The two walked one after the other, weaving through several courtyards towards the depths of the small garden.
On the way, the girl in the purple dress, Xu Yuanshuang, spoke softly:
“My mother wants to ask about him!”
Ji Xuan smiled. “As expected. Over the years, the clan have spoken harshly to Aunt, always saying unpleasant things. But I think what Aunt did back then was perfectly natural, what mother doesn’t care for her own child?”
Xu Yuanshuang glanced at him. “Seventh Brother, are you implying my father was worse than an animal?”
Ji Xuan’s smile didn’t change. “The National Teacher merely made a choice, that’s all. What is your own attitude towards that person, Yuanshuang?”
Xu Yuanshuang sighed. “Father and Uncle want him dead, there’s nothing I can do about that. But to me, he is, after all, my elder brother by blood. All I can do is try not to pay attention to him, as if he doesn’t exist.”
Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes. “But I heard from Yuanhuai that you often seek out news about him.”
“…”
Xu Yuanshuang’s delicate face flushed slightly.
Their conversation ended and they walked on in silence for a while.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A sound like howling wind could be heard. As they turned into a large courtyard, they saw a young man practising with a spear, a nine-foot-long weapon wielded with great vigour.
The spear’s shaft was jet black, its tip a golden dragon’s head, mouth agape, with the spearpoint protruding from between its fangs.
He looked stern, sweeping the spear with force, whipping up gusts and swirling dust in the courtyard.
“Yuanhuai.”
Ji Xuan greeted him with a smile.
The youth practising with the spear paused, glanced sideways, and a slight smile appeared on his stern face. “Sister, Seventh Brother.”
“Your spear skills have improved again, Yuanhuai. Have you comprehended spear intent?” Ji Xuan asked with a smile.
“Not quite.”
Xu Yuanhuai nodded. “Within half a year, I’ll reach Rank Four.”
His expression was cold, his tone calm, as if advancing to Rank Four was a trivial matter.
Ji Xuan sighed, “Yuanhuai’s talent is truly frightening.”
Xu Yuanhuai, seventeen years old, possessed terrifying talent. At fifteen, he reached the Refining Vitality stage; at sixteen, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones; at seventeen, he was already on the verge of comprehending the ‘intent’ of Rank Four.
Of course, this was also thanks to plentiful resources. The Xu siblings’ status in Qianlong City was no lower than Ji Xuan and his siblings.
From childhood, they had the best teachers, never lacked for medicine, and had masters to spar with.
For such prominent young geniuses, Refining Vitality had to wait until the body matured, but Refining Spirit could be cultivated early.
They would start practising visualisation from a young age, tempering their spirit. By the time they crossed the Refining Vitality and Refining Qi stages, entering Refining Spirit would come naturally, and with top-tier pills to temper the body, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones was no challenge.
Yet after Rank Six, advancing to Rank Five Transforming Force, Xu Yuanhuai still only took a year, showing just how exceptional his talent was.
Although Xu Yuanhuai was only Rank Five Transforming Force, the River Dragon Lance in his hand was a top-tier magical weapon. The shaft was made from the spine of a Rank Four river dragon, the tip forged from its sharpest tooth.
Moreover, the lance sealed the soul of the Rank Four river dragon.
With this weapon and other artefacts, even ordinary Rank Fours were no match for him.
Compared to that eldest son who was treated as a vessel, Xu Pingfeng actually treated his second son rather well.
“Why are you here, Seventh Brother?”
Xu Yuanhuai asked.
Ji Xuan replied, “Aunt has business with me.”
Xu Yuanhuai glanced at his sister, then planted his long spear upright and nodded:
“Mother is in the inner hall, I’ll take you to there.”
Ji Xuan shook his head with a smile. This cousin of his seemed quite interested in the eldest brother he’d never met.
The three cousins passed through the courtyard and entered the inner hall, where a noble and beautiful lady sat on a high chair. She had an elegant oval face, snow-white skin, cherry lips, and exceptionally fine features.
She was no longer young, but the years had left no mark on her beauty. Instead, her temperament had deepened, giving her a mature charm no young girl could match.
A faint sadness lay between her brows, like lilac flowers heavy with sorrow.
“Aunt!”
Ji Xuan greeted her with a bright, friendly smile.
“Mum!”
The Xu siblings called out together.
The beautiful lady held a teacup, her jade-like fingers tapping the lid gently against the rim, her voice rich and soft:
“He’s returned?”
As she spoke, her eyes fixed intently on Ji Xuan, her fingers tightening slightly on the tea lid.
“The National Teacher has returned; he and Father summoned me just now.”
Ji Xuan smiled, eyes squinting, always giving the impression of warmth and ease.
The lady held her breath for a moment and asked slowly, “Did it succeed?”
Xu Yuanhuai and Xu Yuanshuang immediately looked over, waiting for the answer.
Ji Xuan pondered. “Aunt wishes to know whether the fortune within Xu Qi’an has been extracted?”
The lady’s breathing grew laboured at once.
Ji Xuan shook his head and sighed. “The National Teacher failed.”
Whew… The lady’s chest rose and fell, as if a weight had been lifted from her.
Xu Yuanshuang’s expression was complicated.
Xu Yuanhuai’s face was as cold as ever, unchanged.
The lady could not hide her smile. Her decision all those years ago had been correct. In all Jiuzhou, if anyone could protect her eldest son, it was none other than the Jianzheng.
Family legacy and her husband’s ambitions were nothing to her compared to the child she had carried for nine months.
Even though it meant being kept under house arrest, even though after giving birth to a son and daughter, she had been neglected for over a decade.
The clan had always said that child was mediocre, useless, a complete good-for-nothing compared to his younger siblings, a waste fit only to be used as a vessel for fortune.
And that her motherly softness had spoiled important plans.
She had always scoffed at this. Why should the family legacy be worth sacrificing her child for?
The word “waste” had been used by the clan for years to mock her and stab at her. After the official evaluation year, that talk gradually faded away. Now, no one dared say her son was a waste.
If her child was a waste, who else in the world could be considered gifted?
Ji Xuan added, “Not only did he fail, he was seriously injured and might have to go into seclusion for a while to recover.”
“The Jianzheng really is powerful. For Father to try to plot against him was simply too much,” Xu Yuanshuang said with a pleasant voice, shaking her head slightly.
Xu Yuanhuai commented coolly, “A first-rank arcanist is naturally not easy to deal with. Father should use scheming as a supplement and open, straightforward tactics as the main strategy, seizing the Great Feng’s lands fair and square is the only way to truly replace them.”
Ji Xuan considered, “Judging by the National Teacher’s words, it wasn’t the Jianzheng who injured him, but rather a backlash from fortune.”
“Backlash from fortune? How is Xu Qi’an now? Explain clearly…” the beautiful lady asked, her brows tightly knitted, pressing for answers.
Seeing Aunt and his cousins all looking at him, Ji Xuan shrugged. “In any case, Father and the National Teacher didn’t say this was a secret… Well, the National Teacher’s failure seems to be because Xu Qi’an had already guessed his identity and the truth about fortune behind the scenes, so he made preparations in advance.
“As for the backlash, the National Teacher didn’t explain in detail, but it was clearly related to Xu Qi’an.”
He’d already figured out his identity… The beautiful lady felt both delight and sorrow: delight that her eldest son was so capable that even a second-rank arcanist could no longer easily control his fate, making her proud; sorrow at how such a truth would weigh on him.
Xu Yuanshuang’s eyes widened slightly, her beautiful gaze unable to hide her shock. As someone on the arcanist path, she was keenly aware of her father’s power and terror.
That elder brother, far away in the capital, had managed to destroy twenty years of her father’s schemes and even gravely injure him in the process, what astonishing talent.
Xu Yuanhuai remained expressionless.
The beautiful lady took a breath and asked again, “Did he mention Xu Qi’an’s current situation?”
Ji Xuan nodded, “He did. Xu Qi’an was sealed by the Buddhist sect’s Sealing Demon Nails, his cultivation utterly crippled. To unseal them is nearly impossible, there’s little hope.”
The beautiful lady let out a soft “Ah,” her eyes reddening with worry and heartache.
Xu Yuanhuai frowned.
Crippled… Xu Yuanshuang’s expression turned regretful. She looked at Ji Xuan. “Seventh Brother, Father and Uncle didn’t just call you for this, did they?”
Ji Xuan looked at his cousin with a smile, replying calmly, “In a few days, I’ll be leaving to travel and help Father and Uncle with their plans.”
“What plans?” Xu Yuanshuang asked.
“To gather the scattered dragon ley spirits, strengthen our fortune, and lay the foundation for replacing the Great Feng imperial clan.”
Xu Yuanhuai’s eyes lit up. “Seventh Brother, I’ll go with you.”
Xu Yuanshuang frowned.
A slow smile spread across Ji Xuan’s face. “Alright, but you’ll need to inform Father and the National Teacher first.”
…
Yongzhou City.
A young man in azure clothing led a horse along the official road.
On the horse’s back sat a plain-looking woman, who bounced along with the horse’s gait, now and then standing in the stirrups to ease the soreness in her bottom.
In this era, long journeys were exhausting for ordinary people; those in poor health might even die on the road.
Fortunately, the pair had taken things slow, travelling by boat and horseback, sometimes spending a night or two at inns to rest and recover.
This plain couple blended into the common crowd, entirely inconspicuous, less eye-catching even than the spirited little mare the woman rode.
At least, the horse was tall, sturdy, and beautifully proportioned, clearly a top-quality animal.
“I’ve been to Yongzhou City once before, to save a friend. I’ll tell you a secret: in the mountains a few dozen miles south of the city is an ancient underground palace, where a several-thousand-year-old corpse lies sleeping. Extremely sinister.”
Mu Nanzhi looked frightened. “You’re lying.”
Xu Qi’an waggled his eyebrows. “Why would I lie? Remember to lock your doors and windows at night, and don’t open up if someone knocks.”
Mu Nanzhi eyed him suspiciously. “The person knocking would be you, wouldn’t it?”
“Nonsense.”
Xu Qi’an said earnestly, “We’ve travelled for days, have I ever knocked on your door?”
“That’s true!”
Mu Nanzhi once again stood in the stirrups, draped over the mare to relieve her aching backside.
The pair entered the city, where crowds filled the streets, banners fluttered, and everything was bustling.
Xu Qi’an asked the locals for directions to the best inn in Yongzhou. Once he got the answer, he led the horse that way.
A smile played on Mu Nanzhi’s lips.
This wretched man had kept his word, he really was taking her to the best inn, to eat the best food. Now that they were in Yongzhou, she planned to visit the perfume and cosmetics shops.
Passing a pharmacy, Xu Qi’an tied the mare outside and said, “Wait here, I need to buy something.”
Mu Nanzhi couldn’t be bothered to dismount, only giving a reserved “Mm.”
Xu Qi’an entered the shop and approached the counter. “Shopkeeper, two pounds of arsenic.”
“T-two pounds?”
The blue-robed shopkeeper eyed this suspicious customer.
Xu Qi’an placed two silver pieces on the table.
Immediately, the shopkeeper thought this customer seemed rather impressive and charming, and smiled. “Please wait a moment, sir.”
He sent a clerk to weigh out two pounds of arsenic.
The clerk quickly brought the arsenic and weights, measured it out in front of Xu Qi’an, packed it up, and said, “Here you are, sir.”
Xu Qi’an took the package, opened it again, removed his waterskin, and tipped some arsenic into it. He shook it lightly, then, right there in front of the shopkeeper and clerk, gulped down the water.
“As expected of a Yongzhou pharmacy.”
Xu Qi’an gave a thumbs-up. “Proper good stuff this is!”
The shopkeeper collapsed onto the floor in terror, staring at him in horror.
The clerk’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
“Sorry for the bother, bye!”
Xu Qi’an, carrying the remaining arsenic, left happily.
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