"Junior Brother Pei is quite insightful," the stingy fellow remarked.
Yan Huanyue was in a daze, not knowing where she had arrived. In a warm pool of water, moonlight accompanied the ripples.
Her bare feet were covered in warm water. She lifted her foot and walked into the pool, when suddenly she stepped into a beam of moonlight.
Slippery and cold, it suddenly darted away from her feet.
She suddenly realized that it was a snake.
In the blink of an eye, the shimmering moonlight in the pool transformed into a dense swarm of golden snakes, surging up from the water and frantically burrowing into her clothes, tightly coiling around her and dragging her into the water.
The cold scales rubbed against her skin with a frenzied passion, countless snake tongues licked her, and countless tiny, fine teeth gnawed and tore at her all over her body.
She tried to summon the sword, but received nothing. Even her spiritual energy left her. The snakes neither bit her nor left; instead, they came in layers upon layers, relentlessly.
Fear and suffocation swept over me in an instant.
She suddenly opened her eyes and found herself tightly bound in Pei Xuanzhi's arms, her body tingling from maintaining this position for so long.
No wonder I'm having nightmares.
She quickly struggled to her feet, panting heavily, using her spiritual energy to dispel the numbness in her body. She also made a hand seal to lift the curtain, and seeing that it was still dark outside the window, she assumed that the night watchman had just returned and hadn't set up the water clock. She didn't know what time it was now.
Pei Xuanzhi, still half asleep, instinctively grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms when he saw her run away.
Yan Huanyue brushed his hand away and said, "Alright, you've been holding me all night, my body is still numb. Go to sleep."
Pei Xuanzhi coughed a few times, then pulled her closer to him without saying a word, pinching and massaging her body here and there, and said in a daze, "Sister, let me massage you and you'll feel better."
As he massaged her, perhaps because he was extremely sleepy, he casually pulled her into his arms, covered her with the blanket, and while stroking her back to comfort her, he gradually fell asleep again.
Yan Huanyue nestled in his arms, blinked, and slowly stretched out her hands to hug him back, trying her best to wrap her legs around his legs that were pressing down on hers.
Her limbs gradually tightened.
Pei Xuanzhi groaned softly in his sleep, seemingly resisting, before falling completely silent after a short while.
No matter how tightly she hugged him, he didn't show the slightest displeasure. Instead, he mumbled, "It's not cold anymore..."
Some of them are too easy to bully.
Yan Huanyue found it uninteresting, so she used a spell to temporarily put him into a dream, then got up, got dressed, washed up, and went to the Heavenly Stele.
She was going to the Zhijing Hall today, so she didn't stay long. About half an hour later, she came out of the Heavenly Stele, which was a mix of blue and white, just as dawn was breaking.
There were still quite a few people near the training ground. Gu Yuxiao, dressed in a green robe, had been on the Broken Jade Waterfall. As soon as he saw her come out, he made a hand seal and chased after her, landing beside her.
Yan Huanyue made a hand seal and said, "Senior Brother Gu."
Gu Yuxiao said with a smile, "I saw you go into the Heavenly Stele yesterday. I was going to wait for you to come out so I could say hello, but you went back in as soon as you came out. How was it? I heard you encountered a lot of trouble this time."
Yan Huanyue said, "Yes, we've encountered quite a few people. There was one who intended to use the small world to ambush us. I heard he has three brothers and one sister, and their surname is Yun. People with the surname Yun are rare. In the spiritual cultivation world, someone who can obtain a small world and set up a magic array is..."
Gu Yuxiao said, "Oh, you mean the one who was close to that traitor of the Mingde Sect? That was a long time ago. He was probably a generation older than the sect leader. I heard he died in the north a long time ago."
Yan Huanyue said, "That's right, so I asked Yu Shiliu to go find that person first. Once he's found, everything behind him will be revealed."
Gu Yuxiao said, "Yu Shiliu? Junior Brother Yu's cousin? Aren't you two at odds? I remember him, he pushed you down the stone steps and got a beating from my junior sister."
Yan Huanyue asked in surprise, "Senior Sister Han?"
Gu Yuxiao said, "Yes, that day when I returned from my visit to the Dao in the mountains, I happened to see my junior sister kick him into a deep pit. It had just rained, and he was covered in mud, his mouth full of mud, and he even lost a tooth. But he was only at the age of losing his baby teeth. I remember I was the one who pulled him out of the pit."
Yan Huanyue smiled slightly. No wonder Yu Yi avoided her when he came to Tianyan Sect after that. So many years have passed, and Yu Yi took advantage of the fact that he brought a group of people with him to secretly try to kill her.
What an incompetent, ill-mannered, and vindictive person.
Gu Yuxiao strolled on the grass, looking at the misty sky. As if he had thought of something, he said in a low voice, "Speaking of which, no wonder the sect leader recently issued an investigation order. Even the Sky Patrol Division and various sects are helping to find someone."
Yan Huanyue nodded. "That person appeared suddenly, and Xuanzhi lost his memory in his little world... If we find him, that's fine. If we don't, then he's really not simple."
Gu Yuxiao raised his sleeve to sheath his sword and smiled, "No rush, let's have a meal first. By the way, I heard that Junior Brother Wuyang went to another place to deal with the corpse demon. This matter is not difficult for him. He has been gone for so long, he should be back by now."
Yan Huanyue hadn't returned for a long time, so she assumed Ning Wuyang had already come back and left to take on another mission.
But judging from Gu Yuxiao's words, Ning Wuyang never returned after leaving Emperor Mingde.
Yan Huanyue secretly counted the days. Indeed, for Ning Wuyang, the matter of the corpse demon was probably not a difficult matter, but the matters of the Ghost Market and the East Sea had been resolved for a long time. Why hadn't he returned yet?
Seeing that she had fallen silent, Gu Yuxiao smiled and said, "That kid is very clever. If something had happened, he would have sent a message to the sect leader long ago. He hasn't returned yet, and there's been no movement in Changqing Palace. I wonder where he's been sent."
Yan Huanyue planned to ask Pei Xuanzhi about it when she took him to Changqing Palace.
On their way to the dining hall, the two happened to run into Pei Xuanzhi coming out of the library.
He had changed back into a snow-white robe embroidered with gold today. When he caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye, he stood with his hands at his sides by the bamboo grove below the steps, waiting.
Yan Huanyue waved from afar, bringing with her the cool breeze of the early morning, and laughed heartily, "Xuanzhi, why are you up so early?"
Pei Xuanzhi looked up and glanced in the direction she came from. A few scattered Tianyan disciples were returning from the martial arts arena to have their meal.
He stood tall in the wind like a slender bamboo, a smile in his eyes, and said casually, "I brought some books to prevent myself from getting bored in seclusion."
Gu Yuxiao, his blue robe billowing in the wind, took several books from a hidden pouch in his sleeve as he walked. He handed them to Pei Xuanzhi with both hands, saying:
“When I met Xianqing yesterday, he said you were looking for this set of books. He went to the library but couldn’t find it, so he asked me to keep an eye out for it. Luckily, the Jingtang library had collected some earlier and had a few sets left.”
Yan Huanyue glanced at it and recognized it as the demonic book she had heard about before, the "True Immortal Treasure Scroll," which had been seized by the sect leader and widely printed and distributed.
Senior Brother Xianqing has never really liked Xuanzhi, so his ability to help him find books must be at the behest of the sect leader.
Pei Xuanzhi didn't quite remember Gu Yuxiao. He took the book with both hands and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Gu Yuxiao joked, "I heard you've lost your memory? You're not going to renege on the hundred taels of gold you borrowed from me before, are you?"
Pei Xuanzhi said, "I'll remember where I put my money. Right now I'm penniless, not only can I not pay off my old debts, but I'm also completely dependent on Senior Sister Yan for food."
Gu Yuxiao laughed and said, "Rely on your Senior Sister Yan? You and your husband are probably just starving. She hasn't even left the outer sect yet, so she doesn't have time to take on any missions and doesn't have any income. If you ask me, you should go to Lingxu Peak to collect your debts from Su Henghua. Her family has so many people, and they're all living off your ancestral property."
Pei Xuanzhi put the book away and smiled nonchalantly, "Things are all things of the past. The Pei family's things and the old stories of the Pei and Su families have little to do with me. To me, Xianyang is no different from any other place."
Gu Yuxiao sized him up a few times and said, "Junior Brother Pei is quite insightful."
The group ate a casual meal at the dining hall. Gu Yuxiao went to Xinzizhai to oversee the morning classes, while Yan Huanyue promised to return to class immediately after seeing Pei Xuanzhi off.
Yan Huanyue originally wanted to give Pei Xuanzhi six communication talismans, but then she thought, he was going into seclusion, not out for a trip. What difference would it make if he took so many communication talismans or stayed at home?
So they only gave him one, enough for about five or six uses.
He added, "If you have any urgent matters or need anything urgently, tell me using this, and I will send it to you as soon as possible."
Pei Xuanzhi carefully put it away. When they arrived at Changqing Palace, Yan Huanyue originally planned to take him directly into the main hall and up to the East Pavilion, but Su Xianqing stopped him at the door.
“Master is busy right now and has been keeping people away from the East and West Pavilions. Please wait in the side hall for a while, and Master will be here soon.”
Upon seeing Su Xianqing, Yan Huanyue asked, "Senior Brother Xianqing, where is Senior Brother Ning?"
Su Xianqing led them to the side hall and said, "It's nothing. He'll be back after this period. Judging from what your Senior Sister Han said, you've already qualified to enter the inner sect trial?"
Yan Huanyue said, "I've made it into the inner sect through the Heavenly Stele ranking, but I don't know if I'll be able to pass the entrance trial."
Su Xianqing turned around and glanced at her with her shrewd, fox-like eyes. "The inner sect topics have been announced. They should be drawn earlier this year. If you get them, you might be able to see Wuyang. He's been having a lot of trouble lately."
Judging from this, Ning Wuyang should have indeed resolved the matter with the Corpse Demon and been sent elsewhere.
Since it concerned the selection of topics for the inner sect, Yan Huanyue could not ask too many questions, so she let it go and only said, "Just now, Senior Brother Gu gave the 'True Immortal Treasure Scroll' to Xuanzhi, saying that it was requested by you, Senior Brother."
Su Xianqing glanced at Pei Xuanzhi and said, "The original scroll that Master brought back from the Demon Realm is kept here. When Junior Brother Pei came yesterday, he said he wanted to borrow the True Immortal Treasure Scroll. I didn't know if he wanted to see the original scroll or the revised new scroll. I asked Master, and Master said that there are some evil spells in the true scroll that are not convenient to show to others, so I asked Yuxiao to help him borrow the new scroll."
"I suppose Junior Brother Pei isn't interested in the evil techniques in the true scroll?"
Pei Xuanzhi smiled silently and glanced at Xuan Yanyun, who was patrolling back and forth on the eaves of the main hall with an air of arrogance.
As for the new set, he had already bought a set on the way, and his father knew about it. Why would he need to borrow it again?
After borrowing the exam papers yesterday, what did he not expect when a new set of papers arrived today?
They told him to go into seclusion and promised to lend him the "True Immortal Treasure Scroll" for reference, but he himself didn't make it clear whether it was the original scroll or the new one.
When I was a child, the mother next door tricked her child into eating, saying that if he could eat a bowl of rice, she would buy him a candied hawthorn.
As a result, after the child happily finished his meal, the candied hawthorn was still nowhere to be found. If the child asked again, he would surely get a scolding.
When he was a child, he envied that child. He had food to eat and a mother, so what did it matter whether he bought candied hawthorns or not?
Now, standing in that child's place, he only felt bored; people really can't stay in the same place forever.
What kind of food, what kind of parents, none of that matters to him now; what matters is whether he has candied hawthorns.
Pei Hanzhou arrived quickly and made arrangements for the seclusion. All kinds of spiritual medicines and pills were prepared, with a term of one year.
Pei Xuanzhi refused to leave the seclusion for a month.
Pei Hanzhou was initially quite alright, offering a few words of advice, but later he became so angry that he sneered. Finally, he said, "Then you don't need to go into seclusion anymore. Go back and continue running around. If you cause any more trouble, there's enough medicine here for the rest of your life."
Pei Xuanzhi stood up and said, "Then I'll take my leave. There's no need for you to worry about the medicine. Wouldn't it be better to watch me die? After all, you'll be relieved if I die."
Yan Huanyue and Su Xianqing exchanged a glance but did not speak. When father and son quarrel, no matter how harsh their words are, it is best for outsiders to stay out of it.
Actually, Yan Huanyue hadn't noticed anything when Gu Yuxiao gave her the "True Immortal Treasure Scroll," but when Su Xianqing talked about the original scroll and the new scroll, she realized that Pei Xuanzhi seemed to be keeping a rather strange silence.
Last night, he was only surprised by the length of his seclusion, and did not say that he would never go into seclusion for a year or two. But today, he is unmoved by any soft or hard tactics, insisting that he will only stay for a month and will not stay for even an hour longer. Clearly, he is deliberately trying to anger the sect leader.
Pei Hanzhou was so angry that his face turned ashen, but he really couldn't do anything about this troublesome person.
Pei Hanzhou couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh to his son, and as a father, he couldn't bear to hit him. So he simply cast a spell to immobilize him and moved him into the forbidden area behind the mountain.
Yan Huanyue followed them all the way to the secluded cultivation place, sat down by the stone bed, and whispered to Pei Xuanzhi, who was placed on the stone bed, "Are you angry that the sect leader didn't give you the real scroll?"
Pei Xuanzhi slowly lowered his eyes.
Yan Huanyue couldn't help but raise her hand to touch his long eyelashes and said, "Don't be angry. When I enter the Demon Clan in the future, I'll take out the remaining two volumes and show them to you, okay?"
Pei Xuanzhi suddenly opened his eyes, but his eyes, as cold as a stream, showed no trace of relief, only disapproval.
Yan Huanyue watched Pei Hanzhou and Su Xianqing leave, then patted his head and said in a low voice:
"Stay put and don't cause any trouble. No matter what others do, take care of yourself and get healthy. If you really ruin yourself as you say, I can always find many other people. But your father only has you. Are you just going to hurt him like this without any regard for his feelings?"
Pei Xuanzhi snorted coldly, his expression gradually turning gloomy. He stared intently at her, but due to the suppression of his magic, he couldn't utter a single word.
Yan Huanyue leaned down and secretly kissed him, then looked down into his clear, bright eyes and whispered, "You stingy little thing, you're angry again. You're allowed to make others angry? You should just stay put."
After saying that, he ran out of the mountain pavilion.
The mountain gate slammed shut. After a long while, Pei Xuanzhi's fingertips twitched, but he didn't make any big movements. He simply raised his hand and gently touched his lips, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
.
Lu Shenchu arranged the paper figures, knelt on the ground, made a hand seal with one hand, and shook the Three Pure Ones Bell with the other.
The dull sound of the bronze Sanqing bell was particularly abrupt and strange in the night, and the white candle flames kept licking the darkness, making it look particularly eerie.
Suddenly a cool breeze swept by, and it swirled twice around the candlelight.
Lu Shenchu lit three sticks of incense and offered them up, then looked up and said, “Little immortal, there is a matter in Tingnan, a secret mission arranged by the Heavenly Patrol Division for each family. It is said to be related to the Corpse Demon, and it is actually a matter of assistance. The Zhou family will give five high-grade spirit stones.”
White smoke drifted in and out of the air, and a cold voice seemed to come from afar, "Just a corpse demon, how can there be such a big reward?"
Lu Shenchu said, "This disciple is not clear either. Moreover, this matter was first sealed off by the Tianyan Sect and then taken over by the Xuntian Division. Now it seems that there are not enough people. Since it is close to Xiling, we borrowed people from the Zhou family."
The white smoke swirled for a moment, then said, "It seems that the sects might be more cautious, but when the Sky Patrol Division took over, they didn't continue to cover it up. Perhaps it's something that could spread like wildfire, so they felt comfortable letting us Xuanjiang demons participate?"
Lu Shenchu said respectfully, "To be honest, the Heavenly Patrol Division is looking to invite a demon immortal to oversee things this time. I don't seem like a bad person, and you, little immortal, don't need any human brains or hearts to offer as tribute. We won't take lives or suppress good. We'll walk in the middle between the righteous and the evil, so they won't have any worries."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
