Xie Weiyuan’s fingertips froze in mid-air, his face turning ashen. This purple jade crown was an heirloom that could only be worn by the successive sect leaders of the Jiuyou Sect; to think it had been so casually pawned by this spendthrift disciple!
He rubbed his throbbing temple, suppressing the fury in his chest. “How much silver did you get for it?”
“Five… taels.”
Xie Weiyuan’s expression shifted violently, his anger surging into his sharp, imposing brows. “Only five taels?!”
“That is high-quality purple jade, a priceless treasure! You sold it for a mere five taels?”
Shen Yunjin felt aggrieved, his voice dropping as he replied, “I was in a desperate hurry for money, so…”
He knew he had caused trouble and, for once, felt genuinely embarrassed, standing there at a loss.
Clang! Xie Weiyuan slammed the Cloud-Hidden Flute down hard onto the vanity, causing the wooden table to vibrate with a low groan.
Shen Yunjin shuddered, his eyes meeting Xie Weiyuan’s killing gaze.
“You know what to do, don’t you?” Xie Weiyuan narrowed his eyes, his expression dangerous.
It had been a long time since Shen Yunjin had seen Xie Weiyuan look like this. A wave of terrifying dread swept down his spine, and beads of cold sweat already formed on his forehead.
This precursor…
Could it be that Xie Weiyuan was going to lash him with the whip again?
Shen Yunjin’s palms were damp. He prudently knelt on the floor. “Master, please forgive me!”
A powerful pressure swept over him, the darkness looming over his vision. Xie Weiyuan stood before him, looking down at him as if he were an ant.
His gaze was like a cold sword, dissecting Shen Yunjin’s thumping heart. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the physical pain. Yet, the expected blow never came. Those slender, cold-white hands rose sharply, but just before touching him, they softened their force.
Xie Weiyuan slapped him across the face, not hard, not soft.
It was less of a slap and more of a caress. Shen Yunjin opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze falling upon Xie Weiyuan’s long, elegant fingertips.
He was stunned, panicked, frightened, and worried that this was some new trick of Xie Weiyuan’s.
To his surprise, the man merely turned to the side, his gentle fingertips brushing against Shen Yunjin’s arm to help him up.
“I will deal with you later.”
Xie Weiyuan’s expression was cold, yet beneath the sharpness lay a strange, unfamiliar nuance. Shen Yunjin used his support to rise, his heart pounding like a drum.
Lately, he had vaguely felt that… Xie Weiyuan had changed.
On the surface, he remained as heartless as ever, yet he had shown him inexplicable flashes of tenderness time and again.
But it was precisely that bit of softness, like a light feather brushing across his heart, tickling, enticing, and seducing him into probing a little deeper.
The tenderness bestowed by someone he hated to the bone, even if it was trivial and of unknown sincerity, was enough to stir his deep, repressed thoughts into a tangled mess.
Shen Yunjin shook his head, as if denying it to himself.
If he were to forget the hardships and humiliation he had suffered just because of this small kindness, then he would be more than just spineless.
He would be pathetic.
He would never forgive the person who had pushed him into the abyss.
Unaware, Xie Weiyuan had already turned his back to Shen Yunjin. His deep gaze fell upon those dark locks cascading down like mist.
Without the crown, his long, ink-black hair rested softly on his shoulders, shedding his usual stern elegance and appearing instead gentle and tender. His plain white robes trailed along the floor, lacking his typical perfection and instead exuding an air of idle laziness.
Shen Yunjin couldn’t help but touch his cheek; the heat from Xie Weiyuan’s palm seemed to linger there. After a pause, he followed the man’s figure.
Just as the door closed, they ran into Ji Yunlan, who was also just stepping out.
The medicinal effects had worn off, and though he could walk freely, his lips remained deathly pale, making him look pitiful.
Shen Yunjin went over to support him. Ji Yunlan forced a smile, though there was an unfathomable emotion in his eyes.
“How are your injuries?” Xie Weiyuan scanned him from head to toe, frowning.
“Thank you for your concern, Master. It is no longer serious,” Ji Yunlan’s voice was hoarse and low.
Xie Weiyuan nodded slightly. “Well, in that case, stop running around… How did you get caught by the Xuanwei Sect?”
“That day, I followed Master into the Huangliang Scroll and happened to pass by a market. I saw them selling Spiritual Slaves cheaply and, unable to hold back my anger, I tried to intervene, only to be captured in return…”
Xie Weiyuan’s expression grew heavier. “The injustices in this world are as numerous as the sands of the river. Do you intend to manage every single one of them?”
These were words typical of Xie Weiyuan.
But only Shen Yunjin knew that back when the dark clouds were churning and the carts were being struck, Xie Weiyuan had used his sword to block the lightning for those complete strangers.
It was an instinct he hadn’t stopped to consider if it was worth it or what the consequences would be; he had simply stood there like a fool, shielding the cart.
What kind of person is he, really?
How could he be willing to sacrifice his own safety to save unrelated people? Had he simply failed to see clearly until now? Could his Master really be such a righteous person?
He fixed his eyes on Xie Weiyuan’s peach-blossom eyes, trying to see through his mask.
Ji Yunlan, beside him, appeared righteous and stern. He bowed respectfully and replied, “I only hope to do what is before me. If I save one person, I can save the world.”
Xie Weiyuan said nothing more, his brow furrowing deeper. He turned to the side and said coldly, “Suit yourself. Next time, there might not be anyone to save you.”
He flicked his sleeve, leaving Ji Yunlan and Shen Yunjin with a lone, arrogant back, appearing as the most cold-blooded person in the world.
Shen Yunjin quickly supported Ji Yunlan as they followed.
When they stepped out of the inn, they found that this corner of Buyehan was completely different from when they had last been there.
For instance, the stinky tofu stall at the street corner was gone.
The candied hawthorns were gone, too.
The shop next to the inn had been replaced by a paper-offering shop, and the shop across the way had become a dye house.
The three were confused and remained silent for a moment.
The dream of the Huangliang Scroll was ever-changing. They could recognize that this was still Buyehan, but they had no idea what year it was.
Xie Weiyuan coughed, signaling Shen Yunjin to go ask someone.
Shen Yunjin stepped forward. He saw a young girl in a light green shirt choosing hairpins. Thinking she looked gentle, she shouldn’t refuse his question.
The girl held a small round fan. Seeing Shen Yunjin deliberately approach, she wasn’t afraid, but instead glared at him.
Shen Yunjin felt awkward and stopped, not knowing how to speak.
The woman glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Seeing him remain silent for a long time, she said with disdain:
“Another lecher. Speak up, how many legs do I have to break this time before you get out of my way?”
“…”
Shen Yunjin’s prepared words were disrupted, and he felt helpless.
“You misunderstand. I only wanted to—”
“Wanted to what? Don’t think I don’t know the tricks you men use. I’ve seen it all. Either pretending to ask for directions or ‘accidentally’ dropping a handkerchief…”
She turned around fully, just as she locked eyes with Shen Yunjin’s face.
The young man was naturally handsome and dashing. Standing there in his current awkward state, he appeared all the more green and naive. She was stunned for a moment, but soon coughed to regain her composure.
“But having said that, you do have some appeal. I’m not such an unreasonable person. If you were to offer ten thousand gold as a dowry…”
Just how narcissistic is this person? He had only asked for the date, and she was already thinking about marriage.
“Pardon me, Miss, I only wish to ask one thing.”
The girl was interrupted and felt dissatisfied. “What thing?”
“What year is it now?”
The round fan suddenly froze.
“You only wanted to ask that?”
Shen Yunjin nodded.
“You really don’t have anything else to ask?” she asked through gritted teeth.
Shen Yunjin nodded again.
Just as he was about to press for an answer, the woman glared at him, appearing extremely furious. She whipped her head around, her golden hair accessories clinking, and her green silhouette vanished at the street corner in an instant.
What kind of people are in this Buyehan?!
Xie Weiyuan: “…” Ji Yunlan: “…”
The vendor selling hairpins, however, seemed unbothered. He smiled and said, “You gentlemen must be outsiders. This is Miss Pei, the apple of the Xuanwei Sect’s eye. She has always been proud and arrogant; you need not take her words to heart.”
The Xuanwei Sect again? How could a minor sect from the Central Continent constantly appear at the borders of Buyehan?
Xie Weiyuan found the vendor easy to talk to and stepped closer.
“Young friend, do you know anything about the ‘Spiritual Slaves’?”
The vendor frowned and pondered for a moment. “Spiritual Slaves…”
“A few years ago, it was indeed popular to use Spiritual Slaves to nourish one’s roots and bones, but for some reason, that practice suddenly disappeared these past few years. No one sells them anymore.”
Xie Weiyuan looked thoughtful and rubbed the tip of his nose. “Then, is this the Jiachen year?”
The vendor was patient and replied, “It is currently the Dingwei year.”
Shen Yunjin felt a chill in his heart.
The Dingwei year…
Too many painful memories happened in this year.
The great fire at the Shen residence was in this year, and he had become Xie Weiyuan’s disciple in this year, too.
He had lost far too much in this year.
He had watched with his own eyes as Wen Yuzhu was buried in a sea of flames, her peerless face covered in blood, her body destroyed by the fire.
Since then, her soul was gone, and the Shen residence had been reduced to ashes.
Seeing his unhappy expression, Xie Weiyuan asked, for once, “What is wrong with you?”
“Master.”
Xie Weiyuan was startled by the solemn tone and asked again, “What is it?”
His voice was low and hoarse, full of a sense of loss: “She died in this year.”
Though Shen Yunjin didn’t say the name, Xie Weiyuan and Ji Yunlan both knew who he was talking about.
It was that white figure; the woman who had brought them into the Huangliang Scroll.
“Since the faceless boy was taken away by Wen Yuzhu, it is time we pay a visit to the Shen residence.”
Shen Yunjin didn’t hesitate anymore, turning to walk in the northwest direction.
That was the direction of the Shen residence.
Before long, they found a mansion on the outskirts of the city. Though the gate was desolate, the vermilion doors were covered in crookedly written “Fortune” characters, looking as if they had been written by a child.
The red gate was locked tight, not welcoming guests.
Last time, they had only seen the broken walls of the Shen residence; now, they were seeing the residence before the great catastrophe had befallen it.
In this world, truly only the Huangliang Scroll could restore the Shen residence that had already been burned to ashes.
Xie Weiyuan was still marveling at the wonder of this object.