Futile Devices Scans

“Sect Master Cheng…?”

The shock and fury in Xie You Lan’s voice practically burst out of every word. “What is he doing here?!”

“You’re asking me, Palace Master Xie?”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye tilted his head to avoid a palm strike and, seizing the opening, returned a vicious slash. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Xie You Lan swept his sleeve and knocked the blade aside, then spun around and chopped toward Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s neck with his backhand. “You must have brought him here!”

With a loud clang, sword qi collided with steel and the ringing echoed endlessly. The next instant, Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s blade sent him flying backward.

“You already know the answer, so why ask?”

Xie You Lan was forced back several steps. Blood and qi churned within his chest as he realized that this young man was no longer what he had been years ago. For the moment, there would be no easy victor between them.

His impression of Yu Gong Zhao Ye was still frozen in the past. Back then, the silent and vicious youth had come seeking revenge for Wei Fu, nearly been beaten off a cliff by him, and despite blood streaming across his face, had still staggered back to his feet with his saber as a crutch. His arm had been so weak he could barely hold the hilt, yet he had still charged forward to throw away his life without hesitation. He looked clever enough, yet there seemed to be only a single track in his head. Otherwise, how could he have been so utterly devoted to that mute younger brother of his? They had only met a handful of times. He had not even known the man’s identity, yet he had already been willing to risk his life for him. “What exactly do you want?” Xie You Lan had once asked, holding a captured blade against his throat and staring at that blood-covered face in utter disbelief. “Even if you go back and train for another ten years, you still won’t beat me. Do I really have to slit your throat myself before you understand what it means to smash an egg against a rock?” Yu Gong Zhao Ye had raised a hand and gripped the blade barehanded. Blood immediately poured out, running down his wrist and staining half his sleeve red. Yet he acted as though he felt nothing. Bending his knee, he drove a savage kick into Xie You Lan’s chest, forcing him several steps backward. Then he rolled to his feet, casually wiped the blood across his robe, picked up the saber from the ground, and answered between ragged breaths tinged with faint regret: “Because… I didn’t do everything I could for him.”

Stubborn fool.

Back then, he had told the boy to come back after ten years of training. Now only half that time had passed, yet after exchanging more than a dozen moves, Xie You Lan already knew this was no longer an opponent he could deal with casually.

Xie You Lan was in the prime of his life. Though the Xingcang Scripture had healed his internal injuries, he had not practiced it long enough to fully recover. Yu Gong Zhao Ye, on the other hand, was younger but in peak condition. Whether in stamina or reaction speed, he was among the best. Xie You Lan could not suppress him in the short term, and if the fight dragged on, the outcome would become even harder to predict.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yu had gone around sealing the acupoints of the black-clad men one by one, tossing them into a neat pile in the corner of the wall. Looking toward the two combatants fighting fiercely in the courtyard, he called out, “Heroes, considering we traveled together and endured hardship side by side, could we perhaps call a temporary truce?”

No one present was better suited to offer such a way out.

Yu Gong Zhao Ye and Xie You Lan clashed once more in midair. Layers upon layers of saber light overlapped before both men leapt backward at the same time, landing at opposite ends of the courtyard and facing each other from afar.

Tall and jade-like, Xie You Lan cut an imposing figure worthy of a grandmaster. Yet when he looked around, he discovered that all three others stood on the opposite side while he himself stood alone. His face immediately darkened to the color of a pot’s bottom. “Wonderful. Just wonderful. You’re all in this together.”

Cheng Yu: “…Ahem.”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye: “What exactly are you feeling wronged about? Weren’t you the one who came here looking for trouble first?”

Wei Fu immediately jumped in. “Sect Master Cheng, Hero Cheng, I’ve long admired your great reputation! Back then, I failed to see your true appearance and thought we would never meet again. Who would have imagined that not only are we on the same side, it’s practically a bond cultivated over three lifetimes! We have to drink together later, hahaha…”

Xie You Lan: “…”

“Forget it.” A cold laugh escaped his throat as he swept his sleeve with imposing force. “The two of you can come at me together. Today, I’m getting that map no matter what!”

“Hold it!”

A sharp shout rang out from behind Yu Gong Zhao Ye.

Protected by two top-tier experts, Wei Fu poked his head out. “Why do you want the Earth Mirror Map?”

Xie You Lan replied, “What business is it of yours? Why shouldn’t I want it?”

Among all the people Wei Fu had met, there were plenty who instinctively argued against everything, whether good or bad. But people like Xie You Lan, who clearly understood everything and still insisted on opposing you out of sheer stubbornness, were rare. So he decided to lay everything out plainly. “Do you want the Earth Mirror Map in exchange for wealth and glory, or do you simply resent that Mother left it to me and came here to seize it out of spite?”

Given Xie You Lan’s personality, he would never admit to the latter. Yet if he tacitly admitted to coveting wealth and power, it would make him seem vulgar and beneath the dignity of a martial hero. Therefore, that could not be the reason either.

Thus he replied with great restraint, “To fulfill my late father’s final wish. He obsessed over it for his entire life. If I burn it for him, is that not acceptable?”

“Oh, then that’s easy.” Wei Fu nodded. “I’ll make a copy right now. It won’t take long. Then we can burn the original together for your esteemed father.”

“…Enough!”

Xie You Lan’s face alternated between green and white as he shot Wei Fu a murderous glare. Realizing that if he did not tell the truth, Wei Fu would continue tormenting him with this act of feigned stupidity, he finally snapped. “The Earth Mirror Map is a supreme treasure of the world. With it in hand, let alone wealth and glory, even carving out your own territory and ruling it would be well within reach. It is an heirloom of the Jiang family. If anyone has the rightful claim to it, it is me. As for spite—” He swept Wei Fu with a contemptuous glance and sneered, “You think far too highly of yourself.”

“Good. So you really do hold a grudge.”

Wei Fu nodded in satisfaction.

“In that case, you genuinely want the Earth Mirror Map. You want it badly enough to obtain it at any cost?”

Xie You Lan did not answer immediately. Instead, he eyed Wei Fu suspiciously. Something about that calm expression smelled wrong. It felt as though the fellow was crouched beside an enormous pitfall, swishing a fox tail and waiting for him to fall in.

“Enough nonsense. Hand it over.” Not wanting to waste any more time, he lowered his voice threateningly. “You don’t seriously think those two can stop me, do you?”

“Of course not.”

With a click, Wei Fu snapped the iron box shut and smiled. “There’s no need to trouble our prince.”

Everyone: “?”

Then, under everyone’s gaze, he turned to face Xie You Lan. Holding the iron box aloft with the solemnity of someone presenting the Imperial Jade Seal, he shouted in a firm, sonorous voice, every word ringing with conviction:

“I OBJECT!”

Everyone: “…”

The gentle spring weather seemed to have been cursed. In an instant, it froze into the dead of winter. The air in the courtyard itself appeared to solidify.

Xie You Lan turned toward Yu Gong Zhao Ye. “Has he always had this condition?”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye replied, “Shouldn’t I be asking you that, Brother?”

The only reliable person present, Cheng Yu, asked gently, “Young Master Wei, what exactly are you objecting to?”

Wei Fu suddenly spun around, grabbed Cheng Yu’s hand, and said with complete sincerity:

“Benefactor, I object to Xie You Lan being together with you!”

Everyone: “…”

No matter how much Wei Fu had provoked him earlier, Xie You Lan had always seen it coming and therefore paid it little mind. This sentence, however, struck him squarely in his most vulnerable spot, causing his expression to darken at once. “What did you just say?”

“Since Palace Master Xie truly wants the peerless treasure of the world, the Earth Mirror Map, I can give it to you.” With one hand clutching the iron box and the other gripping Cheng Yu’s wrist, Wei Fu declared, “But my condition is this: you must swear before everyone present that if you obtain this map, you will never again draw close to Cheng Yu, Sect Master Cheng, for the rest of your life. From this day forward, the road to heaven may be broad, but each of you must walk your own side. You may not meet him, and you may not be with him. Well? Do you agree?”

An invisible storm seemed to be gathering in the air. The words were squeezed out from between clenched teeth. “Wei Fu, you are looking for death.”

“What are you saying, Palace Master Xie?” Wei Fu still wore that gentle smile that cost him nothing, speaking with complete composure. “A treasure like the Earth Mirror Map—if you ask for it, I’ll hand it over immediately. I’m helping you achieve your wish.”

Originally, he had been perfectly calm, provoking Xie You Lan with the attitude of someone enjoying a good show. Yet when he saw the look of someone whose reverse scale had been torn away, a surge of anger abruptly shot through him uncontrollably, burning his chest until it felt blocked and aching, his eyes growing hot. “You brought a group of subordinates to surround a private residence, tried to seize the only relic Mother left me, and pointed blades at me, and I wasn’t even angry. So what exactly are you angry about?”

You clearly know pain and warmth. You know tears and blood. You have people you care about. Why is it that every time I think there is still some warmth between us, that even if we cannot be brothers we can at least be friends, you immediately put on that face that recognizes neither kin nor affection and cut all ties with me?

Yu Gong Zhao Ye rarely saw Wei Fu truly angry. Usually he merely puffed up in indignation, but a little coaxing would turn him soft and fluffy again. Now, suddenly brushed by the edge of his fury, seeing that smile concealing blades, he unexpectedly found it carried a rather unique charm.

After glancing toward the dark cloud hanging over Xie You Lan in the distance, Cheng Yu sighed. “Young Master Wei…”

Wei Fu shot him a glance. Out of respect for his benefactor, he swallowed several even harsher demands and calmly delivered his ultimatum to Xie You Lan. “Now it’s your turn to decide, Palace Master Xie.”

For a moment, Xie You Lan seemed startled by the force of his anger. He remained silent for quite a while.

The spring sunlight was brilliant. Several cats sprawled lazily across the rooftops, basking in the pleasant warmth of the day. Yet above this courtyard alone seemed to hang heavy rain clouds, trapping everyone beneath them in damp uncertainty, unable to advance or retreat.

“Cheng Yu.” Suddenly, Xie You Lan called out.

“What is it?”

“If I agree to his condition today,” Xie You Lan asked, “will you ever see me again in this lifetime?”

He threw the question directly into Cheng Yu’s face. The innocent bystander, Sect Master Cheng, instantly became the center of attention. Even the subordinates piled in the corner held their breath and pricked up their ears.

“A vow should be worth a thousand pieces of gold,” Cheng Yu considered for a moment before answering carefully. “Palace Master Xie and I may be regarded as old acquaintances. Out of respect for that friendship, I would not deliberately seek you out and force you into breaking your oath.”

He did not particularly mind Wei Fu using “feelings” as a blade to threaten Xie You Lan. After all, he had willingly stepped into this tangled mess himself and chosen to stand opposite Xie You Lan. Precisely because he knew the feelings in question had not reached that point, he also knew Wei Fu’s threat could never produce the effect he envisioned. It would only drive Xie You Lan into embarrassed fury and spark another round of verbal warfare.

That night trapped in the cellar, Xie You Lan had said, “I never thought my day would come.” At the time, Cheng Yu had assumed he was mocking himself for a tiger fallen onto the plains being bullied by dogs. Later, after meeting Jiang Feng Xun and learning the whole story, he finally understood the true meaning behind those words.

“I never thought I would end up walking the same road she did.”

The righteous and the wicked could not coexist. For a practitioner of the demonic path to become entangled with an upright gentleman was the greatest taboo of Xie You Lan’s life.

Yet he had repeated history all the same.

Now Wei Fu was demanding that he swear to draw a clear line between himself and Cheng Yu. In front of Cheng Yu, refusing would be humiliating. Yet if he were asked to abandon his original goal because of those vague and confusing feelings, he would never willingly accept it.

After hearing Cheng Yu’s response, Xie You Lan actually nodded slightly.

“I thought so.”

Knowing Xie You Lan would never comply with Wei Fu’s wishes, Cheng Yu tried to mediate. “Gentlemen, nothing in this world is absolute. Why must it come to dragons and tigers fighting until both sides are wounded? Why not each take a step back and sit down to discuss things properly?”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye added, “Even blood brothers keep clear accounts. The two of you should settle the accounts first. If you still can’t sort them out afterward, then you can fight.”

A huff of indignation had only just reached Wei Fu’s throat when Xie You Lan suddenly said:

“I don’t want it anymore.”

Under the stunned gaze of everyone present, he strode directly to the corner and released the black-clad men from their sealed acupoints one by one. Then he turned back and cast Cheng Yu a long, deep look. Without saying another word, he vaulted onto the wall and departed with a flick of his sleeve, taking his subordinates with him.

The courtyard suddenly felt empty. Silence settled over everything. The spring breeze drifted past carrying a fuzzy warmth, blowing across the three faces frozen in blank astonishment.

Wei Fu awkwardly released Cheng Yu’s wrist and stammered in a panic, “I… I didn’t expect him to… Anyway, um, Sect Master Cheng, please… please be understanding… Our family doesn’t have any heirloom jewelry to pass down—no, wait… Do you want the Earth Mirror Map?”

“No, no, no… That’s not what I meant…”

Cheng Yu was clearly just as flustered. “I’m not… He… He should…”

“Huh? He isn’t? He is, right?” In complete confusion, Wei Fu grabbed Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s arm with trembling hands. “Is he or isn’t he? Your Highness? Your Highness, say something!”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye: “…”

Catching Wei Fu’s nervous claws before they could scratch at everything in sight, he sighed. “Whether he is or isn’t, you should probably catch up first.”

Cheng Yu blinked blankly. “…Catch up?”

“I doubt he went very far. He’s probably crouching behind some gloomy wall right now waiting for you to go pick him up,” Yu Gong Zhao Ye said. “Why don’t you go take a look?”

Wei Fu stared. “You understand him awfully well…”

“Mhm.” Yu Gong Zhao Ye answered casually. “Because you’re exactly the same.”

Cheng Yu: “…”

“Then I’ll… take my leave first,” he said, clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly.

The Wei residence stood at the second house in the alley. After leaving the gate and walking only a few steps, he reached the entrance.

There, a tall figure leaned sideways against a stone wall with folded arms, backlit by the sunlight. His eyelids drooped lazily, and he looked distinctly displeased, occasionally glancing at the passing pedestrians. His handsome features carried a hint of wickedness, like a great fox impatiently swishing its tail while waiting for someone.

Cheng Yu deliberately made his footsteps louder.

Xie You Lan’s ear twitched, but he did not turn around.

“You…”

His tentative opening was immediately cut off by Xie You Lan.

“That day outside Songhua Town, why did you leave first?”

Heat rushed to Cheng Yu’s cheeks.

He was referring to the time when they had been hunted down and forced to hide together for several days in the cellar of an abandoned Daoist temple. After finally enduring the effects of the drug and escaping, they reached the outskirts of Songhua Town. Xie You Lan’s internal injuries had been severe, so Cheng Yu had proposed buying medicine and food in the nearby town. Since the temple was not far away and he feared pursuing enemies might still be lurking nearby, he had asked Xie You Lan to wait in the woods outside town.

As a result, Xie You Lan waited from dawn until nightfall.

But Cheng Yu never returned at the appointed time.

Instead, trusted subordinates sent to retrieve him found him first. Unable to continue waiting due to the severity of his injuries, Xie You Lan was escorted back to Beizhu Palace.

“After buying the medicinal herbs, I saw people lining up for freshly baked pastries at a stall. I thought you might like them, so I bought a few.”

Cheng Yu had probably never imagined he would one day have to explain this matter. His explanation was therefore extremely concise.

“Unfortunately, I was spotted by pursuers from Beizhu Palace. I had no choice but to lead them in circles until I shook them off, which delayed me for a long time. By the time I returned outside town, you had already left.”

Xie You Lan responded with a simple, “Oh.”

Then he added, “The day you left the sinkhole with Yu Gong Zhao Ye and the others, you didn’t wait for me either.”

The accusation made no sense whatsoever, yet Cheng Yu still answered patiently.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t wait. His Highness ordered me to conceal my whereabouts temporarily and keep an eye on you to see what you intended to do. And look—we caught you, didn’t we?”

“Oh.”

The two men stared at each other.

They stood there awkwardly for a while. The alley fell silent, making the cries of street vendors beyond it seem especially clear.

Something chaotic slowly settled and separated within that wordless silence. What needed to sink, sank. What needed to drift away, drifted away. In the end, all that remained was a clear, pure, and gentle feeling.

“I’m hungry.”

Xie You Lan lowered his eyes to the small stone by his foot.

“When I came here, I saw someone selling pastries on the street. Sect Master Cheng, buy me one.”

The mercurial tyrant who changed his mind at every whim truly lived up to his reputation. Only those who dealt with him personally could understand.

Turning his head aside, Cheng Yu laughed softly.

Warmly.

Helplessly.

“All right.”

He walked toward the bright sunlight at the mouth of the alley.

As he passed Xie You Lan, someone suddenly hooked a finger into his sleeve.

And so Sect Master Cheng entered the bustling crowd of the marketplace with a grumpy Beizhu Palace Master hanging from his sleeve like a burr, calm and unhurried.

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