midnight.
At Qin Budu's manor.
Ruan Jingshan played the Joker card and jumped down from the pocket of Shi Xi's coat hanging on the hanger.
He transformed into Ruan Jingshan, the same Ruan Jingshan who first met Shi Xi in the Ghost Market.
Wearing a Taoist robe, with an unparalleled beauty, half of her black hair was tied up with a white ribbon, while the other half was casually draped over her shoulders.
He glanced down at Shi Xi on the bed, then slowly walked to her side, bent down and pulled the blanket up a little to cover Shi Xi's exposed chest.
"I'm not afraid of catching a cold."
He then turned and walked towards the study.
...
Qin Budu sat on the yellow chrysanthemum wooden chair, raised his head, and calmly looked at Ruan Jingshan who had walked in silently.
"What does the divination result mean?" Ruan Jingshan asked.
He looked at the tortoise shell on the table. This was something that feng shui masters used to detect good or bad fortune and predict the future.
“I’ve consulted the oracle more than once.”
“The Ghost King is fierce, so we can succeed this time.” Qin Budu tilted his head toward Ruan Jingshan, “but the divination is very chaotic, so it probably won’t go too smoothly.”
Ruan Jingshan was fairly satisfied with the result, so he nodded and prepared to leave.
But then Qin Budu said—
"You're in a hurry to pass on the technique to Xu Youchu."
"Is my physical body about to disappear?"
Ruan Jingshan stopped and glanced at Qin Budu.
“It’s a year earlier than agreed,” Qin Budu said.
The time he agreed with Ruan Jingshan was not now, and he was the one who put the Joker in the Ghost Market. But perhaps because the other party had not found a suitable candidate, he had not heard any news about the Joker since then.
The fact that the agreement has been brought forward indicates that Ruan Jingshan's current situation is not optimistic.
The Ruan family's traditional arts cannot be learned by anyone other than a member of the Ruan family (generally speaking, one needs to change their name after becoming an apprentice).
Xu Youchu is no longer a member of the Ruan family, but Ruan Jingshan still disregarded the Ruan family's rules and passed on the Yanshu to him.
While Xu Youchu's exceptional comprehension certainly played a part, the truth is that if Ruan Jingshan hadn't wanted to, no one could have comprehended the Derivation Technique.
“It’s long gone,” Ruan Jingshan said, looking at Qin Budu. “I can borrow your apprentice for a while.”
Shi Xi's guess was correct; he did indeed have an obsession, which was the Ruan family's Derivation Technique, a technique that the Ruan family was proud of.
He still remembered what his master had told him before he left the mountain: "Complete your training, find your own disciple, and be sure to pass on the Ruan family's Yan technique."
Because the conditions for passing on the Yan technique are extremely demanding, the Ruan family only accepts one disciple in their lifetime.
He completed his trials, but never returned.
That's why he stopped Shi Xi that day.
As long as someone knows the art of transformation, it means that the Ruan family still exists.
Qin Budu looked at Ruan Jingshan quietly, "If he's willing to learn, I don't mind."
Ruan Jingshan didn't say anything and left directly.
Qin Budu felt the sound of his footsteps as he left. The Feng Shui world only knew that the Ruan family was a reclusive family, but forgot that the Ruan family had once been extremely prosperous.
However, there has been no news of the Ruan family for over a hundred years now.
The Ruan family has almost become a legendary figure shrouded in mystery.
...
Shi Xi entered the dream again.
This time it was daytime, the sky was a clear blue, and soft, fluffy clouds floated by.
Sui Sui, with his eyes closed, swung freely on a swing under a big tree. Perhaps because of his injury, he still looked like a child.
"Big brother, you're here." Sui Sui turned around and saw Shi Xi greeting him.
Shi Xi hummed in response, didn't even glance at him, and simply sat down beside him.
The moment he sat down, a swing appeared out of thin air, next to Sui Sui, and Shi Xi sat steadily on it.
Sui Sui tilted her head, looked at the sharp knife in Shi Xi's hand, and asked with a smile—
"Are you here to kill me?"
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