Published at 18th of January 2021 03:38:03 PM
Chapter 33
C33 . New Year
There were few things that could contain clambeast breath . The clambeast pearl would consume spiritual energy and true essence indiscriminately; it could only be controlled by True Waters of the Four Seas and True Samadhi Fires .
The Stone-borne Flame, which had been sealed in Chen He’s dantian, struggled to become active again after its owner swallowed the clambeast pearl . It put out wisps of flame to snatch it, then hugged the clambeast pearl contentedly as it sank back to the dantian, rolling around a few times . After it got tired of playing, it gave a random kick and continued to stay in its place without moving, but its newest toy, the clambeast pearl, was firmly labelled as ‘property of the Stone-borne Flame’ .
Surrounded by the flames, the clambeast pearl became docile, allowing Chen He to guide it into his upper dantian .
Humans had three dantians, and the one most often referred to as such was in the abdomen, officially the lower dantian . The one between the brows was the upper dantian .
The Golden Core was formed in the lower dantian, the Nascent Soul was formed in the chest, and at the Demigod stage, one’s primordial spirit would reside in the upper dantian . The Stone-borne Flame vaguely sensed that its ‘toy’ had been moved away, but since it was moved to a future ‘residence’, it did not mind .
Chen He used his spiritual energy to rein in the Stone-borne Flame . Since the clambeast breath feared the Stone-borne Flame, it floated in place just as Shi Feng had predicted . However, Chen He’s head felt like it was swelling up, as if he had fallen into a lake .
A series of disorganised scenes rose to the surface .
Before he had time to look at those images, they were claimed by the flames, completely burning away .
The greedy Stone-borne Flame slowly burned the surface of the clambeast pearl, leaving it spotless . Only then did the flames return to their proper place .
Thus Chen He fell asleep for seven days straight .
He was awoken by the sound of firecrackers . A new year had begun, and every household opened their door and lit firecrackers, filling the air with a faint smell of gunpowder .
Chen He sat up in bed with a start .
He remembered how Shi Feng had returned from the cultivators’ market and brought back a clambeast pearl for him .
Chen He touched between his brows, spacing out for a moment . This memory had begun from the moment Shi Feng brought out the pearl . He could even see his own expression, full of curiosity and confusion, and he could see Shi Feng’s expression as the latter stood behind him, frowning and deep in thought, as if he had resolved to do something .
He started to get a bad feeling, his heart filling with fear .
After reading the memories in the jade orbs and the paper on the table, Chen He rushed out of the room without even putting his shoes on, stepping on the snow-covered walkways as he dashed towards the room on the opposite end of the courtyard .
“Senior Brother!”
The door to his room was open . No one was inside .
The furnishings were all a ruse . There was no sign that the bed had been slept in, and the teapot and cups were new and unused . Once the resident of this room was not inside, it seemed unfamiliar and hollow .
Chen He stood at the door, rooted to the spot .
At once, he felt as if the cold winds of Yuzhou’s winter felt as icy as the waters of Black Depths Lake .
Was it because he mentioned the problem with Senior Brother’s techniques? Or had Senior Brother left after finding him a cure for his confoundment, thinking he could live on his own?
Chen He’s mind was swaying, his vision blurred by dizziness . He clenched his fists, trying to calm himself .
—no matter how wide the cultivation world was, he could find anyone as long as he was capable enough!
CREAAAK
The doors to the courtyard were pushed open . A dummy with the appearance of a maid entered, carrying a tray with two bowls on it .
Chen He darkened gaze lit up once more . He hurried up to the dummy, asking urgently, “Where’s your master?”
The dummy raised its head stiffly, pointing beyond the doors .
Before Chen He could go outside to look, Shi Feng stepped in with another person .
Unable to stop his trembling, Chen He cursed his own uselessness, yet was overjoyed at the same time: Senior Brother had not left him without any goodbyes!
“Hoh, what’s with this look!”
A voice cried out dramatically, and even sighed, “Hey, Shi Feng, my boy, you didn’t give the little one any food before going out? Look at how his eyes are glued to you, can’t pull them off even if you tried . ”
Angered and mortified, Chen He finally tore his gaze away, trying to see who had come to his and Senior Brother’s house to make trouble on New Year’s Eve .
The person wore an old black robe and had two long white brows that wiggled about in a rather funny way .
“Elder Long-Brows?” Chen He was so shocked, he nearly tiptoed to see if there was a long chain of those old men from Black Depths Valley following after Shi Feng .
Luckily, there was only firecracker smoke from the surrounding households behind . There was not a single person in sight .
Elder Long-Brows stroked his beard, looking around him at the mansion . He asked, “Shi Feng, are you planning to stay here with Chen He for a long time?”
Shi Feng nodded, dismissing the dummy .
He walked up to Chen He, whose expression was clearly off . To hide his abnormal state, Chen He quickly spoke up, “Senior Brother, I can remember what happened before I went to sleep . That clambeast pearl really works!”
Elder Long-Brows tipped to one side, almost losing his balance . He cried out in disbelief, “The clambeast pearl? Are the rumours true? Someone broke into Grandmaster Huanjian’s mansion in the middle of the night, the intruder wore red and seemed like the Blood Demon…”
The more Elder Long-Brows said, the more conflicted Chen He’s gaze became .
This sugar ball had not been purchased from the market?
He had Grandmaster Huanjian recorded in his little book of grudges . This was a grandmaster of the demonic Dao who had driven Qiankun Abbey out of the central lands three centuries ago, with many subordinates working as government officials . The provincial lieutenant of Yuzhou was one of them .
Had it been that Grandmaster Huanjian got the sugar ball at the market, and Senior Brother was a step too late? Then he went to the former’s residence to look for it, and they had a disagreement, which caused them to fight?
—something sounded off about this!
“Are you insane? Grandmaster Huanjian came from the Marine Cities of Illusion, and the Valley Master said Grandmaster Huanjian practiced his swordsmanship in the South Seas’ clambeast fog for four centuries; his techniques can invoke inner demons . Even if your spirit is broken and you don’t fear death, you still have your junior brother to look after!” As Elder Long-Brows spoke fervently, he suddenly heard a foreign voice speak .
“I do not have inner demons . ”
“…”
Chen He had waited a long time to see this . Elder Long-Brows’ mouth fell open, his eyes going wide as the duster in his hand fell, and finally the rest of him crashed to the floor as well .
“Daozhang, the snow on the floor is cold, I’ll have the dummies sweep it up . You don’t have to roll about yourself . ” Chen He grinned, bending down .
“No, no—” Elder Long-Brows gripped his duster, crying out, “Shi Feng, my boy, why are you talking?”
Shi Feng pulled Chen He aside and made him sit down by the stone table . He took the lids off the bowls that the dummy had placed on the table, and steam rose from each bowl . Dumplings made with thin wrappers floated in the rich broth, garnished with chopped spring onions and bits of yellow pickled radish .
The hour of the rat had passed . It was now time to eat dumplings for the new year .
Chen He instinctively felt like rubbing his belly, but he resisted the motion .
“Senior Brother, I’ve stopped consuming mortal food…”
“I know . ” Shi Feng felt a little wistful about it .
He originally planned to let Chen He begin his abstention from mortal food at the age of twenty, followed by preparations to form the Golden Core . However, he had not expected to run into refugees on their way to Yuzhou three months ago .
Even grass roots and tree bark had been stripped away for food . Chen He had been shaken by those chilling sights .
After that, Chen He began to abstain from food even after entering Yuzhou City and becoming able to obtain food . Cultivators were nourished by the Qi of the universe, and they would not die even without eating or drinking . During Yuzhou’s famine, there was no shortage of food within the city, but the prices of food had soared .
Indeed, Chen He had saved Shi Feng quite a lot of money during the past three months .
“It is the first day of the new year, so it is fine to eat some . Senior Brother shall eat with you . ”
“Wait, where’s my share?” Elder Long-Brows could tell from the aroma that these were vegetarian dumplings of excellent quality . He quickly picked himself up .
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“How could an uninvited guest have a share?”
After Shi Feng spoke, he took a pair of chopsticks from the tray and put them in his junior brother’s hand .
“You- This old man rushed all the way from Sky-High Cliff in the south and searched all over, and then I heard a shocking rumour that almost scared the life out of me, so I quickly sent a message to the Valley Master, but I couldn’t find you anywhere, and if I hadn’t heard two days ago that the Baigu…”
Elder Long-Brows’ voice died abruptly . He opened his mouth, but no sound came out . He glared furiously at the culprit—acting while this old man is defenceless, what’s so great about having unique techniques?!
Chen He did not seem to notice as he ate his dumplings .
Elder Long-Brows guessed that Shi Feng did not want to expose his recent deeds and was particularly unwilling to let Chen He know . So he closed his mouth, waving impatiently to show that he understood .
Shi Feng quietly looked on as Chen He munched on his dumplings . He shook his head—this Long-Brows, the few words he had leaked were already enough to arouse his junior brother’s suspicion .
“Why did you leave the valley?”
Elder Long-Brows broke the spell on his own, replying angrily, “More than three months ago, the prayer beads you left behind in Black Depths Valley suddenly shattered . Master Lingguo was so worried that he kept chanting scriptures . If not for the fact that we’ve known each other for these few years, I wouldn’t have made the journey . ”
Shi Feng’s hand paused .
Long-Brows sounded unhappy, but he knew that the others in Black Depths Valley must have mistakenly thought he had died when they saw the prayer beads shatter, which worried them enough for them to send Long-Brows out to search .
“You left the valley without delay and did not return afterwards . ” Shi Feng spoke slowly . It was not a question; he sounded very sure of it .
“That’s right!” The old man was so angry, his eyebrows had gone crooked .
Of course, if anyone went out to search for three months only to find that Shi Feng was living peacefully with his junior brother in some mortal residence, prepared dumplings for the two of them and left none for him, he would be just as agitated!
“Daozhang hasn’t received any message from Black Depths Valley even after coming out for so long?”
“How could I have minded—” Elder Long-Brows paused, coming to a realisation .
He had been in such a hurry, and everyone else had been frantic when he left . Perhaps they might have put their heads together to think after they left, coming to the realisation that the prayer beads might not necessarily have broken due to the death of the owner who was refining them . Maybe it was just that Shi Feng had broken the Silence Meditation!
Then they would have gone out to find out about recent events . Yunzhou City was peaceful, there was no news about the Stone-borne Flame, and there was no news of the Blood Demon . So they returned to Black Depths Valley and continued living their lives . As for Shi Feng, maybe he had gone sightseeing with his junior brother!
What, Elder Long-Brows was still out there?
Forget about him, he would come back if he could not find them! And if he found them, and discovered that Shi Feng was fine, he would come back on his own, right!
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“Why, you bunch of jerks!” Elder Long-Brows was so irritated, even his gums were prickling .
Shi Feng picked up a dumpling, savouring it without saying a word .
Chen He looked up from his bowl .
“What kind of shocking rumour did Daozhang hear on the way?”
Elder Long-Brows glanced at Shi Feng . When he received no resistance, he stroked his beard, answering solemnly, “Shi Feng, the news of you barging into Grandmaster Huanjian’s mansion began to spread seven days ago, and everyone was talking about it . The Divine Master of the Great Snowy Mountain even said you two were fighting over the Secret Beixuan Treasure!”
Chen He instinctively reached for his forehead .
No way, was the Secret Beixuan Treasure a clambeast pearl?
“What nonsense . ” Shi Feng looked to the dumplings, his expression unwelcoming .
He did not speak of how the real Secret Beixuan Treasure was in this very house, placed in front of the empty altar with the offerings .
“Of course I guessed that he was lying!” Elder Long-Brows patted his lap .
“But there aren’t many people who are as wise as Daozhang,” Chen He said concernedly, leaving his dumplings aside .
“Haha . ” The old cultivator laughed heartily . Indeed, Shi Feng’s junior brother was a good boy; he had been looking after the kid, after all .
Shi Feng looked at Long-Brows, keeping quiet .
He would not tell Elder Long-Brows about his junior brother’s book of grudges .
—the cultivation world had long since lost the tradition of going by reason rather than relationships[1] . Of course, he had to side with the one he was related to .
“But some of Grandmaster Huanjian’s subordinates seem to be backing Liang Qianshan’s words . ” Elder Long-Brows shook his head . “This matter will blow up soon, and it’ll be quite the problem then!”
“I will handle this . ” Shi Feng did not even look up . “Elder Long-Brows, I shall trouble you with the task of concealing your tracks and staying here to look after Chen He . ”
“Eh?”
“If I am constantly away from this place, I will be worried . ” Shi Feng wiped Chen He’s face after the latter finished his dumplings .
When Chen He first heard that Shi Feng would be leaving, he froze . Even after he heard that it would only be a constant absence, he was still rather unhappy .
“Constantly away?” Elder Long-Brows asked, terrified . “What on earth are you going to do?”
“Did the Juhe Sect not accuse me of succumbing to the demonic Dao? Since the whole world has believed it, what is there stopping me from toying with the demonic cultivators and taking power away from others? Why not see for myself what it is like to be a demonic grandmaster?” Shi Feng gave an icy laugh . “I will not obey the will of the heavens; what can the divine order do about me!”