Chapter 7 The stars have faded in the east, but the evening glow is not yet too late, nor is the river too dark. ...
Shen Jiuxu: "..."
"Is he your master?" Xi Chuang's eyes darted back and forth between the two. Could someone with such an air of authority really be just a guard?
"...Yes, I've been by Young Master Jiang's side since childhood, protecting his safety." Shen Jiuxu stared at Jiang Yu with a sinister look. "You agree, Master?"
"Um."
Jiang Yu casually pulled out a folding fan that had been tucked into his waistband at some point. With a "whoosh," the fan unfolded, revealing eight large characters that were exceptionally eye-catching: "A face as handsome as jade, I am delighted with him." It was the demeanor of a wealthy family.
The disciples, never having seen anything like it, stared wide-eyed. Xi Chuang's vision blurred, and he immediately turned around, calculating in his mind. The people of Jiming Village had died tragically; it couldn't have been the work of ordinary people. Demons and monsters were more likely to be responsible.
"Untie them. Tell the city lord's men that they don't need to come along. I'll take Young Master Jiang and the others to Jiming Village to take a look."
"Yes." Some disciples of the immortal sects were unwilling to reveal their techniques and therefore disliked having them follow them. The guards didn't take it to heart and quickly withdrew.
Thanks.
Jiang Yu slightly raised her chin, put one arm around Shen Jiuxu's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "How was it? Did I act well?"
Warm breaths lingered on Shen Jiuxu's neck. Once again, he felt that the two of them were too close, and it was particularly ambiguous. Between master and servant, this made him seem more like a pageboy. Could he really fool them?
Jiming Village is not far from Jingchuan Temple, only a few miles away. During the day, the villagers can still hear the sound of the temple bell. However, the mountain road is winding and difficult to travel. Even though the scholar's mother knew the road well, it still took her half a day to walk there.
Xi Chuang and his companions were unfamiliar with the area and originally planned to go to Jiming Village first and then Jingchuan Temple on the way. However, they walked from morning until evening before finally finding their first place.
Jiang Yu followed listlessly at the back, and he also shoved the flamboyant fan into Shen Jiuxu's hands.
The fan was made from a spirit wood that he had searched for a long time to find. After it was made, Jiang Yu added many spells to it, making it extremely effective in defense. He even personally wrote those words on it.
Jiang Yu had originally intended to give it to Shen Jiuxu, whose birthday was in a month, and he was still wondering about Shen Jiuxu's reaction. But then something unexpected happened. The more he thought about it, the more unlucky he felt, so he simply tossed the gift to Shen Jiuxu and listlessly shuffled along.
Perhaps it can be considered as returning something to its rightful owner.
Are you tired from walking?
Shen Jiuxu noticed his emotions; after all, someone had been kicking pebbles the whole way, so his actions shouldn't be too obvious.
"My hand hurts."
Jiang Yu lowered his eyes and gave a casual reply, staring at the pebble under his feet, and kicked it forward again.
He was calculating in his mind that it was the second day since Shen Jiuxu died, and there were five days left until the seventh day after his death. Presumably, the funeral and other preparations had been completed, and he would definitely return to Shen Wuke at that time.
Lian Feng and his group will definitely not let this go. Just now, Dian Xing sent a message to him, saying that Lian Feng secretly sent invitations to all the major sects at night, saying that he wanted to select a new sect leader on that day and invited them to come and discuss it together.
He had thought that these people would behave themselves after that night, but to his surprise, nothing had changed. Taking advantage of the large number of people and the potential for chaos during the seventh day after his death, he decided to invite a group of high-ranking sect leaders to suppress him – a clever idea.
It's just a pity that Shen Jiuxu didn't die; he wasn't some pitiful little white flower.
I'm afraid they'll have to go on a killing spree then.
As Jiang Yu was thinking, his right hand was suddenly grasped, and a warm spiritual energy flowed into his body, making the faint soreness disappear.
He froze, his face showing the bewilderment of a cat just awakened from sleep by its owner. He slowly raised his head in the direction of the movement, while Shen Jiuxu lowered his eyes and focused intently on channeling spiritual energy into him.
"Tell me directly if it hurts next time."
Jiang Yu's frustration eased considerably in an instant. In his joy, his fingers involuntarily reached out to touch Shen Jiuxu's eyebrows, but Shen Jiuxu pressed them down, saying, "Don't move."
"Oh." Jiang Yu pursed his lips. He wanted to help this person remove the weeds from his head, but since the person didn't appreciate it, he didn't want to lift a finger.
Are you feeling better?
"I want to hold your hand a little longer," Jiang Yu said bluntly. He skillfully slipped his other free hand into Shen Jiuxu's sleeve, then rummaged inside a few more times, grabbing the plain-colored undergarment. When he raised his eyebrows, he looked like one of those playboy playboys.
He was prepared to be dragged out, but Shen Jiuxu's body only stiffened for a moment and he did nothing.
Jiang Yu hadn't expected that when he first met Shen Jiuxu, he was so aloof and wouldn't let anyone touch him. Could it be that he's gotten older and changed many of his habits?
"I still don't know your name." After hesitating for two days, Shen Jiuxu finally couldn't hold back and spoke. After he finished speaking, he met Jiang Yu's teasing gaze and added with lightning speed, "If you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way so that you can coordinate your stories."
"Oh—" Jiang Yu found it amusing, drawing out the sound until her stomach hurt from laughing, and asked knowingly, "What a great way to coordinate your stories! So what are you going to call me?"
Shen Jiuxu remained silent for a long time before saying, "Young Master Jiang."
Okay, that's enough teasing.
Jiang Yu knew very well that this person was extremely thin-skinned. If he had teased him too much in the past, he could still coax him in bed. But now that the two of them were not familiar with each other, this... was a bit tricky!
"The sun has set in the east, but it is not too late in the west; it is not too late in the south." This is not entirely fabricated; it's just that everyone in the world is used to calling him Jiang Yu.
Shen Jiuxu silently repeated it to himself several times, but his face remained calm and composed. "Those people are calling us over."
"Let's go then," Jiang Yu nodded slightly when he saw the figures in the distance waving at them. He didn't care whether the people could see him or not, and teased, "How about my name?"
"very good."
"You're so cold. Is this how you treat your young master?" Jiang Yu complained, feigning indifference. He was used to arguing with Shen Jiuxu. People always said he was cold as ice, aloof and looking down on others, but in reality, he just didn't want to talk to anyone.
Shen Jiuxu was momentarily overwhelmed by Jiang Yu's wildly unconventional thinking and could only remain silent. He didn't want to be like this either, but Jiang Yu had finished speaking, and he couldn't think of anything else for the time being.
The two of them staggered into the yard and looked around. Two human skins wrapped around bones were neatly placed on the ground. The fallen logs had been arranged by the little boy, and he was holding the blood-stained axe in his hand.
As soon as Jiang Yu entered, he sensed the same aura as the previous night. He calmly looked around. The courtyard was small and surrounded by a fence. There was a shed on the east side, with a thick layer of ashes from burnt firewood.
A few sounds of a cane pounding the ground came from the west side of the wall. When Jiang Yu walked over, he inadvertently glanced inside and saw an old woman with a full head of white hair sitting there.
“Senior Brother Xichuang, in my opinion, those two weak young men shouldn’t be able to do this.” A disciple glanced at them and said solemnly, “A single sword to the throat, and the mark on the neck is so shallow that it’s barely visible. Their swordsmanship is far superior to others. There are only a handful of people in the world who can do this.”
"Could it be some kind of sword that has come to life?" A raised voice came from behind. Jiang Yu clutched his chest with his right hand, looking frightened, and leaned weakly against Guard Shen. "I've heard that someone's natal sword has come to life and killed quite a few people behind his back."
"The only people who can do this are the elders and sect leaders of a few sects, but they are either busy with their own affairs or in seclusion, so it is unlikely that they will appear in this desolate place. The younger generation is too busy with the sect competition to get away. So, only Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu of Shen Wuke are left."
Xi Chuang calmly analyzed the situation, and everyone turned their attention to the two people. Jiang Yu opened his eyes wide and blinked, "Why are you looking at me? Although I am a member of Shen Wuke's group, I have never had any contact with the sect leader or the others."
"Jiang Yu might have been able to achieve this level three years ago, but after the tribulation, he became a cripple and never left his home. Sect Master Shen might be able to do it, but he just passed away a few days ago, and everyone is busy preparing his funeral. This is definitely not a lie."
"Perhaps it's the spirit of Sect Master Shen who lingered here and started killing people?" Ye Zishan blurted out in a moment of impulsiveness.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu took a few steps back in disgust, lest he get too close to this person and his brain also go haywire.
“Under normal circumstances, after a person dies, the spirit returns to heaven and enters the talisman, while the living soul is trapped in the coffin, so nothing can be found out. But these two corpses died less than a day ago and have not yet been buried. The spirits, that is, the living souls, have nothing to rely on and can only wander in the world. If we can find the living souls, the Star Palace's soul-summoning technique should be able to find out what happened at that time.”
Jiang Yu explained carefully that if it were anyone else, they would certainly know these things as well. However, Xingchenque had sent a group of new disciples who did not even know the basics. Being trapped here was a waste of time, so he could only offer some pointers.
“The soul enters the coffin, appears in the world on the seventh day after death, and then enters the Netherworld. No one can summon it out. Sect Master Shen’s body is already in the coffin, so it can’t be him.”
Jiang Yu lied, saying that when the news came from Yunshui City, there was no corpse at all, only a bloodstained jade pendant. At first, everyone didn't believe it, but when the soul lamp in Shen Wuke's main hall went out, they realized that what the letter said was true.
But no one here knows whether he's telling the truth or not; let's deal with the important matter first.
"Didn't you just say you didn't know?" Ye Zishan shouted.
“Such a big thing, I’ve heard about it. Doesn’t your Star Palace’s soul-summoning technique summon living souls? Let’s try it tonight.” Jiang Yu yawned. He hadn’t slept all night and was so sleepy that he was about to fall asleep leaning against Shen Jiuxu.
If he hadn't had to explain to these disciples, he would have already dragged them back to their rooms.
"But...but we don't know how to summon spirits! Star Palace has a rule that only the sect leader's personal disciples can learn this. We are just ordinary disciples, and we haven't been exposed to these things since we just started." Ye Zishan looked at Jiang Yu expectantly, thinking that this was perfectly normal.
Jiang Yu: ...
Shen Jiuxu: ...
Young Master Jiang, who was not a direct disciple and relied entirely on self-study, looked at Xi Chuang, the only one among the group who seemed somewhat reliable, with a bitter expression. "Aren't you Lian Quesheng's disciple? Didn't he teach you?"
"I am not talented enough, and my foundation is still shallow. My master wants me to gain more experience for a few more years. Moreover... Moreover, my master has not yet become the sect leader. He is only the sect leader's first disciple." Xi Chuang's cheeks flushed slightly, and a feeling of shame welled up in his heart.
Jiang Yu had never met such an honest person. He was full of taunts, suggesting that he could secretly learn a couple of tricks first. If Lian Quesheng didn't become the sect leader in the end, it would be because he wasn't strong enough, and his wicked schemes, which had nothing to do with him, would be useless.
Only after speaking did Xi Chuang realize that he had never said he was anyone's disciple. How did this person know? The once calm young man instantly became like a cat with its fur standing on end, drawing his jade staff to block in front of him. "Wait, how do you know my master is Lian Quesheng?"
Oh no!
Jiang Yu knew he was in trouble and tried to run away, but he was surrounded by several teenagers. With nowhere to go, he forced himself to remain calm for a while and said, "Who doesn't recognize the young master's hairpin? I am a well-read and knowledgeable person."
A note from the author:
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Jiang Yu, who was forced to become a teacher, should really ask the sect leader of Xingchenque for some money!
No update tomorrow, will update the day after. Goodnight! [droopy-eared bunny head][cat head]
Note:
1. Though the sun has set in the east, it is not too late in the west. —Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng
2. The concepts of "Tai Guang," "Shuang Ling," and "Sheng Hun" are recorded in ancient times, but many versions differ. Therefore, many parts are made up by the authors themselves, so don't take them too seriously, hehe.
P.S.: There will be an explanation regarding the names and courtesy names of the couple later.
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