At the very top of Huanman Tower, inside the brightly illuminated and shimmering pavilion.
Yuling Chun waved his hand to dismiss another batch of dancing girls. Still feeling completely devoid of sleepiness, he simply began counting the wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner in bored idleness. His translucent pink collar slipped down to his waist, exposing a large expanse of porcelain-white skin.
As he counted, his thoughts inevitably drifted elsewhere.
“Three rings, four rings…” He suddenly let out an inexplicable chuckle. “Aigoo~ The little beauty is making a date with me~ Seven rings, eight rings…”
“The Tower Master is certainly in high spirits.”
The familiar voice he had heard not long ago drifted in from the doorway like an unshakeable ghost. Yuling Chun’s hand stiffened mid-movement, and out of sheer reflex, he lashed out toward that direction with a fierce spell. “Who is it?”
Ye Xisheng walked over calmly and composedly, sat down on a chair inside the room, and poured himself a cup of tea, looking as natural and practiced as if he had returned to his own home. “The Tower Master doesn’t need to keep chanting. Even if you chant a thousand or ten thousand times, what cannot be obtained will ultimately remain unattainable.”
“It’s you again.”
Yuling Chun slowly straightened his posture, making no attempt to conceal his anger. “You’ve repeatedly trespassed into this Tower Master’s room. Do you really take this place of mine as a roadside posting station where you can come and go as you please?!”
“You indeed possess a few petty tricks, but to rely on them and dare to barge into this Tower Master’s territory all by yourself is far too arrogant.” The coercion of the late Nascent Soul stage surged forth like a roaring wind, instantly evaporating even the drifting fragrance inside the room. “Originally, for the sake of the little beauty, I wouldn’t bicker with you, but now you actually dare to come and court death!”
Clink— Ye Xisheng’s teacup landed against the table with a firm, measured thud. “I am here to negotiate a business deal with the Tower Master.”
“This Tower Master has no desire to negotiate business with you.”
“Oh? Then does the Tower Master not even want the Blissful Rejuvenation Pill?”
Yuling Chun’s eyes widened abruptly. “The Blissful Rejuvenation Pill?”
Ye Xisheng retrieved a pill wrapped in ice from his storage ring, using his spiritual energy to levitate it right in front of Yuling Chun. “The item is right here. The Tower Master can judge its authenticity for yourself.”
Yuling Chun snatched it up instantly, turning it over and over to inspect it several times before saying in disbelief, “It’s actually real… This Blissful Rejuvenation Pill is extremely precious. Not only are its ingredients hard to come by, but it also places extremely high demands on alchemy techniques, not to mention how strictly controlled its preservation methods must be after successful refinement… Such a precious item, how did you acquire it?”
So this little block of ice had such an impressive background. Ye Xisheng swept his divine sense into his storage ring, where several identical blocks of ice were piled neatly in a corner.
After his rebirth, his accompanying sword, natal divine artifact, and natal flame had all vanished without a trace. Only this storage ring, which had seemed almost useless, was reborn with him, and the miscellaneous items piled inside were still intact. He only vaguely remembered that this Blissful Rejuvenation Pill had been gifted to him by someone, and after receiving it, he had casually tossed it into a corner, where the ice blocks had even accumulated a layer of dust.
If he hadn’t heard inquiries about Yuling Chun offering a hefty bounty for this exact item, Ye Xisheng would have forgotten about it entirely.
“Tower Master Yu need not concern yourself with how I obtained it. As long as the Tower Master can provide the intelligence I desire, I naturally still have plenty of good things in my hands to use as remuneration for the Tower Master.”
Yuling Chun was fondling the block of ice with unconcealed affection. Hearing this, he raised his chin slightly, narrowing his eyes to appraise Ye Xisheng with a serious look.
A moment later, he curved his lips slightly. “You are not a simple person.”
“Your true strength is definitely beyond the Foundation Establishment stage. This Tower Master originally thought you were simply being too arrogant and conceited to act so disdainful of everyone, but looking at it now, it seems I underestimated you after all.”
“However, this Tower Master has always loved dealing with clever and straightforward people.” Yuling Chun swooshed the Blissful Rejuvenation Pill back into his own storage ring. “Speak, then. What is it that you wish to know? Oh, and to single out this time of night to come and see me alone—is it because you didn’t want your dear Senior Brother to know?”
“He was somewhat fatigued tonight and turned in early.”
Ye Xisheng took a light sip of tea, answering ambiguously, which somehow managed to weave a hint of tender ambiguity amidst the surrounding flowers and fragrance.
Yuling Chun: ……
He really shouldn’t have bothered talking to this vinegar jar!
Ye Xisheng tapped his knuckles twice against the tabletop, pulling the conversation back on track. “I want to ask the Tower Master about two matters.”
“First, what are the time and location for the upcoming opening of the Xuanwu Secret Realm?”
“Second, where has the divine artifact, the Myriad Manifestations Mirror, currently descended?”
“…” Yuling Chun burst out laughing with amusement. “You really have some nerve asking even for news about the Myriad Manifestations Mirror. Do you realize that the two pieces of information you are inquiring about are worth practically the entirety of Huanman Tower’s net worth?”
Thus, Ye Xisheng once again dumped out a heap of miscellaneous items from his storage ring. “The Tower Master may take whatever catches your eye. Besides, since the Tower Master possesses this information alone, aren’t you curious about what lies within the Xuanwu Secret Realm and the Divine Artifact Secret Realm?”
“When I go to explore those secret realms, I can also bring back items or intelligence that might interest the Tower Master.”
Yuling Chun asked, “Are you trying to form a partnership with this Tower Master?”
Ye Xisheng replied, “It all depends on how the Tower Master views it.”
Yuling Chun looked at him. “Interesting. You are just as interesting as that little beauty. However, I don’t fancy you; I still prefer the little beauty much more.”
Ye Xisheng’s smile grew several degrees more grinding-teeth. “I advise the Tower Master not to fancy people at random.”
Having scored a point back, Yuling Chun felt physically and mentally refreshed, lazily lounging across the couch. “Heh, space is chaotic within the Xuanwu Secret Realm, and its descent locations change frequently, along with its opening time being somewhat uncertain. Take this sound-transmission talisman. The moment the secret realm touches down, I will notify you immediately.”
“As for the Myriad Manifestations Mirror… You must realize that it is an ancient divine artifact, and even those who have merely heard of it are exceedingly few. Therefore, I only have this sliver of intelligence on hand. Listen closely…”
Song Lianzhou slept exceptionally well.
When he woke up, he was still somewhat groggy, noticing only that the daylight outside the window was already bright. Ye Xisheng was already fully dressed, sitting by the table and reading a book.
Song Lianzhou dazedly recalled that last night he had insisted on sleeping on the couch outside; how was it that he had woken up from the bed today?
Lifting his gaze and seeing him awake, Ye Xisheng smiled gently. “Senior Brother is awake?” With his other hand, he unnoticeably pinched out the smoldering calming incense.
“Mhm.” Song Lianzhou walked over to the table and poured himself a cup of water. “Ah Sheng, you woke up so early?”
“It’s not early anymore. I still need to pay compensation to my Senior Brother, after all.” Ye Xisheng said with a smile.
“…” Remembering his room with a gaping hole in it, Song Lianzhou awkwardly changed the subject. “What time is it right now?”
“Right now…” Ye Xisheng glanced at the daylight outside the window. “It should be getting close to noon.”
“What?!”
Song Lianzhou nearly choked on his tea, slamming the cup back down onto the table with a loud clatter. “Ah Sheng, why didn’t you wake me up? At this hour, we should have already gone up Qishan to investigate, and the junior martial brother and junior martial sister must be getting anxious waiting…”
“Senior Brother, don’t panic…” Unable to help laughing, Ye Xisheng pressed down on his hand. “I was just joking. It’s only just past the hour of Chen, still very early.”
Truly bizarre. Ever since his rebirth, he always felt a strange sense of affinity emanating from Song Lianzhou, making him constantly want to tease him.
Ye Xisheng trusted his own intuition—the Song Lianzhou of his past life had never uttered words expressing fondness for him. The feeling he gave people now was completely different from before. Could someone really undergo such a drastic shift in personality?
Moreover, since rebirth was something that had happened to him, it was entirely possible that Song Lianzhou had also turned into someone else entirely.