LZX Chapter 71.1

Lu Xiaochan thought it was probably because he couldn’t see the soup dumplings, so his technique in picking them up was incorrect, causing them to break easily.

With this thought, he had another idea. “Brother Wuxi, you pick up the soup dumplings, and I’ll blow on them for you!”

“Okay.”

Shu Wuxi picked up a soup dumpling and brought it to Lu Xiaochan’s lips. He carefully took a small bite, then blew on it, puffing it up slightly before Shu Wuxi ate it.

“Brother Wuxi, is it delicious?”

“Delicious. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“I keep thinking of these soup dumplings as you. Gently taking a bite, then eating you into my mouth in one gulp.”

He spoke earnestly, but Lu Xiaochan’s ears flushed red. He jumped up and pulled Shu Wuxi away.

“Xiaochan, what’s wrong?”

“I’m going to eat you!” Lu Xiaochan’s heart pounded.

They heard the stall owner shout from afar. “You haven’t paid yet!”

Lu Xiaochan had already pulled Shu Wuxi away, flying on his sword. A silver bean dropped down, landing right inside the owner’s collar.

“Ouch! What is this! What is this thing!” The owner jumped around for a while before finding the silver bean, his face immediately breaking into a wide smile.

The inns at the foot of Zhuxu Mountain were mostly simple. Lu Xiaochan’s heart was restless, and having eaten his fill, he took a gold bean from Shu Wuxi as soon as they stepped into the inn. Before the innkeeper could greet them, he dragged Shu Wuxi upstairs.

Seeing the gold bean thrown at him, the innkeeper’s face creased with smiles. He called out, “Waiter,” and followed them.

“Honored guests! Our inn’s top-tier Heavenly Room No. 1—”

“The best room isn’t important!” Lu Xiaochan shook his wrist. “The most important thing is that the bed is sturdy! It can’t fall apart even if lightning strikes it!”

“Our beds are made of Nanli agarwood! They’re very sturdy!”

Lu Xiaochan pushed Shu Wuxi into the best room and slammed the door shut.

The innkeeper stood outside, stunned, then looked at the gold bean in his hand, his face resuming its full smile.

“If you need anything, just call!”

“Nothing! Nothing!”

Lu Xiaochan pressed Shu Wuxi onto the bed. Shu Wuxi sat upright with a straight back, lowering his eyebrows to look at Lu Xiaochan. Lu Xiaochan licked his lips and said, “Let’s see which of us is the soup dumpling!”

He lightly teased a strand of hair by Shu Wuxi’s ear, then he leaned in for a kiss.

His tongue had just begun to explore when his shoulder was grabbed and he was flipped onto the bed.

He let out a small cry of surprise. When Lu Xiaochan opened his eyes, he saw Shu Wuxi on top of him, his hands braced on either side of Lu Xiaochan’s head.

Lu Xiaochan looked displeased. “Can’t you let me win just once?”

“No.” Shu Wuxi replied.

After saying that, he pressed down, deepening the kiss with swirling intensity, leaving Lu Xiaochan dizzy and lightheaded.

Lu Xiaochan didn’t understand. It was just kissing, how could Shu Wuxi kiss so forcefully? It always made Lu Xiaochan feel like he had become some kind of evil spirit, and Shu Wuxi’s kisses were like a sword formation designed to exorcise him, leaving nothing behind!

Lu Xiaochan thought to himself: My cultivation used to be so-so! Now it’s different. I’ve absorbed Demon Lord Miyi, I don’t believe I can’t break free from Shu Wuxi!

It’s just… if you don’t let me catch my breath, I’m really going to ascend and be reborn!

As if knowing Lu Xiaochan was about to suffocate, Shu Wuxi finally released him, nibbling Lu Xiaochan’s upper lip before propping himself up so he wasn’t crushing him, looking down at him.

Lu Xiaochan took several deep breaths, his eyes shimmering with moisture. During the struggle, strands of hair fell loose, curling around his cheeks and ears.

Lu Xiaochan’s mind was still hazy. When Shu Wuxi’s fingers brushed the hair away from his cheek, he suddenly came to his senses and placed a medical spell on Shu Wuxi’s forehead.

Shu Wuxi froze, until the medical spell was absorbed into his body, then he sat up.

It was the first time Lu Xiaochan had seen Shu Wuxi look confused. He found it amusing and clapped his hands. “Hahahaha! I’m giving you a Tailing Purification Spell! Be pure and desireless—”

Who knew the spell wouldn’t have any effect on Shu Wuxi? He tugged on Lu Xiaochan’s belt and said, “Then cast a spell on yourself. You were the one who provoked me first!”

With this impending storm, Lu Xiaochan’s heart skipped a beat. I’m done for!

Lu Xiaochan insisted on struggling with Shu Wuxi, trying to roll on top of him. Who knew being on top also had its difficulties.

A moment later, Lu Xiaochan whimpered, his voice trembling. “I want to lie down…”

“No.”

Lu Xiaochan wanted to lie down, but Shu Wuxi kept him up. Their struggle caused their spiritual energies to clash. Shu Wuxi completely overpowered Lu Xiaochan. Exasperated, Lu Xiaochan simply collapsed the bed.

Hearing the loud crash, the innkeeper, who was still fondling the gold bean, jumped and rushed upstairs.

Oh my goodness!

It was as if there had been an earthquake.

“You two… are you… trying to demolish my inn?”

“No, no, we’re professionals at demolishing beds for a hundred years… ah, no, a thousand years…”

Lu Xiaochan looked at Shu Wuxi and added, “Ten thousand years!”

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but when he said “ten thousand years,” Shu Wuxi seemed to smile.

In the following days, Lu Xiaochan dragged Shu Wuxi around, dozing in his arms even while flying on their swords.

They ate sweet and sour fish by the Muxing River, spicy wild rabbit from Wenming Mountain, and countless other snacks and delicacies.

Full and sleepy, Lu Xiaochan pulled Shu Wuxi to rent a small boat. Shu Wuxi leaned back, and Lu Xiaochan slept on him, a large lotus leaf covering his face. Lu Xiaochan smacked his lips in his sleep.

The flowing clouds slowly morphed into different shapes as they passed overhead.

Lu Xiaochan asked lazily, his eyes closed. “Brother Wuxi… do you find this boring… not as interesting as the ancient scriptures in Wuyi Jingtian?”

Shu Wuxi held him and said softly, “Thinking about it, this might be the kind of life I want to have with you.”

“Haha? Really?” Lu Xiaochan rolled over and lay on top of Shu Wuxi.

“Really. You’re in this bustling world, but no matter what you eat, drink, play, or who you meet, you think of me.”

Lu Xiaochan’s heart trembled. He hugged Shu Wuxi and kissed him several times.

“Don’t flip me over! We’ll capsize!” Lu Xiaochan said seriously.

They let the small boat drift with the current, enjoying the different scenery and lights of the houses along the riverbanks at night.

Passing through areas with clear water, they could see fireflies resting on the shore, while Lu Xiaochan leaned over the edge of the boat.

He suddenly understood that it wasn’t that Shu Wuxi wasn’t good enough, which had made him insecure in the past.

It was because he was never satisfied.

“Brother Wuxi! Brother Wuxi! I have a question for you!”

Lu Xiaochan trailed his hand in the water.

“What do you want to ask?”

“Where does this river end?”

“Naturally, it flows into the boundless ea of Dongxu.”

“Then what is at the end of the night?”

“The dawn.”

“What about me?” Lu Xiaochan asked again.

“You will never end.” Shu Wuxi gently stroked Lu Xiaochan’s head.

Lu Xiaochan narrowed his eyes, blowing away a firefly that had landed on his nose.

“Brother Wuxi is a fool. Of course, my end is you!”

Shu Wuxi remained silent for a long time, but Lu Xiaochan could hear the joy in his heartbeat.

The boat left the area with the fireflies. Lu Xiaochan had napped too long and wasn’t sleepy at all at night.

As they drifted, the scenery along the riverbanks gradually opened up. The original water villages slowly transformed into steep cliffs, creating a somewhat desolate feeling.

Lu Xiaochan complained softly, “We should have gotten off the boat earlier. We could have found a family and had some hot soup.”

Just then, at the top of the cliff ahead, two surges of spiritual energy collided, causing a tremor that pushed their small boat back several feet.

A figure fell from the cliff. Lu Xiaochan strained his ears, his body suddenly tensing. His Wuhen Sword unsheathed. He pulled Shu Wuxi and they flew towards the figure on their swords.

“It’s Jiang Wuchao—”

Lu Xiaochan recognized the bells on his sword tassel.

Just as Jiang Wuchao was about to fall into the water, Lu Xiaochan grabbed his collar, and Shu Wuxi caught his Minglan Sword.

“Who is that on the cliff? They were actually able to injure Jiang Wuchao?”

In Lu Xiaochan’s mind, Jiang Wuchao was a good person. Whoever injured him was naturally a villain!

And who was it that dared to provoke even Zhiwu Mountain Villa?

Lu Xiaochan immediately used his spirit discernin ability and detected two individuals with extraordinary spiritual energy flying away on their swords. But they were heading in different directions. Which one should he pursue?

“The one going west should be Lord Zhaolan.” Shu Wuxi said.

“Lord Zhaolan?”

Regardless of the reason, Lord Zhaolan had fled after the incident in Xiyuan, not even daring to return and plead guilty. He was either possessed or was simply cowardly and irresponsible.

The Wuhen Sword was so fast that the wind cut like blades past Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi.

They could withstand it with their spiritual energy, but Jiang Wuchao was miserable. The wind blades first tore his pants with a ripping sound, and by the time Lu Xiaochan reacted, Jiang Wuchao’s undergarments were almost gone!

“Oh my goodness!”

Lu Xiaochan looked down, but Shu Wuxi raised his hand to cover his eyes, remaining stubbornly silent.

The message was clear: You are not allowed to look at other men.

Fine, I won’t look.

In no time, Lord Zhaolan sensed the approaching immortal sword behind him. Without thinking, he formed a sword formation and flung it backward.

Lu Xiaochan smirked, gathering the moisture in the wind and transforming it into the Rushing Rapids Sword Formation. He broke through Lord Zhaolan’s sword formation and kicked him in the back.

Lord Zhaolan never expected that with his cultivation, he would be so easily defeated. He fell pathetically.

His Zhaolan Sword tried to protect him, but Lu Xiaochan formed another sword formation, trapping it inside.

Lord Zhaolan cried out as he fell into the forest.

Lu Xiaochan pursued him closely, passing through the dense trees until he found him.

He was hanging from a tree, his face covered in scratches, trying to summon his sword, but there was no response.

He looked up and saw a large formation through the branches, trapping his sword like a cage. It buzzed around like a headless fly, unable to break free.

Lord Zhaolan was shocked. What kind of person possessed such cultivation to trap his Zhaolan Sword?

Then he saw Lu Xiaochan standing before him, holding Jiang Wuchao in one hand, with Shu Wuxi standing behind him. The Wuhen Sword at his feet seemed to be rippling with water, exuding extraordinary spiritual energy.

“You… you are…”

“Who am I? You don’t remember?” Lu Xiaochan touched his chin. “Lord Zhaolan, your memory is truly poor!”

“You’re from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion! At the welcoming banquet that day, you were sitting behind Pavilion Master Mo Qianqiu!”

“Oh, you finally remembered?”

Lu Xiaochan smiled, his eyes narrowed, but Lord Zhaolan felt a wave of doubt.

A mere youth possessed such profound cultivation, his sword formations powerful and swift, their changes too rapid to defend against.

Since when were the disciples of Thousand Autumn Pavilion so formidable?

Even the sword at his feet… at first glance, it appeared gentle and luminous, but a closer look revealed the immense spiritual energy contained within, its fluidity concealing its immense power.

“Lord Zhaolan, your master, Sword Master Haofu, has confessed his crimes to Heaven. Are you not going back to bear the burden of guilt and seek forgiveness? Or have you decided to go all the way, with no turning back?”

“Immortal Lord, please don’t misunderstand! That day, I lured the Thousand Autumn Pavilion Master out of Chongluan Palace, following my master’s orders! Later, when the truth was revealed, Martial Uncle Faning asked us three disciples whether we wanted to follow him or stay in Xiyuan and be condemned by the world along with our master, Haofu…”

“So you chose to follow your Martial Uncle Faning?”

“At the time, Martial Uncle Faning told me and my two senior brothers that he had proof that Haofu was unworthy of being the Xiyuan Sword Master! As long as the three of us obtained this evidence, we could return to Xiyuan and turn the tables!”

“Your master has already relinquished his position as Sword Master, quite sincerely, and willingly stayed in Xiyuan to guard the Evil-Dispelling Bell. The evidence your Martial Uncle Faning spoke of should be Lord Chunning, right?”

“You know? Yes, Lord Chunning witnessed Haofu become possessed with her own eyes. She also saw him drain the last of the previous Xiyuan Sword Master’s vital essence. But I didn’t expect Master to have already purged the demon from his heart and honestly admitted to these crimes. Even if we found Lord Chunning, it would only prove the crimes he had already confessed to…”

“Right, so what? Your Martial Uncle Faning is truly strange! If he truly cared for Lord Chunning, he should have sent her to Tailing Pavilion! Even if they couldn’t heal her face, with Kunwu’s skill, he could make a mask for her so she could face the world again!”

“It’s precisely because Martial Uncle Faning’s actions are illogical that the three of us wanted to understand what he was really planning, so we could atone for our sins… So we pretended to continue following him… and finally, we discovered what Martial Uncle Faning was trying to do!”

“What was he trying to do?” Lu Xiaochan suddenly had a bad feeling.

“He wanted to send Lord Chunning to Tailing Pavilion!”

“Right, to treat her illness and heal her face, wouldn’t he go to Tailing Pavilion? But Kunwu is still in Xiyuan, regulating Haofu’s elixir core…”

Faning wanted to take advantage of Kunwu’s absence. He had other plans for Tailing Pavilion!

“He wanted to pluck the spiritual vine ‘Thousand Li Chanjuan’! Refine it into a golden elixir, and give it to Lord Chunning to consume!”

If Kunwu heard this, he might cough up blood!

“And what about Jiang Wuchao?” Lu Xiaochan asked coldly.

“Sword Master Jiang was ordered to capture us, but we haven’t finished our task yet. Martial Uncle Faning ordered us to eliminate him! Lord Chenjie continued to follow Martial Uncle, while Lord Qingjiang and I had no choice but to attack… But as you can see, we didn’t take Sword Master Jiang’s life! That clearly shows our intent to let him go!”

Lu Xiaochan glanced at Jiang Wuchao.

Indeed, with both Lord Qingjiang and Lord Zhaolan attacking together, taking Jiang Wuchao’s life wouldn’t be difficult. However, although Jiang Wuchao was injured and unconscious, he was still alive, clearly showing the two had shown mercy.

“Brother Wuxi,” she said, “what should we do? Should we send a message by bluebird, urging Kunwu to return to Tailing Pavilion quickly?”

“Naturally,” Shu Wuxi replied. “Lord Qingjiang went in a different direction than you. What is his intention?”

“He must be going after his Martial Uncle,” Lu Xiaochan said.

“This is a mix of truth and falsehood, real and unreal, making it difficult to discern,” Lu Xiaochan tilted his head, scrutinizing Lord Zhaolan. “We can’t easily trust you, but we also can’t completely distrust you.”

“Martial Uncle went to meet Chunning-jun. If you don’t believe me, you can also rush to Tailing Pavilion. You’ll arrive there before Martial Uncle no matter what,” Lord Zhaolan said, appearing very sincere.

Lu Xiaochan looked at Jiang Wuchao and said to Shu Wuxi, “Alright, let’s return to Tailing Pavilion. Jiang Wuchao needs to recuperate anyway.”

Shu Wuxi nodded.

Lu Xiaochan withdrew his sword formation, and the Zhaolan Sword immediately flew down, catching Lord Zhaolan.

“Ah—” Lu Xiaochan gestured for Lord Zhaolan to open his mouth.

Although Lord Zhaolan guessed what Lu Xiaochan was going to do, to prove his honesty, he immediately opened his mouth. Lu Xiaochan tossed a small pill inside.

“This is the ‘Splitting Core Pill.’ If you don’t take the antidote within seven days…”

“My core will split?” Zhaolan-jun asked.