Fu Xi Yan had originally assumed Pei Xiong Ji summoned Pei Yuan Jin because Zhao Tong Qu wanted to create an opportunity for Duan Qian’s “assassination” and had sent some false report. Yet Pei Yuan Jin did not return until deep into the night.
By then, Fu Xi Yan had already fallen asleep in bed.
When the quilt lifted, familiar heat rolled over him. Fu Xi Yan instinctively opened his eyes, automatically shifted to the side, and was immediately scooped back by Pei Yuan Jin.
Fu Xi Yan stuck one leg outside the quilt. “Hot.”
Pei Yuan Jin loosened his arms slightly, but still kept him firmly within reach.
Fu Xi Yan leaned over and familiarly used Pei Yuan Jin’s clothes to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.
Pei Yuan Jin even brushed back the stray hair clinging to his face.
“Your dad wanted to discuss the wedding?” Fu Xi Yan yawned and drowsily began drifting back toward sleep.
“No.” Pei Yuan Jin adjusted the quilt around him. “He wanted to discuss the injuries of the two elders.”
“Hmm? Are they serious?” Fu Xi Yan forced himself awake.
Pei Yuan Jin paused and gathered his thoughts. From the moment their marriage was formally placed on the agenda, Pei Xiong Ji seemed to regard his son as a genuine adult, someone who could now hear information that remained unverified and uncertain.
“Elder Tan’s true essence has begun turning slightly yellow. Elder Yu’s has contracted into a tight mass.”
After the Bone-Forging Stage, martial artists could inspect the inside of their own bodies, but what they saw was only one reference point and could not perfectly describe the complete condition. Moreover, Elder Yu and Elder Tan’s descriptions did not entirely match.
Yellowing, shrinking into a ball… both sounded like the warning signs of leaves withering in autumn.
Fu Xi Yan sighed softly.
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Father and the elders have spent many years in seclusion researching a path toward ascension. But the more they study, the more impossible ascension seems.”
Fu Xi Yan took his hand and gently comforted him.
“Father proposed a hypothesis. Perhaps the Martial God Stage itself is a mistake.”
Fu Xi Yan froze. “A mistake?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “True Essence, Bone-Forging, Vajra, Mortal-Shedding, Dao-Entry, Martial King… Every advancement produces a positive improvement either to the body or the state of mind. Only Martial God creates backlash. That is unreasonable.”
Fu Xi Yan had read every variety of novel and encountered all kinds of cultivation systems. A situation like this could be explained in countless ways.
Perhaps the Heavenly Dao deliberately restricted the number of ascenders to avoid spiritual energy being exhausted. Perhaps predecessors who successfully ascended had severed the bridge behind them to prevent later generations from catching up. Perhaps the Heavenly Dao wanted to test martial artists and had deliberately raised the difficulty of ascension, and so on.
But Fu Xi Yan was only at Dao-Entry, still two entire realms away from Martial God. He was a frog looking at the sky from inside a well and could not see the entire picture. Everything he had imagined amounted to pure speculation. It certainly could not compare with the understanding Pei Xiong Ji and the elders had accumulated, so Fu Xi Yan did not dare speak carelessly.
“Father says perhaps what comes after Martial King should not be Martial God, or perhaps Martial God should not look the way it currently does.”
Naturally, Pei Xiong Ji possessed evidence supporting such a conclusion. His insights, experiences, and the entire late-night conversation between father and son, however, had all been compressed by Pei Yuan Jin into a single conclusion.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Any direction yet?”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Elder Tan and Elder Yu’s true essence changed during battle. Father believes that may provide a direction. We’ll have to wait until the Little Divine Doctor arrives and consults with Apothecary Jiang before anything can be confirmed.”
“Maybe the two elders will turn misfortune into fortune.”
“Mm.”
Pei Yuan Jin gently rubbed the soft skin of the hand in his palm. A sudden flutter rose in his heart. He turned to look at the person beside him, hesitated, then ultimately failed to resist temptation and slowly leaned closer.
Fu Xi Yan instinctively wrapped his arms around Pei Yuan Jin’s neck and exchanged a shallow kiss with him. Then, while Pei Yuan Jin was kissing his neck, Fu Xi Yan said, “An assassin came tonight. Guess who?”
Pei Yuan Jin’s body stopped. He lifted his head and looked at Fu Xi Yan with an unreadable expression.
Fu Xi Yan gave a dry laugh. “It wasn’t particularly important. After all, killing me wasn’t actually his main purpose this time.”
“Who?”
“…That was the previous question. Shouldn’t you be asking what his main purpose was?”
Pei Yuan Jin did not speak. His gaze alone clearly urged Fu Xi Yan to hurry up and confess everything honestly.
Fu Xi Yan smiled awkwardly. “That’s a long story…”
＊
Only when dawn began to brighten did Fu Xi Yan finally close his mouth, still somewhat reluctant to stop talking, and exhaustedly fall asleep. When he woke, Pei Yuan Jin was already gone.
Fu Xi Yan ate breakfast alone, then slowly wandered around the Immortal Treasury Palace to digest his food. He passed a grove of hawthorn trees, where several impatient little green fruits were already hiding among the dense leaves.
Zhao Tong Qu’s residence was not far away.
Although Duan Qian had repeatedly guaranteed before leaving last night that he would be perfectly safe and Zhao Tong Qu would not do anything to him, now that the moment had actually arrived, Fu Xi Yan could not help feeling slightly worried.
After all, Duan Qian’s final speech before leaving had sounded painfully like raising a death flag.
Fu Xi Yan remained standing there long enough, with such obvious worries written across his face, that naturally other people noticed.
The conflict between Pei Yuan Jin and Zhao Tong Qu was known only among the Immortal Treasury Palace’s upper ranks. Ordinary guards knew nothing and treated the newly arrived Young Madam extremely respectfully. When a patrol passed Fu Xi Yan, they deliberately slowed down so that if Young Madam needed an errand run, no one would be too far away.
Fu Xi Yan saw several unfamiliar figures emerge from behind the hawthorn trees and hurriedly asked, “Who are they?”
The guard who had already walked a zhang away immediately turned back. “Reporting to Young Madam, they are supervising managers from the Thunder Division who came up the mountain yesterday to report on their duties.”
Fu Xi Yan said meaningfully, “It isn’t time for routine reports yet, is it?” He had no idea when the normal reporting period actually was, but Xia Xue Nong had warned him about this, so he simply threw the question out directly.
The guard hesitated. “I heard the Thunder Division branches everywhere have been rather unsettled.” After speaking, his face paled slightly. He nervously watched Fu Xi Yan’s reaction, afraid he had talked too much and said something inappropriate.
Fu Xi Yan spotted Duan Qian among the group and had just begun relaxing when he saw the final person emerge: Shen Bo You. Shen Bo You was here, yet Zhao Tong Qu was nowhere to be seen. Fu Xi Yan instinctively felt uneasy.
He asked, “Chief Steward Zhao isn’t here?”
The guard looked confused, apparently not understanding why Fu Xi Yan asked, so Fu Xi Yan had to clarify, “I only saw Deputy Chief Steward Shen.”
The guard said, “Chief Steward Zhao handed all responsibility for receiving the regional managers who came to report over to Deputy Chief Steward Shen. Chief Steward Zhao has worked himself ragged alone all these years. At last he has someone to share the burden.”
He praised Zhao Tong Qu very carefully, clearly trying to earn his superior some goodwill in front of Young Madam.
Fu Xi Yan, however, remembered the idea that had occurred to him after meeting Duan Qian last night: capture Duan Qian during the “assassination,” force a confession out of him, and pin everything on Zhao Tong Qu.
At the time, Fu Xi Yan had felt extremely confident. There seemed to be plenty of room to operate. He had even briefly considered abandoning his cooperation with Duan Qian so he could first clean the troublemaker out of his own household. Looking back now, he realized he had still been arrogant.
His reversal of the Harmonized Yang Pill theft case had inflated his confidence enough that he overlooked the terrifying fact that anyone capable of designing a scheme like that was himself extremely dangerous.
Such a person would never casually hand someone else leverage over him, even if that person was supposedly his partner.
If Duan Qian had “failed and been captured,” the person immediately implicated would have been Shen Bo You, who had only just taken office. Zhao Tong Qu himself had never personally “arranged” anything from beginning to end. One witness alone was obviously insufficient to convict a Chief Steward. Worse, Duan Qian belonged to Ghostshadow Organization, so the reliability of his testimony would naturally be questioned.
Fu Xi Yan became curious. Had Zhao Tong Qu already planned to send Shen Bo You to receive Duan Qian when appointing him Deputy Chief Steward, or had that decision been improvised after Fu Xi Yan himself asked Zhao Tong Qu to take Shen Bo You along yesterday?
Either possibility sounded like an alarm bell. The tiny spark of pride Fu Xi Yan had developed after his victory instantly extinguished. He clearly recognized the difficulty in front of him. Against an enemy like Zhao Tong Qu, he could not afford even the slightest carelessness.
After Fu Xi Yan turned and left, the guard remained puzzled, wondering what exactly he had said wrong and why Young Madam’s silhouette suddenly looked so much heavier. What he did not know was that although Fu Xi Yan’s mood had become heavy, every step beneath his feet now felt steadier.
He had already determined his aspiration, but that aspiration remained vague and distant. He still had not fully worked out exactly how he would reach it.
Of course, he still had not solved that question now. Before reaching the goal, the uncertainty would remain for a very long time. But he would keep adding weight little by little and slowly draw closer.
The first requirement was to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground and never allow success to cloud his judgment.
When Fu Xi Yan returned to his room, Aunt Hong intercepted him before he could enter. She and Aunt Qin had worked through the night taking inventory of Pei Xiong Ji’s private assets and had already finalized the gift list. Now they wanted Fu Xi Yan to look it over.
Fu Xi Yan took one glance and immediately said it was far too extravagant. Forget the rare treasures, paintings, and antiques. The gold ornaments and ingots alone were heavy enough to make a person feel crushed by obligation.
Aunt Hong grabbed his hand. “If we give it to you, take it. Old Pei only has one son, and Little Pei will only ever have one spouse. Whether you take it early or late, you’ll receive it eventually. Take it early and enjoy it early!”
For once, Aunt Qin agreed. “That’s exactly right. Your Aunt Hong and I are leaving for Jiangcheng tomorrow. If there’s anything you want us to carry, give it to us early so we don’t forget.”
With the two women making such a major trip on his behalf, Fu Xi Yan naturally needed to explain things properly. He hurried back inside and wrote a letter recounting how the marriage had come about.
His heart contained countless things he wanted to say, yet once brush touched paper, only a handful of sentences emerged. By the end, he merely repeated greetings and assurances. The schemes, danger, and hardships he had experienced might eventually reach the Fu family as scattered rumors, but he did not want to describe them in detail and cause needless fear. One sentence saying he was safe already contained everything.
After handing the letter to the two aunts and chatting for a while longer, Fu Xi Yan realized he had not seen Pei Yuan Jin all morning and was just preparing to look for him when Yu Yu Er appeared outside the door with his head tucked down. Judging from the dust around his feet, he had probably paced there countless times already.
Although Fu Xi Yan had accepted Yu Yu Er as one of his stewards, there was nothing on Mount Fujun that actually needed managing. Fu Xi Yan therefore continued letting him live in his original home and planned to deal with the arrangement later. Unexpectedly, Yu Yu Er had become restless after only a few days.
An employee eager to work should not have his enthusiasm crushed. Fu Xi Yan began wondering whether he could invent some tasks, perhaps researching a spinning jenny?
When Yu Yu Er saw him, his eyes immediately brightened. He rushed forward, excitement and expectation all over his face. “Master!”
“Uh!” Fu Xi Yan jumped in fright.
“M-my dad… is going down the mountain!”
Fu Xi Yan returned to himself. “Your dad? Elder Yu?”
＊
To preserve his son, Elder Yu had not only emptied out all the merit he had accumulated through extraordinary service to the Immortal Treasury Palace, he had resigned his elder position as well. Theoretically, he no longer belonged to the Palace and naturally had no right to continue receiving its resources.
Yet everyone among the Immortal Treasury Palace’s upper ranks, including the Palace Master himself, knowingly pretended not to notice. They treated Elder Yu’s resignation as an emergency measure and continued regarding him as an elder.
Normally, this arrangement could have continued quietly for quite some time. Unfortunately, Elder Yu was now gravely injured and required the finest medicinal ingredients every day. Removing medicine from storage required an official justification. Elder Yu had already lost his privileges. Even if the senior leadership possessed an unspoken understanding, someone still had to accept responsibility when orders reached the practical level. Apparently, the warehouse manager lacked either the awareness or courage to do so, while Jiang Xiu, as a physician, only prescribed medicine and did not care about internal Palace politics. Thus the disagreement eventually reached Pei Xiong Ji.
What could Pei Xiong Ji possibly say? Naturally, he waved one hand and personally assumed all costs for Elder Yu’s medicine. Yet somehow Elder Yu heard about the matter and immediately insisted on leaving the mountain.
Yu Yu Er’s eyes were swollen red from crying. If not for his own moment of foolishness, his elderly father would never have been driven out despite his injuries.
Fu Xi Yan frowned.
After spending too long inside a vortex of conspiracy, it became difficult not to view everything through tinted lenses. The warehouse belonged to the Rain Division. Based on Fu Xi Yan’s understanding of Aunt Yu, there was no possibility she would deliberately turn the matter into such a spectacle, much less allow news to reach someone bedridden. Someone had clearly pushed from behind. The purpose was naturally to create discomfort between them and the Yu family.
However, during the meeting Fu Xi Yan had publicly called himself an outsider. It would now be awkward for him to jump forward and order people around. He could only say, “Don’t worry. The Palace Master will definitely persuade Elder Yu.”
Yu Yu Er shook his head sadly, despair written across his face. Fu Xi Yan worried that another emotional blow might break him completely, so he brought him to Aunt Qin’s room and asked both women to comfort him.
Aunt Hong spoke bluntly, yet she was surprisingly skilled at consoling people. While wiping Yu Yu Er’s tears, she casually said, “Goodness, why panic over something this small? Children really haven’t experienced enough and scare too easily. What kind of relationship do Old Yu and our Old Pei have? They’d give their lives for each other. Elder is only a title. What difference does having it or not make? That group mainly stays together because of affection. Old Pei would never watch Old Yu leave the mountain covered in injuries.”
Aunt Qin added, “Believe your Aunt Hong. Back then she studied your Palace Master’s temperament and preferences more thoroughly than anyone. She won’t be wrong.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Was it because the place was called the Immortal Treasury Palace? Why did he suddenly smell the atmosphere of a palace-intrigue drama?
Under the comfort of the two female elders, Yu Yu Er finally calmed down.
Fu Xi Yan had barely relaxed when Gao Ze arrived and blurted out, “Master already went down the mountain!”
…
“Waaaaah!”
This time Yu Yu Er’s tears resembled a waterfall plunging three thousand feet, unstoppable even when Aunts Qin and Hong joined forces. Their efforts were like praying mantises trying to stop a cart.
＊
Even Aunt Qin and Aunt Hong, who undoubtedly knew Pei Xiong Ji best, were shocked that Elder Yu had been allowed to leave. Fu Xi Yan once again smelled conspiracy. No, more accurately, he smelled some unspoken agreement between Elder Yu and Palace Master Pei.
But this was only a guess. Fu Xi Yan revealed nothing and simply followed Aunts Qin and Hong along with everyone else to see Pei Xiong Ji.
Pei Xiong Ji’s residence was extremely lively.
Aside from Shou Nan Shan, who was in seclusion, every elder and Chief Steward had arrived. Even Yi Jue, who normally never spoke, stood silently at the back, using his presence to protest the Palace Master’s heartlessness.
Pei Xiong Ji rubbed his aching head. “Old Taro insisted on leaving. If I couldn’t stop him, what else was I supposed to do?”
Ying Zhu Cui shouted, “If you refused to let him leave, could a sick man grow wings and fly away?”
Pei Xiong Ji glanced at Zhao Tong Qu, clearly telling him to control her.
Zhao Tong Qu pursed his lips, but obediently helped Ying Zhu Cui sit down and softly said, “The Palace Master always plans matters thoroughly. Elder Yu must have another arrangement after leaving the mountain.”
Ying Zhu Cui immediately looked toward Pei Xiong Ji expectantly.
He waved a hand. “I told Yuan Jin to arrange it.”
Seeing Ying Zhu Cui fall silent, Ji Mo hurriedly said, “How could conditions below the mountain possibly compare with conditions here? Forget everything else, security alone is far worse. If this is about his resource allocation, take it from mine!”
“Count me in!”
As Ying Zhu Cui spoke, she glared sharply at Yu Su Huan standing nearby. The disturbance had begun with the warehouse, and the warehouse belonged to Yu Su Huan, so Ying Zhu Cui clearly suspected Aunt Yu of manipulating things behind the scenes.
Yu Su Huan had been dragged into the matter for no reason and did not dare defend herself. She could only remain silently standing there.
“Old Taro may be injured, but he’s still a Martial God. Is he really afraid some petty thief will sneak in at night and steal things? Besides, Yuan Jin is handling it. What’s there to worry about? If you’re truly uneasy, send Xi Yan too. That young couple will definitely arrange everything properly.” Seeing that more people wanted to speak, Pei Xiong Ji impatiently waved them off. “Enough. He already left. What use is surrounding me? It isn’t as though I wanted him to go.”
He shot Zhao Tong Qu another look.
Zhao Tong Qu had no choice but to spend another stretch of time softly placating Ying Zhu Cui before finally coaxing her away. She had been the central pillar of the “siege,” and once she left, everyone else gradually dispersed in twos and threes.
Aunt Qin and Aunt Hong remained until the end.
Aunt Hong glared at the handsome face she had once loved desperately when young and now found increasingly irritating with age. “Tell us. What bad water are you hiding in your stomach this time?”
Pei Xiong Ji glanced toward Fu Xi Yan, Gao Ze, and the others, then winked at her.
Aunt Hong’s face turned slightly red. She scolded coquettishly, “Can’t you speak properly? Why are you throwing flirtatious looks around?”
Pei Xiong Ji: “…”
Fu Xi Yan tactfully coughed. “I’ll go back and pack.”
Pei Xiong Ji was extremely satisfied by his daughter-in-law’s ability to read the room. He nodded. “Go. No need to come back before leaving. Live well with Yuan Jin.”
After Fu Xi Yan left the room and walked a short distance, he saw Zhao Tong Qu waiting nearby. Gao Ze and Yu Yu Er now looked at him as though seeing a mortal enemy.
They had no proof connecting Zhao Tong Qu to the Harmonized Yang Pill theft, but Fu Xi Yan had previously analyzed the situation with them. Anyone capable of calculating their reactions so accurately had to be someone familiar with them.
Among all their acquaintances, who possessed that level of calculation while harboring hostility toward them if not Zhao Tong Qu?
Zhao Tong Qu ignored the hatred in their gazes and smiled at Fu Xi Yan. “Walk with me?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “This is my father-in-law’s home.”
Zhao Tong Qu looked as though he did not understand.
Fu Xi Yan continued, “One lone man walking privately with another lone man should avoid suspicion.”
Judging from Pei Xiong Ji and Zhao Tong Qu’s behavior inside, Fu Xi Yan felt certain Elder Yu’s descent from the mountain had happened with Pei Xiong Ji’s approval, while Zhao Tong Qu had been caught off guard. That was why Zhao Tong Qu tried using Ying Zhu Cui to probe Pei Xiong Ji, only to be dismissed with a few words.
People with enormous ambition often possessed an equally strong desire for control. Zhao Tong Qu’s probe of Pei Xiong Ji had failed, so now he wanted to probe Fu Xi Yan instead. Why should Fu Xi Yan cooperate? One conversation had already told him enough about Zhao Tong Qu.
Fu Xi Yan refused, and Zhao Tong Qu did not insist. He gracefully stepped aside.
As Fu Xi Yan passed him, curiosity suddenly surfaced. How exactly had Duan Qian explained last night’s failed “assassination” after returning? And what had Zhao Tong Qu thought of it?
Unfortunately, life was not a television drama. He could not switch perspectives.
＊
Pei Yuan Jin’s enormous quarters occupied plenty of space, but there really were not many belongings to pack.
Fu Xi Yan remembered his first time leaving home, when he had even brought a small suitcase with wheels. Now he had regressed to carrying cloth bundles. There was no helping it. The roads in this world were simply too hostile toward wheels.
Thinking about it that way, perhaps before manufacturing bicycles, he really should invent cement.
After dinner, Fu Xi Yan sat alone in the room happily fantasizing about his distant and glorious technological empire. He had just reached the idea of building glass greenhouses for off-season fruit when someone knocked at the door. Yu Yu Er, who had been quietly waiting nearby, immediately rose and opened it.
Elder Yu’s departure had struck Yu Yu Er the hardest. His sense of security had collapsed. Ever since leaving Pei Xiong Ji’s room, he had followed Fu Xi Yan everywhere. Gao Ze seemed happy to see this and had even instructed Yu Yu Er to stay alert and take good care of Young Madam.
A moment later, Yu Yu Er returned with Xiao Zhang.
When Fu Xi Yan saw him, reluctance showed briefly on his face. Even so, he immediately picked up his luggage and prepared to leave. Yu Yu Er automatically followed. Fu Xi Yan stopped and asked, “Where’s your luggage?”
Yu Yu Er froze. “It’s fine. I can buy things after we go down the mountain.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “We don’t know when we’ll return. You should keep valuables with you.”
Yu Yu Er thought for a moment, then turned and sprinted away. “Young Madam, wait for me.”
“Wait!”
Fu Xi Yan shouted, but not even a shadow remained.
Fu Xi Yan asked, “Where did Yuan Jin settle?”
Xiao Zhang said, “Houjia Alley in Jizhou.”
Fu Xi Yan nodded and memorized the place. “Stay here and wait for Yu Yu Er. I’ll go down first.”
Xiao Zhang immediately shook his head. “I need to follow Young Madam.”
Fu Xi Yan said in a tone that permitted no argument, “That’s an order.”
Xiao Zhang stubbornly lifted his chin, apparently prepared to disobey.
Fu Xi Yan patted his shoulder. “I’m Dao-Entry now. Have a little confidence in me.” Before Xiao Zhang could respond, Fu Xi Yan had already slung the bundle over his shoulder and activated Star-Shattering Afterimages, racing down the mountain.
Every sentry post around the Immortal Treasury Palace turned toward him. The night was too dark and his speed too fast. The guards nearer the top could still recognize him, but farther down, people could see only a ghostlike silhouette and hear leaves rustling violently as he passed. Several posts immediately sounded the whistle for an enemy attack.
Only then did Fu Xi Yan stop. Embarrassed, he waved. “Don’t panic! It’s me, it’s me! One of your own.”
Mm…
For some reason, that line made him sound considerably less like one of their own.
Mountain patrol guards rushed over after hearing the alarm. Even after confirming his identity, they did not dare relax. They respectfully escorted him all the way down the mountain with the solemn expressions of people terrified this troublesome master might create another incident.