity, this feeling has grown stronger. It's impossible for someone who has been so favored by Heaven to truly empathize with people like them.
The so-called shared ideals and beliefs, it seems now, mean that from the day he was born, Shang Xinglan and he were never on the same path.
Seeing that Yan Xinbai remained silent, Chu Li strangely withdrew her gaze from him and continued searching, muttering under her breath, "Where did he hide it?"
"Here."
A cold voice sounded from behind.
Immediately afterwards, Chu Li saw a hand reach over her and take a Hetian jade box from above her head.
The spiritual energy of the immortal bones was so strong that it was almost scorching and blinding, making it difficult not to notice. Only a mortal like Chu Li could not see it.
"You found it? Give it to me now!" Chu Li excitedly reached for it, but Yan Xinbai dodged her. She inexplicably sensed something was wrong, and her brows furrowed. "Give it to me."
Yan Xinbai remained expressionless and slowly said, "I will hand it over to him."
Chu Li was stunned for a moment, then reached out to snatch it, "You're stealing my credit?"
What credit? What an idiot.
Nameless, you've slowly become like this because of this woman. It seems you're not as remarkable as I thought.
Yan Xinbai stared at her coldly, repeating each word slowly and deliberately, "I said I would hand it over to him."
That terrifying gaze sent a chill down Chu Li's spine. She stiffened, then said defiantly, "It doesn't matter who gives it to me. I'll tell him you helped find it. Give it to me now."
Upon hearing her words, Yan Xinbai said nothing more. He lowered his eyes and calmly said, "A person who is useless in this world is not worthy of my following."
A burst of intense demonic mist suddenly rose from his palm, instantly burning the jade box containing the immortal bones to ashes.
Ashes fell softly between his fingers, and Yan Xinbai smiled.
The next moment, there was a loud crack.
Chu Li struck him with all her might, her palm turning red, but she felt no pain. Her chest heaved violently as she bent down, trembling, trying to gather the ashes from the ground.
Damn it, damn it!
Those are Shang Xinglan's immortal bones, that is his path to ascension!
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