Chapter 4
The hall erupted in a commotion.
"Relics? The Sword Master Mingyue still has relics scattered around?"
"Wasn't her body completely obliterated back then?"
"Are you stupid? Of course there are relics. He was a Sword Master, after all. How could he not have left behind something good? I just don't know what it is?"
"Anything is fine, just don't let it be a gimmick!"
"What are you saying? This is the Ghost Cang Tower auction. Ordinary items are not even worth the attention of that tower master! Besides, given the relationship between the Ghost Cang Tower master and the Sword Master... tsk, that sign at the entrance is still standing there!"
"I wonder how Sword Master Mingyue offended Ghost Canglou. I have a little inside information: the spirit bone to be auctioned this time is that person's!"
"What?! A spirit bone?! Absolutely impossible!"
It's not impossible.
Sheng Ningyu thought that almost all of her belongings had been destroyed or submerged along with her back then. The only things that could be associated with her and were auctioned off by Gui Canglou were a few.
Her spiritual bones and fragments of her natal sword.
Sheng Ningyu's smile softened slightly.
But at the same time, Sheng Ningyu knew clearly that now was not the time to think about these things.
She should find someone to heal her body first, at least not in the current state where her body is riddled with holes and her spiritual energy is leaking everywhere.
After a long and winding thought process, Sheng Ningyu finally managed to vaguely recall a name.
She was going to Linghuanwu to find the healer from Yunwang Palace.
Sheng Ningyu sighed inwardly, hoping that the old man Yuan Daojun would live a long and healthy life.
Even as she pondered, Sheng Ningyu didn't put down her chopsticks. She deftly put a dumpling into her mouth, turned to the side, and remained very close to Xie Qianjing, as if leaning against him, looking back through his shadow.
"Don't move." Sheng Ningyu said in a relaxed tone, with a hint of laziness, "Let me watch the show."
A group of monks dressed in identical blue robes, made of fine fabric, with haughty expressions, were clearly "respectable people" from the same sect or aristocratic family.
Just now, they must have used a smokescreen to deliberately deceive people.
The key point is that Sheng Ningyu felt these "respectable people" looked somewhat familiar.
Where exactly have I seen this before?
"Tsk."
A haughty snort came from inside.
Although the sound was soft, it carried great weight. Sheng Ningyu, blending into the crowd, looked over and saw the group of masked figures parting to both sides, heads bowed, their attitude respectful.
In the very center was a young boy.
Brocade and satin, deep blue like the sea.
Her gaze lingered on the hem of the blue-clad boy's clothes for a moment, and she was momentarily stunned. However, before she could think further, she heard a soft voice coming from above.
"You know him?"
Sheng Ningyu's lips twitched, she withdrew her gaze, glanced at Xie Qianjing sideways, and said incredulously, "Of course not. That young master looks like he's either rich or noble. How could an ordinary little cultivator like me possibly catch their eye?"
Hearing this, Xie Qianjing chuckled softly, his chest trembling slightly. He rested his chin on Sheng Ningyu's shoulder, turned his back to the boy, and whispered in her ear, "But I know him."
Sheng Ningyu's eyes narrowed slightly.
As she got closer, she caught a faint scent emanating from Xie Qianjing.
Sheng Ningyu didn't understand fragrance; she just thought it smelled nice.
I feel a deep sense of attachment.
She frowned slightly. Where exactly had she smelled it?
On the other side, the boy in blue propped his head up with one hand and listlessly swirled his teacup with the other, his tone contemptuous yet tinged with dissatisfaction.
"...I don't know why everyone is so eager to acquire this Bright Moon Sword Master. It's just a relic, what's so special about it? If the peerless sword named 'Moon Without Flaws' from back then were to reappear, it would be worth seeing, but everyone knows that sword has long been shattered into dust..."
He deliberately removed the smokescreen to say these things, which was obviously intentional.
Sheng Ningyu listened, but she didn't feel angry. Instead, she found it quite interesting.
Youthful spirit, as if meeting an old friend.
Even her vanity and arrogance are quite endearing.
Xie Qianjing suddenly spoke.
He lowered his voice to a very low, almost hoarse tone, like ice formed under the moonlight, so cold it was devoid of any worldly air.
The smile on Sheng Ningyu's face froze.
The young man continued to spout nonsense: "...The fact that the Bright Moon Sword Master died so easily in the demonic array back then might just mean he was a fame-seeker."
The hoarse voice blended with the youthful spirit, and when it suddenly rang out, it gave people a sense of time and space merging, as if they were in another world.
"Fellow Daoist Ning." Xie Qianjing's voice rang in Sheng Ningyu's ear, his icy breath almost touching her earlobe, "This is why I appeared the day before yesterday."
The smile on Sheng Ningyu's face vanished completely.
She turned her head and gave Xie Qianjing a deep look before covering his hand that was under the table.
My skin felt cool, like a piece of fine, cold jade.
"We'll talk upstairs in a bit," Sheng Ningyu said softly, squeezing his fingertips.
Upon hearing this, she seemed to be completely biased towards him.
Xie Qianjing curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a mocking smile from an angle unseen by others.
At that moment, as the boy finished speaking, some people in the hall on the first floor frowned, some muttered under their breath, and some nodded to themselves.
However, the retainers around the young man were clearly unwilling to cause trouble and dared not disobey him, so they could only force a smile and change the subject: "What you said makes sense, but this is, after all, the relics of the Sword Master Sheng. Who knows, there might be something good inside."
"Hurry up and finish selecting the people. If my uncle is going to the Ghost Cang Tower, I will probably go with him."
The retainers around him nodded and bowed in agreement, and then all the cultivators present, including Sheng Ningyu, were taken away and gathered together.
A completely bewildered Sheng Ningyu: "?"
She held the half-eaten sesame seed cake in her hand, paused for a moment, then turned her head and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
The cultivator was clearly very familiar with the subject: "Let's see everyone demonstrate their swordsmanship and select a few promising talents to send to the Chu Clan of the East Sea."
Sheng Ningyu was greatly shocked: "But I don't know how to use a sword!"
"What?! You can't?!"
The monk couldn't help but raise his voice: "Then what are you doing here?!"
Sheng Ningyu said innocently, "My hands may not be able to wield a sword, but my mouth can eat." After saying that, she took a bite of the sesame seed cake in her hand, gave a thumbs up, and said, "Delicious, I love it."
You can have more.
The commotion here caught the attention of the Chu family retainers, one of whom came over and warned, "Silence! Do not make a sound!"
He then glanced at Sheng Ningyu, and then focused on Xie Qianjing, saying, "After you finish demonstrating your swordsmanship, come find me directly."
Sheng Ningyu: "..."
She turned around and saw the cultivator who had previously answered her question looking at them with jealousy, his tone twisted as he said, "So what if you're good-looking!"
In a flash, Sheng Ningyu recalled what the waiter had said about her "bright future" yesterday, and her expression cracked slightly. But immediately, her face became completely innocent, and her eyes were filled with confusion.
"May I ask you, sir, what exactly happened? We are both outsiders, just looking for a free breakfast, but we never expected to run into this powerful family..." Sheng Ningyu grasped Xie Qianjing's hand, exchanged a glance with him, and whispered, "It's good that we both know what to avoid, so as not to offend the wrong people and end up losing our lives in vain."
Seeing that she genuinely didn't know, the man sighed: "You know the Chu family of Donghai, right? Right now, it's the patriarch who's looking for someone, and this morning's breakfast was provided free of charge by the Chu family for the cultivators who signed up."
The head of the Chu family?
Sheng Ningyu's mind raced.
Time flies, and given the complex structure of the Chu family, the position of family head has probably already changed hands.
The cultivator clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "Of all the waters in the world, I love only one. Patriarch Chu's deep affection and loyalty are truly moving!"
Sheng Ningyu: "..."
Sheng Ningyu: "……………………………………"
Wait a moment?
Chu Chang'an has become the head of the Chu family??
Is Chu Chang'an deeply in love?
Or is it for her?
The news came too suddenly. For the first time since waking up, Sheng Ningyu couldn't control her expression and could only quickly lower her head to hide her distorted face.
absurd!
That's absurd!
This statement is more absurd than everything she's been through these past few days!
Before Sheng Ningyu could process this incredibly shocking news, a voice suddenly came from beside her.
"From this perspective, the head of the Chu family seems to be a very affectionate person."
Sheng Ningyu suddenly looked up and saw Xie Qianjing smiling, seemingly filled with a thousand emotions, and speaking in a gentle tone. Yet his expression was extremely indifferent, and the combination of the two created an inexplicable sense of mockery.
Especially the meaning of this sentence...
Sheng Ningyu's lips twitched uncontrollably, feeling nauseous from what he had said. She was about to give Xie Qianjing a fierce look to shut up when she saw him turn his head and meet her gaze without any hesitation. He then smiled at her.
"It seems that Fellow Daoist Ning is also very interested in the Chu family, as he is listening so intently."
Xie Qianjing trailed off lightly, his head bowed, his back to the light. His eyes, which were originally as clean and beautiful as glass, suddenly became deep and dark, like a Bodhi lotus stained with blood, revealing a hint of ferocity.
Sheng Ningyu paused for a moment, then quickly composed herself, her face once again displaying a nonchalant smile.
"Everyone has a gossipy streak." She raised an eyebrow and asked casually, "And what about Fellow Daoist Xie? What do you think of what was said just now? How much of it is true or false?"
At this moment, in the large central open space of the backyard, sword cultivators had begun to demonstrate their swordsmanship to the Chu family, and the cultivator who had explained it to them earlier had already squeezed to the front row.
Cheers and boos rose and fell, interspersed with a few sighs and eager shouts.
As one act ends, another begins, just like the ever-changing and unpredictable world of mortals.
Yet, amidst this noisy environment, one person remained completely unmoved.
A figure was clearly reflected in his dark pupils. Xie Qianjing chuckled, blending into the cheers of the crowd, blurry yet clear.
"Not really." He spoke slowly, his voice inexplicably hoarse. "But I did see Fellow Daoist Ning seem to have some feelings just now. More than whether it's true or not, I'm curious whether Fellow Daoist Ning, upon hearing these words, also felt that the Immortal Lord's deep affection and loyalty were truly moving?"
A note from the author:
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Sheng Ningyu: Thank you for the invitation, but I dare not move.
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