After Shen Zhuo spoke those words the previous night, Xie Yuan’s face turned various shades of blue and white. He bristled for a long time, ultimately squeezing out only a string of insults like “shameless” and “disgraceful.” Having run out of new words to scold him with, he finally flicked his sleeves and left in a fit of rage.
Seeing this reaction, Shen Zhuo assumed their previous agreement to search for the jade pendant together was likely off. To his surprise, early the next morning, Xie Yuan appeared in their courtyard.
Shen Zhuo paused as he stepped out of his room, asking with a hint of astonishment, “Why are you here?”
The morning air was still cool, yet the white jade fan in Xie Yuan’s hand was already swaying briskly. “Did we not agree yesterday to go search for the jade pendant together?”
“Mm,” Shen Zhuo grunted in response, continuing on his way to fetch water to wash up.
Halfway there, he spoke up as if suddenly remembering something. “About the kissing,” he began.
“Do not mention that matter again!” Before he could finish, Xie Yuan barked an interruption, forcibly choking back the wanton words Shen Zhuo had yet to voice.
Seeing that there was no hope for that matter, Shen Zhuo went to wash up with a sense of regret. By the time he had finished grooming himself and stepped out of his room, Xie Yuan had already stood up. “Where does Daoist Shen plan to go?”
“To find the steward.”
“The steward?” Xie Yuan frowned in confusion. “Is he not right here in the Jian residence?”
As Shen Zhuo walked toward the exit, he explained, “I asked around yesterday. Although the steward is on duty at the Jian residence, he has established a separate property on the street. His wife and children live there, and only he remains in the manor.” He paused before continuing, “I also mentioned yesterday that Master Jian and the steward share similar traces of spiritual energy. I want to investigate the street; if there truly is a problem with the steward, we should be able to find some clues.”
The two walked out of the courtyard together. Although it was still early, the streets were already bustling with the clamor of vendors. According to the servants, the steward frequently visited this street, and everyone speculated his home was in this vicinity, though no one knew the exact location.
A faint light flickered in Shen Zhuo’s eyes as he quietly circulated his spiritual power to detect any abnormalities on the street. However, after walking from the top of the street to the very end of the alley, they found nothing. Shen Zhuo caught the scent of wonton soup drifting through the air and withdrew the spiritual energy from his eyes.
Xie Yuan unfolded his white jade fan, swaying it gently beside him. “If it were truly this easy to find, Master Jian would not have gone through the trouble of offering ten thousand gold pieces,” he said calmly. His gaze swept across the street, coming to a rest on a wonton stall across from them. “You have not had breakfast yet, have you? Since we are here, shall we have a bowl?”
Steam rose from the wonton stall where the owner was skillfully pinching thin-skinned wontons. Several old wooden tables were placed around the stall, filled with guests in groups of twos and threes; business was quite good.
Smelling the aroma, Shen Zhuo suddenly felt his stomach was empty, so he nodded. “Very well.”
It happened that there was one empty table left, and the two sat down across from each other. Shen Zhuo called out to the owner, “Two bowls of wontons.”
“Coming right up! Please take a seat, young masters, they will be ready in a moment!”
After placing the order, Shen Zhuo noticed that Xie Yuan greeted the guests at the neighboring table before sitting down. Those two were dressed in identical robes, clearly marking them as cultivators, likely from the same sect.
Shen Zhuo sat down and asked in a low voice, “You know them?”
“You do not recognize them? Oh, that is right; you rarely leave the Xuanyun Sect, so it is normal that you are unfamiliar with disciples of other sects.” After answering his own question, Xie Yuan introduced them in a low tone. “Those two are disciples of the Yanxue Sect. We have met a few times, but we are not very close.”
This world did not differ much from Shen Zhuo’s previous life, so he had naturally heard of the Yanxue Sect. They and the Xuanyun Sect were among the four great immortal sects, particularly famous for their light-body techniques; their movements were said to be as elusive as smoke and snow.
However, in his past life, by the time Shen Zhuo escaped from Moyuan’s side, the entire immortal cultivation world had already been torn apart. Major sects were on the brink of collapse, and even the four great sects could hardly protect themselves. Later, Pei Chuan united the immortal sects and slew the Demon Sovereign. From then on, the Xuanyun Sect stood alone at the top, and all other forces came under its command. There were no more barriers between sects, as everyone revered Pei Chuan as the leader of the immortal world.
It was no wonder Shen Zhuo did not recognize the Yanxue Sect disciples; in his previous life, by the time he truly saw them, the sects had already become indistinguishable from one another.
Shen Zhuo looked at the two again. Dressed in plain white robes, they appeared elegant and ethereal, indeed like snow. Noticing his gaze, the other party smiled and nodded in greeting, and Shen Zhuo politely returned the gesture.
“Your wontons are here!” The owner’s call interrupted Shen Zhuo’s thoughts.
Two steaming bowls of wontons were served. The broth was clear, topped with golden oil droplets and bright green scallions. Shen Zhuo scooped up a wonton and sent it into his mouth, swallowing it quickly. He then suddenly turned to stare intently at Xie Yuan.
Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow. “What? Is it not to your taste?”
Shen Zhuo put down his spoon and asked seriously, “Can you really not let me have one kiss?” He added, “It does not have to be fifteen times; let us just try one first.”
As soon as Shen Zhuo finished speaking, chaos erupted behind them. The sound of porcelain spoons shattering and muffled coughing rang out in a mess. Shen Zhuo turned back to see one of the Yanxue Sect disciples clumsily knocking his entire bowl of wontons onto the table, splashing soup everywhere.
The affairs of the Yanxue Sect had nothing to do with him, so Shen Zhuo turned back with an innocent expression. He scooped up another wonton and continued his relentless pursuit. “Is it really not possible? Just one kiss.”
“Shen! Zhuo!” The soup bowl in Xie Yuan’s hand slammed heavily onto the table with a loud thud. “Stop mentioning the kiss! Stop mentioning this matter!”
The Yanxue Sect disciple at the next table called out to the owner, “Boss, another bowl of wontons, please, and help us wipe the table.”
“Wontons coming up!” The owner wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the line that had already started to form. He spoke with some difficulty, “Young master, I am truly too busy over here. How about you share a table with the two gentlemen next to you?”
In this vicinity, only their two tables were occupied by people dressed as cultivators. The two groups looked at each other. Those two Yanxue Sect disciples were suddenly caught in another fit of coughing as they choked on the air.
Xie Yuan turned his head, clearing his throat unobtrusively. By the time he turned back, he had regained his composure, smiling warmly like refined jade as he invited the two disciples, “We still have empty seats here. If you do not mind, please join us.”
Seeing the invitation, the disciple named Chen Qiu picked up the only remaining bowl of wontons and walked over. “Though I have encountered Daoist Xie many times, this is the first time we have spoken like this. I am Chen Qiu, and this is my junior brother, Chen Dong.”
“Autumn and Winter?” Xie Yuan asked. “Are you two brothers?”
“Precisely. I am the elder brother, and he is the younger; we entered the Yanxue Sect together,” Chen Qiu nodded.
Chen Dong’s gaze could not help but drift toward Shen Zhuo. Finally, he could not resist asking, “I just heard Daoist Xie call you Shen Zhuo? That Shen Zhuo from the Xuanyun Sect?”
Occupying this body labeled as a waste, Shen Zhuo nodded calmly. “It is me.”
Chen Dong looked him up and down, muttering under his breath, “He does not quite look like it.”
“Do not be rude,” Chen Qiu scolded softly, then turned to Shen Zhuo with an apologetic smile.
Shen Zhuo did not mind and continued eating his wontons unhurriedly. Seeing the atmosphere at the table was somewhat stagnant, Chen Qiu looked for a topic to ask, “May I ask why Daoist Xie and Daoist Shen are traveling together?”
Xie Yuan took a sip of the wonton soup and replied, “We are all here for the matter of the jade pendant. We met by chance on the way and decided to travel together.”
“I see,” Chen Qiu nodded. Mentioning the pendant, his tone suddenly shifted. “If you ask me, that jade pendant is truly not an auspicious object. So many conflicts have arisen because of it.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhuo suddenly put down his spoon and asked, “How so?”
“It is not that there is any definitive proof. Searching for the pendant these past few days simply reminded me of that old affair with the Song family.”
At those words, Xie Yuan chimed in, “Indeed. It has been a long time since I heard anyone mention the Song family; I almost forgot that their tragedy was also caused by a jade pendant.”
“What happened to the Song family?”
Chen Qiu showed a look of surprise. “Daoist Shen actually does not know about this?”
Shen Zhuo thought for a moment and used Xie Yuan’s earlier reasoning, explaining casually, “I rarely leave the Xuanyun Sect, so I truly have not heard of it.”
“I see. This matter is not quite large but not small either; it is normal for Daoist Shen not to know,” Chen Qiu said understandingly. “That was an event from five years ago.”
He continued the story: “Five years ago, the Song family entered the immortal cultivation world under the name of merchants. Logically, it would be difficult for a merchant family that had never practiced cultivation to have any connection with the immortal sects, but they held a jade pendant with an endless supply of spiritual energy. It was by relying on this pendant that the Song family was able to trade and interact with the major immortal sects.”
Shen Zhuo pressed further, “Then how did it lead to conflict?”
“Alas, they rose by the pendant and fell by the pendant,” Chen Qiu sighed. “At that time, many people already suspected the origins of the Song family’s pendant. Then, Fengyan Mountain suddenly sent people down the mountain, claiming that a precious jade pendant had been stolen from their sect.”
Hearing the words Fengyan Mountain, Shen Zhuo could not help but be stunned. Fengyan Mountain was at the head of the four great sects, yet it was completely different from the others; it never recruited disciples from the outside, and the sect was primarily composed of the Feng clan. Shen Zhuo had never seen anyone from Fengyan Mountain because after Moyuan declared war on the immortal world, they immediately sealed their mountain and no longer concerned themselves with external affairs.
He said, “Even if the pendant in the Song family’s hands truly belonged to Fengyan Mountain, given their prestigious status, they surely would not have made things difficult for a mere merchant family, would they?”
Before Chen Qiu could answer, Xie Yuan suddenly interrupted, “That pendant held by the Song family was not the item lost by Fengyan Mountain.”
Shen Zhuo could not help but ask, “How do you know?”
Xie Yuan fell silent and did not answer.
“There are different accounts from every sect, and the truth can no longer be verified,” Chen Qiu stepped in to smooth things over. “The Song family was, after all, just mortal merchants. Fengyan Mountain only started the fire; at that time, there were quite a few people who harbored ill intentions toward that pendant.”
“What was the ultimate fate of that pendant?”
Chen Qiu shook his head. “I do not know. Its whereabouts remain unknown to this day.”
Shen Zhuo was startled and continued to ask, “And the Song family?”
“All dead,” Chen Qiu’s voice turned low. “No one knows who did it; all that is known is that the entire Song manor was razed by fire, and not a single soul survived.”
At this moment, Shen Zhuo truly understood the weight behind Chen Qiu’s sigh. It represented a massacre of an entire clan. He fell silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond.
While the three were discussing the past, Chen Dong had already finished the newly served bowl of wontons like a whirlwind. He let out a satisfied burp, looked around at the three people with their varying expressions, and said, “Is not the pendant Master Jian wants us to find exactly that jade pendant from the Song family?”