The stone tablet of Xilin County was nothing like the ostentatious monument of Canglan City. If not for its massive size, one could even call it plain.
And yet, this very plain tablet left Lou Xingyao a little dazed.
The same day-and-night rush, the same journey of more than a month but perhaps because of Wen Hanshan’s company, he had not felt the least bit weary.
It wasn’t until he saw this tablet that Lou Xingyao finally realized, with a start, that they had already been on the road for over a month without noticing.
“Shall we continue?” Wen Hanshan had also noticed the scene outside the window.
Lou Xingyao looked at the chessboard on the table, now scattered and in disarray, and shook his head. “It’s already late. Let’s settle down first.”
“Oh? No regrets?” Wen Hanshan raised an eyebrow, seeming a little surprised.
“Regret what? Regret missing the chance you deliberately gave me to turn the game around?” Lou Xingyao chuckled. Wen Hanshan’s little “handicap” just now had been far from subtle.
Of course, restoring the board was no challenge for either of them.
But ever since Lou Xingyao had lost game after game and still insisted on challenging him, Wen Hanshan had once told him outright that a cultivator and a mortal saw the world very differently.
Take chess records, for example. A cultivator could easily memorize every move at a glance, whereas among mortals such ability was one in ten thousand.
Lou Xingyao’s constant defeats were not because Wen Hanshan was more intelligent, but because he had the natural advantage of being a cultivator.
For that reason, Lou Xingyao actually valued the struggle of racking his brains, searching for flaws and opportunities against his opponent, rather than the result itself.
Seeing he had been seen through, Wen Hanshan only gave a small laugh and with a wave of his sleeve cleared the board. “Let’s go into the city.”
The moment the Blue Flame Horned Horse stepped into the bounds of Xilin County, Lou Xingyao immediately noticed how different it was from Canglan City.
If Canglan City was the embodiment of order and regulation, then Xilin County was its polar opposite, chaotic and unruly.
From the instant he passed through the gates, Lou Xingyao could feel the tense atmosphere saturating the city.
Even among the few passersby who gathered in twos and threes to converse, their entire bodies seemed taut, as if ready to draw their blades at the slightest provocation.
The ground bore irregular dark-red stains here and there.
After eight years of working in the police bureau and investigating countless crime scenes, Lou Xingyao recognized at once the telltale traces of dried blood that had been hastily scrubbed away.
Though he had already been told that Xilin County was a chaotic place full of fish and dragons mixed together, seeing it with his own eyes still made his chest tighten.
Wen Hanshan, on the other hand, looked entirely unfazed. Clearly long accustomed to such sights, he showed not the slightest change in expression as he guided the Blue Flame Horned Horse straight toward a marketplace inside the county.
Soon after, Lou Xingyao once again witnessed Wen Hanshan’s decisiveness in handling matters.
Just as on the day they left the Zhou family and purchased the Blue Flame Horned Horse, it took less than two hours for Wen Hanshan to find a broker and purchase a courtyard house in the southern part of Xilin County.
The broker, seeing Wen Hanshan was young and unfamiliar, arriving in a carriage drawn by an expensive beast, had originally planned to fleece him.
But Wen Hanshan merely revealed a hint of his cultivation, and the man’s schemes vanished instantly.
Though Xilin County bustled with cultivators, the lawless disorder meant that those of higher realms rarely stayed long.
Wen Hanshan, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, could not claim absolute dominance here, but it was enough to deter most trouble.
In a place like Xilin, knowing when to yield was a key survival skill.
In the end, not only did the broker abandon his designs, he even shaved the price in apology. What began as 3,700 taels of gold ended at just 3,000.
After completing the transaction, he dared not linger a moment longer. He handed over the deed and other documents, then hurried off as though afraid Wen Hanshan might kill him on a whim if he overstayed.
“Look at you, scaring him half to death,” Lou Xingyao teased, watching the man retreating back.
“Who told him to be crooked at heart?” Wen Hanshan replied lightly, stepping into the courtyard.
Lou Xingyao followed close behind, lifting his gaze to inspect their new home.
The property was divided into two parts. At the front stood a two-entry siheyuan, with one main hall and two side rooms.
Aside from a large open yard, there was also a patch of dark soil in the western corner, about the size of a side room, beside which stood a well.
It seemed the former owner had only used the place as a temporary lodging. Aside from faint traces of use in the main hall, the rest of the house was almost like new.
The patch of dark soil in the courtyard was overrun with weeds, clearly long neglected.
Behind the siheyuan lay about three mu of farmland, also choked with weeds, abandoned for who knew how long.
After surveying the grounds, Lou Xingyao frowned in puzzlement. “Why choose this place?”
Among the properties the broker had shown them, this one was neither the best located nor the best priced.
The southern quarter of Xilin was the farthest from the Endless Forest. As the broker had implied, those who chose to live here were either of low cultivation or tight of purse.
And price-wise, the three mu of farmland made the estate far from cheap.
With 3,000 taels, one could have purchased a smaller but more central house in the county. Poor location, no real advantage in cost, no wonder the place had sat vacant.
Lou Xingyao even suspected that the broker’s generous discount of 700 taels was not only an apology but also desperation, not wanting to miss what he thought was his only chance to unload the property on a “fat sheep.”
But to his surprise, Wen Hanshan only looked back at him with confusion. “Didn’t you like this one?”
Lou Xingyao blinked, caught off guard.
Indeed, among the options shown, he had liked this place best.
Perhaps it was because the neighbors here were mostly of low cultivation, or because it was farthest from the Endless Forest, but the suffocating tension that pervaded the county seemed thinner here.
Having grown up in a peaceful age, Lou Xingyao naturally disliked the smell of powder-keg violence that hung over the city. Wen Hanshan, however, had seemed entirely indifferent to it.
Sensing his thoughts, Wen Hanshan spoke at the perfect moment: “I have no particular requirements for where we live.
Since we are living together and call each other brothers, of course I should consider your comfort.”
Until this moment, Lou Xingyao had thought Wen Hanshan’s use of “brother” was just a convenient way to explain their relationship to outsiders.
But seeing him so matter-of-fact now, Lou Xingyao realized that Wen Hanshan had long since placed him within his circle of protection.
With that realization, the courtyard before him suddenly felt different.
What he had moments ago regarded as a temporary lodging now felt like his own home. Even the patch of weed-choked dark soil seemed far more pleasing to the eye.
Suddenly, as if recalling something, Lou Xingyao went back to the carriage and returned with the brocade box He Wanqing had given him upon his departure from the He family.
Handing it to Wen Hanshan, he said, “Since that’s the case, I can’t let you shoulder all the burden of this courtyard alone. Take these hundred tales, it’s my little contribution toward furnishing the place.”
As he spoke, his expression grew slightly embarrassed. Compared to the three thousand taels Wen Hanshan had just spent, his hundred seemed pitifully meager.
But Wen Hanshan showed no hint of disdain. “If you give me all your money, what will you do for yourself?” he asked, knowing better than anyone that this was Lou Xingyao’s entire fortune.
“I trust Brother Wen won’t leave me uncared for, right?” Lou Xingyao grinned and blinked at him.
“You’re clever, aren’t you? Think you can make me support you for life with just a hundred tales?” Though the words were teasing, Wen Hanshan still accepted the box.
He had intended to put it straight into his storage pouch, but the weight felt oddly off in his hand.
Curious, he opened it and discovered that inside, along with a few gold ingots, were also two small jade bottles.
Before he could ask, Lou Xingyao suddenly spoke up, his voice tinged with a trace of annoyance at himself.
“Almost forgot, this is a high-grade Meridian Renewal Pill that Miss He sent over. She said it was meant for both of us, one pill each.”
“A fourth-grade pill, and you can actually forget about it?” Wen Hanshan’s tone sounded a little strange, though not suspicious.
If Lou Xingyao had truly wanted to hide it, he would never have directly handed the ornate brocade box over just now.
“Too many things happened afterwards, I guess…” Lou Xingyao scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
The next moment, Wen Hanshan pulled the two jade bottles out of the brocade box. After carefully examining them, he tossed them back into Lou Xingyao’s arms.
“These Meridian Renewal Pills suit your condition quite well. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see a pill master first. If your body can withstand the medicinal power, then you should consume one as soon as possible.”
Lou Xingyao quickly tried to hand one bottle back.
“One pill is enough for me.”
But Wen Hanshan did not reach for it. Instead, he countered with a question, “Do you think the injuries on my body are something that a single Meridian Renewal Pill can fix?”
“Then… two pills?” Lou Xingyao thought for only a moment before simply offering the other jade bottle as well.
“Giving both to me, what about you?” Wen Hanshan’s tone grew stranger still.
“There’ll always be a way when the time comes. And even if not, once Brother Wen recovers his talent, you can always help me find another Meridian Renewal Pill later.”
Lou Xingyao truly wasn’t bound to this pill. After all, he still had the spring water from his personal spatial pocket. If not for that, he would never have forgotten about these two pills for nearly two whole months.
Of course, Wen Hanshan had no way of knowing what Lou Xingyao was really thinking. All he saw was someone willing to give up something that could completely alter his fate and to give it up for him.
For a moment, his expression grew complicated, and even the look in his eyes when he gazed at Lou Xingyao carried an indescribable depth.
“No need.”
Just as Lou Xingyao began to feel unsettled by Wen Hanshan’s gaze, he suddenly received a sharp flick to the forehead.
Before he could open his mouth to continue persuading him, Wen Hanshan spoke again, his words arriving without pause, “The damage to my meridians healed a long time ago.”
“Then why did you ask the Zhou family for their supreme-grade Meridian Renewal Pill?” Lou Xingyao looked utterly unconvinced.
“To give them a bit of trouble, that’s all.” Wen Hanshan snorted coldly, as though the answers were the most natural thing in the world.
“Then right now, you mean…” Are you fully healed?
But even before he finished the question, Wen Hanshan seemed to know exactly what he wanted to ask and replied directly, “Don’t worry. I won’t die.”
Not die…? So, he wasn’t fully healed?
Lou Xingyao was still trying to make sense of that when another flick landed on his forehead. Wen Hanshan’s voice followed, carrying its usual bluntness.
“Stop overthinking. You barely have any flesh on your bones as it is, keep worrying like that and you’ll whittle yourself into a skeleton.”
Although Wen Hanshan had not spelled it out clearly, after spending so much time together, Lou Xingyao could hear that he already had his own plan for his condition.
As for the actual state of his injuries, Lou Xingyao didn’t know. But based on the novel’s plot, he could make a few guesses.
In the story, Wen Hanshan appeared at twenty-two years old already at the Foundation Establishment stage. That suggested his body wouldn’t suffer any major, lasting issues.
With that thought, Lou Xingyao finally allowed himself to relax. He rubbed his forehead with a little pout, “Why do you always like hitting me on the head?”
“Because you always look like you’re not the brightest.” Wen Hanshan didn’t give him the chance to argue back. Instead, he pointed at a nearby room.
“It’s late. Go pick yourself a room.”
By the time they had entered the city, it was already not early. After the business of searching for a tooth shop and purchasing a courtyard, night had fallen completely.
The courtyard had been abandoned for quite some time, and after choosing rooms they would still need to furnish them. If they didn’t hurry, the two of them might well have to spend the night in the carriage again.
Lou Xingyao, hearing this, didn’t bother to fuss. He looked around the siheyuan briefly. The main house was obviously for Wen Hanshan, leaving two nearly identical side rooms. He casually pointed to the eastern one, “I’ll take this one.”
“Alright.” Wen Hanshan nodded lightly and strode straight into the room Lou Xingyao had chosen.
Before Lou Xingyao could react, Wen Hanshan raised his hand and swept away all the dust in the room with a single gesture. Then he pulled out tables, chairs, a bed, and an assortment of other furniture from his storage pouch.
In the blink of an eye, the once-empty room was completely furnished, everything placed neatly and in order, “See if there’s anything else missing.”
“You… keep all this in your storage pouch?” Lou Xingyao’s jaw nearly dropped. Storage pouches in the Tianming Continent weren’t exactly cheap, and the larger the capacity, the more valuable they were, almost like gold for every inch.
Ordinary people only stored their most precious belongings in them. Who on earth carried around a full set of furniture?
“Didn’t I just say you act silly?” Wen Hanshan gave him a sidelong glance, clearly unimpressed with his shock. “Picked them up along the way.”
“When did you…” Lou Xingyao trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly recalling how, on their journey to Xilin County, Wen Hanshan had disappeared several times whenever they stopped to rest in a county town.
He hadn’t known what Wen Hanshan was doing then, but now it seemed obvious, he had been buying all this furniture.
“Not completely brainless after all.” Wen Hanshan let out a cold snort when he saw Lou Xingyao put the pieces together. “So, do you need anything else?”
Lou Xingyao looked around the room again. From bed and chairs to candlesticks and oil lamps, everything was there. If it had been left up to him, he doubted he could have managed to gather everything in one go. Wen Hanshan’s thoroughness was undeniable.
“There’s nothing missing. Thank you, Brother Wen.”
As he spoke, Lou Xingyao couldn’t help breaking into a wide smile.
“Rest early, then.” Wen Hanshan gave his forehead another light tap before turning and leaving the room.
From the still-open door, Lou Xingyao saw Wen Hanshan didn’t go straight back to the main house. Instead, he pulled out several array disks and began setting them up around the courtyard.
From his movements, Lou Xingyao recognized them instantly, these were the same defense and warning formations Wen Hanshan often used during their travels.
The defense array could withstand even the most powerful strike of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, while the warning array would immediately alert anyone inside the house if an intruder entered the courtyard.
Only after finishing all this did Wen Hanshan finally step into the main house and close the door. It was only then that Lou Xingyao shut his own door and prepared to rest.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ you know what to do
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Crossing OverChapter 2 · Lu XioaWuChapter 3 · UncleChapter 4 · Substitute MarriageChapter 5 · Travelling Through BookChapter 6 · SpaceChapter 7 · InheritanceChapter 8 · ExplanationChapter 9 · He familyChapter 10 · CompensateChapter 11 · WeddingChapter 12 · LeavingChapter 13 · SuspicionChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 15 · SummaryChapter 16 · Family BusinessChapter 17 · ResettlementChapter 18 · DeterminationChapter 19 · TreatChapter 20 · Enter the TaoChapter 21 · Private TrainingChapter 22 · BreakthroughChapter 23 · ExperienceChapter 24 Part 1 · Questions and AnswersChapter 24 Part 2 · Questions and answersChapter 25 · GiftChapter 25 Part 1 · GiftChapter 26 Part 1 · Sword IntentChapter 26 Part 2 · Sword IntentChapter 27 Part 1 · SelectChapter 27 Part 2 · SelectChapter 28 Part 1 · PastChapter 28 Part 2 · PastChapter 29 Part 1 · ConfessionChapter 29 Part 2 · ConfessionChapter 30 Part 1 · TradeChapter 30 Part 2 · TradeChapter 31 Part 1 · Male LeadChapter 31 Part 2 · Male LeadChapter 32 Part 1 · LuckChapter 32 Part 2 · LuckChapter 33 Part 1 · GuessingChapter 33 Part 2 · GuessingChapter 34 Part 1 · SystemChapter 34 Part 2 · SystemChapter 35 · OpportunityChapter 36 Part 1 · LingquanChapter 36 Part 2 · LingquanChapter 37 Part 1 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 37 Part 2 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 38 · Worth itChapter 39 · SaintessChapter 40 · ExperimentChapter 41 · Vampire SystemChapter 42 · NotesChapter 43 · WarningChapter 44 · PlanChapter 45 · Fellow VillagersChapter 46 · AssimilationChapter 47 · IlliterateChapter 48 · Pak WahChapter 49 · Sudden EnlightenmentChapter 50 · Wen ZhiChapter 51 · CarrierChapter 52 · LeavingChapter 53 · Follow UpChapter 54 · OutrageousChapter 55 · OnceChapter 56 · TeasingChapter 57 · Playing aroundChapter 58 · Beast fireChapter 59 · Watching a PlayChapter 60 · Extermination of the entire clanChapter 61 · ChoiceChapter 62 · PossessionChapter 63 · CalculationChapter 64 · GuaranteedChapter 65 · Grand OpeningChapter 66 · Grand OpeningChapter 67 · Protecting one’s ownChapter 68 · Secret RealmChapter 69 · BetrayalChapter 70 · DetailsChapter 71 · FramedChapter 72 · MeetingChapter 73 · KillChapter 74 · MapChapter 75 · FoundationChapter 76 · Strange Phenomenon!Chapter 77 · ExchangeChapter 78 · LetterChapter 79 · ShortcutChapter 80 · God of Slaughter!Chapter 81 · Poison PillChapter 82 · Lou ShuChapter 83 · ProgressChapter 84 · An attemptChapter 85 · Movement and StillnessChapter 86 · Good intentionsChapter 87 · ChangeChapter 88 · Childhood friendChapter 89 · ThoughtsChapter 90 · Old storiesChapter 91 · HeritageChapter 92 · TestChapter 93 · LoverChapter 94 · Heartfelt wishesChapter 95 · MasterChapter 96 · TeachingChapter 97 · IllusionChapter 98 · Mutual RestraintChapter 99 · ObstructionChapter 100 · PalaceChapter 101 · Core TechniqueChapter 102 · OathChapter 103 · Dual cultivationChapter 104 · AccessChapter 105 · VulnerabilityChapter 106 · DensityChapter 107 · WantedChapter 108 · EntrustChapter 109 · RevisitChapter 110 · MonitoringChapter 111 · Secret RealmChapter 112 · NourishChapter 113 · InventoryChapter 114 · Get Rich QuicklyChapter 115 · ElderChapter 116 · Grand FormationChapter 117 · Heaven’s WillChapter 118 · BountyChapter 119 · GainChapter 120 · BlameChapter 121 · ChattingChapter 122 · GuessChapter 123 · Zheng TianChapter 124 · SparringChapter 125 · Sword intentChapter 126 · KenshinChapter 127 · Auditing a classChapter 128 · CoincidenceChapter 129 · ContradictionChapter 130 · RouteChapter 131 · CostChapter 132 · ConfiscatedChapter 133 · Holding a grudgeChapter 134 · SupportChapter 135 · DeteriorationChapter 136 · Unable toChapter 137 · PriceChapter 138 · VariantChapter 139 · Start AnewChapter 140 · ShamelessChapter 141 · Black PotChapter 142 · Benefiting fromChapter 143 · PieChapter 144 · DifferencesChapter 145 · DetoxificationChapter 146 · Current situationChapter 147 · TeasingChapter 148 · IntelligenceChapter 149 · Returned GiftChapter 150 · Old debtChapter 151 · FleshChapter 152 · OpeningChapter 153 · GrudgesChapter 154 · RegretChapter 155 · Gang fightChapter 156 · GentleChapter 157 · ComplaintChapter 158 · ScreamsChapter 159 · GeniusChapter 160 · ConcernChapter 161 · Hidden StoryChapter 162 · StingyChapter 163 · Guilty conscienceChapter 164 Part 1 · StruggleChapter 164 Part 2 · StruggleChapter 165 · Win or LoseChapter 166 · TasteChapter 167 · Shifting The BlameChapter 168 · MoonlightChapter 169 · Past EventChapter 170 · RegretChapter 171 · RetributionChapter 172 · Cause and EffectChapter 173 · BackgroundChapter 174 · FlatteryChapter 175 · HonestChapter 176 · BookkeepingChapter 177 · FarewellChapter 178 · GuidelineChapter 179 · BottleneckChapter 180 · HabitChapter 181 · Casual ChatChapter 182 · Flowing WaterChapter 183 · RumoursChapter 184 · Seeking AdviceChapter 185 · PityChapter 186 · FormationChapter 187 · BasicChapter 188 · Fake TombChapter 189 · BewareChapter 190 · TraceChapter 191 · DiscussChapter 192 · Ancestral preceptsChapter 193 · Loose CultivatorChapter 194 · AllocationChapter 195 · Thank you for your kindnessChapter 196 · ExplanationChapter 197 · ErrorChapter 198 · Culinary skillsChapter 199 · Starry SeaChapter 200 · ComparisonChapter 201 · FrustratedChapter 202 · Don’t watchChapter 203 · LonelinessChapter 204 · NoChapter 205 · Exposing ShortcutsChapter 206 · CraftsmanshipChapter 207 · Bottom LineChapter 208 · StrikeChapter 209 · Ten GoldChapter 210 · Pretentious