Chapter 11
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The time in the restaurant was frozen, and the expressions of all the people were fixed on their faces, whether they were speaking, laughing, clapping, picking up food with chopsticks, or about to eat… Even the flowing air seemed to solidify around everyone.
In this terrifying silence, finally, the trembling voice of Yuchi Xiao rang out:
“Xu… Sect Master Xu…”
Xu Shuangce lifted the curtain and walked out of the elegant room, glancing back at them. There was no emotion in his dead, heavy black eyes, but as long as anyone caught his gaze, a sense of fear arose from their bones.
“Ears are unnecessary if they don’t stay on the right path,” he said in a calm tone.
No one dared to make a sound.
Xu Shuangce’s gaze then turned to Gong Wei, and he glanced at the plate of drunken chicken on the table without saying a word. Then he turned and went downstairs, his robe sleeves fluttering without wind, and he disappeared between the wooden steps.
The frozen time suddenly began to flow again, and the silence lasted only for the blink of an eye. The next moment, the chatter continued, laughter erupted, applause sounded, and the wine in mid-air suddenly began to flow steadily, pouring into the porcelain cups without spilling a drop.
“Where were we just now?” the storyteller was momentarily dazed, then smiled with relief, “Right. We were just talking about The Ghost Crown Prince Welcomes His Bride. He married a beautiful female immortal who had just ascended, and there were all sorts of festivities and ceremonies, with the flower bridge spanning from the Azure Firmament straight down to the Yellow Springs…”
The audience below clapped and laughed, and no one noticed anything amiss in this lively and natural scene. The romantic affairs between those illustrious figures of the Immortal Sects had evaporated from everyone’s consciousness like dew under the sun, leaving no trace behind.
Only in this elegant room was there silence. After a long time, Yuchi Xiao managed to squeeze out a few words:
“I’m still alive…”
Gong Wei sighed and put down his chopsticks, thinking thankfully that he had only ordered a plate of drunken chicken. If he hadn’t resisted eating the beautiful peony on the window sill just now, his body might have already cooled. As he was thinking this, he heard Meng Yunfei’s trembling voice:
“Are we going back to the inn later?”
“…”
The three of them fell into silence at the same time, none of them wanting to face Xu Shuangce’s cold face again.
Yuchi Xiao looked regretful, “If only you hadn’t interrupted the part about the Music Saint earlier.”
“?” Meng Yunfei asked, “Why don’t you say, ‘If only you hadn’t interrupted the part about the Tyrannical Sword Master, February Peach,’?”
“How could I have imagined that even a big shot like Sect Master Xu would disguise himself and come out to listen to storytelling?”
“So why can’t we just let him listen to that tale, ‘Tyrannical Sword Master, February Peach’?”
“…………” Gong Wei finally couldn’t bear it and interrupted them both, “Gentlemen, don’t you think the content of these storytelling books is a bit abnormal?”
The two looked at each other, then turned to Gong Wei. Meng Yunfei suddenly realized, “Young Master Xiang, you’re young and haven’t seen much. Don’t take these storytelling books too seriously; they’re all fictional!”
Yuchi Xiao said, “Yeah, mainly because the common people are more interested in Sect Master Xu’s romantic past, so there are inevitably some far-fetched speculations. After returning to Cangyang Mountain, don’t go around asking people, understand? Life is important, you know?”
Why would I ask people! I’m the rightful master!
Gong Wei took a deep breath and asked with difficulty, “So, what about that Law Flower Immortal Venerable… did he really have dealings with your Sword Sect… and that Music Saint…”
Yuchi Xiao almost jumped up, “No!”
Meng Yunfei rubbed his forehead and said, “My master is not at all effeminate, and he’s not very familiar with Law Flower Immortal Venerable either. It’s just those people who write these little storytelling books trying to make connections. Grand Elder Gong’s background is mysterious, and there are many legends about him. After his untimely death, rumors started circulating among the common people, such as the Thousand-Year Peach Blossom Spirit. It started out somewhat normal, but it became more and more exaggerated and absurd, eventually turning into various romantic stories. Actually, if you think about it seriously, it’s just taking advantage of the dead who can’t come out and argue with them.”
Gong Wei suddenly heard a terrifying word that couldn’t be ignored: “…’various’ romantic stories…”
Meng Yunfei said, “Oh, it’s okay. Cangyang Mountain’s Sect Master Xu, Venerable Wuyuan Alliance Leader, the leaders of the Allied Sects, Sword, Medical, Iron, the four Xuanmen Immortal Saints, the leaders of the six major aristocratic families, the leaders of the eight sects, and a few famous demon cultivators from the Guiyuan… that’s mainly it. In fact, there aren’t many records of romantic affairs between Grand Elder Gong and Sect Master Xu, after all, Cangyang Master’s mourning for his deceased wife is well known. The common people prefer to hear various stories about Sect Master Xu and Venerable Wuyuan because most of them have happy endings, and many theater troupes have performed them.”
“…”
“…”
The air was subtly quiet for a moment, and Yuchi Xiao tactfully said, “Yunfei, you seem to know a lot about this.”
Meng Yunfei, unusually unnatural, said, “Not really, haha.”
Yuchi Xiao said, “Well… Yunfei, I heard a rumor before, that the Music Saint enjoys collecting storytelling books, and he laughs heartily every time he hears someone tell a story, feeling joyful…”
Meng Yunfei immediately interrupted, “Stop it! At least my master didn’t pay someone to write ‘Yearning Pampered Slave’!”
Gong Wei: “……………………”
Gong Wei took another deep breath, politely stood up, and said, “Excuse me, gentlemen, I’ll be right back.” Then he walked out of the elegant room without looking back.
The two turned their heads in unison to watch him leave. Yuchi Xiao asked in a low voice, “He seems to be quite shaken. Did you see how he was acting…?”
“After all, he’s a disciple of Cangyang Sect— I said we shouldn’t have interrupted the part about the Tyrannical Sword Master, February Peach at the beginning!”
***
Gong Wei silently recited the Clear Heart Mantra, reached the end of the stairs, waved to call over a waiter, and whispered, “Tell those two upstairs that I’ve gone back to the inn first.” Then he turned his footsteps and walked straight out of the restaurant’s door. Looking left and right on the bustling street, he saw a bookshop on the corner, so he walked over.
Although the bookstore was small, it was filled with various books and scripts. He walked around with his hands behind his back, beckoning the shopkeeper and asking, “Do you have any storytelling books about the immortal masters here?”
The shopkeeper’s face lit up with understanding, “Yes, yes, yes. Which immortal master does the young master admire?”
Gong Wei thought, so this is how they express admiration. He massaged his temple, saying, “Actually, I… I’m not very familiar with them. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Oh, young master, you’ve come to the right place!” The shopkeeper became enthusiastic. “We have a wide selection of new books here. We have the complete works of Law Flower Immortal Venerable, have you heard of ‘Love Beyond the Yellow Springs’? It’s about Sect Master Xu going to the underworld to quell chaos, and it was brought over from the capital less than half a month ago! Last month, the Kai Yuan Miscellaneous News just awarded the original script of ‘Dongting Tune,’ but the price is a bit high because Lord Music Saint of Yanchun Terrace has ordered that it not be published or copied, so it might become a rare edition in the future! Besides that, we also have ‘The Chronicles of Mount Dai,’ ‘Memories of Peach Demon,’ ‘Secret History of the Martial Alliance,’…”
That’s great, Lu Xuzhi! You enjoy hearing other people’s storytelling books and feel joyful, but when it comes to yourself, you order to ban copying!
Gong Wei forcibly interrupted the shopkeeper’s enthusiastic recommendation of the Secret History of the Martial Alliance and finally asked the question he was most concerned about on this trip, “Don’t you have any normal storytelling books? There are so many female disciples in the Medical Sect, and there are various immortal beauties in the eight major sects…”
The shopkeeper was shocked, “That’s not normal, young master. Those are all young ladies!”
Gong Wei: “?”
“Although everyone has a demand for romantic storytelling, how could we tarnish the reputation of those young ladies in their boudoirs!”
“…”
Gong Wei fell into silence under the condemning gaze from across the table.
The displeased shopkeeper said, “Young master, do you want it or not? If you’re not interested in ‘The Secret History of the Martial Alliance,’ then ‘Love Beyond the Yellow Springs’ is also good. In case it gets banned by Cangyang Sect one day, the book you buy could increase in value, and you might even pass it down as a family heirloom to your descendants! Don’t you want to consider it? Are you sure you don’t want to consider it? Otherwise, I can discount ‘The Secret History of the Martial Alliance’ for you…”
Under the shopkeeper’s rapid-fire barrage, Gong Wei felt overwhelmed and unable to face the more than twenty secret romantic histories between his own senior martial brother, who straddled both the mortal and ghost realms, devoured all kinds of demons and monsters, and eventually retired with Xu Shuangce. He hurriedly stuffed the book ‘Love Beyond the Yellow Springs’ into his sleeve, left the money behind, and left while holding his head. It wasn’t until he stood outside the shop door, on the bustling street, that he opened the seemingly unremarkable thread-bound book, quickly scanning until he reached the part where Xu Shuangce coughed up blood and carved a tombstone for him with his own hands—bearing the words “Grave of Beloved Wife Gong Wei.” With a loud “snap,” he closed the book, thinking to himself: My eyes are going blind.
In his previous life, Xu Shuangce had gone to such great lengths to disable his “abnormal and inhuman” right eye. Now, he had achieved it effortlessly!
He wanted to throw the book away, but looking around at the bustling street, he felt too embarrassed to toss it out in the open. So, he continued to stuff it into his sleeve and hired a slow-moving ox cart back to the inn. On the way, he couldn’t help but take it out and read a few lines, feeling his eyes burning. With another loud “snap,” he closed it and sighed heavily, covering his face. After a moment of sighing, he couldn’t help but take it out again and continue reading. After a few more lines that were even more shocking, he snapped it shut again, thinking that the book was going too far!
Xu Shuangce, that person, reacted so strongly when he pretended to kiss him in the Xuanji Palace back then, and even tried to stab him with the No Way Out sword. How could he possibly touch his own face with his dying hand!
The ox cart swayed back to the inn, and it was already late at night. Gong Wei rolled up the despised book and stuffed it into his arms, quietly jumped off the cart, and with a creak, pushed open the tightly closed door of the inn. He was greeted immediately by a voice full of resentment from Yuchi Xiao: “—Where did you go!”
Gong Wei was startled, “What are you two doing?”
In the empty lobby of the inn, only a single long table was lit by a candle, emitting a dim green light. Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei sat facing each other at the long table, each with a pale face illuminated by the candlelight.
In the spacious surrounding area, various shapes of mirrors were suspended by red threads, covered with thick blood-red cloth, not a trace of light could penetrate.
Gong Wei shuddered in the thick gloom, “Mercury mirrors?”
“Don’t touch them!” Meng Yunfei quickly stopped him and said, “Sect Master Xu ordered the Linjiang Prince to collect all the mercury mirrors in the city and hang them here. Each mirror is inscribed with a sealing charm. If a demon cultivator tries to cause trouble using mirror techniques, they will immediately be trapped in the corresponding mirror space.”
There were at least a hundred mirrors covered in blood-red cloth, swaying slightly in the dim green light, each facing the three of them from different directions. The surroundings were silent and still, the night outside was as dark as ink, and everyone from the innkeeper to the waiters had been driven away, making it so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping on the ground could be heard.
This scene was almost on par with the underworld.
Gong Wei shivered in the thick gloom, “When the demon cultivator arrives, there will naturally be strange sounds. Why don’t you two wait upstairs in the room?”
Yuchi Xiao stubbornly said, “It’s cooler here.”
“…” Gong Wei said sincerely, “You two, enjoy the coolness slowly.” With that, he lifted his foot to go upstairs.
Meng Yunfei whispered, “Sect Master Xu is upstairs…”
Gong Wei’s foot, suspended in midair above the steps, was reluctantly pulled back after a short while, and he walked back calmly, agreeing, “Indeed, it’s cooler downstairs!” As he walked to the side of the long table, he pulled out a stool like the other two and sat down, shrugging and sighing repeatedly.
The three of them sat around the table, facing each other, as time passed slowly in the darkness of the night. The blood-red cloth-covered mirrors around them swayed gently, emitting a faint rustling sound, as if countless invisible figures were constantly shuttling through the mirrors.
Until deep into the night, there was no movement. The cold emanating from the Yin candle became more intense, as if even the ground underfoot was about to freeze. Gong Wei finally couldn’t bear it any longer. He respectfully returned Meng Yunfei’s cloak to him and returned Yuchi Xiao’s outer robe as well. Rubbing his hands, he said, “You two, enjoy the coolness slowly. I’ll go upstairs and grab a blanket to come back down first!”
Meng Yunfei hesitated to speak, “Sect Master Xu…”
Gong Wei interrupted firmly, “Sect Master Xu has his own concerns and won’t bother with someone like me, who is not considered a person!”
Yuchi Xiao immediately praised him vigorously, “Very good, very courageous! If Sect Master Xu wants to kill you later, remember to call us!”
Gong Wei couldn’t help but feel a touch of gratitude, “Young Hero, you…”
Yuchi Xiao smiled faintly, “At least the two of us can go up and hand Sect Master Xu the knife.”
Gong Wei left without a word, going upstairs with an indifferent expression. Except for the few of them in the inn, the place was empty. As he ascended the wooden stairs, only the sound of his own footsteps could be heard. Until he reached the second floor, he suddenly heard a faint sound coming from the end of the corridor, from the celestial-grade room:
“That day, you told me that there was an error in the Book of Life and Death. I personally went to the Yellow Springs to check it once, but Guiyuan was silent, and the bronze gate was tightly closed…”
Gong Wei abruptly stopped in his tracks, recognizing whose voice it was.
The Master of the Immortal Alliance, Ying Kai!
His senior brother! His senior brother who helped the distressed and needy!
Ying Kai was the person most likely, aside from Yuchi Rui, to pull him out of Xu Shuangce’s hands. Gong Wei almost rushed in to grab his leg and beg for help, but he stopped himself. Slow down.
Xu Shuangce had sealed off Linjiang City with the Great Vehicle Seal. Ying Kai wouldn’t easily barge in, otherwise, he would be challenging Cangyang Sect’s authority in front of everyone. Most likely, these were transmission charms.
Sure enough, the next moment, he heard Ying Kai’s worried voice: “Shuangce, do you really not need me to rush to Linjiang City immediately? I know you’re fine, but the situation this time is extremely absurd, even beyond our comprehension…”
Xu Shuangce replied calmly, “No need.”
Gong Wei felt like a hundred fox claws were scratching at his heart, making him restless. He wished he could creep closer to the closed door and eavesdrop. But he knew that at Xu Shuangce’s level, he must have already sensed his presence outside the door. Even if he took two steps closer, it would be suicidal. So he continued upstairs, thinking suddenly: Got it!
He rushed upstairs to the third floor and found the same position, crouching in the corner and groping in the darkness. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the corner leading to the floor below — a drainage pipe. He searched around and found a long broomstick, pulled out the broom handle in three quick motions, leaving a hollow bamboo tube. Carefully, he inserted it into the drainage pipe, with the top of the bamboo pole pressed against his ear and the bottom painted with a listening spell, extending out from the second-floor drainage pipe and sneakily reaching the tightly closed door of Xu Shuangce’s room. Adjusting the angle, he stopped moving.
With this setup, Ying Kai’s voice from inside the room became much clearer:
“Sixteen years ago, when Gong Wei went to the Ascension Immortal Platform, he didn’t have Bai Tai Shou by his side. After he left, this sword was nowhere to be found. I searched for many years without success. Now, this sword could have fallen into anyone’s hands, or it could have been stolen by a ghost cultivator…”
This trick with the bamboo tube was something he learned from several mischievous disciples of the Medical Sect when he was in the punishment hall in his previous life. They were caught eavesdropping on their master’s secrets and were all sent to the punishment hall for punishment. As a result, Gong Wei praised them for their cleverness and shamelessly learned from those little kids. Later, he and Yuchi Rui used this method to eavesdrop on Ying Kai snoring. After listening, they even vividly imitated it. Both of them were almost caught by Ying Kai with a bamboo stick.
Unexpected right Sect Master Xu, even the “abnormal and inhuman” have their own intelligence.
Gong Wei’s mind was in turmoil as he squatted on the ground, stretching his ears. He only heard Ying Kai say something at the other end of the bamboo tube, then suddenly stop talking. After a long time, he slowly said, “Although you have your suspicions, I must remind you of one thing.”
Ying Kai rarely expressed his displeasure so clearly. Gong Wei’s curiosity was piqued, and he listened intently as Ying Kai said in a deep voice:
“Sixteen years ago, Guiyuan told you that Gong Wei had already perished and could never return. Therefore, even if the Bai Tai Shou appears in Linjiang City, you cannot suspect that the ghost cultivator who is killing people everywhere is the resurrection of the Law Flower Immortal.”
“Such groundless accusations are no different from slander. Do you understand, Shuangce?”
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