The eyes of the remaining three people at the table focused on him instantly.
“Xiao Dong, do not say things you are not certain of,” Chen Qiu said in a heavy voice.
Xie Yuan opened his fan with a sharp shua sound and said, “I am curious, however. Why do you say that, Fellow Daoist Chen?”
After being rebuked by his older brother, Chen Dong stole a glance at him, his expression showing a hint of hesitation.
Chen Qiu’s tone softened slightly. “It is not as if it cannot be said. Speak freely.”
Having received permission, Chen Dong explained, “We heard from the butler that starting four or five years ago, Master Jian’s temper became exceptionally perverse and tyrannical. The timing matches perfectly.”
Chen Qiu added, “However, it is merely a coincidence of timing. Forcing a connection between the two matters is perhaps a bit far-fetched.”
“But the possibility remains,” Shen Zhuo said.
“Even so, how can a jade pendant be linked to a person’s temperament?” Chen Qiu countered.
“I previously heard Master Jian mention that this pendant is quite spiritual, even refusing to recognize him as its master,” Shen Zhuo explained, omitting the part about the pendant growing legs and running away.
Chen Qiu was still puzzled. “Even if it has a spirit, it should still be difficult for it to influence a person’s nature, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Xie Yuan said, waving his fan thoughtfully. “What if what is contained within that pendant is not spiritual energy at all?”
“If it is not spiritual energy, then what else could it be,” Chen Qiu’s face changed instantly halfway through his sentence, his expression shifting abruptly. “Fellow Daoist Xie, you cannot say such things lightly!”
Chen Dong watched his brother’s sudden change of face. Not yet reacting, he asked blankly, “What is it? Brother Qiu, why did you stop halfway?”
“It is demonic energy,” Shen Zhuo interjected calmly.
“That is impossible, surely?” Chen Dong was stunned. “Have demons not long since become legends? For thousands of years, there has been no news of demonic energy.”
Xie Yuan smiled behind his fan. “Just because you have not heard of it does not mean it does not exist.”
Shen Zhuo glanced at him.
In his past life, he had spent over a decade with the Demon Venerable and was more than familiar with the existence of demons. However, Xie Yuan’s composure regarding demonic energy made him look twice.
Xie Yuan also met his gaze, saying meaningfully, “I have long heard that Fellow Daoist Shen lives a secluded life in the Xuanyun Sect. Seeing you now, your knowledge and insight are truly extraordinary.”
Shen Zhuo casually made up an excuse. “I simply happened to hear my Senior Brother mention it.”
Chen Qiu asked again, “If it truly is demonic energy at work, the major sects should have caught wind of it long ago. Yet Master Jian’s pendant has been stolen for over a month, and we have heard nothing.”
“It may not necessarily be a demon,” Shen Zhuo said. “Demons are formed from the condensation of human resentment. If the resentment has not yet gathered into a form, it cannot be considered a demon.”
“Then according to Fellow Daoist Shen, this jade pendant gathered resentment and backlashed against Master Jian, causing his change in personality?”
“It is merely a guess.”
Shen Zhuo’s gaze swept across the table. There were four bowls in total. Only Chen Qiu had been talking to keep the atmosphere going, and two wontons still remained in his bowl.
He asked Chen Qiu, “Are you still eating?”
Chen Qiu’s bowl had been moved over from the adjacent table; the wontons were already swollen from soaking, and the wrappers were slightly mushy.
He glanced at it and shook his head. “No more.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhuo naturally dipped his spoon into Chen Qiu’s bowl and fished out a wonton.
The three people beside him were all startled.
Chen Qiu hesitated. “If Fellow Daoist Shen still wishes to eat, I will have the owner cook another bowl.”
“There is no time,” Shen Zhuo said. “You asked me just now if the pendant gathered resentment and backlashed against Master Jian?”
“Yes.”
Shen Zhuo said, “Then we should know very soon.”
As he spoke, spiritual energy was suddenly injected into that wonton. With a sou sound, it shot out rapidly behind Shen Zhuo.
The three followed the path of the wonton and saw it, wrapped in spiritual energy, streak across the long street and land precisely in the open mouth of a large man at the end of the street.
The man had been about to shout, but he was caught off guard and gagged by the wonton. He swallowed instinctively, choked violently, and immediately bent over, coughing.
The large saber in his hand hit the ground with a loud kuang-dang, and pedestrians on the street fled in alarm at the sound.
Chen Dong looked on, dumbfounded. “Fellow Daoist Shen, what is the meaning of this?”
“You should ask him what he intended to do, bringing a saber onto the street.” Shen Zhuo turned back toward the man at the end of the street.
Chen Qiu was still confused. “Fellow Daoist Shen clearly did not turn around. How did you know someone was there?”
“Qi,” Shen Zhuo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “It is coming.”
“What is coming?”
In the next second, a group of figures abruptly emerged in the cleared space around the large man. One by one, men stepped out from the shadows of the alleys and street corners. They walked silently onto the street, each holding a bright long saber, occupying the end of the street in an instant.
Seven or eight sturdy men stood silently with weapons, their aura terrifying, forming an oppressive silence.
The people on the street immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly pulled their children away to retreat. The once lively street quickly became empty, leaving behind only goods and stools that had not been cleared in time.
The wonton stall owner looked up at the sound, squinted, and muttered, “Is that not Chen Gouzi’s gang?”
Xie Yuan turned his head and asked, “The owner knows them?”
“Who on this street does not? They are just a bunch of local thugs who usually hang around with Chen Gouzi. They have never made much of a scene. What is wrong with them today?”
Shen Zhuo’s heart stirred, and he turned to Chen Qiu and Chen Dong. “Have either of you heard of this Chen Gouzi?”
Chen Qiu smiled and said, “The surname Chen is common, not to mention that we brothers are not locals.”
Seeing that those men were still at the end of the street, the owner managed to chime in while packing his things. “The young heroes naturally would not know Chen Gouzi. However, if you are here for Master Jian’s jade pendant, you should have heard of his brother.”
“Who is he?”
“Chen Gouzi’s older brother is Butler Chen of the Jian estate.”
The gazes of Shen Zhuo and Xie Yuan met abruptly in the air, their eyes focusing at the same time.
Xie Yuan was about to speak when he heard Shen Zhuo say, “They are going to make a move.”
A roar suddenly exploded from the end of the street. One man lunged forward, pushing through the crowd with his saber raised high, slashing at a passerby who could not dodge in time.
In a flash, a white porcelain spoon streaked through the air from the other end of the street, accurately piercing through the clamor to strike the webbing between the man’s thumb and index finger.
The man’s entire arm went numb, his fingers lost control, and the weapon fell to the ground with a loud kuang-dang.
“What a move, using an object to strike!” Chen Qiu exclaimed in admiration. “I did not expect Fellow Daoist Shen’s cultivation to be so profound. It is entirely different from the rumors.”
“You overpraise me. It is merely the first stage of Qi Refining,” Shen Zhuo paused and added, “Therefore, my spiritual energy is exhausted.”
Chen Dong could not believe his ears. “First stage of Qi Refining? If this is a good-for-nothing, are there any geniuses left in the world!”
Hearing his younger brother bluntly use the term good-for-nothing, Chen Qiu coughed several times. Once he recovered, he asked seriously, “How did Fellow Daoist Shen predict his move? Was it also perceived through Qi?”
“Correct,” Shen Zhuo said. “By using spiritual energy as eyes, one can perceive the Qi of all things.”
Chen Qiu looked at the distance between the start of the street and the alley, looking troubled. “Must I cover the entire street with spiritual energy? With my cultivation, I fear I cannot achieve that.”
“There is no need to cover it all,” Shen Zhuo instructed. “You only need to condense your spiritual energy in front of your eyes to observe the Qi using your vision.”
Chen Dong tried several times but found it difficult to precisely coat his eyes with spiritual energy; it would dissipate if he lost focus even for a moment. He became frustrated. “This is truly too difficult!”
Chen Qiu also tried but failed as well. “It is indeed extremely difficult. It seems Fellow Daoist Shen’s control over spiritual energy is truly masterful.”
Shen Zhuo comforted them dryly, “Use spiritual energy more often. Once you are used to it, it will come naturally.”
Meanwhile, the silent Xie Yuan waved the folding fan in his hand, and a strand of spiritual energy reached out.
He saw the Qi Shen Zhuo had mentioned on those men. They were surrounded by a mist-like black gas. On the person Shen Zhuo had just hit, the black gas was gradually dissipating, and on the man who had swallowed the wonton, the black gas had vanished completely.
Xie Yuan stared intently at the rolling black mists and asked, “Is this the same substance you said Master Jian and the butler had on them last night?”
“Not quite the same,” Shen Zhuo said. “The ones on them are far denser than these.”
As they spoke, the black gas on several of the men suddenly surged. At the same time, the sabers in their hands vibrated slightly, as if they were about to strike again.
He chuckled and said, “I think I understand now.”
Shen Zhuo replied, “I have no more spiritual energy.”
Xie Yuan swept a glance at Shen Zhuo, his tone light. “With me here, what is there to worry about?”
In an instant, the white jade fan in his hand was suddenly released. The closed fan face opened of its own accord, transforming into several streams of light from jade pieces, striking directly at the men surging with black gas.
The moment the jade pieces touched the black gas, the gas surged as if to swallow them.
However, the jade pieces seemed to have a spirit of their own, nimbly dodging and weaving through the black gas. Every pass struck and dispersed a cloud of gas, making it increasingly thin.
In the distance, the men gradually regained their senses. Startled to see the weapons in their hands, they hurriedly cast them onto the ground.
Though they were thugs, they knew that committing violence with a saber was a severe crime.
Xie Yuan watched from afar and sighed softly, “A pity the jade fan has only five pieces. Two people remain uncleared.”
Just as he finished, two white shadows beside him vanished.
When he looked again, Chen Qiu and Chen Dong had appeared like ghosts behind the remaining two men. The brothers acted in unison; with a fall of their palms, the two men collapsed.
Chen Dong called out from the end of the street, “Even if we cannot see the Qi you mentioned, it should be fine to just knock them down!”
“Naturally.”
Xie Yuan responded with a smile and stood up to walk toward the end of the street.
Shen Zhuo followed beside him and saw those white jade pieces scattered among the men suddenly fly back into Xie Yuan’s hand as if pulled by an invisible force.
A stream of spiritual light flowed from his palm, wrapping around the base of the jade pieces, reassembling the scattered fragments in an instant.
With a soft shua sound, it unfolded again into a complete jade fan.
Shen Zhuo understood; so he had gone to retrieve his artifact.
He stared at the jade fan, which radiated a warm white jade luster, and nodded. “This fan is a good item.”
“Yes,” Xie Yuan stopped fanning himself, his gaze seemingly looking through the fan’s ribs at a familiar shadow. “My master left it to me. It has never been ordinary.”
Shen Zhuo was slightly surprised. “Your Master? I have heard that Wangyou Valley rarely takes disciples from the secular world.”
Xie Yuan moved his gaze from the fan to meet Shen Zhuo’s eyes.
The youth’s face still held a hint of childishness, yet his eyes were filled with a calm that did not match his appearance. Xie Yuan stared at those eyes for a moment before returning to his senses. “My master was not from Wangyou Valley. He simply entrusted me to Wangyou Valley before he departed.”
“I see,” Shen Zhuo said understandingly.
He was just about to examine the jade fan when Xie Yuan’s voice suddenly tightened.
“Careful, something is approaching.”