Chapter 85
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For Pei Yunshu, some memories were neither good nor bad, but the decision to keep or discard them could only be made by him alone.
The part of the memory that Zhuyou unlocked happened to be the part missing when he left the sect.
After recovering these memories, Pei Yunshu was lost in thought for a moment. Only then did he sit up, paying no attention to how he ended up sharing a bed with Zhuyou. With a serious expression, he said to Zhuyou, “Zhuyou, have all my memories been unlocked?”
Zhuyou shook his head.
Pei Yunshu spoke slowly, “You must unlock all of them for me.”
Zhuyou laid on his side, playing with his hair, and nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Pei Yunshu began stretching his hands. “Since I’ve made this decision, I won’t be influenced.”
“I am strong,” he nodded to himself, looking expectantly at Zhuyou, “I am capable, right?”
Zhuyou nodded solemnly.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Pei Yunshu raised his eyebrows. “The past is gone. I can’t think of anything more excessive than Second Brother… killing Hua Yue. Since I have severed ties with the sect and haven’t done anything against it, I don’t need to worry, right?”
Zhuyou nodded, releasing his hair and instead pulling at Pei Yunshu’s clothes.
Pei Yunshu’s smooth shoulders were exposed. However, at this moment, Pei Yunshu, filled with confidence, didn’t pay attention to Zhuyou’s hints. He glanced at Zhuyou with disdain, then effortlessly jumped off the bed.
Outside, the sunlight was bright, illuminating the snowy ground. Pei Yunshu leaned against the window, taking a few breaths of cool air. He had been uneasy before the memories were unlocked, but now he felt relieved.
He had overcome his inner demons. What did these memories matter?
Pei Yunshu smiled, but caught sight of Young Master Qingfeng, the gentleman sweeping snow in the courtyard.
Young Master Qingfeng seemed to have noticed his gaze. He paused, looked in Pei Yunshu’s direction, but only saw an empty window.
Young Master Qingfeng pursed his lips, staring at the window for a while before resuming his snow-sweeping.
Pei Yunshu sighed behind the window. He felt it might be better not to meet Young Master Qingfeng for now. The conversation from last night had indeed hurt his feelings.
***
Just as Hua Yue had said, Young Master Qingfeng could clearly sense Pei Yunshu becoming more distant.
If possible, they avoided each other. If necessary, their interactions were polite and distant. An already distant relationship seemed to have stretched even further.
Seated at a table, Pei Yunshu conversed with others over tea. When Young Master Qingfeng approached, Pei Yunshu glanced up briefly, as if he hadn’t seen Young Master Qingfeng, and continued his unfinished sentence.
Once Young Master Qingfeng sat down, Pei Yunshu found a few excuses to leave.
Pei Yunshu was considerate to the point of avoiding people who disliked him. Such consideration would undoubtedly be satisfying for someone who truly detested him.
However, Young Master Qingfeng’s expression seemed somewhat contemplative.
Seeing this, Hua Yue scratched his head, puzzled. “Don’t you dislike Yunshu beauty? Look, to make you comfortable, Yunshu beauty doesn’t appear when you’re around.”
“Little fox, say less,” Bai Lige shook his head helplessly. “Since today is free, take Yunshu and Zhuyou outside. Let them see what our place looks like after staying here for over two months.”
Hua Yue’s eyes lit up, and he ran out to find Pei Yunshu.
After hearing Hua Yue’s suggestion, Pei Yunshu honestly replied, “Zhuyou is still in bed.”
Hua Yue teased, “Is Lord Zhuyou so lazy?”
“Maybe he’s hibernating,” Pei Yunshu said, chuckling. “Let him sleep. You just take me out for a stroll.”
Hua Yue eagerly agreed, fearing that Pei Yunshu might regret it. He pulled Pei Yunshu out of the door. It was just past the New Year, and there were few people outside. Pei Yunshu and Hua Yue walked on the snowy ground, encountering only a few individuals.
After a few steps, Pei Yunshu suddenly felt a malicious spiritual sense probing him. It was extremely sinister, enveloping him from all directions with an uncomfortable dark aura.
Pei Yunshu frowned and, without hesitation, pulled the clueless Hua Yue behind him, using his own spiritual sense to counteract the force.
In no time, he completely dispersed the probing spiritual sense, dissipating it into the air.
Pei Yunshu turned to Hua Yue and said, “Hua Yue, go back and tell Zhuyou and Bai Lige that there’s a demonic aura nearby. Ask them to come with me.”
He took out several paper cranes from his storage bag. One followed Hua Yue, and the rest guided Pei Yunshu’s path. After saying this, without waiting for Hua Yue’s reaction, Pei Yunshu vanished.
Hua Yue took a cold breath and hurriedly went back to inform the patriarch and Lord Zhuyou.
The demonic aura made Pei Yunshu extremely uncomfortable. The feeling of being spied on penetrated his bones. This creature must have committed many atrocities. Faced with such a demonic presence, it had to be eradicated.
Pei Yunshu pursued, and the demonic aura fled. Following it, he arrived at a dilapidated temple.
Without hesitation, he enclosed the temple with a barrier, then searched for the source of the demonic aura.
Soon, the paper crane beside him took flight. Pei Yunshu turned to see Zhuyou and the others arriving, guided by the paper cranes.
“You’re here,” Pei Yunshu dispelled the barrier for them to enter, frowning. “Did you sense any demonic aura on the way?”
Zhuyou said, “None.”
“That’s strange,” Pei Yunshu said. “The spiritual sense seemed far from benign. When it targeted me, I could sense its sinister intentions.”
“It should be wanting to absorb your cultivation,” Bai Lige’s face darkened. “There are always things that act recklessly like this.”
Pei Yunshu accompanied them, exploring the demonic aura around the ruined temple. “It’s quite a coincidence. You’ve been living here for two months without any demonic creatures showing up at your door. Yet, on my second day here, I encounter a demonic creature wanting to absorb me as soon as I step out.”
Zhuyou asked curiously, “Absorb you?”
Pei Yunshu was about to nod but suddenly changed his mind, thinking of something. He glared at Zhuyou, huffed, and said, “You’re not allowed to speak.”
Zhuyou frowned and closed his mouth displeasedly.
There were no issues in front of the ruined temple. The group entered it, and Pei Yunshu, with keen senses, felt a small spiritual sense probing him in the darkness. Without mercy, he grabbed the spiritual sense, giving it a strong pull, followed by a piercing scream.
The talisman paper on Pei Yunshu’s hand burst into flames, illuminating the surroundings. A strange black mist struggled within it. Pei Yunshu frowned, watching the spiritual sense disappear.
His expression turned slightly cold. “This demonic creature is targeting me. Who have I offended?”
As the flames in his hand extinguished, Bai Lige said, “First uproot this, if it’s indeed targeting you, it should follow you.”
Pei Yunshu instinctively thought of the imperial palace. Could it be because he removed the ring from the emperor’s dream that the creature wanted revenge on him?
***
In the General’s residence, within the ancestral hall.
The meticulously crafted immortal statue suddenly shattered into pieces, and the black mist within it scattered into the air.
The General stood with his hands behind his back. The steward kneeling beside him trembled, “Lord, this… this…”
“The skills of the immortal surpass even the dragon aura on the true Dragon Emperor,” the General accepted the result calmly. “After you go down, have someone sculpt another immortal statue resembling the first.”
The steward asked cautiously, “Should I use the first portrait from your study?”
The General replied, “Use the third one. I’ve found some imperfections in the previous ones.”
The steward: “Yes.”
He picked up a fragment of the shattered statue, which depicted a pair of eyes. The General stared at them for a while and sighed, “Even if I exert all my effort to draw, and even if the sculptor you found is renowned, they cannot capture even a fraction of his allure.”
The steward wiped his sweat, “Lord, you’re right. Although the painter’s skills are excellent, and the craftsman is skilled, they cannot capture a thousandth of the immortal’s charm. But once you succeed, you won’t have to worry about honing your artistic skills daily in front of the immortal.”
The General laughed a few times before saying, “You’re right.”
He continued, “Prepare a bottle of osmanthus wine; I’m going to the palace to seek its assistance.”
The steward bowed, “Yes.”
***
Pei Yunshu and the others thoroughly searched the ruined temple, capturing a few lost souls and wandering ghosts who couldn’t find their way home. However, the entire temple was surprisingly clean.
They returned home empty-handed, but upon returning, they found a baby placed in a basket at their doorstep.
The baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, was softly crying. In the icy snow, the baby didn’t know how long it had been left there. Weak and feeble, it seemed like it could perish at any moment.
Pei Yunshu and the others exchanged glances and quickly approached, carefully lifting the baby from the basket.
The baby’s face was pale from the cold, lips turning purple. Its whole body was ice-cold, and a section of its delicate white arm had escaped from the swaddling, frozen lifeless.
Pei Yunshu shielded the baby from the wind, urgently saying, “Quick, let’s go inside.”
The person beside him looked anxious, closed the door, and brought him to the room. Braziers were piled up one by one. Hua Yue quickly went to find some warm milk and disappeared outside the door.
“Trouble, weak breathing, afraid it’s difficult to survive,” Bai Lige held the baby’s small hand. The baby’s eyes were half-open but instinctively grabbed Bai Lige’s hand. Bai Lige’s face showed a hint of sadness, “Such a small baby, can he endure spiritual power?”
Pei Yunshu shook his head, took off the cold iron-like swaddling from the baby, and placed him on a soft and warm blanket.
But after doing all this, they didn’t know what to do next. They could only fumble around, touching the baby’s forehead and moistening his lips and body with warm water.
Bai Lige tightened his fist, “It’s hateful. In such weather, actually leaving such a small baby outside our gate. Even if it’s abandonment, the one who abandoned him is truly despicable.”
The baby was still weakly crying, crying so hoarsely that it made people feel extremely uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Hua Yue finally arrived. He also pulled in a doctor. While the doctor diagnosed the baby, Hua Yue heated the borrowed milk and asked Pei Yunshu, who was by the baby’s side, to feed him.
When the baby tasted the milk, his crying suddenly stopped. He opened his mouth wide, and his arms waved in the air.
Only then did the people in the room breathe a sigh of relief, showing a bit of a smile on their faces.
After the doctor finished the detailed examination, he said, “Don’t let him get cold again. If he develops a high fever tonight, boil these herbs into a thick porridge for him to take. If that doesn’t work, come find me as soon as possible.”
Everyone who listened nodded. The doctor looked at them in understanding and sighed, “Is this child abandoned?”
“It should be. Someone probably saw that your family is wealthy. They couldn’t afford to raise the child themselves, so they abandoned him at your doorstep,” the doctor said with a bitter smile, “Listen to the old man’s advice. Take advantage of the situation now and move to another place quickly. Once you accept one child, every time you go out, you’ll find abandoned babies in front of your door.”
After the doctor left, Hua Yue closed the door. Several people watched Pei Yunshu feed the baby, not knowing what to do.
Zhuyou looked at a distance for a long time. When the baby had enough strength and actively grabbed the edge of Pei Yunshu’s bowl and pulled it down, he walked over, bent over, stood by the bed, stretched out his fingertips, and cautiously poked the baby’s cheek.
It was soft and extremely fragile, still tender and pink.
After the baby had eaten enough and gained strength, he stopped crying. He just opened his eyes wide, clear and transparent, with distinct black and white. Seeing Zhuyou’s hand moving, he happily stretched out his little hand to grab Zhuyou’s finger.
The hand was too small to hold one of Zhuyou’s fingers.
Zhuyou let him grab it blankly, then looked up at Pei Yunshu. Pei Yunshu smiled and asked, “Zhuyou, how does it feel?”
“…” Zhuyou said, “It looks delicious.”
The smile on Pei Yunshu’s face froze for a moment.
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