This is a jade figure I carved myself, it's mine... (The sentence is incomplete and lacks context.)
Su Xianqing, accompanied by several disciples, came from the library with a scroll in his hands, only to find Pei Xuanzhi standing quietly at the foot of the long steps of Changqing Hall, carrying a food box.
Pei Xuanzhi happened to be looking over, and he had no choice but to step forward, slightly raising his chin and glancing at him sideways, asking coldly and indifferently, "What are you doing standing here?"
Pei Xuanzhi, as always, remained aloof and indifferent. He handed the food box to him and said, "I learned to make this after reading 'Mountains, Rivers and Clouds.' I'm offering it to my father for him to taste. Please ask Senior Brother Su to help me take it in."
"Mountains, Waters, and Idle Clouds" is a cookbook written by a hermit near the Ming Dynasty's Dezong era. It pursues fresh and delicious soups and dishes, and was popular for a long time. Today, most people learn to cook from this book.
Su Xianqing always felt that although he was weak, his demonic nature was not weak. In addition, given his background, Su Xianqing had never liked him.
Seeing that he had been at the gate for quite some time now, and was only gradually coming to understand human nature and beginning to awaken his filial piety, I had his things put away, looked at him directly, and said:
"Let's go inside the hall for a cup of tea. These past few days, Master has finished his business before noon most of the time and then preaches the Dharma to us."
Pei Xuanzhi knew that Su Xianqing had disliked him ever since he arrived, so he didn't bother to say much to Su Xianqing. He simply said, "I see that the weather is fine today, so I plan to go to Pear Blossom Stream to pick some fresh shepherd's purse, amaranth, quinoa, and ferns to make a dish. I'll bring it over for lunch this afternoon."
Su Xianqing, finding it tiresome that he, as the son of the sect leader, spent his days cooking and hunting, had no proper duties, said, "Since you have nothing to do all day, why don't you go to the Sutra Explanation Pavilion and listen to the elder on duty preach?"
To everyone's surprise, he simply gave a casual reply and then took his leave.
When Pei Hanzhou came over from the small hall, Su Xianqing saw that her master looked somber due to his recent busy schedule. To cheer him up, she served him the food that Pei Xuanzhi had brought and said:
"Junior Brother Pei brought this over, saying it was made by hand. Please try it. Would you like something to eat today?"
Pei Hanzhou was somewhat taken aback. His ancestor actually remembered him and even cooked for him.
Where did this sudden display of filial piety come from? Could it be that there's something you've been wanting lately?
Since you went to so much trouble to prepare the meal, if you wanted something, why didn't you wait for him to come out?
Ning Wuyang, who had just entered Changqing Palace, came over and helped set the table while smiling, "Junior Brother Pei's cooking is quite good."
Pei Hanzhou looked at the few simple yet exquisite dishes. Despite his profound cultivation and long period of fasting, he still sat down and took a few bites.
Perhaps it was because his son had made it, but Pei Hanzhou found the dishes all very delicious. He felt inexplicably gratified that his son had shown such a small skill in the kitchen.
After a moment's thought, I felt I owed my son too much. I've been so busy lately that I haven't seen him much. Today, I had to serve him a meal prepared by his own hands, which made me feel guilty. So I asked, "Where is he?"
Su Xianqing said, "I originally wanted to invite him to have tea while we waited for you, but he said he was going to Pear Blossom Stream to find some fresh wild vegetables to make you a delicious evening meal."
Pei Hanzhou's expression remained unchanged. He put down his chopsticks and said, "It's kind of him to do this. Those of you who haven't eaten yet, please come and have a taste."
Pei Hanzhou has been busy lately, and his expression is more solemn than usual. Su Xianqing felt that Pei Hanzhou was unusually happy today, which means that Pei Xuanzhi is of some use.
.
While circulating her spiritual power, Zhixu watched as the little demon tried to break the barrier in front of the cave, but he still hadn't succeeded by noon.
The rain stopped briefly, and he calmly withdrew his hand, turned around, and walked away into the rain-soaked weeds.
After a long while, when the water droplets on the grass reflected the dazzling sunlight, Zhixu slowly calmed her spiritual power, dispersed the hand seals at her fingertips, and rose up to gracefully land at the cave's barrier.
After a good rain, the mountains outside the door are clear and bright.
Now that he knows where this place is, he has no choice but to move to another location to avoid that ruthless little thing causing any trouble.
If he comes back on his own, that would be fine. But if he doesn't know the reason or the situation and finds some elder from the Tianyan Sect to help him eliminate this monster, then the situation will be hard to explain.
She broke the barrier using the method Pei Hanzhou had given her, and instantly a wisp of cold wind, hidden within the gentle breeze, swept over her.
She abruptly flew back to the stone platform inside the cave, sat cross-legged, and gently held a wisp of invisible cool breeze between her fingertips. Looking at the cave entrance, she chuckled softly:
"This little trick is fine if it's used once, but the best way to save your life is not to show it to the same living creature multiple times. You young man, you've wasted half a day here doing nothing, which is quite leisurely. It's a pity I didn't prepare tea, so I'm afraid I can't keep you here to talk about the past and present."
A wisp of cool fragrance drifted in from outside the cave, and one could vaguely see a snow-white robe corner fluttering in the wind on the green grass.
He remained silent outside the door, neither speaking nor showing himself, and Zhixu suddenly realized that something was wrong.
The cool breeze between her fingers suddenly seemed to possess immense power, flying out from her fingertips in an instant. Countless gentle breezes swirled around it, and suddenly a fierce wind howled, whipping up the stone walls inscribed with talismans inside the cave.
Zhixu was as if she had been thrown into the Demon-Slaying Sword Formation. She raised a barrier and was unharmed, but she couldn't help but sneer. A powerful demonic force burst out and swept the people outside the cave in.
The gale struggled against the demonic power for a long time, but gradually found itself at a disadvantage.
The silken fabric, carrying immense demonic power, flew before him. Its powerful pressure caused him to become deaf and dizzy, and his internal organs to ache. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Zhixu used one hand to make a hand seal to block the wind, and with the other hand she slapped him hard across the face, cursing in a deep voice: "You ignorant and arrogant wretch!"
A yellow talisman blocked her hand, and the boy on the ground glanced at her with a gloomy look in his eyes. In an instant, the cave fell silent.
The boy coughed up blood, struggling to calm his breathing. After a long while, he finally managed to speak, his voice hoarse as he asked, "You led me here to kill me, but I don't know you at all. What grudge do I have against you?"
Before the hand holding the woven fan could brush away the yellow talisman, she frowned upon hearing this. She realized his purpose in an instant, but it was too late.
A chilling sword aura slashed straight toward her right hand.
Zhixu glanced at the boy coughing up blood on the ground with interest, then flicked her finger at the sword energy. The sword energy, which was not particularly killing, pierced the cave wall and cleaved a two-finger-wide sword mark on the countless talismans.
She looked down at him and chuckled, "Heh, not stupid or dumb after all, but ruthless. However, young master, you are still too young and weak. The last person who tried to outsmart me has already gone through at least three cycles. You don't know me. If you try to pull this trick, you'll really die by my hand. How about that?"
Pei Xuanzhi staggered to his feet, wiped the blood from his lips, glanced at her with an inscrutable expression, and said in a voice, "Since I dared to make a move, do you really think you can kill me?"
The more steps involved in a clandestine operation, the more meticulous the plan, and the more tightly linked the links, the more likely an accident will occur.
The plan is simple and easy to implement, with a high success rate. Although the method is inferior, in reality, struggles are all about secrecy, speed, and efficiency. The simpler and easier it is to succeed, the better. There are no fancy or superficial methods.
This little brat is truly simple-minded, flexible, and doesn't care about saving face.
He must have some way of knowing whether Pei Hanzhou was coming this way before deciding whether to take action.
She looked up at Pei Hanzhou, who was already standing behind Pei Xuanzhi, without explaining anything.
He simply tiptoed backward and flew to the stone platform, where he sat cross-legged, made a hand seal, closed his eyes lightly, and said calmly, "I will go to Chang'an in the future."
Pei Hanzhou gave Pei Xuan a bottle of pills and calmly said, "Master, there's no need to suddenly worry about those two. They are both long gone."
Zhixu slowly opened her eyes, and the fine knife marks on her face trembled slightly.
She glanced at the thin boy who had limped to the side to take his medicine, then looked at Pei Hanzhou and said, "Do you believe I lured him here to kill him?"
Pei Hanzhou didn't even glance at the boy who had stepped aside, taking medicine and wiping away blood with an air of nonchalance. He simply said, "You could have killed him without any effort, yet you say that all the wounds on your body were inflicted by him."
Zhixu chuckled, "So you never believed it. But whether you believe it or not is none of my business. Since I have a long-standing grudge against him, I can't stay at Tianyan Sect any longer. I might as well go and pay a visit to Mingde Sect."
Pei Hanzhou said, "Sect Leader Wen is not in the sect, and others do not know the details. For now, Master, please stay here."
Zhi Xu glanced at Pei Xuanzhi, who was standing behind Pei Hanzhou, watching her coldly, and then smiled and said, "What do you think?"
Pei Xuanzhi sneered, "With walls and fences separating us, and cold blades hanging high, I've never heard of someone who wants to kill asking if the victim is a neighbor. I have no say in this matter, so asking me is a waste of breath."
This thing that turns right and wrong upside down is so convincing.
Instead of getting angry, Zhixu laughed and said, "Since we are both guests in this foreign land, why don't we make peace for now? I have never secretly offended you before, and I'm afraid I won't in the future either. So please don't offend me either, okay?"
Pei Xuanzhi instantly understood what she meant; she hadn't told her father about the Crying Spirit Blade.
He had recently sensed the lingering aura of the Crying Spirit Blade, knowing that the succubus was still alive, and had already guessed some things.
Therefore, he thought that since she was still alive, her father might believe what she said.
He had been observing his father for a long time, but his father had never tested him, and he still couldn't figure out what his father was thinking.
Therefore, I came here specifically to explore the roots, but I learned more from their reactions.
But will she not mention the Crying Spirit Blade yesterday, not mention it today, and not mention it tomorrow?
This matter will need to be resolved sooner or later.
However, it seems that her father doesn't trust her enough right now. She is self-aware enough that if she tells him, people will speculate that she poisoned him and planted some evil thing on him, and then frame him. No one will believe her.
Therefore, she is no longer considered a threat.
He coughed violently a few more times, his hoarse voice planting a nail in Pei Hanzhou's heart. "She was too ruthless. I don't know why, but I always feel a dull pain in my bones and blood, which goes away after a while."
Zhixu made a hand seal, closed her eyes, and said, "If you still feel pain, you'd better repent and change your ways. If there's a next time, I'll break your bones and skin you alive..."
Pei Hanzhou said coldly, "My son is weak and sickly and cannot withstand intimidation. I urge you, my lord, to be careful with your words."
Hearing him say that, Pei Xuanzhi couldn't help but purse his lips and immediately turned around and left the cave.
Now he knows everything he wanted to know, and some things are even beyond his imagination.
The one inside is undoubtedly the succubus who gave birth to him, and as for the identity of the "Lord," she is none other than the concubine of the Demon Lord Hengyu.
I heard that he was so grief-stricken by the death of Hengyu's mother that he followed her in death, but in reality, he "lived in seclusion in the mountains" and "reunited with his family" among the human race.
This should be the most common ending for her character in folk tales, but in reality...
As mentioned earlier, it's clear that the demon race's desire to reap the benefits in recent years has greatly displeased these sects. As for which faction they will support, it's self-evident.
His father still addressed her as "Lord" in front of him, not because he was stupid enough to think that by calling her that he couldn't guess that this succubus was the one who gave birth to him.
Thinking of this, Pei Xuanzhi immediately stopped and stood respectfully among the rain-soaked weeds.
A moment later, Pei Hanzhou passed by him, stared at him quietly for a long time, and didn't say a word.
Pei Xuanzhi remained calm and casually said, "I didn't see anything today. If you don't want to walk the mountain path now, I'll help you back."
Pei Hanzhou sneered, "You're quite filial."
Pei Xuanzhi nodded and said, "Thank you for your praise, Father."
Pei Hanzhou grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him up, then flew back to a secluded spot in the sect.
After taking his pulse, Zhixu realized that she hadn't used too much force and hadn't hurt him too badly.
Pei Hanzhou said, "I won't punish you for deliberately leading me there today. Now that you've used your wits to find out what you wanted to know, and considering how she treated you, you should understand that she has no affection for you. Stay away from her from now on."
Although he understood Pei Xuanzhi's intention in luring him here today, he probably wouldn't know the truth for a long time: the reason why Zhixu attacked his son was because his sickly son had come to Zhixu first.
Pei Xuanzhi slowly and methodically pasted yellow talismans on his clothes to remove the grass juice and bloodstains. "Will I be alright if I stay away from her? Since she has murderous intent towards me, it's hard to say how I will die if we encounter each other in the future. With her growing power in the demon race, what will be the consequences for me? Why don't you kill her for me?"
Pei Hanzhou suddenly gave him a deep look, a hint of sadness hidden deep in his eyes that he rarely showed to others.
The mother wants to kill her son, and the son wants to kill his mother. In the realm of personal matters, what kind of life has he lived?
"I will talk to her. You must not approach her again. Do not tell anyone about what happened today, except for yourself."
To avoid his father asking how he found the cave, Pei Xuanzhi calmly distorted the truth, saying:
"If she doesn't lead me there, how will I know her whereabouts? If we're too far apart, who knows what accusations she might fabricate against me for amusement? I didn't care about these things before, but now that I'm married, I can't let Senior Sister Yan suffer with me..."
Pei Hanzhou said, "She wouldn't do such a thing, you don't need to worry."
His tone softened slightly as he spoke, "This matter ends here. From now on, you stay here and ask your father for anything you want..."
Pei Xuanzhi said, "Then I do not wish to go into seclusion to recuperate this time."
Pei Hanzhou had taken in several of his disciples since they were teenagers. Although they had all been mischievous at times, he taught them when necessary and punished them when appropriate. None of them made him feel so helpless.
He was neither affectionate nor strict with his son. Fortunately, his son still acknowledged him. If they ever fell out and his son refused to acknowledge him anymore, he couldn't blame him in the slightest.
Pei Xuanzhi frowned slightly. "You locked me up for so long last time. I will never go into seclusion again unless I want to."
Pei Hanzhou gave a cold laugh, "Then go back and stay home. You're not allowed to leave the courtyard for three months."
Pei Xuanzhi bowed calmly, said "Yes," and pointed to the basket on his back, saying, "I just picked some wild vegetables. Let me bring you a bowl of shepherd's purse noodles this afternoon before you stay home."
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Yan Huanyue was at a crucial stage in her cultivation, and she refused to go home, staying on Xuyuan Peak for seven days.
When the five elements were finally able to be combined into one, the spiritual energy that had been gathered and was becoming increasingly abundant instantly vanished into nothingness.
She was startled, not knowing what had gone wrong. She could only calm herself down. As soon as she relaxed, a strange power surged within her spiritual veins, almost causing her to bleed from her seven orifices.
A warm hand gently pressed on her head, and a faint wisp of spiritual energy stabilized the power within her spiritual meridians.
"Do not be alarmed. This is a change of nothingness. It has taken you so long to finally enter the gate."
Song Lingwei withdrew her hand and smiled, "Yin and Yang and the Five Elements are mutually generating and mutually restraining. Existence is non-existence, and non-existence is existence."
Yan Huanyue knew a little about it, and suddenly felt as if she had been washed by a clear spring, and her whole body was suddenly cool.
She slowly opened her eyes, and in front of her was the illusory image of Song Lingwei, which floated out through the half-closed window.
Suddenly, the window overlooking the cliff opened, and a thin wisp of mountain mist entered, swirling among the fluttering curtains.
"You've used up your spiritual energy for so long, you should rest. A day is nothing to worry about."
Yan Huanyue immediately stood up, made a hand seal, and said, "Yes."
Then she sat cross-legged in the small room, circulating her spiritual energy to continue searching for that feeling of mutual generation and harmony. Although the light spiritual energy was weak, it contained extremely heavy power, which would not be too much for her spiritual veins to bear.
She gradually sank back into her sea of consciousness, watching the five elements of spiritual energy interact and diminish, a scene of serene emptiness.
Only when the sound of a jade chime reached her from afar did she open her eyes, put away her magic, leap out of the window on the cliff edge, and in the twilight, she drifted down like a falling leaf on the wind.
When we reached the foot of the mountain, we could vaguely see a golden, furry creature squatting on a branch, licking its paws. As soon as it saw us, it raised its tail and ran lightly into the woods.
Yan Huanyue immediately gave chase, but it had disappeared somewhere, and she searched until dark without finding it.
She had no choice but to go back first. On the way, she met a senior student who smiled and said to her:
"Junior Sister Yan, it's good to run into you. It saves me from being heartbroken when I see Junior Brother Pei. Please give this to Junior Brother Pei to take back. Tell him that if he wants to play chess after his confinement ends, he should come to me first."
As he spoke, he took out a new chessboard from his treasure pouch, with two chess baskets on it, and shoved it into her hands in one go.
Yan Huanyue had not returned for many days and was unaware of this matter. She could imagine that, apart from the sect leader, no one else in the Tianyan Sect could confine him.
She didn't feel comfortable asking her senior brother, so she declined, saying, "Thank you, senior brother. He has chess skills. If you want to play against him, just come to our courtyard."
The senior brother said, "He lost two games of chess before, where would he find any now? Take this back with him to cheer him up."
Yan said, forcefully shoving it into Yan Huanyue's hand, then turned and flew away into the air.
Yan Huanyue didn't even bother to pack up the chessboard, nor did she care that Shouzhuo was not allowed to fly or fly with a sword. She grabbed the chessboard and immediately rushed to the small courtyard with Xun Step.
On the way back, I saw Pei Xuanzhi sitting at the table, looking tired. The water on the small stove on the table was boiling, and he was using a tea knife to break apart a tea brick. There were also several plates of hot snacks on the table.
Yan Huanyue carried the chessboard into the house and asked, "Why have you been using this clumsy knife lately? I haven't seen your silver tea needle before."
Pei Xuanzhi said nonchalantly, "I lost the game of chess in the corridor of the library, but I also won some things. I can't just let others lose. I didn't know you were coming back today. I had some hot snacks for you to try."
Yan Huanyue sat on the stool, put down the chessboard, and said, "Luo Yuan, who often goes to the library, gave you this chessboard and chess pieces. He said that after you were confined to your quarters, he was the first person you wanted to play chess with. You're quite popular."
As she spoke, she noticed that his face was a little pale, so she touched his forehead and took his pulse. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong.
Pei Xuanzhi glanced at the chessboard, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Senior Brother Luo is too kind."
Yan Huanyue asked, "Why did the sect leader confine you to your quarters?"
Pei Xuanzhi poured the tea leaves into the small pot, grabbed a few red dates and threw them one by one into the boiling tea, saying in a cool tone, "Perhaps he's upset that I damaged his flowers and plants when I was picking wild vegetables in the mountains."
Yan Huanyue was indeed hungry. She picked up a pastry, took a bite, and said, "The sect leader wouldn't be so stingy."
Pei Xuanzhi turned to look at her, his eyes as white as snow, and said calmly, "Then why did he confine me to my quarters?"
Yan Huanyue paused for a moment, then said, "I'm asking you."
Pei Xuanzhi was really ashamed, and he really couldn't tell her the truth, so he turned his head to look at the fire in the stove and said in a flat tone, "It's just what I said. If it really doesn't work, you can torture me to extract a confession and see if I can say anything useful."
Yan Huanyue glanced at him. "Dream on. Who's going to torture you? So what if you're confined? It's not like I'm ordering you into seclusion. If that's the case, then you can rest well these few days. How long are you going to be confined?"
"Three months."
Pei Xuanzhi looked at the fire in the stove, stretched out a hand, and warmed his slender, fair fingers over the fire, making a faint, cool fragrance even more pronounced.
He had gone to help Lu Shenchu with some tricky matters yesterday and today in response to the Three Pure Bells. He had just recovered his senses and then sent the golden fox to Xuyuan Peak to continue waiting for her. In addition, he was still a little cold due to some injuries.
After a long while, Yan Huanyue reached out and pulled his burning hand back, saying, "Are you cold? Your hands feel like they're going to go into the fire."
The burning pain in Pei Xuanzhi's hand slowly subsided. He let her hold his hand, turned his head to look at her, and suddenly said, "Would you consider...would you be willing to have children with me?"
Yan Huanyue abruptly withdrew her hand, then quickly clenched his sleeve, "It's really too early to talk about this now. I was a little surprised just now. I don't know why you suddenly asked this?"
Pei Xuanzhi looked down at her hand clutching his sleeve. He pulled his sleeve away, placed his hand on her abdomen and gently stroked it, then leaned closer to her heart and said softly:
"Perhaps you would accept it even if it existed, but if you follow your heart, would you want that unknown, monstrous thing?"
Yan Huanyue frowned and asked, "What did the sect leader say to you? Did you hear someone say something about you?"
He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath, his eyes devoid of desire, his gaze drifting into the distance, lost in thought. "Whatever they do is none of my concern, and I don't care. I only think about what I should be thinking about."
Yan Huanyue sneered, "What you should be thinking about is pondering and pondering, and finally concluding that my future child will be a calamity? What makes you say that?"
Pei Xuanzhi looked up at her, his expression extremely serious, "But I have demon blood."
If someone expresses their humility in this way, their purpose is simply to reassure the other person that it's nothing serious.
But Yan Huanyue said, "Really? This is the first time I've heard of this. I'm so surprised. This is such a huge secret. Junior Brother Pei, you wouldn't be telling it only to me, would you?"
Pei Xuanzhi was taken aback. She quickly snatched the cup from the table, tilted her head back, and poured herself a cup of hot tea. Holding the teacup tightly, she said in a muffled voice, "I've been thinking about this for days, and I finally dared to ask. Why did you say something so hurtful to me, sister?"
Yan Huanyue leaned slightly towards him and said in a low voice, "I think you're a scoundrel! I know what you're thinking. Don't project other people's affairs onto us, and don't even mention your own past."
Pei Xuanzhi held the teacup between her five fingers. Within her soul, the golden mist trembled with excitement, aroused by her strength and inclusiveness.
He took another sip of the tea, now only containing a few drops, to calm his racing heart. "Hmm... I'll listen to you..."
A wisp of golden mist crawled out and gently wrapped around her wrist, rubbing against it in a coaxing manner.
Yan Huanyue brushed aside the wisp of golden mist and said softly, "I just want you not to project past events onto the present or future. If you have any unpleasant experiences from the past, feel free to tell me. Although I can't fully empathize, but..."
Pei Xuanzhi felt extremely comforted when he saw her reassuring attitude soften. He said calmly, "I didn't care about these things, but... I was just afraid that you might have some concerns."
Yan Huanyue couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's not like I just found out, but it's strange that you call me that in private too."
Pei Xuanzhi turned his head and looked at her quietly. After a moment, they looked at each other and laughed heartily.
He didn't know why he was laughing like that; it was inexplicable. When she laughed, he was happy too.
But some things are better left unsaid; bringing them up can be embarrassing if the other person scrutinizes them.
After a long while, Pei Xuanzhi regained his composure, gradually suppressing his smile. His earlobes flushed pink as he stared intently at her, forcing a serious expression as he emphasized:
“You were originally my wife. After I die, my soul will be tied to your ankle. I will call you ‘wife’ a thousand times a day to prevent the soul-locking rope from breaking and leaving me as a wandering ghost. There’s nothing strange about that.”
But Yan Huanyue, not understanding the boy's thoughts, asked curiously, "Where is this legend from?"
Pei Xuanzhi, quite pleased with himself, laughed and said, "I heard this when I was a child, isn't it interesting?"
Yan Huanyue asked, "That's interesting. I've never heard of that before. What if you have two husbands?"
Pei Xuanzhi's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold laugh: "I only listen to one couple. You've thought of everything. With one foot tied to one husband, your other husband won't be left out. Don't worry about that."
Yan Huanyue laughed and scolded, "You're everywhere. Weren't we talking about legends? Why are you getting angry? I'm not talking to you anymore. Let's play a game of chess."
Pei Xuanzhi listlessly put down his teacup, sat cross-legged, coughed a few times, straightened his clothes, and asked in a calm and indifferent manner, "What prize is yours, sister?"
Yan Huanyue said, "We're just playing around before bed, why do we need any stakes?"
Pei Xuanzhi stopped what he was doing, glanced at her, straightened his clothes, and continued to adjust the hem. His tone was slightly cool and regretful, "You can play if you want, but without a prize, it's less fun. If you wanted a prize, you might be willing to risk your life for another round."
Yan Huanyue was not good at chess and rarely played. She was also afraid that others would lose and not be able to pay back, so she rarely played chess with stakes.
These days, when we play with him, everything just goes from one hand to the other, and there's no harm in setting up a prize.
But she couldn't think of anything she could offer as a prize. As she looked around, she heard him casually say, "Doing something is fine too, it doesn't have to be a physical object."
As she spoke, she took out a wine pot from her hidden pouch in her sleeve as a prize, "How about... Sister, you pick a pear blossom for me tomorrow, okay?"
Yan Huanyue glanced at the unopened peach blossom in the plain vase on the high table on the north wall and said, "Isn't this branch still unopened? When it blooms, the fragrance will compete with each other, and with your scent on you, the bedroom will probably be quite a nuisance."
Pei Xuan went down to the couch and brought over the chessboard and chess basket, placing them on the couch. He put a chess basket next to her and said casually:
“I simply put one branch in the room and another branch next to the memorial tablets of my father-in-law and mother-in-law in the small room over there. The plum blossoms I used to offer were really withered, so I picked some peach blossoms for you. I was going to pick some new pear blossoms too, but I was confined to my room.”
As he spoke, he finally looked up at her. "By the way, I saw an unmarked memorial tablet with a single, winding drop of blood on it. Whose is it?"
He knew there was another small room in the courtyard, but Yan Huanyue kept the door locked.
She had been busy traveling back and forth to Yuanxu Peak lately, and when she returned late at night, she couldn't avoid him while cleaning and tidying up. So, on New Year's Eve, after returning from the worship ceremony at Qiaoran Valley, she unlocked the door.
He would come in to help her when she was cleaning and making offerings.
The empty memorial tablet was in the corner, with its back to anyone. He had seen it before, but assumed it was an old, abandoned tablet and hadn't paid much attention. However, a few days ago, when he went in to change the water for the plum blossoms, the water overflowed from the bottle and dripped onto the small table next to the large offering table. When he moved the small table, he noticed that there wasn't a single word on the front of the tablet, only a winding trail of old blood.
He had a suspicion in his heart, but hadn't had a chance to ask it in the past few days. He finally took the opportunity to ask it today.
Yan Huanyue sat cross-legged on one side of the small couch, reached into the chess basket and grabbed a handful of chess pieces, then looked up at Pei Xuanzhi.
Pei Xuanzhi said, "Two."
Yan Huanyue gently placed the chess pieces on the chessboard. At first glance, there were seven pieces, but she still counted the pieces while smiling and saying, "I don't want to hide it from you, those are my memorial tablets."
Pei Xuanzhi's eyebrow twitched suddenly. "What?"
Yan Huanyue smiled and said, "I had a dream before that I died. I was afraid it was some kind of omen, so I set up a memorial tablet and make offerings to it from time to time. If anything happens, I just pray to myself."
Pei Xuanzhi pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Dreams are always the opposite of reality, there's no need to count them, you go first."
Yan Huanyue gathered all the chess pieces without any politeness, picked up a piece with two fingers and placed it on the chessboard, and said calmly, "I know what you want to say. You are under house arrest yourself, so don't lecture me. I am just worshipping myself, not some evil god. It smells so good... Give me a sip first."
As he spoke, he reached out to snatch the wine pot from the table beside him.
Pei Xuan placed a piece in one hand and grabbed her hand with the other, saying calmly, "You're already asking for a prize after only two pieces have been placed on the board. Aren't you a bit too impatient? Aren't you afraid of losing everything to me?"
For some reason, Yan Huanyue felt an intense urge to try it, so she said, "How about we change the stakes and drink this pot of fermented rice wine together?"
Pei Xuanzhi, holding a chess piece, calmly said, "This is Zhaoyi wine, brewed with Yihezi from Wuzhendi. It doesn't taste spicy, but it's very intoxicating."
"No true land?"
Yan Huanyue was surprised, "Isn't this the permanent residence of the succubus race? How come you are..."
Pei Xuanzhi said, "I bought it at a high price. I have no dealings with them. After the wine matures and releases its fragrance, its scent is very important to them when they are courting. I heard that this wine has a magical fragrance that they like. I was just curious."
Yan Huanyue said "Oh," no wonder the wine pot intermittently emitted the sweet fragrance of his passion.
Even if she wanted to drink more, she wouldn't say anything more, and just pretended not to care.
People whose chess skills are at Pei Xuan's level are rarely patient enough to play against someone with her skill level.
Pei Xuanzhi was extremely patient with her, occasionally giving her a few openings so she could capture more pieces, which piqued her interest and gave her more chances of winning.
Therefore, although Yan Huanyue narrowly lost the first game, she unexpectedly developed an unprecedented interest in chess and insisted on playing another game with him.
Perhaps their clan is naturally adept at bewitching people in every way, if they so choose.
Pei Xuanzhi skillfully lost a lot of territory, which she completely swallowed up, and he even lost a pot of wine to her.
Yan Huanyue knew he was letting her win, and while drinking the sweet wine she had "won" reasonably, she smiled and said, "Playing with you is really fun. You don't shut me down in no time, and you still let me enjoy it. No wonder they are happy to play chess with you. Play with me a little longer."
Pei Xuanzhi looked into her bright eyes, coughed a few times, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's late, let's do it another day."
Yan Huanyue's playful mood had been piqued by him, but his sudden refusal to play with her was quite disheartening.
As she poured herself a drink, she watched him sort through the chess pieces and chuckled, "I'll take a day off tomorrow, so you can play another game with me."
Pei Xuanzhi's fair and jade-like long fingers gently picked up a black chess piece and tossed it far into the white chess basket beside her knees.
He looked up at her flushed cheeks, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and said in a low voice, "Alright, wait until you finish drinking."
Anyway, there was still a little while before he finished distributing the chess pieces, so Yan Huanyue sipped her wine while waiting.
As I waited and waited, my eyes became blurry, and I completely forgot what I was waiting for.
I can only vaguely recall that New Year's Eve in Tingnan, with swaying reeds, bright fireworks in the distance, and the terrifying paper figure beside me becoming Pei Xuanzhi.
He wasn't particularly attached to the fireworks, but instead led her deeper into the reeds. She followed him lightly through the reeds under the moonlight. After some time, she saw him kneeling in the distance with his back to her.
She quickly looked around, but the reeds beside her had disappeared, leaving her all alone.
"I secretly gathered her remnant soul; it was nothing more than gathering up an old friend. I am innocent, nothing more."
She even heard Su Xianqing's voice coming from afar: "Innocence? Why is the white jade statue containing the remnant soul tucked into your sleeve? Why are you taking this jade figure with you during your seclusion? Are you using her for cultivation? Pei Xuanzhi, it's not your fault that you died young, but if you really do something that goes against the will of Heaven, don't blame me."
Pei Xuanzhi coughed a few times and sneered, "It's been so many years since I went to Yunjing to execute Yu Zhao and the others. If I wanted to use her for cultivation, would that remnant soul still have a chance to come looking for you? The remnant soul doesn't even have consciousness. It's just that she wasn't familiar with me when she was alive. You touched the jade statue without permission, and the remnant soul chased after you, which is why it dissipated..."
Su Xianqing stretched out his hand, "Then hand over that little jade doll to me first, and I'll trust you a little."
Pei Xuanzhi lowered his eyes, coughed for a while, and said calmly, "I won't give it to you. That wisp of soul has already dissipated, what's the point of fighting over these things? What's left is the jade figure I carved myself, it's mine..."
Yan Huanyue was in a daze, feeling that their words were shrouded in mystery and she couldn't quite understand them.
Wasn't Yu Zhao already terminally ill? What did he do to be executed?
Whose lingering soul did Xuanzhi hide? And for whom did he carve a jade figure?
She couldn't help but sneer, which not only startled the two people opposite her, but also made her laugh herself awake.
In the quiet, dimly lit tent, Pei Xuanzhi lay beside her, his arms around her waist, breathing evenly. A few wisps of golden mist clung to her waist, legs, and the hem of her clothes, all curled up in a state of deep sleep.
Yan Huanyue wasn't fully awake either, but thinking about his tone in her dream, she couldn't help but feel annoyed with him.
He clung to her so tightly that his breath gently brushed against her face.
Yan Huanyue was further enraged and pushed him away, slapping him on the shoulder.
Pei Xuanzhi was a light sleeper and woke up suddenly. Under the brocade quilt, Jin Wu stretched drowsily and continued to entwine with her. Pei Xuanzhi murmured, "What's wrong?"
Yan Huanyue said, "It's hot. Don't come near me. Put away all your annoying whiskers."
Pei Xuanzhi, still half-asleep, asked, "What beard do I have?"
Realizing what she was talking about, he smiled lazily, leaned closer and hugged her, coaxing her softly, "Are you upset that we didn't get to play chess now that you're sober? How about we play together when it's light?"
Yan Huanyue sneered, "I dreamed about you."
Pei Xuanzhi squinted like a cat and said lazily, "Really? Could I have done something to upset you in my dream?"
Yan Huanyue said coolly, "I dreamt that you hid someone else's remnant soul and even carved a jade statue to place it in. Senior Brother Su discovered it but refused to hand it over. The remnant soul dissipated. You seemed indifferent but also somewhat regretful. You're quite sentimental."
Pei Xuanzhi felt a chill run through him for a moment, then became much more sober. "Impossible... I have never done such a thing."
Yan Huanyue asked, "What about the future?"
“I will never do such a thing in the future. I only have your jade statue, and I will never hand it over to anyone who wants it… Sister, are you going to blame me for just one dream? If you have a good dream one day, would you be so open and honest in praising me?”
Yan Huanyue naturally couldn't possibly punish him based on a messy dream. Having just woken up from her drunken stupor, her mind was still a bit foggy, and she was feeling drowsy. She yawned a few times and said, "You'd better stay away from me. I'll settle the score with you tomorrow."
As he spoke, he fell into a deep sleep again.
Pei Xuanzhi heard her breathing calm down and felt very puzzled. These past few days, Jinli had been guarding the foot of Xuyuan Peak and had not seen her come down. She must have been engrossed in her cultivation again.
That's why he took out that wine, a wine that was supposed to lull people into sweet dreams and nourish their body and soul. He had tried it and knew there wouldn't be any problems. So why was it like this tonight?
Could it be that adding water makes the effect unstable?
To everyone's surprise, she appeared perfectly normal the next morning.
Pei Xuanzhi sat on the small couch, holding a book, watching her wash up. After a long silence, he finally asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Yan Huanyue had just entered a new realm yesterday and was preoccupied with it, rushing to the Heavenly Stele for her trial. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly placed a plate of snacks on his table, added water to the small stove, and smiled, saying:
"I slept soundly through the night without any dreams. You don't need to cook today. I'll bring breakfast back from the dining hall. After breakfast, let's take a walk in the courtyard and then play chess."
Pei Xuanzhi frowned inwardly.
I was able to teach him a lesson last night, but now I've forgotten all about it.
This is even stranger...
.
"Ruofan, how did you handle the matter of welcoming Father back?"
Yun Ruofan looked at her eldest brother, who was sitting behind the old desk where their father used to hold meetings, and said calmly, "Don't worry, eldest brother, we will definitely make up for the losses our father incurred this time."
Yun Ruoqing nodded. "I trust you to handle things, but there's still no news of Sanlang. The alien species we've deployed are being searched for everywhere by Xuanjiang's people and demon immortals. Now that our sect is cooperating with Xuanjiang, our power has increased by another ten percent, allowing us to focus our energy on dealing with the north. I don't know how to explain this to my father."
Yun Ruofan said calmly, "The sects have been making more and more moves lately. We'd better keep quiet for a while and let them think we're afraid. It won't be too late for us to make a move after a few years when both sides have suffered heavy casualties."
He continued calmly, "There's no need to support so many people in this world. And by the way, those annoying monsters are no longer worthy of feasting on what heaven and earth have given us. Last time, we missed our grand plan of conquest because of Wei Zhao's incompetence. Now, we cannot disappoint Father again."
Yun Ruoqing said, "They won't ignore this matter easily. There must be someone secretly looking for us, perhaps mixed among those Xuanjiang demon immortals. That old bastard Wei Yan is not dead yet. He must know that his father is still alive and will definitely avenge his son. We must find him first and strike first."
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