Xuan Lang did not live within the main Qi family estate, but rather in one of their outer properties a small courtyard situated outside the city, nestled against the mountains and facing the water. The surrounding scenery appeared quite pleasant.
Outwardly, Xuan Lang nominally remained a distant relative of the Qi family, a guest who had come to depend upon them. Consequently, Patriarch Qi maintained the basic veneer of hospitality and did not neglect him entirely.
For reasons unknown, however, Patriarch Qi treated Xuan Lang unlike a regular relative, almost as if leaving him to fend for himself.
No one truly knew what kind of relationship he had with the Qi family. Echoing the attitude of Patriarch Qi and Qi Jingyao, everyone simply assumed Xuan Lang was someone the Qi family had picked up off the streets, practically indistinguishable from a servant.
Li Jian was unaware of the details and dared not ask, fearing he might touch upon something that would bring sorrow to Xuan Lang.
The courtyard where Xuan Lang lived was not particularly large, consisting of just two simple rooms built with red tiles and green bricks. Yet, nestled amidst a lush, verdant thicket with rolling mountains behind it and dense, shade-giving woods all around, it was at the very least a place of exceptional scenery.
Previously, Xuan Lang had lived here entirely alone. Although the courtyard was small, it was very cozy. However, with the sudden addition of Li Jian, Xuan Lang clearly appeared somewhat flustered.
With cautious restraint, he invited Li Jian to be seated, then bustled about to pour water. As if terrified of treating Li Jian with discourtesy, he even produced a tin of tea leaves that Patriarch Qi had given him during the holidays, brewing a pot of light tea.
Bending over to pour the water, Xuan Lang held the cup respectfully with both hands and offered it forward. “Please have some tea, Immortal Elder. I wonder how I should address you?”
Li Jian glanced at him, accepted the cup, and smiled. “There’s no need to call me ‘Immortal Elder’; it sounds far too distant. Considering our ages, you should call me older brother.”
“Ah?” Xuan Lang jerked his head up, but upon meeting Li Jian’s smiling eyes, he hastily lowered his gaze again, not daring to look at him any longer.
Older brother?
Wasn’t an address like that a bit too intimate?
Xuan Lang certainly wouldn’t dare use it; he wouldn’t dare show disrespect to the immortal elder.
After a moment of silence, seeing that Xuan Lang kept his head lowered without responding—wondering whether he was pondering something or simply startled—Li Jian furrowed his brow slightly.
With no other choice, Li Jian waved a hand to signal that he shouldn’t worry about it.
“Just call me Li Jian. My name is Li Jian.”
It seemed the young immortal lord was still far too pure and innocent at this stage; he couldn’t be teased too casually.
Xuan Lang nodded mutely. “Immortal Li.”
Li Jian tilted his head. Fine, whatever works; the young immortal lord can call me whatever he likes.
Didn’t the system claim, however, that Immortal Lord Shiyuan practiced the ruthless path and was exceptionally difficult to (woo/conquer)? Why, then, did the person before him resemble a thoroughly innocent, pure little puppy? His ears even turned red just from being asked to call him “older brother”!
Besides, calculated carefully, this was only his third day since transmigrating here, and he had already successfully infiltrated the inner circle and moved straight into the young immortal lord’s home. Could an immortal lord who let a strange man into his house after three days possibly be a heartless person who cultivated the ruthless path?
Unlikely. No matter how one looked at it, it didn’t seem possible.
Before Li Jian could ponder further, a clamorous noise suddenly echoed from outside the quiet courtyard. With his sharp senses, Li Jian heard the commotion long before anyone even came into view.
Judging by the path they had taken all the way here, there were no other households in the vicinity aside from the courtyard where Xuan Lang lived, meaning this couldn’t be a passing neighbor. Anyone arriving here under such circumstances was undoubtedly coming specifically for Xuan Lang.
Li Jian took a sip of tea, his ears twitching slightly as he listened to the approaching voices, which sounded somewhat familiar.
“Are you certain you saw that half-baked phony of a cultivator follow Xuan Lang here?”
“First Young Master, I swear I didn’t see wrong! The moment that immortal elder no, that stinky cultivator stepped out the door, he left right along with Xuan Lang. They acted as if they’d planned it… Look, First Young Master, right over there.”
The person addressed as the First Young Master emerged from the shadow of a tree, clad in a dazzling golden robe with his hair bound high in a topknot. Viewed from afar, he carried a faint air of youthful vigor and high-spirited momentum.
Up close, however, he gave the distinct impression of a bandit chieftain who had escaped from some mountain stronghold, radiating an arrogant and aggressive aura.
Li Jian was seated at the stone table in the courtyard, enclosed by a lush, verdant wattle fence. The striking indigo robe he wore was clearly visible at a glance, lending him an air of elegant leisure.
The moment Li Jian heard that voice, he knew Qi Jingyao had brought people over to pick a fight. Without even lifting his head, he continued sipping the aged tea gifted by Patriarch Qi, quietly spitting out a stray bit of tea dregs.
The grade of this tea was completely incomparable to the one he had been served as an honorable guest back at the Qi family estate.
One had to hand it to Patriarch Qi: his treatment of Xuan Lang was truly consistent inside and out. Even the tea he gave him to drink was stale scraps, clearly intended to bully the young immortal lord out of his ignorance regarding such matters.
During his years as a corporate slave, Li Jian had frequently frequented high-end establishments with various client-overlords to drink and chat over tea not that they invited him, of course, but because he would chase them down and eagerly play the part of the tea-pouring lackey. After enduring several rounds of that training, he had practically forged a fine set of tea-brewing skills.
As he spat out a tiny mouthful of tea dregs, Qi Jingyao’s expression abruptly darkened.
He could tell clearly enough by now that Li Jian simply did not take him seriously at all. He had been standing at the doorway for quite a while, calling out several times without a single person paying him any heed. Not only did this fellow sit there drinking tea, but he had even used it to spit out tea dregs at him in a deliberate act of humiliation. It was utterly intolerable!
Though Qi Jingyao was a pampered young master, he wasn’t foolish enough to lose his composure over such a trivial matter.
He knew very well that this person was his father’s distinguished guest and the great benefactor who had found their family’s divine statue; he couldn’t afford to do anything to Li Jian. That didn’t mean, however, that he couldn’t give Xuan Lang a hard time.
Qi Jingyao gestured with a wave of his hand, signaling his attendants to move in. “Go and drag Xuan Lang out here for me.”
His lackeys behind him understood immediately. Evidently experienced with the routine, they barged straight through the wicker fence and prepared to rush inside.
At that moment, Xuan Lang emerged carrying a plate of food that was still steaming with heat. Seeing Qi Jingyao arrive, he unhurriedly set the plate down and asked,
“Is there something Young Master Qi needs?”
Qi Jingyao wasn’t surprised by his calm demeanor; he had witnessed it countless times since they were children. This person always wore an unfathomable expression, acting as though he were exceptionally formidable and simply too proud to lower himself to argue with him. It was utterly infuriating.
Signaling his attendants to halt, Qi Jingyao stepped forward alone, placing his hands behind his back. “Can’t I come over just to take a look for no reason? Don’t forget, this is my family’s territory. I can go wherever I please is that any of your business?”
Xuan Lang handed a pair of chopsticks to Li Jian, carefully wiping them clean first and placing them neatly beside the dish, before speaking slowly. “I haven’t been back to live here for several days, and there wasn’t much food in the house, so I just cooked a simple meal. Please make do with this for now, Immortal Elder. Tomorrow I’ll go to the market and make something better for you.”
Li Jian picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. It was just a simple stir-fried green vegetable, but it tasted remarkably fragrant.
“Mh, delicious.”
He curved his lips slightly not out of perfunctory agreement, but because he genuinely found it good.
He had originally assumed that an immortal lord who required someone to help him through his tribulation would naturally live as a pampered young master even after descending to the mortal world. Since his fate was already so fortunate and smooth-sailing, it wouldn’t have mattered if it were even better.
Yet Li Jian hadn’t expected that Immortal Lord Shiyuan, upon descending to the mortal world, would be living under such conditions that he had to cook his own meals and face constant threats of intimidation. How truly pitiful.
Xuan Lang lowered his head, looking somewhat abashed. “I was just worried I might be treating the Immortal Elder poorly. This falls far short of the hospitality at the Qi family estate.”
With a chuckle, Li Jian replied, “I don’t think so at all. Eating rich meats and heavy dishes has started to feel a bit cloying; this kind of light, simple fare is wonderful.”
Seeing the two of them chatting back and forth while completely ignoring his presence, Qi Jingyao grew even more enraged. Clenching his fists and stamping his foot, he pointed at Xuan Lang and cursed,
“You… how dare you ignore me! I’m telling you, Xuan Lang, don’t think you can rest easy just because you’ve let someone move in here. If you cross me, I can have you thrown out on your ear at any moment, understand?”
Xuan Lang raised his eyes. Qi Jingyao was glaring at him fiercely, his expression filled not merely with spoiled arrogance, but with an overwhelming, inexplicable loathing. He simply hated Xuan Lang for no reason at all.
Standing beside the stone table, Xuan Lang let out a long breath. “Whatever Young Master Qi wishes to do, I cannot stop you. As long as it makes you happy, there’s no need to constantly pick fights with me; harming your own mood over it isn’t worth the trouble.”
“Is that so?” Qi Jingyao sneered, his peripheral vision casting a discontented glare toward Li Jian, who was still eating unbothered. “So you still remember that I call the shots in the Qi family? Yet you still dare to bring outsiders back here at will do you even have the qualifications to do so?”
Xuan Lang followed his gaze toward Li Jian. Having just brought Li Jian back and secured a place for him to stay, he had no wish to have him disturbed by Qi Jingyao, so he asked, “Then what does Young Master Qi want?”
Qi Jingyao stepped forward two steps smugly. “What do I want? If it were up to me, you’d—ah!”
Before Qi Jingyao could finish speaking, a bamboo-handled broom came flying straight at his head, striking him squarely and raising a massive bump that sent him clutching his head and howling in pain.
Xuan Lang lowered his gaze to see that Li Jian’s hand—which had just been holding the chopsticks—had flicked slightly. Directing spiritual energy from his fingertips, he commanded the broom as if it possessed a spirit of its own, directing it to administer a sound beating.
Seeing their young master taking a thrashing, the several lackeys behind him bared their fangs and brandished their claws, preparing to rush forward for revenge.
Li Jian twitched his fingers, and the broom stationed itself horizontally across the entrance, blocking anyone who tried to approach and thrashing whoever dared step forward, showing not a shred of mercy.
“Where I wish to go is entirely my own business, depending solely on my mood,” Li Jian stated. “If Young Master Qi harbors any dissatisfaction whatsoever, you are more than welcome to come discuss it with me. We can talk however you like.”
If the conversation required using fists, Li Jian wasn’t afraid of that either.
Clutching his face, Qi Jingyao pointed angrily at the two of them. “This is my family’s courtyard, and you actually dare to hit me! Just you wait, I’ll make sure you both get kicked out of here!”
With that, Qi Jingyao viciously kicked the attendant standing beside him as a signal to flee immediately; staying any longer would only invite further humiliation.
“As you wish. We shall respectfully await Young Master Qi’s honorable return.”
Watching the boisterous crowd arrive in a swarm only to scamper off like beaten dogs, Li Jian clapped his hands in deep satisfaction. Disregarding the broom lying on the ground, he picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating.
A simple bowl of porridge and small side dishes made for a truly delectable meal.