Fang Wanchen probably noticed something was off in his expression. He asked with concern, “Brother Chengfeng, is there something wrong with this jade pendant?”
“Nothing.” Ning Buwei returned the jade pendant to him. “The Pei family craftsmen have excellent skills.”
“They truly are excellent. But I’ve never seen these patterns anywhere else before—not quite flowers, not quite leaves, yet very elegant,” Fang Wanchen said with a smile.
Ning Buwei shifted his gaze from the jade pendant to the lanterns swaying by the river. “Perhaps they’ve been extinct for a long time.”
Fang Wanchen sighed. “A hundred years of human life passes in an instant. There are indeed many regrets, but no need to dwell on them.”
This man was quite good at comforting himself.
After walking for a while, Fang Wanchen suddenly asked, “Brother Chengfeng, do you believe in ghosts and spirits?”
Ning Buwei paused. This question was difficult to answer directly, so he countered, “Do you believe in them?”
Fang Wanchen shook his head. “The sage says one should not speak of strange forces, violence, and chaos. Besides, I’ve spent over ten years in diligent study, and I only believe that man’s determination prevails over heaven.”
Ning Buwei said, “Whether they exist or not, as long as you firmly follow the path in your heart, it doesn’t matter if you believe or not.”
Fang Wanchen pondered for a long while, then said, “Brother Chengfeng speaks with reason.”
When the moon rose above the willow branches, Ning Buwei bid him farewell.
Fang Wanchen clasped his hands in respect. “Conversing freely with Brother Chengfeng today has truly been my great fortune. Where are you staying? Another day, I must certainly pay you a visit.”
Ning Buwei told him the name of the inn.
The two parted at the bridge. When Ning Buwei returned to the inn, he found that Chu Jun had already returned and was standing by the table reading the note he had left.
“You’re back?” Ning Buwei turned and closed the door.
“Mm.” Chu Jun put away the note and asked, “Wanxuan Academy sent a message over. Do you want to see it?”
The mortal realm had no spiritual power, but one could retrieve messages at specific formations. After Chu Jun’s explanation, Ning Buwei realized, “So when you said you had business, you went to get a message?”
“Yes. I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I left a note. It was too complicated to explain in a few words.” Chu Jun placed a thin piece of paper on the table, then drew a simple symbol on it. Several lines of text and some blurry images appeared on it.
****
Seventeen States, Wanxuan Academy.
Ning Xiu hadn’t seen his father and mother for many days.
Big Yellow wasn’t there either, only Little Black and his brothers and sisters were keeping him company.
Unhappy~
Ning Xiu sat on his brand new little bed, looking at the empty room, his head drooping in disappointment as he tugged at his little socks. “Da~”
Want father to hold me~
Want mother to feed me~
“Xiao Shan, are you awake?” Yang Lingzhu pushed the door open and saw the little baby sitting all alone on the bed. She quickly ran over.
“Sister~” Ning Xiu’s little mouth pouted, his eyes filling with tears.
Yang Lingzhu quickly reached out and lifted him from the small bed, saying in a gentle voice, “Xiao Shan, be good, don’t cry. Big Brother Zizhang and Big Sister Yizheng were watching you, but they had to go to class. I came back to see you as soon as my class ended. Don’t cry, don’t cry.”
Ning Xiu sniffled, tugging at her sleeve. “Father~ Liang~ Da?”
Where did father and mother go?
“They… they’ll come pick us up very soon.” Yang Lingzhu wiped his tears.
Ning Xiu looked at her with teary eyes. “Father? Ah da?”
Doesn’t father want me anymore?
Can’t go into mother and father’s little room anymore~
“Xiao Shan!” Feng Zizhang burst in breathlessly. Seeing Yang Lingzhu holding him, he immediately relaxed.
“Scared me to death.” Feng Zizhang wiped the sweat from his forehead. “The head teacher kept us overtime today, and Yizheng was held back. I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to look after Xiao Shan.”
Yang Lingzhu asked while holding Ning Xiu, “Didn’t the dean say someone would be assigned to watch Xiao Shan? How come…”
Feng Zizhang shook his head. “The dean told me that Xiao Shan would probably be sent to another island where there are many young children. Huanhuan will go too. The Venerable and Father agreed.”
Yang Lingzhu was startled. “They’re both so little and they’ll be separated from us?”
“There will be people specially assigned to take care of them,” Feng Zizhang said. “And we can visit them when we don’t have classes. It’s better for them to play with children their own age than to be alone.”
Ning Xiu was still lying in Yang Lingzhu’s arms, crying despondently, immersed in the sadness that his father and mother didn’t want him anymore.
However, he never expected that by the afternoon, not only had his parents abandoned him, but his big brother and sisters were abandoning him too.
Ning Xiu cried heartbreakingly in Shang Nuanwei’s arms. Cui Yuanbai wanted to run away but was caught by the collar by Shang Nuanwei.
Jiang Yizheng and Feng Zizhang ran up when they saw this. “Dean Shang, can we go see them off? We’ll come back once we get there.”
Shang Nuanwei asked, “You two don’t need to attend class?”
“No need to hurry right now.” Jiang Yizheng couldn’t bear to hear Ning Xiu’s crying. She took him from Shang Nuanwei, “Xiao Shan, be good, don’t cry. Big sister is here.”
Ning Xiu gripped her sleeve tightly, crying tearfully.
Cui Yuanbai hung limply on Feng Zizhang’s back, looking dejected, clearly not very eager to go.
Feng Zizhang patted his head. “When we’re not around, you’ll be the eldest brother. You must take good care of Xiao Shan and not let anyone bully him, understand?”
Cui Yuanbai nodded solemnly. “I understand.”
The place Ning Xiu was being sent to was Wanxuan Academy’s designated area for caring for young children. Some of the children there were sent by noble families and sects, who would enter Wanxuan Academy directly when they reached the appropriate age. Others were orphans who had been taken in. Among these orphans, those with high aptitude would also enter Wanxuan Academy, but those without spiritual roots or with ordinary aptitude would be sent out to fend for themselves when they came of age.
When Ning Xiu and Cui Yuanbai were led in by the dean, Feng Zizhang and Jiang Yizheng were full of worry. They felt as if their two little brothers were entering a den of tigers and dragons, and they stood at the entrance, reluctant to leave.
Yang Lingzhu, who had secretly followed, tugged at them. “Big brother, big sister, we can’t see Xiao Shan and Huanhuan anymore.”
Jiang Yizheng looked at her with tearful eyes. “Xiao Shan is so tiny. What if he gets bullied by the other children? What if he can’t fight back?”
“…Big sister, Xiao Shan is a Golden Core cultivator,” Yang Lingzhu said helplessly. “Even if he doesn’t know how to use his powers, he definitely won’t be bullied.”
Feng Zizhang nodded. “When Xiao Shan was just over a month old, he could kick our father three zhang away.”
Jiang Yizheng: “I almost forgot.”
Feng Zizhang worried. “It’s Huanhuan I’m concerned about. What if he beats up the other children?”
Jiang Yizheng struggled. “Should we go in and check—”
Yang Lingzhu sighed, pulling them back. “You guys are going to be late for class. Hurry up.”
Ning Xiu was led by Cui Yuanbai’s hand, looking with surprise at the dozen or so children his size in the room. With teardrops still clinging to his eyelashes, he looked up at Cui Yuanbai. “Brother babies~”
Brother~ So many little babies~
Looking at the group of little ones shorter than himself, Cui Yuanbai suddenly felt like a mature, reliable adult. He patted Ning Xiu’s little head, imitating Chu Jun’s serious expression. “Be good, don’t run off.”
Ning Xiu nodded obediently.
****
Ning Buwei watched the image of Ning Xiu sitting among a circle of little children, his eyes curved with laughter. He raised an eyebrow. “Well, he didn’t cry himself into a puddle after all.”
“Hao Zheng said he cried badly the first couple of days, but he got better after becoming familiar with the other children. Yuanbai is in the next room, and they stay together,” Chu Jun said. “It’s difficult for outsiders to enter the island. They’re very safe there.”
Ning Buwei nodded. “Hao Zheng may be rigid and pedantic, but he’s reliable in handling matters.”
Wanxuan Academy kept itself apart from worldly affairs. Whether duels or sect disputes, all conflicts stopped at Wanxuan Academy’s gates. Saying it was safe wasn’t an exaggeration.
“What did you eat when you went out?” Chu Jun asked.
“Baked flatbread and noodle soup.” Ning Buwei sniffed himself. “Does it smell?”
“No.” Chu Jun paused, then said, “It’s best not to get too close to mortals in the mortal realm. Mortals carry heavy karma.”
Ning Buwei yawned and nodded. “I know, I know.”
Chu Jun wanted to say more, but Ning Buwei had already fallen onto the bed. With his eyes closed, he patted the empty space beside him. “Come sleep quickly.”
The next morning.
Fang Wanchen rode on horseback wearing his official robes, followed by his clerk and the county yamen guards. Behind them were more than a dozen brave young men from the county who had insisted on coming despite their families’ objections.
The clerk, a middle-aged man in his forties, trembled atop his horse as he spoke. “Daren, if we go any further we’ll be entering Yuquan Village territory… Although daren’s good fortune is boundless, there are some things one can’t help but believe. If—”
“Xu Tao, if you don’t want to go, turn back immediately.” Fang Wanchen gave him a cool look.
Cold sweat ran down Xu Tao’s back. He cursed silently in his heart while smiling outwardly. “How could I? This lowly official was just making conversation. Even if it means smearing my liver and brain on the ground, I’m determined to follow you.”
Fang Wanchen ignored him and continued leading the group forward.
Soon, a desolate, ruined village appeared before everyone.
Wild vines criss-crossed and completely covered the stone tablet that stood half as tall as a person. Despite it being midsummer, it felt as if a cold wind was blowing at their feet, giving everyone a chill.
“Daren, this is Yuquan Village.” A guard dismounted and roughly tore away the vines, revealing the weathered stone tablet.
[Shuangjing County, Yuquan Village.]
Fang Wanchen raised his hand. “Enter the village.”
The group of more than thirty people proceeded grandly into the abandoned village.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they found nothing except blackened burnt houses and overgrown weeds.
Someone in the group boldly spoke up, “Fang Daren was right. This is just an ordinary abandoned village. All that talk about female ghosts and man-eating—they’re all man-made lies.”
“That’s right, Lord Fang is wise and mighty,” someone agreed. “Everything here looks normal…”
However, Fang Wanchen on horseback frowned. A guard asked, “Daren, have you discovered something?”
Fang Wanchen frowned and asked, “According to the county records, this village has been abandoned for five hundred years?”
“That’s correct,” Xu Tao beside him quickly nodded.
Fang Wanchen reined in his horse and pointed at an earthen wall. “If it’s been abandoned for five hundred years, why does the black soot on the walls look freshly burnt? And these are mud walls, yet they still stand firm today.”
At these words, everyone present couldn’t help but shudder.
“Do you… smell smoke?” A young man at the back of the group sniffed hard. “It smells like—”
He turned his head following the smell and saw raging flames not far away, spreading rapidly toward them.
“Run!” A guard shouted loudly, “Run against the wind!”
“Protect the county magistrate!”
“Run quickly!”
Everyone fled in panic, but the fire behind them seemed to have eyes, quickly driving them into a dead end.
With no way out, a guard shouted, “There’s a door here, quick, come in!”
Everyone hurriedly entered. The house wasn’t large—a square courtyard with four wings. After the last person entered, the door was closed, separating them from the great fire outside.
Fang Wanchen patted the dust off his sleeves and said to Xu Tao, “Check if anyone is missing.”
At that moment, the person leaning against the door exclaimed in shock, “The fire’s gone! It disappeared by itself!”
The dusty and disheveled crowd in the courtyard were all scared pale with sweat.
Xu Tao’s legs suddenly went soft, and he was supported by a guard nearby. “This—this couldn’t be… ghost fire, could it?”
“How could there be such a large ghost fire? Besides, ghost fires are blue. The fire outside was bright red,” someone retorted.
“Stop arguing.” Fang Wanchen’s brows were tightly knit as he drew his sword and ordered the guards. “Open the door.”
“Daren! Absolutely cannot!” Xu Tao hurriedly tried to dissuade him. “What if that ghost fire returns—”
“If it were real fire, how could it just disappear?” Fang Wanchen held his sword and declared. “This lord wants to see who is playing these ghostly tricks! Open the door!”
The guard reluctantly opened the door and quickly stepped aside.
A cold wind carrying dead leaves blew in from outside. Beyond the door was an empty street, with only silent ashes—no trace of the great fire remained.
Fang Wanchen gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and lifted his foot to step through the doorway. Someone behind him cried out in alarm. “Daren, you mustn’t—”
His boot landed heavily on the ashes outside the street. All around was silence; nothing happened.
Everyone held their breath tensely. Fang Wanchen tightened his grip on his sword and resolutely put his other foot forward.
However, the moment his foot touched the ground, roaring flames suddenly appeared before him. Piercing, mournful cries penetrated the fire and struck his eardrums. In an instant, he seemed to see countless men, women, old, and young struggling in the burning flames. Just as he was about to be swallowed by the fire, a black figure flew out from the flames, grabbed his waistband, and carried him forward two steps, landing directly in the center of the courtyard.
Boom!
The black-robed man had cold features, holding a narrow ring-pommel knife in one hand while setting Fang Wanchen down on the ground with the other. The open door behind them slammed shut, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Everyone in the courtyard was stunned.
Fang Wanchen, still not recovered from those miserable screams, clutched the other’s arm in shock, “Brother Chengfeng!?”
