Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 111: Wooden Fish

After settling matters with Sun Huaijin, Yin Ci walked back to his room through the corridor pavilion. The moonlight was elegant, and the night breeze was mild. On a nearby roof, two figures could be glimpsed, along with a swaying big goose. Yin Ci paused to watch for a moment before heading toward Shi Jingzhi’s room.

Now that everything was out in the open, he didn’t feel the need to put on a facade for Sun Huaijin. Even though the Sun Mansion always kept the lights on in the dark, Yin Ci was no longer accustomed to spending the long nights alone.

However, his attempt to find Shi Jingzhi proved futile—Shi Jingzhi’s room was dark and empty, and even his pillow and luggage were missing. With Sect Master Shi’s audacity, it wasn’t surprising to think they’d ended up in the same place again.

Pretending like nothing happened, Yin Ci took a detour and returned to his own room. As expected, Shi Jingzhi was leaning against the bedhead, almost dozing off. The candlewick hadn’t been trimmed for a while, casting a warm glow on Shi Jingzhi’s long hair. Silently, Yin Ci approached him. Without even opening his eyes, Shi Jingzhi snuggled up against him.

“Mm, you’re back,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around Yin Ci’s waist. “What did the old man say?”

“We’ve set a date. I’ll personally propose.” Yin Ci chuckled, patting his back. “Move over and make some room for me.”

Shi Jingzhi suddenly perked up. “Are you serious?”

Yin Ci: “……” The reactions of the old and the young were really two extremes.

“Yes,” Yin Ci said helplessly. “We’ll watch the lanterns first and choose a good day for the wedding. I’ll bring my servants, invite Sun Huaijin, and you can decide how you want it to be, alright?”

“I better make sure to live until then,” Shi Jingzhi said with a mix of jest and melancholy.

Yin Ci’s brows furrowed. “You smell of blood. Did you cough up blood again?”

“It’s the same as before, nothing serious.”

Yin Ci’s expression didn’t look too good. He took Shi Jingzhi’s pulse for a while. The pulse was the same as when they first met—despite Shi Jingzhi’s martial arts getting increasingly refined and his magic learned meticulously, the state of his health had not improved but was deteriorating step by step.

Initially, Yin Ci didn’t take it seriously. But now, he felt as if there were burning coals in his heart, causing a scorching pain. With the Shirou close at hand, it was like a miracle that Shi Jingzhi still decided to investigate the Immortal Assembly.

“The first time I met Sun Huaijin, all I could think about was how to use him. Tonight, he displayed the full demeanor of an elder, and I felt a little happy.”

Seemingly sensing Yin Ci’s concerns, as soon as he settled down, Shi Jingzhi embraced him from behind. Several bursts of vital qi flowed out with Shi Jingzhi’s movements, causing the flickering candlelight in the room to extinguish, leaving only moonlight.

Sect Master Shi spoke in a languid tone, heavy with drowsiness, yet it sounded oddly sincere.

“To be honest, I want to stay here for a few more days.” Shi Jingzhi buried his face in Yin Ci’s long hair. “Having friends who have shared hardships, a blood-related elder, and a loved one by my side… since the day we parted in Juyi Valley, I’ve never felt this content.”

Yin Ci gripped the hand that Shi Jingzhi used to embrace him.

That hand was warm and strong, and the embrace from behind was incredibly comforting. Yin Ci traced Shi Jingzhi’s fingers, slowly opening them and turning around. “You’re easily content.”

Since witnessing his “true body”, the two had truly understood each other, and Yin Ci never teased Shi Jingzhi ruthlessly again. But now, hearing Shi Jingzhi’s coquettish words, a bitter taste welled up in his heart, and he wanted to divert his thoughts.

The moonlight was just right, perfect for intimacy.

But just as he turned to face Shi Jingzhi, Shi Jingzhi seriously asked, “A’Ci, do you remember the ‘Battle of Shafu’?”

Yin Ci, feeling somewhat disrespected, paused with his hand under the blanket, then slowly retracted it. “…What?”

“The Battle of Shafu, the most famous battle during the founding of the country against the western rebels. The Qituo people were also involved, and the battlefront stretched far. It was all thanks to General Sun Wang that the tide was turned.”

Yin Ci wondered why their intimate night talk turned into a history lesson. He calmly replied, “The main branch of the Chigou Sect is in Shafu. I was the Patriarch of the Chigou Sect for so long; if I didn’t know, I should.”

“When was the Battle of Shafu?”

This really felt like a test. Yin Ci found the development of the night increasingly strange. “May… no, June, I think.”

Shi Jingzhi said meaningfully, “Why would your first reaction be ‘May’? Every book records the Battle of Shafu in June. You’re immortal. Did you witness that battle?”

“I must have remembered wrongly. As for the battle, I probably didn’t see it. It was just a slip of the tongue in the middle of the night.” Indeed, whether it was folk tales or written records, the Battle of Shafu took place in June. However, “May” was the answer that slipped out before he realized it.

Living for so long had its drawbacks; everything seemed familiar, and memories blurred between reality and imagination. One thing led to another, and Yin Ci lost all interest in flirting. He lay down flat.

But Sect Master Shi didn’t give up. “During the mid-June Battle of Twin Rivers, Sun Wang led troops in the Twin Rivers. Shafu and Twin Rivers are quite far apart. Did Sun Wang travel back and forth using arrow horses?”

“Maybe there’s an error in the records. There were major and minor battles every day during the founding of the nation. It’s normal for the dates to be inaccurate after 300 years,” Yin Ci calmly said. “I know what you want to investigate. My knowledge of leading troops mostly comes from my time as a Patriarch. Not just leading troops, I also embroider quite well. Shizun, do you want to investigate the embroidery shops during the founding era?”

Shi Jingzhi had never been one to yield to anyone’s domineering aura. He propped himself up, maintaining eye contact with Yin Ci. “It seems you don’t like discussing leading troops into battle.”

“I have looked into it myself, to no avail. Let’s talk about the rest tomorrow. Let’s sleep for now.”

Countless illusions, especially those regarding “leading troops”, ended in inexplicable despair. Once the truth about the Immortal Assembly was uncovered, everything would have an answer. There was no need to rush things.

Suddenly, the face of the fox spirit drew closer. “I just found a book—”

The kid isn’t done yet.

Yin Ci took a deep breath, pushing Shi Jingzhi to the side, then hugged him tightly as if in warning. “Save your trivial matters for our journey to Shafu. You’ve just coughed up a lot of blood, so it’s better you rest…”

As he embraced him, he realized something had changed with Shi Jingzhi’s body, a detail that didn’t escape Yin Ci’s notice.

Yin Ci: “…”

People often say that a moment of romantic intimacy is invaluable. However, in Sect Master Shi’s case, he babbled on about the history of the country. No wonder he kept talking incessantly, probably to mask his nervousness.

Yin Ci couldn’t help but smile and teasingly bit Shi Jingzhi’s ear. “So, Shizun is this nervous? You once mentioned marriage, but now you’re retracting?”

Discussing history was better than biting fingers; this boy had improved significantly.

“The Purifying Words can control desires, but the current situation is even more taxing than my lifelong desires. I’m afraid I can’t control myself, and it won’t be a pretty sight,” Shi Jingzhi earnestly replied.

Yin Ci shook his head, undid Shi Jingzhi’s hairband, and his long hair cascaded down. As the faint scent of medicine filled the air, Yin Ci said, “Why think so much? You can touch me. You’d have to be very skilled if you lost control and hurt me—”

Thump, thump, thump.

Just then, the sound of a cane knocking on the ground could be heard from outside, indicating the anxious pacing of an old man.

…Perhaps it was indeed an agitated old man lingering outside.

Sun Huaijin might not have any ill intentions. Having lived for over a hundred years, he probably couldn’t fathom the audacity of the two. Distressed, he paced back and forth in the corridor.

The sound of the cane tapping on the ground was like the beat of a wooden fish, instantly dissipating the budding romantic thoughts of the two. Their feelings vanished like smoke in a temple, and they didn’t have the audacity to intentionally scare the old man. Even though Yin Ci had no more taboos, he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate to someone younger, especially not in someone else’s home and in front of them. For the second time, he slowly withdrew his hand, his heart as calm as an ancient well. Shi Jingzhi wrapped himself in a blanket, resembling a lifeless silkworm cocoon.

The continuous sound lingered. The two exchanged a dejected look, then decided to dress up and sleep as usual.

On Shen Zhu’s return the next day, the Kushan Sect was ready to set off.

Shen Zhu brought back definitive news. Through some indirect sources, she had secretly examined the remains of the Yan Clan’s servant. The so-called “birth mother” of Yan Budu had never given birth. The local rumors in Qizhou were all verified—Yan Budu might be the royal bloodline that was swapped out.

“It is rumored that someone told the Yan woman who entered the palace that her son was unique and wouldn’t end well if he stayed there. So, she bribed the maids and servants to swap out her living son with a dead infant,” Shen Zhu mused. “But there’s no solid evidence; those involved in the palace at the time covered it up neatly.”

Who knew that this royal blood would spread so rapidly?

A long distance away.

“…Yan Budu is of royal descent.” Someone sighed softly. “With the support of the imperial court, it was no wonder our sect wanted to exterminate them thoroughly, regardless of innocence.”

Shi Zhongyu gripped the Reverse Yang Token in her hand.

On the back of the Reverse Yang Token was a small mechanism. On the outer cover, it was engraved with the words “Know Shame, Then Courage”. Inside the lid, text was inscribed in a minuscule script, so fine that one had to look very closely to read it. Rather than saying it contained the secrets of Taiheng, it was more accurate to say it held the most regretful and guilty secrets of the high-ranking members of Taiheng through generations.

“Miss, your carriage is ready. You’re dressed so lavishly, are you sure you want to ride in our carriage? It’s quite bumpy. Perhaps you’d prefer to rent a more comfortable one upfront?” the driver said.

Dressed more like a merchant’s daughter than a martial warrior, Shi Zhongyu smiled at the coachman. “Your carriage is the fastest to Shafu, right? I’m in a hurry to get home. Thank you for your trouble.”

The coachman hesitated and then said, “Miss, the northwest has been quite unstable lately. It might be best to stay in Yidu for a couple more months. I worry for you traveling alone, especially with the demonic sects about.”

“Don’t worry,” Shi Zhongyu replied.

She climbed into the carriage, gently pulling down the curtain.

The Taiheng Sect’s caravan to Shafu was soon on its way, using the fastest carriages on the smoothest commercial roads. Only such a light and efficient caravan could keep up.

“…In the end, we don’t know if we’ll encounter the ‘demonic sect’ or the ‘righteous path’.”

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The author has something to say:

Sun Huaijin’s revenge (×

Shocking! The master and disciple of the Kushan Sect failed to get in the car*. How could this happen!

*Euphemism for sex.

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