Chapter 12 Appearances don't match reality, haha ...
Lou Yan couldn't help but begin to have doubts.
Could it be... that Lady Tan is a demon?
How dare a demon ask the immortals for help, using his serious illness as an excuse to have his master treat him?
Lou Yan stared intently at the body, his eyes deep and cold, his canine teeth unconsciously grinding together in his mouth, as if if he waited another moment, he would pounce on her and tear open Tan Wangshi's neck.
"Lou Yan." Heng Qichun glanced at him indifferently, easily discerning the little wolf's thoughts, and said coldly, "Go outside and wait."
Everyone in the room was doing their own job.
Tan Wangshi was panting heavily under the spiritual energy at Heng Qichun's fingertips. Tan's father anxiously guarded the bedside, while an old servant took a palm-leaf fan to fan the old woman.
No one found it unusual.
Lou glared at him fiercely, but ultimately suppressed his murderous aura. His jaw tightened, and he bent down to pick up the crawling Pixiu cub and retreated.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
Oh shit.
Why can't I stop wanting to listen to Heng Qichun's words?
The tea in the outer room had gone cold. Lou Yan put the little beast in his arms down on the ground, angrily picked up the teacup, and gulped down the cold tea.
A chill ran down his throat and into his stomach. Lou Yan's eyes reddened, but his burning anger had not yet subsided.
Lou Yan felt an itch on his left calf from something rubbing against it. He looked down in confusion and saw that the Pixiu cub had somehow circled around to his feet and was rubbing its cool scales against his calf.
It even raised its head and let out a "whoosh" when it met the disapproving gaze of someone going upstairs.
Lou Yan felt a throbbing sensation on his temple. He frowned, his tone full of displeasure, "What did you yell again!"
The Pixiu cub, unexpectedly yelled at, wasn't angry at all. It even blinked its large, intelligent eyes and, mimicking Lou Yan's earlier behavior, started to grumble relentlessly, "Whoosh whoosh? Whoosh whoosh whoosh?? Whoosh whoosh!!!"
Are you jealous of that person?
Because the deity is healing her?
You're so petty!
Lou Yan: "..."
For a fleeting moment, he even had an urge to strangle this ancient divine beast.
After a brief standoff, Lou Yan frowned, squatted down in front of the Pixiu, tilted his head, bared his canines at him, and asked with a wicked grin, "Are you sick? Why would I be jealous over something like this?"
If Lou Yan, as a wild wolf, cannot fully understand human emotions, then the Pixiu cub from ancient times would say that this is an impossible task.
The little thing rolled around on the ground, groped its way up the stool leg, stood on the stool, and proudly argued with Lou Yan.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"
You just don't want the deity to heal that person!
Wolves are petty and narrow-minded animals!
Thanks to his true form as a demon wolf, Lou Yan had no difficulty communicating with him. Upon hearing this, he grabbed the Pixiu cub by the scruff of its neck, lifted the little beast up, and threatened viciously, "I'll stew you!"
"Who are you going to stew?" Heng Qichun's voice came from the inner room at that moment.
Upon hearing this, Lou Yan immediately put his hands behind his back, tensed up, looked at Heng Qichun, and gave an awkward smile, "Uh, Master... I was just playing around with it."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Mmm!"
Heng Qichun reached out and picked up the Pixiu cub from the round stool. The little thing, which had been baring its teeth and claws just now, immediately became extremely docile, lying on Heng Qichun and whimpering softly, as if it had suffered a great injustice.
Lou Yan stared at him coldly, and couldn't help but clench her fingers where Heng Qichun couldn't see, deciding to shut the Pixiu up after it cried one more time.
Fortunately, the Pixiu was a pragmatic creature; after successfully burrowing into Heng Qichun's arms, it remained silent.
Heng Qichun glanced at Lou Yan, then lifted his robe and sat down at the table.
Lou Yan sat down next to Heng Qichun, sulking, and deliberately changed the subject, "That Lady Tan..."
"We infused her with some spiritual energy; she's fine now. Old Master Tan is feeding her medicine."
Lou Yan's eyes flashed, and he warily looked around to make sure Tan Chengyi and the old servant were still in the inner room. Only then did he shift his position closer to Heng Qichun and lower his voice to say, "Master, there's a demonic aura on Tan Wangshi. She might..."
He paused for a moment, then said with even greater nervousness, "It's a demon!"
Heng Qichun suddenly laughed, lifted her eyelids to look at him, and asked in bewilderment, "Who told you she's a demon?"
"Well……"
Isn't that right?
Did he see it wrong?
Lou Yan asked uncertainly, "Then...is she really just sick?"
"He's sick."
"When will Master be able to treat illnesses?" Lou Yan was clearly unhappy when the topic was brought up again.
The teapot was right beside him, but he didn't pour water for his master. Instead, with a sour face, he asked, "Could it be that you secretly switched to medical cultivation behind our backs?"
Heng Qichun didn't even bother to look at his young apprentice. He picked up the teapot and refilled the cup himself, the sound of the water flowing and hitting the cup like a clear spring.
"When you were a child, I was the one who treated you when you had a fever." He pulled Lou Yan away from her thoughts, his tone indifferent, "But you probably don't remember."
"After all, back then, you always fantasized that you were a wolf king who could achieve great things."
Pixiu cub: "Whoosh!"
Hahahahahahahaha!!!
Lou Yan really wanted to stew it at that moment.
He bent one hand and braced it on the table, puffing out one cheek as he glared at the Pixiu cub for a while. Finally, despite his master's tyrannical power, he moved over, grinned, and scooped the Pixiu cub out of Heng Qichun's arms.
Heng Qichun was too lazy to stop them, so he sipped his tea and listened to the two childish things arguing.
The midday sun streamed in, blending into the cracks in the brick floor of the room, and the noisy world seemed to never quiet down.
Not long after the wolf and the beast started fighting, Old Man Tan came out from the inner room.
Perhaps Tan Wangshi's illness had improved, for he was all smiles this time, and even had his old servant serve her melons and fruits.
"Thanks to the Immortal Lord's rescue, my wife was able to escape danger. I will send gifts to the Eighteen Realms tomorrow and will personally visit to thank the Immortal Lord for saving my life."
Something seems wrong.
Lou Yan pressed down on the chin of the Pixiu cub to force it to shut up, hissing as he couldn't help but ask, "Don't you need us to help you find your granddaughter anymore?"
Upon hearing this, Old Man Tan was taken aback at first. After a moment, he turned and exchanged a glance with the old servant who had come in, his brows furrowing tightly.
The old servant quickly placed the fruits he was carrying to serve the guests on the table and explained, "Master, Qiqi has been missing for many days. Your master and mistress are worried about her every day, and the villagers in the town have all seen it."
He sighed as he spoke, "Those Taoist priests were greedy for money, performing ritual after ritual. The villagers couldn't stand it anymore, so they took it upon themselves to invite two immortal lords from the Eighteen Realms, you..."
"Who told them to act on their own!" Old Man Tan shouted sternly, stopping the old servant from saying anything more.
He cupped his hands in a slightly apologetic gesture towards Heng Qichun, his emotions gradually calming down. "It was the servants who were unaware of the situation. My granddaughter is cursed. Master Xusheng said that she is destined for a calamity in this life. If we recklessly use our immortal power to search for her, my Tan family may face annihilation."
Before Heng Qichun could say anything, the old servant standing behind him was already heartbroken. "But Qiqi is only ten years old. How can you bear to see her wandering outside, her life hanging in the balance..."
"What do you know!" Old Man Tan glared at him, "How could I not be worried about Qiqi going missing? But how could Master Xusheng lie to people!"
The old servant opened his mouth, clearly wanting to say something but then hesitated.
A faint creaking sound could be heard in the silent room; Heng Qichun knew it was Lou Yan grinding his teeth.
To prevent his young apprentice from going berserk, he secretly cast a silencing spell, pressed two fingers against the back of Lou Yan's neck and applied slight pressure, then stood up to take his leave, saying, "In that case, we'll take our leave now."
The old servant raised his sleeve to wipe his eyes, then frantically grabbed Heng Qichun's sleeve, pleading, "Immortal Lord, Immortal Lord..."
"Qiqi is still missing!"
Lou Yan, with a sour face, brushed away the old servant's hand and snorted through his nose, "Anyway, you don't plan to look for that child. Since your old lady is alright, then my master and I will be going back."
"You don't need to go and 'pay your thanks'; the Eighteen Realms do not welcome cold-blooded people like you."
He spoke harshly, disregarding the family's predicament, and grabbed Heng Qichun's sleeve before leaving, acting like a protective pet.
Even as he was leaving, he was still grumbling and scoffing, "What do you mean by worrying about the child to the point of losing your appetite? I think that's just high-sounding rhetoric."
"You despicable person!"
Old Man Tan's face turned pale, and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to stop him.
But Lou Yan had already picked up the Pixiu cub and left the courtyard with his master.
Within the four-sided cage, countless talismans fluttered and vibrated, the rustling sound causing inexplicable unease. The sweltering heat and restless wind blew up again, and Lou Yan raised his hand to fan his neck, still following behind Heng Qichun, chattering on and on.
"This fictitious son is truly a menace," Lou Yan concluded. "He's gone mad with greed; he's even harming children!"
“It’s not just because of Xushengzi,” Heng Qichun said. “Old Master Tan doesn’t seem as anxious as the old servant said. He seems more concerned about the seriously ill Lady Tan than about the missing Tan Qiqi.”
Lou Yan felt a surge of anger upon hearing this person's name, and forcibly suppressed the urge to turn back. In the end, she managed to utter four words: "Cold-hearted and heartless, he is unworthy of being called human!"
“Everyone is different,” Heng Qichun said.
Lou Yan remained silent for a while, but the image of Old Man Tan's face kept flashing before his eyes.
The head of the family, whose son is a village head, is a scoundrel who doesn't care about his granddaughter's life or death.
There are probably more petty people than ordinary people in the world.
He shook his head with a sigh and asked Heng Qichun, "Master, shall we return to the Eighteenth Realm now?"
Heng Qichun glanced at him, her tone quickly turning cold again, and asked, "Why do you want to go back?"
"..." Lou Yan was puzzled as to why his expression had suddenly changed. "Didn't you say you weren't going to look for him anymore?"
"The essence of cultivation lies in the mind. The Great Dao is formless, but all living beings have destiny. Now that we have glimpsed a corner of the shrine, we cannot remain aloof. When the people weep blood, the sword will never cease to sing; when the mountains and rivers are in turmoil, we will be filled with anxiety."
Heng Qichun said, "Knowing that there is a child wandering outside, yet choosing to stand idly by, what difference is there between them and others?"
A note from the author:
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See you tomorrow! [Dog head with rose in its mouth][Dog head with rose in its mouth][Dog head with rose in its mouth]
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