Why don't you dare ask someone from the immortal sect for help with inquiring about good or bad fortune?
In the rather simple inn in the small town, Yan Huanyue put down the half-cut yam and purple sweet potato cake on the rough porcelain plate, got up and went out with Feng Ye.
As I stepped out from under the eaves, two new swallows were riding the spring breeze, flying back from the rooftop of the front yard.
The three chicks, which had just hatched, poked out their heads, their feathers disheveled, and lined up side by side at the edge of the nest, their tender yellow beaks open, chirping and begging for food.
There was also the weakest one, which the female swallow picked out and placed on the edge of the nest to prevent its disease from infecting the other offspring.
It climbed back into its nest several times, but each time its mother picked it out and put it aside.
Unfed, it returned to its nest several times, shivering, having exhausted all its strength.
It had lost the energy to beg for food like its brothers and sisters, and lay listlessly on the edge of the nest, swaying slightly because it was unable to maintain its balance.
Eliminated from the moment it hatches, all that awaits it is to fall off the edge of the nest and end its short life prematurely.
Just as Yan Huanyue and Feng Ye entered the courtyard, the little sick swallow fell down.
Xue Jingnian, who was standing by the window, reached out and caught the warm, sickly little swallow in his palm.
Xue Jingnian looked at it with curiosity and touched its little head with his fingertip.
Thinking it had been pushed off by its litter siblings and fearing it might miss its feeding time, she tiptoed and put it back in its nest, then followed Feng Ye's footsteps.
As soon as they stepped into the front hall, they saw Pei Hanzhou about to descend the low steps leading to the back courtyard, followed by Yu Zhao's master, Elder Xu Fengqiu of Xuanxu Peak.
Upon seeing Feng Ye, Xu Fengqiu hurried a few steps forward, his eyes filled with a mixture of hopeful anticipation and trepidation, and asked, "Senior Brother Feng, is A-Zhao really... beyond saving?"
Feng Ye replied, "Yes."
Such a fine disciple, he was lively and energetic when he left home, but a few days later came the tragic news.
Xu Fengqiu still held onto some hope throughout his journey.
Even though Feng Ye, who is usually quite trustworthy, confirmed Yu Zhao's condition, he still wouldn't completely give up until he saw Yu Zhao.
When Pei Hanzhou saw the group arrive, he immediately noticed that Pei Xuanzhi was not with them, but he did not ask about his whereabouts.
He simply lifted his robe and stepped down the low steps, walked to Yan Huanyue's side, and gently pointed his hand towards her brow, sending a warm spiritual energy into her bones to examine her injuries.
Pei Hanzhou's tone was calm, yet it contained a barely perceptible hint of concern.
"I heard that you took out your heart's blood to save your senior brother Yu out of consideration for your fellow disciples. This was originally a kind and righteous act. However, you are still young and your cultivation is still shallow. This method is very damaging. You should not use this method again in the future. Just focus on your cultivation and grow well."
He then took out a small white porcelain bottle and handed it to her, saying, "This is the sweet dew condensed from the five elements at the source of the Heavenly Evolution Spiritual Vein, which will be beneficial to your injury."
Yan Huanyue accepted the gift with both hands and respectfully said, "Thank you, Sect Leader. There is one more thing... Last night, we happened to encounter some scoundrels from the Xuanjiang realm killing people and refining pills here. Junior Brother Pei originally went with me to investigate, but he was seriously injured by another Xuanjiang member who came to seek revenge..."
Feng Ye also said, "Originally, I agreed to their plan to let the young people gain experience, but I didn't consider it carefully..."
Pei Hanzhou was quite surprised and said, "He has a temperament that makes it impossible for anyone to stop him from going if he doesn't want to, and no one can stop him if he wants to go. Although he is physically weak, he has the will to go, which is worthy of the Pei family's spirit. It is just that his cultivation is not enough, so you don't need to blame yourselves. Baoying, take me to see him."
After saying that, he followed Yan Huanyue to the backyard, with Feng Ye and the others following behind.
When they reached the eaves, they saw a listless baby swallow lying on the ground, barely alive.
Xue Jingnian looked up at the harmonious family of five in their nest with a puzzled expression and said, "They just fell out, and I just put them back. How did they get squeezed out again?"
Pei Hanzhou raised his hand and gently beckoned, and the fledgling swallow soared into the air and floated into his palm.
Its eyes drooped, its burning little heart pounded in his palm, its weak wing bones supported it in his hand, and it weakly opened its dull yellow beak toward him.
His expression was always solemn, but at this moment he lowered his eyes and sent a wisp of spiritual energy to the fledgling swallow.
“It was sick and not as strong as its littermates. It was eliminated by its parents. Even if it is sent back, it will still be picked out to die.”
After saying that, he tucked the sick little swallow into his sleeve and pushed open the door.
Although the room was simple, it was clean and tidy. A sprig of snow cherry was stuck in a ceramic pot on the table, and half-cut pastries were placed in a small rough porcelain dish on the table.
Pei Xuanzhi lay thinly in the quilt. Upon seeing him, he was not particularly excited, but simply greeted him as a matter of routine: "Father."
He was fine before he saw him, but seeing his sickly appearance, Pei Hanzhou couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. He walked a few steps to his bedside, leaned down and asked, "Where are you injured?"
Pei Xuanzhi said with a droopy eyebrow, "It was just a blow to the heart from that paper figure. It's just a bit painful, nothing serious. There's no need to worry."
Pei Hanzhou lifted his robe and sat down beside his bed, making a hand seal to check his current injuries.
Before he could speak, Pei Xuanzhi said, "Elder Feng has already checked my recovery and transferred a lot of spiritual energy to me, so you don't need to expend any more. Why did you suddenly come here?"
Pei Hanzhou still made a hand seal, channeling spiritual energy into his brow to check the situation, and whispered:
"It's about your Senior Brother Yu. I've also heard that your Senior Sister Yan had her heart's blood removed, and you've caught a cold that hasn't gotten better."
"oh."
Pei Xuanzhi did not expect him to come in person.
If my father takes me back, he will definitely keep a close watch on me the whole way.
The first thing he would probably do upon arriving at the Tianyan Sect is to shut himself away in seclusion, and his trip to the Ghost Market would naturally be fraught with many unforeseen events.
Because this unfamiliar concern disrupted his plans, he remained silent for a while before saying, "I'm fine. You should set off to Mingde Sect to see Senior Brother Yu as soon as possible."
Pei Hanzhou released a series of hand seals and fed him a pure white pill.
“The ice and snow in the North are melting, and your Senior Sister Yan and a group of outer disciples still need to go to the North to assist with spring plowing. It’s not a good idea for you to follow her around and cause her so much trouble. Come with me to Mingde Sect first, and then I will take you back to Tianyan Sect.”
His tone left no room for argument.
He worried that if his son continued to fall ill frequently, it would eventually interfere with Bao Ying's cultivation, and repeated occurrences would likely wear down her patience.
He only has this one child, and he still has the energy to take care of him; it is simply what a father should do.
Pei Xuanzhi turned his head and glanced at Yan Huanyue standing by the table. He saw that she didn't seem to be reluctant to leave, but rather looked relieved.
Pei Xuanzhi watched her quietly, not resenting her relaxation at this moment. She must be extremely worried about him to be so relaxed now that a reliable person has taken over.
That must be it...
When the Jiang family heard that Pei Hanzhou had arrived, they sent someone to pay their respects. Only Yan Huanyue stayed in the room to feed Pei Xuanzhi some snacks.
Pei Xuanzhi leaned listlessly against the headboard, took a bite of the melt-in-your-mouth pastry, and asked softly, "If it's next month..."
Yan Huanyue felt a sudden chill run down her spine and her blood run cold. She stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth and said, "It's still early, let's not talk about this yet."
Pei Xuanzhi blinked his teary eyes and looked at her in confusion, asking, "Why can't I mention it?"
Yan Huanyue stuffed another pastry into his mouth and said, "Eat something, don't talk too much."
Pei Xuanzhi turned his head away from the snack she offered and said weakly, "Then I won't eat it for now. I want to talk to you."
"If you're not hungry, then you should rest first."
Pei Xuanzhi smiled listlessly, "I was thinking that when I go back, my father will definitely make me go into seclusion. I heard that some hermits in the mountains gather to brew wine from pear blossoms in April. If I can come out next month, shall we go to Tianyan Mountain Stream to see the pear blossoms in the rain and snow?"
Yan Huanyue originally thought he was talking about something else, but she didn't expect that he didn't realize what she should be most worried about next month.
Never mind, we'll see when the time comes...
Aside from the territory occupied by the Tianyan Sect, she had seen many times in her childhood the independent cultivators in the Tianyan Mountains collecting pear blossoms in the mountain streams to brew wine. She wasn't particularly interested in it, so she casually agreed and said:
"You may go to the mountain stream to see the pear blossoms, but you need to inform the sect leader about your coming of age, so that he won't be kept in the dark and keep you locked up for too long."
Pei Xuanzhi's expression changed, and he frowned, saying, "It's best if only the two of us know about this. If you can come back, I'll be fine with anything. If you don't want to come back, even if I don't go into seclusion, I'll still be living a life worse than death."
As he spoke, he grasped her sleeve, his eyes brimming with tears, gazing deeply into hers, and whispered:
"I know you can't handle it if I lose control, and I don't want to see you suffer... I won't blame you if my sister doesn't come back."
"If I die, please turn me into spices and keep me with you. If you meet someone you like in the future, I can still help you, so that your help will not have been in vain."
Yan Huanyue felt a chill run down her spine from his indifferent yet resolute gaze. She casually placed the small dish she was holding on the bedside table, forcefully pressed him back onto the bed, and scolded him:
"This is utter nonsense... You're delirious from your illness and don't know what you're spouting. Rest for a while and absorb the power of the elixir to recover properly."
Pei Xuanzhi smiled faintly; what he said was indeed not the truth.
However, it was enough that she remembered what would happen next month; there was no point in saying more, so he didn't argue and just lay there quietly.
After a long pause, he said listlessly, "You came back so early, but didn't discuss the Jiang family's affairs much. It seems that the matter wasn't directly related to the Jiang family?"
Yan Huanyue told him about it, and looking at his pale lips, she said, "Actually, there's something I can't figure out."
Pei Xuanzhi looked back at her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"I don't know why I wasn't possessed by the nightmare last night, but I suppose that formation was designed for humans. To possess a half-demon, it probably lacked a spell."
Yan Huanyue said, "It could also be the longevity lock on you... Oh well, fortunately the paper figure that interfered wasn't very murderous."
When Elder Feng performed a soul-searching on the shopkeeper's family, she saw that the paper figure sitting on the railing only bewitched them, toying with them like a cat catching a mouse, without actually killing them. Her words even carried a hint of exorcising evil and upholding righteousness.
The person in the Xuanjiang Sect is both righteous and evil, evil yet seemingly righteous, and righteous yet seemingly evil. The paper figure looks ghostly and eerie, but it may not be a truly evil creature.
But how long did that paper figure lurk in the Renyi Inn, and where did it escape to? Why couldn't even the people of the Tianyan Sect find it?
Pei Xuanzhi coughed, and the tingling pain in his chest spread again. He said gently, "I'd like to have some clear soup noodles this afternoon."
Yan Huanyue covered him with the blanket and replied, "I know, you should rest. I'll stay with you."
"Um......"
The swallows chirped under the eaves for a while, then fell silent.
A little dog ran to the door and peeked out, then got attracted by the swallows and wagged its tail as it watched the swallow family on the eaves.
The parents went out to forage for food, and the three baby swallows felt threatened, so they huddled in their nest and dared not make a sound.
A little girl came running over with a "tap tap tap" sound, squatted down next to the puppy, and looked up at the baby swallows in the nest with a curious expression.
Upon their first meeting, both remained silent.
After a long pause, the little girl said blankly, "One, two, three... Where's the last one? We're one short..."
Yan Huanyue didn't disturb them, but after a while, Zhao Chai'er came walking from afar, her ill-fitting shoes clicking.
"Little Pearl Flower, what are you doing here? Your grandma is looking for you. Come on, I'll take you back."
Seeing that Pei Xuanzhi was still asleep, Yan Huanyue cast a spell to create a barrier around the bed.
As soon as Xiao Zhuhua saw Zhao Chai'er, she immediately grabbed her two neatly combed braids and ran with her short legs, stubbornly shouting, "Don't even think about cutting my hair!"
Zhao Chai'er laughed and said, "Look how stingy you are. Just cut three strands for your brother and burn them to ask about good or bad fortune."
As Xiaozhuhua ran, she said, "I only have two hairs, and there's no third chance. You would have lost your life long ago. Don't even think about cutting my hair."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Chai'er's face instantly turned pale, and even in the spring sunshine, she broke out in a cold sweat, trembling as she asked, "How did you know?"
Little Pearl Flower picked up the puppy and hid in a dark corner, glaring at him fiercely like a little beast. "You've secretly asked the dice so many times, why don't you dare ask the immortal sect for help?"
Zhao Chai'er's face paled even more. "I clearly only asked it in my mind, how did you know I was asking these questions...?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Huanyue pushed open the door and came out, smiling as she looked at Xiao Zhuhua with admiration, saying, "What an amazing child! How did you figure that out?"
Little Pearl Flower ran up behind her with a "tap tap tap" sound, and said shyly:
"Brother Zhao spent the whole morning asking the people in the front hall about ways to ward off evil. Last night, before you arrived, he told us about someone who lost his life gambling and was being haunted. Last night, he rolled the dice for a long time by himself, trying to get a satisfactory number. Now that the dice aren't satisfactory, he's trying to pull my hair again. If I can't figure this out, I'll be just as stupid as him."
Yan Huanyue marveled at the quick-witted person nurtured by the world before her. She lifted her skirt and half-squatted in front of her, asking, "Then do you know why he wanted your hair?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:46:26 on April 25, 2024 and 15:05:59 on April 27, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Crimson 50 bottles; Manaka, Fiber Gel 20 bottles; 024 7 bottles; Manman Qinghuai 4 bottles; Wow my goodness~, 70400333, Little Girl Who Loves Longtu, 42293163, Ji Yunhe and Little Fox Ji, kurosakiiji, Chang Ningning, Zhou Man's Sword Bone 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
