Chapter 008 Me and My Enemy Father and Brother
“Ah! Ah!——”
In the wooden house, Old Man Zhao suddenly jumped up from the bed with a scream.
"People are dead! People are dead! So many people! So many! ..."
Zhang Yuan, who was observing the strange painting nearby, was startled and quickly stepped forward to hold down the man who was waving his hands and feet, to prevent him from exerting too much force and breaking his bones again.
"What's the matter with you?" he asked. "Did you see the sign again?"
Old man Zhao stood frozen in place, staring at Zhang Yuan with his cataract-covered eyes, giving him goosebumps.
"There's a restaurant at the foot of the mountain where the Sword Sealing Pagoda is located. Many people died there... The murderer is him, this devil... No, not him, not him! No, no, it's him... not him..."
Old man Zhao seemed confused, repeating "it's him" and "it's not him" over and over again.
Zhang Yuan didn't understand, so he grabbed him and asked him several times. Only then did his eyes gradually become clear and he came out of his previous strange and excited state.
"Go! Follow me!"
Old man Zhao grabbed Zhang Yuan's wrist and ran out.
He looked frail, but he was surprisingly strong. Zhang Yuan stumbled under his pull and asked him as he ran, "Where are you going?"
"Go to that restaurant and see if anyone has died. And see if the murderer... is him!"
…
The setting sun illuminates the entire mountain with golden light.
"He hasn't come out of the tower yet." Chen Yunli looked around and didn't see the figure of the Lord of the Sealing Sword Tower, so he felt relieved.
"It's getting dark." Chen Wenjian took the boiled fish fillet from his hand and said, "Go back to your room and rest. I'll bring dinner to Master's room."
After climbing the mountain, the dusk glow was fading at a speed visible to the naked eye, much faster than at the foot of the mountain. It was obvious at a glance that it was related to the Sealing Sword Tower.
Chen Yunli looked back at the towering tower, nodded, said "See you tomorrow morning" to Chen Wenjian, and quickly walked into the room.
Chen Wenjian watched him return to the house, locked the doors and windows, and then went to bring warmth to his master.
After a whole day of strolling, eating and drinking at the foot of the mountain, Chen Yunli didn't think it was a big deal at first, but as soon as his head touched the pillow, he began to feel sleepy. After a few yawns, he gradually fell asleep in the aroma of buckwheat.
In a blink of an eye, the moon was at its highest point in the sky. Chen Yunli, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly awakened by a loud sneeze and a series of breathless coughs coming from the wooden house next door. He turned over in a daze, then reacted and sat up suddenly.
It was completely dark, and with no lights on inside, it was pitch black. Ghostly figures lingered outside the doors and windows, creating a rather eerie atmosphere, which was suddenly made more "fresh and refined" by the sneezes and coughs coming from the next room.
After knowing the true identities of those ghosts and knowing that they could not hurt him, Chen Yunli was no longer so afraid. He huddled inside the bed, listening to the noises next door, and laughing silently with his hands covering his mouth.
All I could hear was the sound of hurried footsteps pacing back and forth, incessant sneezes and heart-wrenching coughs, the sound of blowing noses, and the sound of wheezing breaths.
The master of the Sealing Sword Tower probably had an accident and didn't notice the illusion set up by his apprentice. He was caught off guard and was severely hurt. He kicked the door with a bang and ran straight to the well. Then there were the sounds of water being drawn and poured.
But as we all know, spiciness is a kind of pain. Plain water cannot suppress this taste in a short period of time. It will also give people the illusion that the more you drink, the spicier it gets and the more your throat burns.
The Lord of the Sealing Sword Tower discovered this after drinking half a bucket of well water. He cursed in anger and kicked over the wooden bucket.
About half a minute later, his brain struggled to recover from the intense spiciness, and he cast several spells on himself to suppress the annoying pain.
Chen Yunli pressed his face against the pillow, his head feeling swollen from trying so hard to hold back his laughter.
It's really hard not to laugh.
"Master."
Suddenly, a cold low call came through the crack of the door, drowning out all the strange noises made by the ghost, and there was a noticeable silence outside for a moment.
"Hmm." The Sword Sealing Tower Master spoke, his voice ending in a hoarse voice. "How were the results of your training today?"
"Thanks to Master's guidance, I've learned a lot." Chen Wenjian replied calmly and leisurely, "It's getting late, Master, why don't you go back to the house to rest?"
“…”
The Sword Sealing Tower Master's brief silence made Chen Yunli smile again, but he couldn't help but feel nervous for Chen Wenjian.
With his level of cultivation, he would definitely be able to recognize that the food was an illusion. There were only three living people on the mountain, and Chen Yunli was just an ordinary person who didn't know how to practice cultivation. There was no doubt that the caster of the illusion could only be Chen Wenjian.
The Lord of the Sealing Sword Tower seemed to be indifferent to everything, even allowing the resentful spirit to stir up trouble in his own home. He hoped that he could be so calm and open-minded when facing things related to him.
Chen Yunli was just thinking about it when he heard the Sword Sealing Tower Master suddenly ask, "Did you buy dinner today?"
Here I am! As expected, I asked!
Chen Yunli felt a chill in his heart, and listened attentively with his ears perked up, while making a mental note - after Chen Wenjian told the Sword Sealing Tower Master what they had agreed upon, he would definitely come in to ask, so he had to rehearse it in his mind first.
However, Chen Wenjian's answer was beyond his expectations.
"My disciple bought it."
Chen Yunli: “?”
He wouldn't want to take the blame for himself, would he?
Chen Yunli was a little anxious, but thinking that Chen Wenjian was a very smart person, he did not lose his composure and listened patiently.
"Did you buy it from the restaurant you usually buy from? Has the flavor changed so much?"
The Sword Sealing Tower Master's tone became a little cold and hard, and if you listened carefully, you could hear a hint of annoyance. It was obvious that he was not as calm as he appeared on the surface. The embarrassment just now still aroused his anger.
...But you can't blame him for this. Anyone would be angry if they were made to look like a dog for no reason.
Chen Yunli touched the tip of his nose, becoming more and more curious about how Chen Wenjian would respond.
Then Chen Wenjian lied to him with his eyes wide open: "Before I left the mountain, I used fallen leaves to tell fortunes and predicted that a food disaster would befall Master today. Since I don't know the specific cause of the disaster, I had to start from the source and buy Master a dinner that is not to your taste."
Chen Yunli: “…”
Grass (a type of plant).
Chen Yunli was speechless, and the Sword Sealing Tower Master was even more speechless. "...regardless of what the hexagram of the food disaster signifies, I, your master, will simply assume that this calamity is real. Don't you think it's because of your own self-will that this food disaster has befallen you?"
Chen Yunli broke out in a cold sweat when asked by him. Some classic scenes from film and television dramas where people wanted to change their fate but ended up causing it to change, played over and over in his mind. Suddenly, he became interested in the author of the paper who created the character "Chen Wenjian".
This must have eaten several authors and screenwriters. How come Chen Wenjian's train of thought connects so smoothly with theirs?
Chen Wenjian had no idea of the turmoil in Chen Yunli's heart at the moment, and he remained calm in the face of the Sword Sealing Tower Master's questioning.
He asked in return, "Master, which is more important, the pain of a broken arm or the catastrophe of life and death?"
"...Why do you say that?"
"Not long ago, while I was practicing, I heard a commotion down the mountain. It sounded like they were saying something fishy happened at the restaurant Master often eats at. Several practitioners had been poisoned and died. It was a poison that could kill practitioners, so ordinary people wouldn't be immune after consuming it. Dozens of people were turned to blood and water. It was a horrific scene."
"This matter has alarmed the authorities, and the mountainside is still in chaos. Master, this is your food disaster."
Chen Wenjian's words were well-reasoned and he described the tragedy in a shocking way. Not only the Lord of the Sealing Sword Tower, but also Chen Yunli in the room was shocked.
Did something like this really happen at the restaurant they were supposed to go to?!
He sat up suddenly and almost rushed out to ask, but fortunately his reason stopped him and he froze on the bed without moving.
At this time, the Sword Sealing Tower Master said, "...Is this true? I recognize the owner of that restaurant, but it's impossible for an ordinary person to do such a cruel thing. You are...that's all. Go down the mountain tomorrow and investigate for me."
"yes."
A moment later, the sound of a door opening and closing was heard from the next door, and the Lord of the Sealing Sword Tower returned to his room.
Chen Yunli got out of bed upon hearing the sound and looked out the window. Those dark shadows were probably frightened by the aura of the Lord of the Sealing Sword Tower and had no idea where they had hidden.
The moonlight was bright, illuminating Chen Wenjian's thin figure, indifferent and lonely.
Chen Yunli reached out and knocked on the door frame. Hearing the sound, Chen Wenjian, who was about to go back to the house, changed direction and walked towards his room.
When I got closer to Chen Yunli, I found that he was injured. The location of the injury was very similar to last night. Blood dyed half of his body red, and dripped onto the ground along the corners of his clothes. The strong smell of blood filled my nose.
It hurts just looking at it.
Chen Yunli frowned, lit the light, opened the door and let him in, then went out to get some water, went to his room to get medicine and bandages to treat his wounds.
During the process, he remained silent, and his expressionless face looked a little gloomy in the dim candlelight.
Chen Wenjian couldn't figure out his thoughts and mood, so he remained silent.
"Do you always get injured this badly every time you practice?"
After tying the last bow, Chen Yunli looked at Chen Wenjian, who could enter the pyramid and earn ticket money by putting on a coffin, and asked with a stern face.
"Yes." Chen Wenjian lowered his head, his fingers gently stroking the end of the bandage, rolling it up and wrapping it around his thin, beautiful knuckles. "This is Master's arrangement. Although dangerous, it won't endanger my life, and it will indeed help my cultivation."
"You're just not dead yet, so I don't think your life will be in danger." Chen Yunli gave him a look and gestured with his right hand near his wound. "This, and this. If it hurts vital parts like the neck and heart, you will definitely die on the spot! Listen to your bullshit."
Chen Wenjian curled up the corners of his mouth slightly.
Although he was scolded, he knew that Chen Yunli was not angry with him, but with the Master of the Sealing Sword Tower who had formulated the cultivation method for him.
In his short life of more than ten years, before Chen Yunli appeared, this kind of unconditional favoritism and care was almost non-existent. No one took him seriously, so naturally one could not expect him to grow up to be a gentle and kind person.
Chen Yunli suddenly understood Chen Wenjian’s future choices.
"I'm fine. I have a special physique and these injuries will heal tomorrow." Chen Wenjian comforted him kindly, as if he was the one injured and not himself.
Chen Yunli noticed this and remembered that his injuries had indeed disappeared this morning. He curled his lips awkwardly and recalled the reason why he called him over in the first place.
"What you just said outside about what happened in the restaurant down the mountain, is that true?"
Hearing this, the smile in Chen Wenjian's eyes faded, and he became cold and solemn: "It's absolutely true. And the time when this incident happened coincides with the time when I usually go down the mountain to buy food."
"What's the meaning?"
Chen Yunli blurted out, then reacted the next moment with a strange look on his face.
"You're saying that if you hadn't come down the mountain with me today and hadn't eaten at the restaurant because I was angry with that old... Sealing Sword Tower Master, we, along with the Sealing Sword Tower Master, would have eaten the food from that restaurant and died of poisoning?"
After Chen Yunli finished speaking, the room was quiet for a moment.
"That's right." Chen Wenjian nodded, breaking the strange silence.
"While coincidence is possible, it's too coincidental and raises suspicion. Furthermore, with my physique, I wouldn't die from consuming poisoned food, but there's no way you could have survived, and I couldn't have saved you. When the officials arrived, they saw everyone in the restaurant poisoned and dead, and I was the only one who survived."
"hiss……"
Chen Yunli gasped, his trigeminal nerve aching slightly. "By then, as the only survivor, will you be taken away by the authorities for investigation?"
"Not only that, my body will digest the poison completely. After a while—probably overnight—I will be completely free of the poison, and there will be no trace left." Chen Wenjian lowered his eyelashes, frowning slightly. "Thinking about the conspiracy, if they find any clues in the store now that I deliberately poisoned the food, or took the antidote in advance and left the empty bottle on the ground, the crime will be immediately pinned on me, and there will be no way to exonerate myself."
Among the dead were common people and practitioners. Their deaths were horrific, which not only aroused public outrage, but also the relatives and friends of the practitioners would not let it go.
By then, the ending of the "murderer" Chen Wenjian will probably be more horrible than death.
Chen Yunli shuddered. "Hmm... this is a bit too conspiracy-theory-y. Are you sure your physique can detoxify that kind of poison?"
Chen Wenjian looked at him and suddenly said jokingly, "If I say that even if my head is chopped off, I can reattach it the next morning, would you believe me?"
"……ah?"
"Heh, I was just joking." Seeing his stunned look, Chen Wenjian chuckled and shook his head, "It's not that exaggerated, but detoxifying that kind of poison is no problem."
"Then..." Chen Yunli felt that his tone was familiar when he mentioned the poison that appeared in the restaurant, but he did not delve into it. Instead, he raised a more crucial question: "Besides you, your master... and me, is there anyone else in this world who knows that you have this... miraculous physique?"
"...I don't know." Chen Wenjian pondered for a moment, a look of bewilderment in his eyes. "Before I went up the mountain, I was constantly wandering. After that, I haven't had any contact with anyone else. Perhaps during that time of wandering, I was injured, revealing my amazing ability to recover, or perhaps I was poisoned and cured myself, and someone noticed and remembered me?"
Of course, Chen Yunli could not verify the details that he was not sure of.
However, there is an irrefutable truth that applies exactly at this time.
"Don't worry about whether it's coming for you or not. It's always better to be cautious." Chen Yunli patted his shoulder. "Go back to the house and rest. I'll go down the mountain with you to investigate tomorrow."
Chen Wenjian blinked, smiled and nodded.
"good."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
