Chapter 13

Just as An Wuxue finished speaking, Yun Zhou and Yun Yao, who had been following behind, caught up with them.

Hearing this, Yun Zhou exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist Xie, why do you have to bring up such a sore subject? Su Xue entered the Luoyue Peak all by himself, so he’s clearly on his own—"

"Yun Zhou." An Wuxue interrupted him.

"Hmm?"

"You, too, are bringing up a sore subject."

Yun Zhou: "..."

True enough. So, he kept his mouth shut.

An Wuxue had intended to turn and leave, but he vaguely recalled that in the old days, Zhaoshui City couldn't even afford paper for lanterns. Even cultivators were terrified that lighting up the night would attract demons, and for a mortal to hang a simple, plain red lantern during the holidays was considered a luxury.

He looked at the little rabbit lantern he had just put down, feeling a strange, lingering attachment to it.

Perhaps he should just buy it.

He had no mortal currency, but a single spirit stone from a cultivator was worth ten thousand gold pieces. He still had a bag of spirit stones in his pouch that Shangguan Liaoliao had forcefully stuffed into his hands last time.

He lowered his head and reached for the spirit pouch at his waist. Just as he was about to open it to retrieve one, he suddenly remembered that the soul bell he had stolen was also inside.

And the owner of that soul bell was standing right beside him, watching him.

"."

Reluctantly, he tightened the drawstring of the pouch and hung it back at his waist.

Xie Zhefeng asked, "Do you have no money?"

As he spoke, he casually took out a spirit stone and handed it to the vendor.

The vendor took the stone, his face lighting up with joy. "Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master!"

Xie Zhefeng turned to him and said, "Take it."

An Wuxue did not move.

He lowered his gaze, watching the reflections flickering beneath the lanterns on the ground. The sound of gongs and drums from the parade floats grew closer, the air thick with the noise of the crowd. Only the melodies from the nearby opera stage managed to pierce through the din.

In his past life, the first and only time he had ever asked Xie Zhefeng for something was when he heard there was a sea lotus in the Gui Xu Sea near Langfeng City—it looked like a morning star in the water. He had hoped to place one in the small pond of his cave dwelling and, full of expectation, said to his junior brother: "The sea lotus hides in the sea foam of the Gui Xu Sea. The sea is vast and freezing; my spiritual sense cannot unfold, and I cannot distinguish the lotus from the foam. Junior brother, could you help me find one?"

Xie Zhefeng had replied, "When I am free."

He had taken those perfunctory words to heart, waiting day after day, until Xie Zhefeng was finally ordered to the Gui Xu Sea to slay demons. Upon his return, An Wuxue asked, "Junior brother, where is my sea lotus?"

Xie Zhefeng paused, confused. "What?"

He had forgotten.

After that, An Wuxue never mentioned it again.

So, Xie Zhefeng *could* notice the preferences of others and be a thoughtful person who gifted lanterns.

What a pity. He had gifted it to the wrong person.

Relying on the fact that Xie Zhefeng did not know he had already recognized his true identity, An Wuxue spoke his mind: "Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Xie, but I do not want your things."

The Sword Venerable of Cold Abyss had ruled the two realms for over a millennium; he hadn't heard a refusal from anyone in who knows how long—and all because of a little rabbit lantern.

Xie Zhefeng was stunned.

Yun Zhou let out an "Ouch" and hurriedly smoothed things over. "Don't take it to heart, Fellow Daoist Xie. He’s just like this, always trying to annoy people on purpose. I have to be provoked by Su Xue three times a day."

Xie Zhefeng didn't say anything, merely stating, "Find an inn. There are clues regarding the destruction of the Cloud Sword Sect in Zhaoshui City. We will stay here tonight."

Having already paid for the lantern, he simply took a lotus lantern from the rack, carried it, and turned to walk around the crowd.

Amidst the bustling prosperity, the man's retreating figure looked extraordinarily lonely.

Yun Zhou muttered, "Fellow Daoist Xie looks just as cold as the Immortal Venerable, but his temper is actually quite good."

An Wuxue: "..."

It wasn't that Xie Zhefeng had a good temper; it was that he was different toward Su Xue.

An Wuxue still didn't know why Xie Zhefeng had changed so drastically after ascending to immortality, going so far as to keep a cultivation vessel by his side. Yet, toward the person in his bed—even a vessel who wasn't even very good at being a vessel—he seemed to show exceptional tolerance.

However, An Wuxue couldn't detect any intention of dual cultivation from Xie Zhefeng toward Su Xue.

Could it be that he was just keeping him around as a decoration?

Perhaps Su Xue really was that beautiful.

Just by walking through Zhaoshui City for this short while, he had felt many gazes cast upon him, both overt and covert.

He shook his head.

The little rabbit lantern he had put back was suddenly held out in front of him.

He blinked and followed the string to see that the handle was being held by Yun Zhou.

Yun Zhou gave a smug "hump" and shook the rabbit lantern gently. "I’ve already paid for it. Do you want it or not?"

An Wuxue chuckled, took it, and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

His smile faltered. "Yun Zhou..."

"Yeah?"

"Your eyes are red."

Yun Zhou raised a hand to wipe his eyes. "It’s nothing. I just remembered that when I was at the sect, the junior brothers and sisters were still young. Sometimes they’d complain that practicing sword was hard and would clamor to come to Zhaoshui City to play. My senior brother was a total bore and wouldn't know how to look after children, so I was the one who always brought them."

An Wuxue followed his lead and asked, "Did they like lanterns too?"

"The first time I brought them, I was brainless. I didn't bring mortal silver, only spirit stones. After I spent so many, the Master scolded me and punished me by sweeping the sect’s steps for a month. Those little brats even laughed at me, and only my senior brother kept me company while I swept."

"I used to complain that the Master’s punishment was too harsh, and that the juniors were too noisy..."

"Yun Yao is still here, isn't he?"

Yun Zhou paused.

"Yes, I still have my senior brother."

An Wuxue glanced at Yun Yao, who had been standing silently to the side. After a moment of thought, he said, "Yun Zhou."

"Hmm?"

"Back in the Cloud Sword Sect, you and your senior brother must have been very close, right?"

"That goes without saying."

"The road is long and winding; do not go astray. If you take the wrong path, Yun Yao will laugh at you."

Having said this, he walked ahead in the direction Xie Zhefeng had taken.

Yun Zhou immediately exclaimed, "Tch! Do you think I'm like you, with no cultivation at all? We cultivators have spiritual sense; we won't get lost."

An Wuxue shook his head.

They walked into a rather upscale inn one after another.

Xie Zhefeng tossed out a bag of spirit stones and requested four rooms.

The innkeeper, like the vendor before him, beamed with joy and ordered someone to lead them to the best suites.

Before An Wuxue could step onto the stairs, a few people who clearly looked like cultivators walked in.

The cultivators were conversing.

"...Why are you only just arriving? We've been waiting for you in Zhaoshui City for days."

"I was going to pass through the Thorn River, but Sect Master Qi Xun of the Li Huo Sect is acting like a madman. He led most of the sect's experts to seal off the river and has been digging three feet deep, as if looking for something. I had to take a detour, which is why I’m late."

"The Thorn River is barren and full of thorns; no one ever goes there. Could there be some heavenly treasure?"

"Who knows? The Li Huo Sect isn't something loose cultivators like us can afford to provoke."

"..."

Thorn River. The Li Huo Sect. Qi Xun.

These were all names An Wuxue knew by heart from his past life.

His expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even slow his pace as he followed the waiter upstairs.

But Xie Zhefeng stopped.

"..."

"Speaking of which, a thousand years ago, after An Wuxue wiped out the entire Li Huo Sect, wasn't it at the Thorn River that Sect Master Qi and the others finally cornered him? Although An Wuxue ultimately died by the Immortal Venerable's sword, there might still be remnants he left behind. Perhaps the Li Huo Sect is just there to root them out—"

*Clang.*

The cultivator's words were cut short by a gasp.

The long sword at his waist had unsheathed itself, flown into mid-air, and then slammed down!

The blade grazed the man's cheek and pierced the floor, vibrating with a sharp hum.

An Wuxue looked in the direction of the spiritual flow and saw Xie Zhefeng standing on the stairs. He was still holding the lotus lantern in one hand, while the fingers of his other hand were pressed together, casting a spell to lift the spiritual sword and return it to the man's scabbard.

The man's voice was low and heavy. "If you must gossip about Luoyue Peak and the Li Huo Sect, go do it in front of their gates."

The man turned pale, then slowly flushed with humiliation, forced to swallow his anger.

Although a cultivator had to reach the Great Completion stage to bond with a life-bound sword, an ordinary cultivator's spiritual sword was not something anyone could manipulate so easily.

Xie Zhefeng was wearing the robes of a Luoyue disciple, yet he could command another person's weapon with a flick of his hand. How could they possibly compare?

The group's faces turned various shades of blue and white, but no one dared to speak.

Not daring to stay at the inn, they exchanged glances and scurried away in embarrassment.

The people in the lobby were startled by the commotion and dared not move for a moment.

Having caused the stir, Xie Zhefeng simply turned to the waiter and said, "Lead the way."

The waiter nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, this way, Immortal Master."

An Wuxue remained where he was.

Yun Zhou stared, dumbfounded, having watched the entire scene. He forgot that he had just praised Xie Zhefeng for his good temper and stammered, "Fellow Daoist Xie... has quite a temper..."

An Wuxue was also caught off guard by Xie Zhefeng's outburst.

He hadn't even been angry himself.

"Perhaps he just doesn't want people gossiping about Luoyue Peak behind their backs," he said.

But those people hadn't done anything wrong.

What they said was merely the accepted truth in the eyes of everyone in the two realms.

"Forget it. A Great Completion master like Fellow Daoist Xie must have his own reasons," Yun Zhou said worriedly. "But with the situation at the sect so uncertain, are we really going to stay in Zhaoshui City? Xie Zhefeng said there are clues, but I don't understand how."

An Wuxue toyed with the little rabbit lantern in his hand, casting the earlier incident out of his mind. "Do you remember how your Sect Master replied to those who came to visit?"

Yun Yao finally spoke up: "Honored guests, please wait a moment; we shall be with you shortly."

Yun Zhou nodded repeatedly.

"That doesn't sound like something a murderer would fabricate. If they were the ones who destroyed the sect, they would have simply said, 'We are closed to visitors, please return later.' That phrase was what your Sect Master said on the day of the destruction. The killer only used the events of that day to weave an illusion to maintain the facade that the Cloud Sword Sect was still safe and sound."

"You mean..."

"Since it was something that actually happened, it means that someone really did visit the Cloud Sword Sect that day."

Yun Yao continued, "Master Su means that if they were 'honored guests' who could be asked to 'wait a moment,' the visitors likely came from the nearby Zhaoshui City. That’s why they left when they couldn't get an answer, thinking they would just come back another time?"