Chapter 9: The Furnace and Cauldron Incident Xie's arrival was untimely, and he disturbed Junior Brother Shen's selection...
Help, how could Xie Yunqing appear in the painting drawn by my mother?
Shen Wenji stared at the scroll intently. Although she wanted to find some mistakes, she had to admit that the portrait artist had superb skills.
Xie Yunqing in the painting is 80% like the real Xie Yunqing, and even the subtle details are captured just right.
With his hair tied up in a jade crown and his figure standing tall as a pine tree, he should be a young man full of vigor and ambition, but his deep eyes were filled with coldness. The most infuriating thing was that there was even a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.
Mask! White and black! Eight hundred tricks!
Just by looking at this face, Shen Wenji felt that the spiritual energy in his dantian was surging violently.
She glared fiercely at the infuriatingly handsome face in the portrait, and her fingers gripping the scroll tightened unconsciously, causing wrinkles on the expensive silk.
"Oh?" Her mother keenly noticed her abnormality. She slowly put down the teacup in her hand and pretended to casually glance at the "ravaged" portrait. Her tone was full of playful inquiry: "You like him?"
"I like him?!!!" Shen Wenji looked up suddenly like a cat whose tail was stepped on. He threw the scroll in his hand away as if he had been electrocuted, and his voice suddenly rose. "How is it possible? I must be blind to like him."
The mother's fingertips moved slightly, and an invisible force gently lifted up the scattered scroll and rolled it up again.
She calmly looked at her emotional daughter and slowly asked, "Isn't he a good person? You've known each other for many years and are childhood sweethearts."
"Childhood sweetheart?" Shen Wenji caught the key words and instantly became alert, "Mother, do you know him?"
"Of course I know him." The mother said calmly, "Isn't he the little follower who always liked to follow you around when you were a child? Tsk, he's become quite successful now. He's handsome and his cultivation is said to be quite good. He even took the position of the chief disciple of the Tianxuan Sect..."
She paused, her eyes moving meaningfully across Shen Wenji's reddened cheeks, and she added slowly, "Would you consider it? Choosing him...you won't suffer any loss."
"Not at a disadvantage?" Shen Wenji's back teeth clattered, a nameless anger rising to his head. His mother actually praised him?!
A perceptive smile curled up the corners of her mother's lips, and she casually said, "Huh? I remember someone solemnly telling me that I must take the position of Tianxuan Sect's first disciple...hiss...who said that? I'm old, and my memory is not good. Susu, do you know?"
“I don’t know.” Shen Wenji’s voice was muffled.
It’s all that guy’s fault. It makes me so angry.
She snatched the scroll from her mother's hand, crumpled it into a ball as if to vent her anger, and stuffed it into her sleeve, as if this could completely isolate the annoying person.
"No one else can do it, and he can't do it either." She said it firmly, and every word was loud and clear.
The mother still maintained her last bit of patience and pushed all the remaining scrolls on the table in front of Shen Wenji, coaxing him: "Take another look? Maybe there will be something that suits your eyes better?"
Shen Wenji frowned and flipped through the pages, looking at those men, familiar or unfamiliar, feeling irritated for no reason.
Although she didn't understand matters of love, she would never be so perfunctory.
"Mother, I won't choose. I haven't been feeling well lately, so I really can't."
"Susu, I'm not negotiating with you again. If you feel uncomfortable this week, you can try next week. Don't think I don't know that your period isn't coming soon." The mother smiled wryly, "If you don't choose, how can you practice the Hehuan Sect's magic?"
Shen Wenji stiffened his neck and whispered back, "It's not like you have to practice the Hehuan Sect's secrets. Taking Yang to replenish Yin and relying on others to practice isn't the best strategy. If I were to ask you, the area that the Hehuan Sect needs to improve the most is the secrets of practicing..."
"Chen! Wen! Ji!" Her mother could no longer pretend. Her eyes widened as she angrily called out her name, "If you don't choose, I'll tie you up and strap you to the bed. You won't be able to do anything about it then."
Shen Wenji was so frightened that his whole body shuddered, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
She is a straightforward and strict mother who is soft-hearted and never tolerates harsh words. She always keeps her word and does what she says.
She was really capable of doing something as "inhumane" as tying herself up and handing herself over to someone.
It's over, I can't bear it anymore.
Then I can only pretend to accept it for now.
In a flash, an idea suddenly struck her: "No, no, no, I choose! I choose Xie Yunqing."
The reason why she chose Xie Yunqing was simple.
One is that I have some childhood friendship with him, and we can be considered old friends who know each other well.
Secondly, she felt that she and Xie Yunqing were sworn enemies, and they hated each other. She had no evil thoughts towards him, and he probably just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.
In this way, even if the mother wanted to force her, as long as Xie Yunqing refused to obey, she would have an excuse to shirk responsibility and put all the blame on that annoying guy!
Her mother's expression softened slightly, and she glanced at her suspiciously, asking, "Are you serious? That's not what you just said."
Shen Wenji took a breath, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, his heart hardened, his teeth gritted, and he began to lie with his eyes open: "I was embarrassed just now, but in fact, I have liked him for a long time. Apart from him, I don't like anyone else."
She glanced at her mother and asked tentatively, "Mom, is there a way to send him to my bed?"
"Oh," her mother scoffed, looking at her as if she were a fool. "What are you thinking? He's now the Tianxuan Sect's first disciple, a rising star of the righteous path, not a cauldron kept captive by my Hehuan Sect. As the leader of a sect, how could I, the dignified leader of a sect, go to the Tianxuan Sect and abduct him by force?"
The huge rock in Shen Wenji's heart fell to the ground with a bang. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and picked up a cup of tea and took a few sips to calm her nerves.
Sure enough, choosing Xie Yunqing was the right choice.
Then, her mother's next light words almost made her spit out the tea in her mouth.
"Then go find him and deal with him within a week." The mother said these earth-shattering words slowly and calmly.
"Ah? Me? Me?" Shen Wenji pointed at himself in disbelief.
"That's perfect, combining theory with practice." The mother ignored her breakdown and very naturally took out another secret book with an old cover... well, a little ambiguous from under the table.
"Pah!" he swung in front of her. "Study hard and apply what you've learned on him. I'll send someone to supervise you regularly."
A fierce look flashed across the mother's all-seeing eyes, and an undeniable pressure emanated from her: "Remember, if you don't succeed, you will die."
Shen Wenji: "..."
She really dug a bottomless sinkhole for herself, then jumped in without hesitation and filled it up with soil.
Her brows were knitted together, and she resigned herself to her fate as she grabbed the hot secret book and stuffed it into her clothes without even looking at it.
Fearing that her mother would make another outrageous request, she immediately rushed to express her position: "Don't worry, mother, I will try my best to complete the task as soon as possible."
The mother waved her hand and signaled her to get out.
The next morning.
Shen Wenji changed into men's clothes that were more convenient for movement and left the Hehuan Sect. However, she did not go to find Xie Yunqing this time, but came to a hidden teahouse at the foot of the imperial city.
I had just lifted the bamboo curtain of the teahouse and stepped into the threshold.
call!
A black shadow, accompanied by a strong wind, fell from the sky like a weight.
“Swoosh—bang!”
Amidst the flying dust, a figure landed steadily in front of Shen Wenji, shaking the beams of the house.
Shen Wenji was so frightened that his heart stopped. He instinctively took a half step back, still in shock.
"Miss, you're back!" Lingzhi's surprised little face appeared from the kitchen.
Shen Wenji raised his hand to fan the dust in front of his nose, frowned, pointed at the man in front of him and asked: "Azhi, why is he here?"
"Master Yan said that you agreed..." Lingzhi's voice became smaller and smaller.
The smoke and dust cleared slightly, revealing a handsome face with a playful smile.
Yan Xu smiled and grabbed the finger that Shen Wenji pointed at him, saying confidently, "Aji, don't be angry. I sponsored this teahouse with real money, so I'm half the owner. It's understandable for the owner to return to his own territory, right?"
Yan Xu, a self-proclaimed wanderer, had average martial arts skills, but his Qinggong was truly exceptional. Shen Wenji first encountered him in the sect's back mountain. She was secretly practicing a secret manual she'd found at the market when she bumped into Yan Xu, who had just finished a conversation with his mother.
At first he was clamoring to report her, but after they gradually became familiar with each other, he became her "military advisor" who helped her disguise herself as a man and manage the name "Master Ji".
At that time, Shen Wenji wanted to use the name of the teahouse to build his own intelligence network, and he came to help without saying a word. Not only did he invest money, he was also a master at collecting intelligence.
Thinking of the past, Shen Wenji was really in a bad mood.
She pulled her finger back with a forced smile, then looked up at the beam, saying sarcastically, "You're here now. You really have to be a rat on the beam, right? If one day this beam collapses under your weight, I'll make you bankrupt."
"Talking about money hurts so much, Aji, you are too heartless." Yan Xu clenched his fists and put his hands under his eyes, pretending to cry.
"Stop pretending, I haven't settled the score with you yet!" Shen Wenji rolled his eyes. "My mother is the leader of the Hehuan Sect. You already knew that, right? No wonder you always gave me the cold shoulder when I asked you about it before."
"Hmm?" Yan Xu's fake crying stopped abruptly, and he raised his eyebrows. "You know?"
"Nonsense, I am now the new leader of the Hehuan Sect! How could my mother hide it from me?" Shen Wenji was annoyed.
"Oh, my apologies." Yan Xu immediately bowed and said in a long tone, "I didn't know that the Sect Master was coming. I'm sorry for not welcoming you. I hope the Sect Master will forgive me..."
Shen Wenji kicked Yan Xu and sneered, "Stop acting. Go into the private room first. I have something to tell you."
She turned to look at Ling Zhi who was stunned beside her: "A Zhi, you come too."
Lingzhi is the official owner of the teahouse. When Shen Wenji is unable to show up on weekdays, he relies on her to make arrangements.
Lingzhi quickly hung a "Do Not Disturb" wooden sign outside the door and followed him into the private room.
Shen Wenji got straight to the point, looked at the two of them and said, "I have three things I need you to do. First, the eldest brother of the Hehuan Sect mysteriously disappeared last night. I need you to mobilize the intelligence network and dig out his whereabouts for me."
"Secondly, I want to find a master who can compile a top-level martial arts manual. Price is not a problem, but he must be truly capable."
"Third," she paused, her tone barely perceptible, "please help me check on Xie Yunqing. Everything, especially his recent whereabouts and movements."
"Still investigating?" Yan Xu slumped his shoulders exaggeratedly and said speechlessly, "My Lord Sect Leader, ever since I opened the intelligence network with you, I've investigated Xie Yunqing more times than my mother has cooked for me!"
"Even though I don't even know him, I can recite his biography word for word. How much money does he owe you that you're obsessed with him so much?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I'll check it out if you ask me to." Shen Wenji was too lazy to argue with him. "I can't stay long. If there is any news, I'll contact you as usual."
After explaining everything, Shen Wenji picked up a bag of new tea as if nothing had happened and prepared to leave. Just a few steps out of the teahouse, he was attracted by the bustle of the nearby storytelling stall.
The storyteller was eloquently telling recent strange stories. When Shen Wenji heard the name of the Hehuan Sect, he stopped and listened for a while.
"...Speaking of the He Huan Sect's Lu Ding Courtyard, the grading examination was truly a scene of numerous beauties competing for attention, a gathering of stunning beauties."
The storyteller spitted and described the girl vividly: "Her skin is whiter than snow, her waist is as thin as a hand, her lips are as red as a dot, her eyebrows and eyes are full of affection, it's hard to tell whether she is male or female, she is so charming! What's even better is..."
He deliberately lowered his voice, causing the audience to lean forward. "If I could obtain a furnace like this to practice dual cultivation, then the gains gained in one night would be equivalent to the gains of several months of hard training for an ordinary cultivator."
It's like praising the furnace as a top-notch item that is rarely seen in a thousand years.
The onlookers were amazed and their eyes lit up.
Shen Wenji was also secretly shocked when he heard this: Is it really that amazing? I'm afraid it's not the water army paid by the Hehuan Sect?
She was listening with rapt interest when a cold and familiar voice suddenly came from her side. It was impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry. The voice asked her calmly, "Are you interested in the furnace?"
Shen Wenji didn't even think about it, didn't even turn his head, and replied casually: "Yes!"
Are you kidding? She is the new leader of the Hehuan Sect. Maybe she will be in charge of the furnace grading. She will have to be interested even if she is not interested!
"Heh." Upon hearing this, the man next to him let out a suppressed cold snort.
Then, he almost squeezed out from between his teeth, and each word was filled with chills: "After not seeing you for a day, Junior Brother Shen is really an eye-opener."
“Bang!”
A bony hand slammed the teacup down on the table, and the tea splashed out, leaving dark traces.
The hand's owner lowered his eyes to stare at the tea leaves swirling in the cup, sneering contemptuously, "I never thought you'd be so drawn to the evil furnace cultivators..."
Shen Wenji's body stiffened and he turned his head suddenly.
Xie Yunqing? ! !
When did he sit next to her? Is this guy a ghost? Where did he come from?
"Xie Yunqing?" Shen Wenji's voice suddenly rose in shock: "Why are you here?"
Xie Yunqing raised his eyelids and stared at her grimly. The air around him suddenly turned cold, but a fake smile appeared at the corner of his lips. Every word pierced his heart: "It seems that I, Xie, have come at an inopportune time and disturbed Junior Brother Shen's elegant mood of choosing the furnace and cauldron."
"Don't call me Junior Brother Shen, I'm not from your Tianxuan Sect." Shen Wenji hurriedly distanced himself from the matter.
Now her status has risen sharply. How can a dignified sect leader be called a junior brother by others?
She must not let this guy get the upper hand.
"Heh." Xie Yunqing laughed angrily.
Shen Wenji did not refute his words immediately, which was almost an invisible acquiescence.
Dark currents surged in his eyes, and his voice was cold and hoarse, gloomy and cold: "Wen Ji, are you going to see the Hehuan Sect's furnace? How about we go together?"
Although Xie Yunqing was half right, she would indeed return to the Hehuan Sect soon.
But in order not to reveal her identity, she absolutely could not go with Xie Yunqing.
Thinking of the scene when Xie Yunqing was pestering her in Tianxuan Sect, alarm bells rang in her heart, and she had to find an excuse to get rid of this idiot.
With a slight roll of his eyes, Shen Wenji took the initiative and pointed at Xie Yunqing's nose and said, "Good for you, you are here just for the furnace and cauldron thing, right? I didn't expect that the famous and popular new first disciple of Tianxuan Sect would also be obsessed with the furnace and cauldron thing."
"???" Xie Yunqing frowned and stared at Shen Wenji, his Adam's apple rolling nervously, and he denied it flatly: "I'm not..."
"Not what?" Shen Wenji didn't give him a chance to explain, and spoke as fast as a cannon. "If I remember correctly, isn't today the apprenticeship ceremony? Instead of staying in Tianxuan Sect, you ran here. If it's not for the furnace, could it be for me?"
Xie Yunqing lowered his eyes and let out a low laugh with an ambiguous meaning.
Slender, cold fingers suddenly rested on Shen Wenji's shoulders, and his fingertips even brushed her neck intentionally or unintentionally: "The apprenticeship ceremony has long ended, and I came here to find you."
Shen Wenji's body stiffened, and he pretended to be calm and asked, "What do you want to see me for?"
Is her identity going to be exposed?
"Of course, I'm following the Sect Master's orders." Xie Yunqing's lips curled up slightly, with a businesslike aloofness. "The Sect Master values talent and can't bear to see such a promising young man like you stranded outside, so he ordered me down the mountain to make one last appeal."
He glanced at Shen Wenji's instantly relaxed brows and added slowly, "Otherwise...what else do you think it could be?"
Shen Wenji felt relieved and said with a smile, "Then you will be disappointed. I will not go to Tianxuan Sect. Please help me refuse."
Xie Yunqing nodded thoughtfully.
Just as Shen Wenji was about to run away, the hand on her shoulder moved.
His fingertips slowly and naturally smoothed out a barely perceptible wrinkle on her neckline.
Oops!!!
Shen Wenji's hair stood on end.
I was in such a hurry to go out today that I forgot to cast the magic spell on my neck.
She has no Adam's apple now!
Shen Wenji thought quickly and started coughing violently, even taking this opportunity to "accidentally" knock Xie Yunqing's hand away.
"Cough cough cough!" She suddenly bent down to cover her mouth, and with the cover of her sleeves, she quickly made hand gestures with her fingertips.
A barely perceptible wave of spiritual energy flashed across his neck.
After completing her disguise, she straightened her back, deliberately raised her hand to touch her "freshly baked" Adam's apple, and said innocently, "My throat has been uncomfortable recently. Do you know any medical skills? Why don't you help me take a look?"
Xie Yunqing twisted the fingertips that had just touched the skin on the side of her neck, and his gaze lingered on her Adam's apple for a moment, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
He withdrew his hand, his tone as cold as ice: "Sorry, I'm not good at this, I can't help you."
"Then you were the one who made a move just now." Shen Wenji immediately seized the opportunity.
"Your collar is messy, so I'm kindly fixing it for you." Xie Yunqing stood with his arms folded, his tone icy, "If you don't want to thank me, then fine. Why are you blaming me?"
"You're such an obsessive-compulsive person, you're meddling in everything, even other people's collars." Shen Wenji muttered softly, lowering his voice.
"Speak louder, I can't hear you clearly." Xie Yunqing drooped his eyelashes slightly, hiding the mischief that flashed across his eyes.
"Nothing else, I'll leave first." Shen Wenji really couldn't afford to waste time, as the Hehuan Sect still had important matters waiting for her.
"Stop." Xie Yunqing stretched out his arm, the cold scabbard blocking his way. The words he uttered were even colder than the scabbard, as if dug out from the snow: "You...really want to go and choose the furnace?"
"No, no, no, how can you slander me like this? I have always practiced with integrity and never resorted to such despicable means." Shen Wenji blinked his eyes sincerely, "I will definitely not go to the Hehuan Sect to choose a furnace. I have no interest in them at all."
She changed her tone and glared at Xie Yunqing, threateningly saying, "As for you, you'd better not have such evil thoughts. If I find out that you've been involved with the furnace cauldron... humph, I will definitely expose the scandal of the Tianxuan Sect's first disciple relying on the furnace cauldron for cultivation to the world, causing a huge uproar and ruining your reputation!"
"Are you... concerned about me?" Xie Yunqing raised an eyebrow, his eyes relaxed, and a faint smile played on his lips. "Don't worry, I don't have anything to do with the people of the Hehuan Sect."
Shen Wenji: "..."
That’s not necessarily true. If you speak too confidently, you will get slapped in the face.
Just considering the ill-fated relationship between us, the connection is as deep as the ocean.
Every time he lied in front of Xie Yunqing, Shen Wenji felt guilty and short of breath.
She just wanted to escape from this dangerous person immediately.
So, she unceremoniously pushed away the cold scabbard in front of her and was about to leave in big strides.
"Wait." Xie Yunqing subconsciously reached out to pull her.
Shen Wenji moved too quickly, and he only had time to grab her sleeve.
“Snap!”
A crumpled piece of silk slipped out of Shen Wenji's sleeve pocket, rolled a few times, and landed right between the two of them.
Shen Wenji turned around to follow the sound, and when she saw the object on the ground clearly, her mind went blank, leaving only a sharp buzzing sound.
Ahhhh! Why is Xie Yunqing's scroll here? She actually forgot to throw it away this morning...
The author has something to say:
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Xiao Xie: So mad, so mad, she actually wants to go find the furnace QAQ [bursts into tears] She she she actually still won’t explain! Humph, I can’t coax her anymore. [melted]
Susu coaxed: I won’t go.
Xiao Xie was secretly happy: She is explaining it to me. [Dog head holding a rose]
Susu threatens: You are not allowed to go to Hehuan Sect (otherwise I will be exposed)
Xiao Xie is shy: Ah...she cares about me. [shy]
Well, our little Xie is so easy to coax~ [dog head][dog head][dog head]
[Poor] Sorry for being late, please update more chapters!
The next update will be at midnight on Wednesday (or maybe midnight on Thursday?) [Heart][Heart][Heart]
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