Chapter 54

Xie Chang'an naturally remembered Wu Qifeng.

Back then, just as the True Immortal Canmiao had fallen and the entire Fuguang Mountain was plunged into grief, Shen Xi led them away, and Wu Qifeng had hurried over to see them off. The young man was sincere and enthusiastic, even making a promise that if fate allowed them to meet again in the future, they must recount their experiences in the City of Departing Dreams so that he could broaden his horizons.

Never had anyone expected that parting to become a farewell for eternity.

"Impossible. I watched him die with my own eyes."

Zhe'er pinched the fingertips where the butterfly had vanished, sounding less like she was explaining to others and more out of sheer confusion.

Xie Chang'an asked, "Did he ask to meet you at Fuguang Mountain?"

Zhe'er replied, "No, at Chishuang Mountain."

Xie Chang'an: ?

Zhe'er pondered, "Could it be that he still had a sliver of life left that day, and a disciple from Chishuang Mountain happened to pass by, saved him, and brought him back?"

Xie Chang'an asked, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

Zhe'er choked, then smiled bitterly, "I know, the probability of all these things happening at the same time is practically zero."

Xie Chang'an said, "Yet you are still going to Chishuang Mountain to see for yourself."

Zhe'er answered, "I cannot not go."

Xie Chang'an was silent for a moment. "Drop your blood into the talisman, and you and I can also use the ghost butterflies to transmit messages. If anything happens, notify me immediately, and I will rush over."

Zhe'er agreed. "Are you going to look for the Heavenly Artisan Furnace? Do you know where it is?"

Xie Chang'an explained, "The Heavenly Artisan Furnace is the founding treasure of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven. Back then, Xu Pinglan insisted that the sect must enter the mortal world, and brought his disciples far away to Chang'an, becoming the grand preceptor personally conferred by the Li Tang dynasty. It is said that before leaving, he wanted to take the Heavenly Artisan Furnace with him, but the sect master at the time did not agree. I am not certain whether it is currently in Chang'an City or back in the Nanyue Grotto-heaven, so I will simply go to Chang'an to take a look first."

The fox finally found an opportunity to chime in.

"I'll go with you! I have a mansion in Chang'an, so we can move right in when we get there without having to squeeze into an inn!"

"You can actually afford a mansion in Chang'an?" Zhe'er thoroughly doubted the truth of this statement.

The fox cast a sidelong glance with one slitted eye. "What, do you think everyone is as destitute as you? Before I entered the Realm of Stripped Bones, I also spent a very long time in the mortal world. Not only am I rolling in wealth, but I also own properties in both Chang'an and Luoyang!"

Zhe'er countered, "The mortal world is plagued by wars nowadays; those mansions of yours might have been occupied by others long ago."

The fox sneered, "Then I'll kill them!"

She turned her head and plastered on a completely different expression for Xie Chang'an.

"Chang'an, let me accompany you! How can the ruler of the Realm of Stripped Bones travel without the pomp of maidservants? I can be your maidservant, oh!"

"Your injuries have not fully healed, you cannot maintain a human form at all times, and you are a vixen," the scarlet ibis suddenly said. "While I can."

The fox snapped, "What can you..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly stared blankly at the scarlet ibis.

The latter raised his sleeve to cover his face, then slowly lowered it.

The stern man transformed into a young maidservant in white, complete with double-pouched hair knots.

"Spirits have male and female forms, but swords have no gender. If needed, I can transform at any time."

It was not a mere illusion, so there was no fear of being seen through.

The fox was furious. "You're stealing my spot?!"

The scarlet ibis said indifferently, "Why would I steal the spot of a good-for-nothing?"

Finding the female form rather unaccustomed, he transformed back a moment later.

The fox desperately wanted to pounce on him and bite him into a sieve, but the heartbreaking reality was that she couldn't beat him.

"Chang'an, my heart hurts so much, you're just going to watch them bully me like this!"

She clutched her chest, putting on a pitiful act.

Xie Chang'an said, "You should stay behind. Just right, while we are away, you can get your wish and be the great king here in the Realm of Stripped Bones."

The fox threatened fiercely, "If you leave me behind, I'll devour all the demons and ghosts here and leave you with a barren, bald Realm of Stripped Bones!"

Xie Chang'an replied, "As you like, just don't eat yourself to death."

Seeing that soft and hard tactics had no effect on her, the fox burst into loud wails.

"I don't care, you cannot throw me away! I am your fox in life and your ghost in death—take me with you! I want to ensure that every time you make a splash in the mortal world, my figure is by your side! I want to watch you climb step by step from the bottom of the valley back to your peak, and make those who once looked down on you kneel at your feet and beg for mercy in agony!"

Everyone: ...

Xie Chang'an smiled faintly, half-mocking. "Do you take me for a living vernacular novel?"

The fox blinked at her, radiating innocence.

Too lazy to bother with her, Xie Chang'an flicked her finger, knocked the creature unconscious, and tossed her aside.

The three of them reached an agreement: Zhe'er put on her mi-li veil and set off first to Chishuang Mountain to inquire about Wu Qifeng's whereabouts, while Xie Chang'an would protect the scarlet ibis as he broke through his realm before heading to Chang'an City.

As for the fox, she could go stay wherever it was coolest.

The scarlet ibis's realm had been stagnating for many years, and despite searching through a hundred paths he could find no resolution. In truth, he had already reached perfection in the Transformation and Convergence Realm; what he lacked was merely that final push, a mere half-step away. Now that everything had clicked together, it naturally progressed smoothly and logically.

Ten days later, the Realm of Stripped Bones gained another Spirit Immortal Realm cultivator.

This place was isolated from the mortal world, and his breakthrough did not alarm the Heavenly Dao nor manifest a Dharma image. Only the perpetually gray-and-gloomy sky of the Realm of Stripped Bones quietly gained a streak of rainbow light, which quickly dissipated and scattered.

"Ever since the Yinglong failed in its rebellion against the upper realms, this place has become a land abandoned by all living beings. No one can attain the Dao and ascend here, and the Heavenly Dao will never favor this place," the scarlet ibis stated.

The two stood by the banks of the Yellow Springs, gazing at the distant, meandering waters and the vast, desolate scenery where demons and ghosts ran rampant.

Aside from the Nine-Nethering Empyrean Flowers and scattered patches of reeds, very few other plants could survive here.

Xie Chang'an remarked, "When I was a mortal, I thought a muddle-headed emperor and the self-indulgence of nobles were the greatest injustices in the world. Now that I have entered the Dao, I realize there are even greater injustices between heaven and earth."

Without waiting for the scarlet ibis to reply, she had already turned around.

"Let's go. To Chang'an."

The scarlet ibis turned back as the young woman held up her umbrella and slowly walked away.

The heaven and earth were dim and gloomy, leaving only her splash of red strikingly vibrant.

She paused, turned her body slightly, and looked back from afar, as if silently waiting for the scarlet ibis to catch up.

After a brief pause, he immediately set off after her.

...

Chang'an City.

Fresh snow covered the eaves, and emerald grass turned to ice.

Warm fragrance leaked through the crevices of a half-open propped-up window, staining the nearby plum blossoms with a touch of opulent color.

A-Jin hurried along the corridor holding a jade bowl, her mind still replaying the bizarre gossip she had just heard from the direction of the kitchen.

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a figure ahead. She halted her steps and called out to the other person.

"Xiao Qiao!"

A-Jin frowned. "What are you trying to do? This is the master's study; idle people are not allowed to enter!"

The young maidservant called Xiao Qiao curtsied, an ordinary gesture that she executed with lightness and grace.

"Greetings, Sister A-Jin. It was the master who sent me, saying that from now on, the task of tidying up the study will be handled by me."

A-Jin was startled, her frown deepening further. "Where is Li De? Could it be that he is shirking his duties?"

She was referring to the person originally tasked with cleaning the study.

Xiao Qiao shook her head cluelessly, saying only that she did not know.

A-Jin felt a surge of irritation. Seeing that she could not get any answers, she waved her hand to let her in, then briskly walked toward the main room.

"Master, it's cold. This ginger tea with brown sugar has just been freshly brewed."

She bypassed the half-hanging curtain and caught sight of the figure tinkering with flowers and plants by the windowsill, the tight furrow between her brows loosening slightly.

"Just leave it there."

The person did not turn around, apparently intending to finish pruning the bonsai in their hands first.

A-Jin thought for a moment, but couldn't help saying, "Your servant ran into Xiao Qiao at the study door just now. She went inside and even claimed it was you who sent her there."

The master replied, "Yes, I gave the order. She is more meticulous, let her go."

A-Jin hesitated, wanting to speak further. "But Xiao Qiao has only been in the estate for a little over a month, and hasn't even fully learned the rules. I'm afraid she might easily make a mistake and damage your books."

The master said offhandedly, "Since she entered the estate with Mother's consent, she is one of us, and there are nothing that important in the study anyway. Speaking of which, are there any fresh occurrences in the capital recently?"

A-Jin's intention to offer more advice was derailed by the redirection, leaving her no choice but to say, "There actually are. When I was coming over, I heard the cooks talking about how that haunted house and its vicious ghost from over a month ago has appeared again. The second household to suffer was the family of Fan, the Vice Censor-in-Chief. It is said that their servants went to call their master and mistress for breakfast in the morning and found that the master and mistress of the main room, along with a personal maidservant, were all hanging neatly from the crossbeam. The Dali Temple sent people to investigate and ruled it as death by hanging, not homicide..."

At this point, she couldn't help but shiver.

This was simply too preposterous, feeling eerie even as someone who had passed the news along through several hands.

"Oh? This makes the second household?"

Her master finally revealed a tone of interest, stopping the scissors in his hand and turning around, revealing an exceptionally handsome and exquisite face.

Such a face—even though A-Jin saw it every day—still caused her to subconsciously hold her breath for a brief moment each time.

If one were to speak of recent bizarre tales, her young master was actually one of the protagonists.

Everyone knew that Li Chengying, the young master of Minister Li's household, had been a foolish child since birth.

At the time when the rebel army entered the city and Chang'an fell into chaos, the Li family evacuated the capital with their young and old, and everyone assumed they would abandon this foolish young master.

To everyone's surprise, the foolish boy was taken away safe and sound, and had now returned completely unscathed, regaining his wits three months ago as if aided by divine intervention.

Those who knew of it all clicked their tongues in wonder, believing the Li family was blessed and that immortals had manifested.

When Li Chengying was still foolish in the past, he rarely cried or made a fuss, but would often sit like a wooden puppet for a whole day, neither eating, drinking, speaking, nor even blinking his eyelids.

Back then, although he was good-looking, he had the appearance of a dead painting, unlike now, where the person in the painting had come to life, with every smile and frown flowing vividly.

A-Jin had served him since childhood. Although she had prepared herself to face a foolish young master for the rest of her life, she was naturally even more thrilled and excited by Li Chengying's recovery. Inevitably, she fancied herself a trusted veteran by the master's side, harboring a sense of exclusion toward outsiders and being overly harsh and picky toward newcomers like Xiao Qiao.

No matter how shocking the bizarre tale of a fool returning to normalcy was, it had gradually subsided after so many days.

It had been replaced by a new capital oddity.

In fact, before the Fan family incident, the family of the Marquis of Cheng's adopted son had already met with disaster.

The cause of death was also suicide; a family of over thirty people, including servants and maidservants, closed their doors on a snowy day and hanged themselves, slashed their own throats, or smashed their heads against walls, with none spared.

Once this case broke out, the entire city was in an uproar, even alarming the emperor, who ordered the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishments to jointly investigate the case.

Yet no matter how they investigated, all the victims had committed suicide without any external force.

Hindered by the power and pressure of the Marquis of Cheng, the Ministry of Punishments did arrest a batch of people, but the case ultimately fizzled out into nothingness.

And now, the exact same method of wiping out an entire household was replaying itself at the Fan family.