He rarely spoke, quieter than the spring breeze outside the window...
Emperor Dezong of Ming, Guesthouse.
The moonlit night was cool, and the faint fragrance of camellias drifted gently on the breeze.
Beneath the window, Yan Huanyue wore a loose nightgown, her half-dry hair cascading down her back.
She rested one hand on the armrest of the high chair, supporting half her cheek, and looked at the weeping white candle, murmuring:
"Ascending Qiongzhou to visit the Jade Capital, gazing up at the four poles and embracing the universe, with stars as my belt and the sun and moon as my pendants..."
Across a table, by a candlelight, a young man, head bowed, sketching a celestial constellation map, casually reminded her, "Looking down upon mountains and rivers."
Yan Huanyue suddenly looked up at him, wondering if he had memorized the passage before or if he had simply memorized it after hearing her recite it in a short time.
But as he drew on the paper and made calculations with his hands, he kept adding various array transformations to the constellations, seemingly concentrating all his attention on the constellation map at hand, and did not notice her gaze.
Yan Huanyue withdrew her gaze and casually hummed in agreement.
He chanted: "Looking down upon mountains and rivers, yet amidst the dust and smoke; entering the world of emotions, yet remaining detached from them; all delusions and falsehoods are empty; desires and hatreds will eventually dissipate; embracing the original essence and guarding the one; though the world is bustling and noisy, standing here is like being in a cold palace ten thousand miles away..."
"Senior Sister Yan."
The candlelight reflected on Pei Xuanzhi's profile across from him. His eyes were lowered as he casually interrupted, tracing the seven northern constellations with the tip of a fine brush:
"It's getting late. Your chest injury has taken a toll on your health. Don't overexert yourself these next few days. Get some rest."
Yan Huanyue casually echoed his words, but did not heed his advice. She tidied her half-wet long hair and continued memorizing for another half hour.
After my hair was almost dry, I finished memorizing the entire Inner Canon before getting up and going to the bedside.
A refreshing mist wafted past, causing Pei Xuanzhi's long eyelashes to tremble and his pen to pause slightly.
He stared at the ink-black nib of the pen for a long time, knowing where to begin, but unable to put pen to paper.
He couldn't help but glance at her in the end.
Seeing that she had already pushed a quilt into the bed, untied half of the bed curtains to block the light, and sat at the foot of the bed making hand seals to meditate.
Behind him, in a corner untouched by the candlelight, the cool moonlight from the window spilled onto the peeling paint of the old wooden chair, remaining silent alongside him.
She recited the "Pure and Tranquil Sutra" for more than half an hour, a sutra he had memorized since childhood.
At that time, I stayed with my teacher on the edge of a natural barrier. Although I was suffering from illness and hunger, I still had to frequently recite the books that my teacher had taught me.
Over the years, through wind, snow, bitter cold, and life-or-death situations, memorizing things was very easy for him. He memorized these scriptures extremely quickly, but he only regarded them as tasks to obtain half a cold bun from his teacher.
Aren't many scriptures in this world, at many times, just a means for people to fill their stomachs?
He originally had no prejudice against this piece, but today, the few hundred words she kept repeating felt like tiny ice spikes, piercing his heart one after another.
It didn't hurt, but it carried a chilling feeling that was too painful to contemplate, causing his already fragile hope to crumble quietly, and filling his blood with countless anxieties and panics, which uncontrollably seeped into his limbs and bones.
When he was young, his teacher said that he was unruly, difficult to discipline, selfish, and greedy, so he punished him very severely.
The master never laid a hand on him. Whether it was the dead of winter or the sweltering heat of summer, he would only ask him, "How many hours do you think you should kneel outside this time?"
He wasn't the type to confront things head-on and risk being punished. To avoid repercussions, he quickly learned to pretend to be the person his teacher wanted him to be.
Humility, restraint, and courtesy.
Over time, these pretenses seemed both real and fake. He might have actually accomplished something, or perhaps it was just a part of his own personality all along.
Now, only he himself knows best which parts are his and which are not.
Delusion and ignorance are all empty, desire and hatred will eventually dissipate...
What if he is just her bustling crowd?
He gazed at Yan Huanyue's fair and serene face. Although she was only a few steps away, she always seemed like a distant, unattainable dream.
He doesn't want much right now...
But if you ask yourself honestly, you'll find that there are quite a few.
Pei Xuanzhi put down his pen and looked down at the papers on the table.
The celestial constellations stretch across the star chart, seemingly allowing us to glimpse their vastness, profundity, and grandeur through this mundane piece of paper. The vicissitudes of life, all the experiences of a lifetime, seem insignificant, not worthy of a single word.
Seeing the vastness of the world makes one realize one's own insignificance; even a lifetime of effort cannot compare to that of a mayfly.
For over a decade, I've devoted myself wholeheartedly to my work, toiling tirelessly and covered in dust. Looking up at the sky, I feel as insignificant as an ant; looking down at the earth, I feel as worthless as a fly. Yet...
Things here are rare and uncertain, life and death are unpredictable, people fight for every penny, and they are too busy to even take care of themselves. Who doesn't scheme for their own benefit?
His hand emerged from the wide sleeve of his white nightgown, his long, slender, fair fingers resting on the black lacquered desk.
With lowered eyes and a calm expression, he appeared completely at ease.
Within their souls, wisps of golden mist, ferocious as ghosts, were killing each other.
Suddenly, the Three Pure Ones Bell resounded throughout the sea of consciousness, instantly quelling the chaos, and within the soul, all was utterly silent...
.
Yan Huanyue lost some of her heart's blood this time, so she spent much longer meditating to replenish her energy.
When the moon was high in the sky, she released the hand seals, slowly opened her eyes, and raised her hand to lift the bed curtains that were half-covering her.
Looking up, the dim candlelight, like a light veil, spread in varying shades over the tables, chairs, cups, and saucers in the room.
On a black lacquered table not far away, a candle flickered and burned down to a short stub.
Pei Xuanzhi, dressed in white and bathed in the flickering candlelight, was asleep at his desk.
The window beside it was still open, the moonlight and candlelight blending together, and the pages of the book on the table were slowly turning.
His sleeves fluttered, and the star chart pressed under his wrist seemed about to fly away, but it could never break free from his thin, bony wrist.
Sleeping so soundly, it seems this emotional turmoil has passed smoothly.
Yan Huanyue cast a spell to prevent him from waking up before getting out of bed and closing the window. The slight disturbance in the room gradually subsided.
After using her spiritual power to move him to the bed and settle him in, Yan Huanyue went to the table to examine the drawing he had made.
It's a very ordinary picture, but those who study the Qimen school always draw it from memory to improve their memory, and the same goes for the many small characters written on the side.
His brushstrokes are always clean, neat, and orderly. Every stroke reveals restraint and introversion. He does not pursue uniqueness in particular, so his writing looks very simple and clear.
Yan Huanyue glanced through it and tried to calculate the directions according to his written deductions. She calculated several columns of words, but in the end, she was unsure of the directions and the overall situation was a complete mess.
It is unclear what his deductive statements written next to the constellations were actually meant to refer to.
Perhaps he simply wrote down whatever came to mind, and only he himself knew the method by which he organized his thoughts.
Yan Huanyue gave up her desire to spy on the place he was pointing to while practicing his writing. She covered the drawing with a book, blew out the candle, and went into her tent to lie down under a new quilt and go to bed.
In her dream, she stood beneath a towering celestial cauldron, while Jiao Gu sat atop the cauldron shrouded in mist, humming a faint, indistinct song.
The charred foot bones tapped against the red-hot celestial cauldron, producing a clanging, metallic sound that harmonized with the cauldron's clatter.
Yan Huanyue looked back and saw that the endless road behind her, with its blood-soaked sky, had become much quieter.
“It can’t be healed, we have to accept that,” Jiao Gu said.
Jiao Gu raised his hand and inserted an index finger into the dark eye socket. "I can only say try my best not to let it cause a bloodbath, and it would be best... not to let me tear this place to shreds."
Yan Huanyue pursed her lips and looked at her without saying a word.
"It's strange, isn't it? People who are seriously injured tend to have a self-destructive streak, immersing themselves in pain. Sometimes it's even quite fascinating. They wallow in self-pity, self-harm, and self-blame, hiding in pain, feeling safe... This is not uncommon, and I am no exception."
Jiao Gu rested his chin on his hand as he looked at Yan Huanyue. White smoke drifted from her empty mouth and eyes, making her look like a piece of withered wood that had been there for many years.
"There are still many things to be done to honor me; do not be distracted by other matters, nor betray yourself."
"Cough...cough cough..."
A muffled cough drifted over from afar.
Jiao Gu paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "He clearly drank the heart's blood, so why is Junior Brother Pei still making this noise?"
Startled awake, Yan Huanyue slowly opened her eyes. Inside the gauze curtains, the light of dawn was blurred, and it was just past daylight.
She sleepily reached out her hand and touched a hot spot on his forehead. She gently patted it and said:
"You didn't even close the window when you slept at your desk last night, so I guessed you'd probably get sick because of it."
Pei Xuanzhi was not angry when she hit him. He just covered himself with the quilt and coughed, coughing until he felt dizzy and his eyes were blurry with tears.
His head was throbbing with pain, so he had to stick his hand out from under the warm blankets and press it against his temples, muttering wearily in a low voice:
"It wasn't entirely because I forgot to close the window."
He had fainted, but she thought he was asleep.
After many days without any response from the spirits, when the Xuan descended, before the paper blank was even formed, it was suddenly struck and shattered, damaging the spirit's energy.
I wonder how Lu Shenchu offended that group of people on his way to Xiling...
However, he himself was left with an empty body and caught a cold.
A fragrant pill was brought to his lips, and Pei Xuanzhi blinked away hot tears as he drowsily sipped the pill.
After a fleeting moment of sweetness, a bitter taste filled his mouth, and even his breath, which felt like it was burning and painful, was filled with a bitter taste, making his throat feel hot and suppressing his cough.
Yan Huanyue lay on the side of the bed, reached under her pillow with her right hand, took out a piece of candy from her treasure pouch, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Having expended a great deal of energy in the past few days, and needing to get up to cultivate again in a little while, she felt heavy-hearted and listless, and had no energy to talk to him. She raised her hand and placed it on his forehead, dispersing her spiritual energy.
The dizziness subsided slightly, and Pei Xuanzhi sipped her candy, quietly resting on the soft pillow, "suppressed" by her warm palm.
"Senior Sister Yan, it's so hot under the covers, I'm sweating the whole time."
Yan Huanyue replied softly, "Yes, it's good to sweat a little. Close your eyes and rest, and you'll feel better in a while."
.
Yan Huanyue stayed with Emperor Mingde for a few days and was not involved in the Yu family's affairs again.
Pei Xuanzhi's illness turned out to be more serious than expected.
She didn't want to ask him too many questions, but she guessed that he had probably overexerted himself during the heat of passion.
Although he had drunk the heart's blood, he had not had time to fully absorb and recover from it. He then slept soundly in the cool breeze, which caused the illness to come on suddenly and violently.
These past few days he has been in a daze, and a single pill can only keep him awake for two hours before he gets a fever and cold sweats again.
He looked sickly and could only eat a few bites before refusing to eat anymore. He wasn't very healthy to begin with, and he had lost a lot of weight in just a few days.
Pei Xuanzhi rarely expressed his own illness, trying his best not to cause her any trouble.
He has always been shrewd, discerning, and knows when he can and cannot do something, as well as the importance of taking things slowly.
He knew why she had been willing to indulge him a few days ago; many times during that time, she had clearly just been putting up with him.
She wasn't the type to fall in love with someone after just a few encounters; now that he had succumbed to his passion, she felt like she was just completing a task.
If you take advantage of your past intimacy to push your luck, make unreasonable demands, and speak recklessly, pushing too hard will make you seem selfish, ungrateful, and likely offend her.
It's best to be sensible during this time; don't mention those few days at all, and in the future...
Therefore, he didn't bother her much when he had nothing to do. He would lie alone in the quilt, rarely speaking, quieter than the spring breeze outside the window.
He would only respond when Yan Huanyue took a break from her cultivation to feed him and talk to him.
Elder Feng came to see him and said that his condition had improved, but for some reason, this cold really got to him badly and came on strong.
However, his health is much better than before, so there is no need to worry too much.
However, since the pills are made from the essence of herbs, his body is not able to withstand them. For now, we should not give them to him, but rather decoct the medicine and nourish him.
Therefore, while cultivating, Yan Huanyue also had to take care of Pei Xuanzhi, and she was constantly preoccupied with other matters, so she really didn't have time to inquire about the Yu family's affairs.
Even though Yu Zhao survived, his inhuman and ghostly appearance was naturally even more torturous.
However, Pei Xuanzhi has been acting strangely ever since he overcame the turmoil of passion. First, when she was reciting her lessons that night, they sat facing each other, but he never looked up at her. Then, he fell ill.
When he used to look at her, his gaze was always calm and composed, sometimes even appearing a little too blatant.
But now, whenever his eyes meet hers, he will look away as if it were unintentional.
He'd casually make up a few more excuses: "I'm dizzy." "Senior Sister Yan, the medicine is too bitter." "Senior Sister, I'll take it myself."...
Only when the night was deep and quiet would he whisper in the darkness, "Senior Sister Yan, I know everything you gave me, thank you..."
Knowing what he cared about, Yan Huanyue felt a sense of relief.
He neither pretended nothing had happened to gloss over the situation, nor did he overreact.
Even though Yan Huanyue believed that he possessed the blood of a demon and was quite tolerant of him, not caring too much about these things, she couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved now.
The succubus... wasn't as terrible as the rumors suggested.
For five consecutive nights, every night when she went to sleep, there would be a five-element spirit stone with evenly distributed spiritual energy on her pillow. Such things are rare, yet he was able to take out five for her. She wondered if the sect leader had given them to her privately.
She didn't hold back this time either, taking two pills in large gulps, and the energy she had lost from taking her heart's blood was gradually replenished.
Recently, I've been taking care of patients, absorbing spiritual stones, and receiving visitors from various sects who come to visit me.
Just as the Tianyan Sect members were about to leave the Mingde Sect, Yan Huanyue learned from her fellow disciples who had come to visit her that the Shendu Sect and the Yu family had reached an agreement regarding the secret realm.
The two parties resolved the matter privately, without going through the Sky Patrol Bureau.
Perhaps it was confirmed that Yu Zhaotong and Tan Guiyi had indeed eaten something they shouldn't have, which is why the Yu family stopped making a big fuss and seeking justice.
The only request was to cripple Tan Guiyi's cultivation by 50%, probably because they were worried that Tan Guiyi would have murderous intentions. They were not bold enough to ask her to take care of Yu Zhao for the rest of her life after crippling half of her cultivation.
In addition, Elder Sihong, Tan Guiyi's master, also needs to assist the Yu family in protecting Yu Zhao's life. If the Yu family finds a good method in the future, Elder Sihong will also need to help him restore his body.
The poison was made by Yan Huanyue using Fu Yinhuan's flesh and blood as a base, and then adding many other poisonous substances and medicines to refine it.
Those poisonous drugs continuously fester the skin and erode the flesh and bones. They can only temporarily suppress the damage by consuming the spiritual power of others. It would take several years to figure out the prescription in order to truly and completely stop the damage.
Want to fix it?
Unless they can figure out the prescription and find Fu Yinhuan.
Yan Huanyue sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the calm, dark brown medicine in her hand. Her face was reflected in it, making it impossible to tell whether it was light or dark.
As the white porcelain spoon was placed into the bowl, her expression immediately shattered. She stirred the scalding hot medicine in her hand, blowing air into the white porcelain bowl as she did so.
Zhou Jiao, Li Ji, and Mu Huage sat at the table inside the room, all sighing at Yu Zhao's plight.
Yan Huanyue listened without changing her expression, scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it to warm it up, and then handed it to Pei Xuanzhi's pale lips.
Pei Xuanzhi opened his lips and took a sip. The bitter taste hit his nose. He swallowed the medicine with a fierce determination, but he couldn't help turning his head to cough.
Zhou Jiao, unaware of the situation, displayed the attentiveness and concern expected of a patient visiting a sick person. He quickly went over to look at the person whose face was flushed from coughing and said:
"Senior Sister Yan, look how burned he is. I don't know how my brother Xuanzhi has been living under your thumb these past few days."
He then took the bowl of medicine with great enthusiasm and care, blowing on it and stirring it as he went, before cheerfully handing it to Pei Xuanzhi, saying:
“Junior Brother Pei, this medicine smells bitter, and it’s even more bitter as you eat it spoonful by spoonful. I have experience. Once it’s cooled down a bit, you can immediately suck on a piece of candied fruit to sweeten your mouth. You don’t have to suffer through this spoonful by spoonful.”
Pei Xuanzhi leaned weakly against the headboard, his expression unreadable, but his feeble voice seemed to carry a hint of gratitude, "Thank you so much for reminding me, Senior Brother."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao seemed to have received some confirmation and stirred the medicine even more diligently to dissipate the heat.
Yan Huanyue watched as he stirred the medicine until it was almost cooled down before saying, "He couldn't take it. I told him to drink it all at once, just like you said, but he vomited it all up and the bowl was overturned on the bed, making the whole bed smell of medicine. He had to drink it spoonful by spoonful."
He took the bowl of medicine from Zhou Jiao and continued to feed him, comforting him, "Bear with it, I'll give you candied fruit after you finish drinking it."
Pei Xuanzhi grunted in agreement and continued to endure the hardship without complaint.
Zhou Jiao stood by the bed with his arms crossed, looking at Pei Xuanzhi's reddened eyes from holding back his pain, and thought that he had to smile in order to please Yan Huanyue.
But perhaps because he has suffered so much, it is difficult for him to truly laugh, and thus a certain emotion hidden in his eyes reveals a touch of heartache.
Although he's been missing for over ten years, he's still the son of the Tianyan Sect's leader...
Zhou Jiao firmly believes that it is the limitations of the body that prevent people from truly standing up from within, which is why they become so cautious and anxious about receiving even the slightest care and attention.
Pei Xuanzhi was born this way, which was one thing, but Yu Shixiong was originally a chosen one of heaven...
Zhou Jiao suddenly felt that life was truly unpredictable. Recalling his senior brother Yu's ordeal, it seemed as if he had only heard it in a dream. He smelled the real bitter medicine, shook his head, and sighed helplessly:
“Junior Brother Pei, your sudden serious illness will inevitably cause some delays. I think it would be better if my Zhou family hired someone to take care of you. This way, you can focus on recuperating, and Senior Sister Yan won’t have to go through the extra trouble of looking after you while she’s cultivating.”
Seeing Yan Huanyue's thoughtful gaze, Pei Xuanzhi immediately rejected the idea, saying, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother Zhou, but Elder Feng said that my physical foundation has recovered quite well, and I'm afraid it won't happen again in the future."
Zhou Jiao understood, knew when to stop, and changed the subject, saying cheerfully:
"Remember to keep those tonics on the table, Senior Sister Yan. We're leaving tomorrow. I was wondering if we should go together to say goodbye to Senior Brother Yu one last time? If we all go, I'll go and tell the other fellow disciples."
Mu Huage and Li Ji agreed on the spot, and Yan Huanyue sighed and agreed as well, a clear hint of regret flashing across her face.
When she went with the others to visit Yu Zhao, she was turned away at the door.
While her fellow disciples had reservations about the Yu family's actions, Yan Huanyue remained remarkably calm and composed, simply stating:
“Senior Brother Yu is not doing well now, and they are feeling bad. I should be more accommodating.”
On the way back, Zhou Jiao said with regret, "Being separated by a gauze curtain prevents people from seeing and makes it impossible to speak. I heard from the seventeenth young lady of the Yu family that she was almost covered in pus a few days ago... Sigh, she really suffered."
Having arrived late, Xue Jingnian went alone to the guesthouse where Yu Zhao was staying.
Looking up at the wisteria cascade bathed in the warm spring sunshine, I saw a misty pink figure following at the back of a group of people as she walked out of the courtyard gate.
His breathing became much lighter, and he stopped in his tracks, waiting for her.
Yan Huanyue noticed that he seemed to be in poor health and wondered what he was planning to do by waiting there instead of going into the courtyard. As she passed by him, she heard him say:
"Since last winter, Fellow Daoist Tan has often felt unwell in her chest and heart. She was in Chang'an that day to recuperate from her heart ailment. She has become quite haggard because of this illness and forces herself to smile every day..."
Yan Huanyue found him somewhat puzzling and asked, "So?"
Xue Jingnian took a jade box from his sleeve and handed it to her.
"Senior Brother Yu left some of his heart's blood for her, probably for this reason. Don't blame her for it. This is a white jade snow crystal from beneath the snow-capped peak of Hengshan. It was something I... I obtained with great difficulty. Take it to heal your wounds."
Yan Huanyue raised her eyes and said with a half-smile, "You mean I would blame her for this? You're overthinking it. I don't mind that she drank that blood, it's just a pity that it caused her to develop ulcers. You should give this snow crystal to Fellow Daoist Tan."
Xue Jingnian took a step forward, and the hem of his red robe fluttered gently in her direction.
He looked down into her eyes and said softly, "You still remember Senior Brother Yu. Does Junior Brother Pei blame you? If he uses this to make things difficult for you, or takes the opportunity to make things difficult for you, I..."
Yan Huanyue casually said, "Junior Brother Pei knows that I was just saving people."
Xue Jingnian smiled inexplicably, "Him? So magnanimous? If he is as you say, and has no qualms about you cutting your heart's blood to save Senior Brother Yu, then it only shows that you are not important to him at all. How could he be worthy of being your husband!"
Yan Huanyue said, "That's understandable. Our marriage wasn't based on romantic love, and I don't care whether I'm important to him or not."
Xue Jingnian's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help but ask, "But do you really understand him? We grew up together, between him and me, who do you truly understand the most?"
Yan Huanyue smiled faintly at the question.
Her eyes were like water, sparkling with stars, and the spring breeze ruffled her hair, like a soft dream.
Xue Jingnian couldn't help but secretly lean towards her. The faint fragrance emanating from her body wafted to his nose, causing his hands in his sleeves to unconsciously clench.
Yan Huanyue took a half step aside, walked past him, and said calmly:
"Time reveals all, and I can't truly understand anyone. If Junior Brother Pei were to harm me, it would be easy for me to deal with him; I could simply lock him up, and he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. Neither the sect leader nor I could worry about that. But you, Junior Brother Xue..."
Xue Jingnian followed her unhurriedly, frowning as he said, "You are not allowed to call me junior brother. Although I entered the sect later than you, I am still a month older than you."
Yan Huanyue thought to herself that she was twenty-three when she died, and now she had lived for another year, so she must have lived longer than Xue Jingnian, who was only nineteen.
Moreover, she joined the sect early, and even Li Ji, who was much older, had to call her senior sister. Xue Jingnian, on the other hand, was stubborn from a young age and only called her by her given name.
She stopped and turned to look at Xue Jingnian, her gaze as calm as if she were looking at an ordinary tree by the roadside.
"And you, Xue Jingnian, the Yu family is not the same as the Xue family. Fellow Daoist Tan was able to get away from the Yu family, but it would be very difficult for him to get away from the Xue family. Similarly, if you harm me, it will be very difficult for me to take revenge."
Xue Jingnian was somewhat surprised by her lifeless gaze, swallowed hard, and whispered:
"Senior Brother Yu was not harmed by Fellow Daoist Tan, don't say that about her... Is that how you see things? Why would I harm you for no reason?"
Yan Huanyue glanced at him, did not answer, and turned to leave.
Xue Jingnian followed her at a distance, neither too close nor too far.
Zhou Jiao, who was walking at the front, looked back and saw a man and a woman with their clothes fluttering in the wind walking along the path among the flowers, grass and leaves under the clear blue sky.
Zhou Jiao paused for a moment, then casually asked, "By the way, Senior Brother Xue, why haven't I seen Senior Brother Ning today?"
Xue Jingnian stopped in his tracks. “I heard that the matter that Senior Brother Ning resolved when he first appeared has run into trouble again, so Elder Feng arranged for him to quell it. The sect has also sent people there.”
Li Ji asked in surprise, "Does Senior Brother Ning sometimes leave oversights in his actions?"
Xue Jingnian said, "Nothing in this world is perfect. However, this wasn't entirely due to Senior Brother Ning's oversight..."
"I heard that it was originally a case of a corpse demon causing trouble. It killed a family and swallowed eight mouthfuls of dead yang energy. The corpse demon did not become a big threat. Our sect received the news in time, and Senior Brother Ning handled it smoothly."
"In the most yang place, the body was burned with peach wood. Afterwards, the place where the body was burned was sealed with three layers of mature soil and three layers of raw soil. He also personally cooked a soup for the local people to make sure they would be safe for three days."
Yan Huanyue listened quietly. Senior Brother Ning and Senior Brother Su were both under the sect leader's command, and their actions were always the most proper. Following this method, there was little chance of any problems arising.
"On that day, I heard Elder Feng say that the scourge of the corpse demon has resurfaced."
Yan Huanyue frowned and said, "Since it has been resolved, why has trouble arisen again? Do you know why?"
Xue Jingnian glanced at her, then immediately turned to look at Zhou Jiao and the others who were looking at him with curiosity. He raised his chin, put his hands behind his back, and said, "I don't know."
Zhou Jiao said with some dissatisfaction, "So even Senior Brother Xue didn't know... By the way, Senior Brother Xue, the people from the Divine Capital Sect are too embarrassed to greet us, so why have you been going to the Mingde Sect's Punishment Hall so often these past few days? Every few days, are you going to interrogate them or to pay your respects?"
Xue Jingnian's smile gradually froze. He turned around, waved his hand, and said with great nonchalance:
"Is there anyone in this world who doesn't make mistakes? She was just trying to save her life in a panic. Even Senior Brother Yu can understand her. I'm just going to ask her what happened. You guys go back and pack up first. I'm going to see Senior Brother Yu."
Zhou Jiao wrinkled his nose, looking at Yan Huanyue with a sense of unease, as if he wanted to stir up trouble.
"I was wondering why you didn't want Senior Brother Xue to visit you and Junior Brother Pei. It turns out you were afraid he would be so angry that he would vomit blood."
Li Ji said, "It seems that Fellow Daoist Tan was indeed panicked when he tried to use someone to shield him from disaster. Senior Brother Yu was also unlucky; he used Senior Sister Yan's heart's blood, but unexpectedly..."
Zhou Jiao said irritably, "You're so considerate. What if it had been you who was pulled back then?"
Li Ji spread his hands and said indifferently, "Then naturally it's a matter of life for life. I have no relationship with her, so what's wrong with saying a few polite but meaningless words?"
"It's Senior Brother Yu who understands her. She's willing to suffer, and even the Yu family hasn't said anything. Why are we so upset? You're the one who talks the most and offends the most people. But you're a member of the Zhou family of Xiling. You have a wealthy family background, so you can talk nonsense outside and still have someone to back you up."
Enraged, Zhou Jiao wanted to attack again, but Li Ji left immediately after insulting him. With a change of pace, Zhou Jiao was unable to catch up for a moment, which made him even angrier.
Seeing that they were making a scene, Yan Huanyue made an excuse that she hadn't finished packing her luggage in the room and left on her own.
As soon as I pushed open the door and entered the room, I saw Pei Xuanzhi sitting on the headboard counting copper coins.
Yan Huanyue didn't disturb his interest. After packing her luggage for a while, she saw that he was still intently fiddling with that small handful of money, and couldn't help but ask:
"You've counted several times, are you worried about not having enough money?"
Pei Xuanzhi smiled, then his expression immediately changed and he coughed a few times. He pinched the last copper coin between his right fingertips and threw it into the pile of small copper coins on the brocade quilt.
The copper coins struck each other with a clear, ringing sound.
He blew on his cold hands, then stacked the few copper coins one by one, casually tucking them into his sleeve, and said softly with a smile:
"I'm just counting them to pass the time. Don't worry, I can make money."
Yan Huanyue didn't care much about this, nor did she think he would have any opportunity to make money anywhere, so she said, "If you need anything, just ask."
Pei Xuanzhi looked at her from afar and nodded seriously, "Mm."
Spring comes later in the North. When we left Mingde Sect the next day, Elder Feng Ye said that the outer disciples should go to Xichuan and Hengsu in the North to assist with spring plowing in ten days.
Yan Huanyue originally wanted to ask an inner sect senior brother to send Pei Xuanzhi back, but now that he has suddenly fallen ill, it is not good to trouble others with trivial matters such as brewing medicine, so she still has to ride with him in the spirit horse magic array carriage.
Before the Tianyan Sect members departed, Wen Jian, the head of the Mingde Sect, came to see them off and offered words of encouragement to the younger generation.
After the spirit horse had traveled two miles, Pei Xuanzhi unveiled a brocade cloth, beneath which lay a wooden bow and three cold iron arrows.
"Senior Sister Yan, this was given to you by Fellow Daoist Lin. She said that the events of the past few days have greatly troubled you, and she doesn't know what to say when they meet again. Please accept this bow and arrow for now."
This time, Lin Xiaofeng didn't lose his eyes because of Tan Guiyi, but he watched helplessly as Yu Zhao was dragged away by her junior sister to take the blame in his place. He wondered what Yu Zhao was feeling now.
Yan Huanyue lifted her skirt and sat down opposite Pei Xuanzhi. She picked up the wooden bow, feeling its slightly heavy weight, and tried to pull the bowstring, but failed to draw it fully.
Her seemingly slender fingers, like hard eagle claws, suddenly tightened as she gritted her teeth and drew the bowstring taut.
Suddenly, the strings snapped, the strings trembled with a mournful sound, a gust of cold wind lifted the gauze curtain by the window, causing the yellow talisman above the carriage to flutter, and the spirit horse that was on its way suddenly reared up and neighed loudly.
She carefully examined the patterns on the wooden bow and sighed, "Unfortunately, my accuracy in archery isn't very high, so giving me this bow and arrow is somewhat of a waste."
Pei Xuanzhi sneezed from the wind, and upon hearing this, poured himself a cup of hot water, held it, and said quite casually:
"Senior Sister Yan's sword is sharp and precise, so she can't be completely inaccurate. If you're worried about not being able to kill the enemy accurately, you can just use a talisman to increase its power. If someone else gets hit in the brow with an arrow, Senior Sister Yan can blow up the upper half of their body with an arrow, and it will be the same."
Yan Huanyue glanced at him, said nothing, simply put the bow and arrows into her treasure pouch, and then asked, "Does your head still hurt?"
Pei Xuanzhi shook his head, but was still clearly a little listless. After drinking a cup of hot water, he covered himself with his cloak and went to sleep.
He had been sleeping too much these past few days, so Yan Huanyue didn't bother him. She turned around, jumped out of the carriage, and rode her sword to follow him in the air, walking on the branches by the roadside, the wild wind filling her sleeves, gazing at the distant rivers and mountains.
They set off ahead of each other, but in less than a day they fell behind their fellow disciples.
As dusk fell, the dark blue sky was tinged with rosy clouds, and a few swallows gracefully flew into the woods.
Yan Huanyue was standing by the carriage shaft, estimating the time when she would arrive at the town where her fellow disciples had agreed to meet when she suddenly saw two figures running down the small hill in front of her, chasing her like ghosts.
The two men's footwork was extremely similar; one step followed the Xun and the other the Kun and the Dui, their movements as swift and agile as wind, thunder, and rain, clearly indicating that they came from the same school.
The two men didn't stop when they reached the vicinity of the carriage; they dashed off without hesitation.
Suddenly, a gust of dust tugged at the copper bells on the carriage eaves and Yan Huanyue's skirt, making a series of jingling noises. It took them a long time to calm down after they had run over.
Yan Huanyue turned around and pushed the car door open a crack, and saw that Pei Xuanzhi, who had just taken his medicine, was still fast asleep, clutching his cloak.
Suddenly, someone shouted from afar, "Stop the car!"
She slowly closed the door, made a hand seal to seal the four copper bells, and looked back while holding onto the carriage door.
But then the two men, using their unfamiliar legs, made a sharp turn on the road and ran side by side towards the carriage, kicking up a cloud of dust, calling out from afar:
"Stop! You brat, I'm talking to you! What are you looking at? Stop the car!"
Yan Huanyue turned around indifferently, threw a pill forward, and the spirit horse tilted its head back and swallowed it easily. The new trees by the roadside flashed past her out of the corner of her eye like lightning.
"Stop! You bitch!"
A hand emerged from the wind-swept sleeve and gripped the left side of the cart shaft tightly. The pursuer's legs were swinging so hard they were almost unrecognizable.
Another hand gripped the right side of the carriage shaft. Yan Huanyue looked left and right, but before she could speak, the person on the right pulled out a knife, climbed up, and pointed it at her neck.
The man ran until his face was flushed and he was covered in sweat. His eyes searched around her hands, originally looking for the reins, but he found that the carriage did not have the reins for the horses.
Just as Yan Huanyue was about to kick the two off, the spirit horse suddenly slowed down and gradually came to a stop.
She glanced back at the closed car door, only to hear someone cough inside:
“Sister, this wretched horse broke free of its reins and brought us here. We are only able to be saved thanks to the two heroes. Why don’t you come in and have a cup of tea to express your gratitude?”
The spirit horse, head bowed and sniffing the scent of grass, snorted in dissatisfaction.
It is a spirit beast raised by the Pei family. Everyone praises it as a fine steed and a good beast. This little brat, who is not even a fraction of its age, dares to say that it is an inferior horse. Even his deceased grandfather would not dare to say that!
Yan Huanyue pursed her lips as she looked at the intricately carved car door, and she could easily guess what he was planning to do.
The man on the left also climbed over the carriage shaft, pulled out a knife, pointed it at Yan Huanyue, and said impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and get off the carriage and clear it out, so I don't have to dirty my knife..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Yan Huanyue a few times, then sheathed his knife, grasped her sleeve, and said with a broad smile:
"So she's such a pretty little sister. Don't go, don't go, stay and ride with your brother. Let your little brother get off so the three of us can make room."
Yan Huanyue dodged his hand and calmly said with her hands behind her back, "You two are in such a hurry, what urgent matter could you possibly have? If it is indeed urgent, we can certainly give you a ride."
The dark-faced man on the right raised an eyebrow and said, "Third Brother, why are you wasting your breath on her? If those people from the Immortal Sect come after us, will we even survive?"
The pale-faced man with a short mustache on the left said, "Nonsense! Didn't our elder brother and sister-in-law let us run away at the slightest sign of trouble? Those people are just stopping in town for a rest; they might not even come to our place. Why don't we take the carriage and go for a ride further afield today, and even have a chance to be a groom..."
The dark-faced man realized what was happening, looked at Yan Huanyue, licked his dark, chapped lips, and his voice softened considerably. He used the tip of his knife to poke at her earring, and seeing the small jade pendant swaying adorably, he couldn't help but sigh:
"She's as pretty as a snowball, I'm afraid I'll crush her if I squeeze her too hard... Let's hide her away, and make sure our older brother and sister-in-law don't see her, we can play with her for a long time."
With a creak, both of them instinctively turned to look behind them.
But inside the slowly opening car door, a sickly-looking boy dressed in white, wearing an indigo cloak, sat with a cold expression.
A gust of wind entered the car door, causing the yellow talisman array formed by red threads above it to flutter.
Upon seeing this, the two felt a chill in their hearts. Before they could react, a gust of wind lifted them up, making them dizzy in the air, and then they crashed heavily into a pile of roadside gravel, their heads bleeding profusely. They couldn't even whimper, their sobs stuck in their throats.
Pei Xuanzhi stepped out of the car with a sullen face, casually removing Yan Huanyue's earring and tossing it into his sleeve. "These two are no match for you. Why did you let them spout nonsense without making a move?"
Yan Huanyue rarely saw him angry, but now his anger seemed to come out of nowhere. She couldn't help but say, "Didn't you want to trick them into opening the door and getting shot? I was playing along with you."
I also want to see how far you can utilize this formation with your cultivation level.
Pei Xuanzhi put on the hood of his cloak, gave her a deep look, then jumped off the carriage and, coughing, swayed unsteadily toward the two of them.
Yan Huanyue watched his retreating figure and said, "You're still sick, be careful."
Pei Xuanzhi did not turn around upon hearing this. He walked up to the two men, his eyes lowered, his face gloomy, and said in a deep voice:
"Explain clearly why you are afraid of the immortals and have run this way. If you tell a single lie, I will cut off your knees and hands immediately."
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Author's note: I'm sorry, I haven't been able to update for a long time due to some real-life reasons. I also recently changed departments, so it's not as tough as before. I will work hard.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:52:00 on January 5, 2024 and 23:01:43 on April 17, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: only five, 2; I just want to drink milk tea, potatoes are the best, I'm very aloof, I'll share my grapefruit with you, and 1 bug;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: WrightHuges 61 bottles; Waiting for Food 56 bottles; 70155372 47 bottles; Twenty 44 bottles; Huqu 39 bottles; Zizi 35 bottles; Yuming 34 bottles; T 33 bottles; LiSanma. 22 bottles; Tomato Plus 21 bottles; Head Who Wants to Get Braces, Lin Cheng Shui 20 bottles; Lianmo Rumou, Erwuzai, Jinpipa, haven't you updated yet? 15 bottles; Y. 14 bottles; Moyu Xiaolou 13 bottles; Pangpang Bupan 12 bottles; Baichan, Chunbudian 11 bottles; Xiyu Xiyan, Hecha de Yu, 19604973, Jiujiao Suibianba, Zhouzhou Wuneng, star-drift, Chunzhou Budu, 024, Lanyue Xiaotu, Haer Buda Tie, Hu Nara, Anthology, Yiya Yike Durian Tang 10 bottles; Qiujiu, Awang, Xiaotaoyun 7 bottles; Chanfeng 6 bottles; Muji, Shineyale, Wan, Dadabao, Wuxue, Hezi, Yaochi Keaiduo, Muxu, Maoduoli, Zhuyu 5 bottles; Aiyouwei~~, Maomao Xihuan Gougou, Zhizuo Meikengba, Hongshufen Youye Chuntian, Kugu Shenghua 3 bottles; Jinzhaosui, Zhaoye, 42293163, Xingxing You Chaomu, Jiangli, Zhonghua de Niu, 282536 2 bottles; Good mental state, Senior VIP user, Bug, Zhou Man's Sword Bone, Annihilation, Ji Yunhe and Aji Little Fox, 32321395, Just want to drink milk tea, Si Xi is waiting, Potatoes are the best, Septemburger, Yuebanmio, Zeng Xiaohai, Tong Xiaoyue, Let me eat sweet cookies!, Come to watch the ceremony, 60161602, Want to get Sang Yan for free, nna, Xue Rong, 34688450, Hula la lu, Tangtang, Nian Qing, lllmomo, Tool preset, Tiaotiao, Yiwei, Yin Qian, Cute Cheese, Little Cotton Planting Master, Quiet Years. 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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