Chapter 14

The next morning, Helan Xi was still in a deep sleep when he felt something lightly tapping against his face repeatedly.

He opened his eyes, sat up with a yawn, rubbed his eyes with one hand, and used a spell to ignite the sound transmission talisman: “Mother, what time is it that you’re looking for me? Even Snow Snow Belly isn’t awake yet.”

Mrs. He: “Hey, you’re blaming me now? Didn’t you say, ‘Hurry, it’s urgent, extremely urgent,’ and asked me to notify you immediately if I heard any news?”

Helan Xi immediately lost all sleepiness: “Has there been any progress with Song Xuanji?”

Mrs. He: “Yes. I have a friend whose daughter is a close confidante of the third young lady from the Su family in Suzhou. I had her inquire about some things regarding Song Xuanji.”

Helan Xi unconsciously tightened the blanket around his waist: “And then?”

Mrs. He: “Song Xuanji has been unusually quiet since he was young, hardly speaking, and he treats his words as precious. Even his cousin, the third young lady, has never had many conversations with him.”

Helan Xi froze for a moment, slowly loosening his grip on the blanket, his tone tinged with disappointment: “Oh… is that so?”

Thinking about it, on that day, Changsun Ce had used fake chili water on the three of them. He and Zhu Ruoshuang had revealed some of their true nature as a result. While Song Xuanji spoke a little more, it wasn’t by much—he even spoke more when he was lost in his dreams.

It seemed that Song Xuanji was indeed a person who spoke little and preferred silence. If Helan Xi interacted with him in his usual way, it might only disturb him.

Well, if he speaks little, so be it—Helan Xi had long since gotten used to Song Xuanji’s quiet nature.

He resigned himself to the situation and told his mother, “Alright, I understand. I have to go to class soon, so I’ll be going.”

Mrs. He: “Wait. The third young lady from the Su family also mentioned that the Song family is large, with several dozen people in this generation alone. When there are so many people of the same generation, there are naturally many disputes. Especially with Song Xuanji, since he is exceptionally talented and handsome, he often finds himself the target of many. But what’s strange is that, when it comes to verbal battles, Song Xuanji has never once been defeated.”

Helan Xi thought he might have misunderstood his mother’s point and repeated, “Wait, are you saying that although Song Xuanji speaks little, he’s really good at verbal sparring and has never lost?”

Mrs. He seemed equally puzzled by this conclusion: “Yes, that’s exactly what the third young lady from the Su family said. She also mentioned that even though Song Xuanji doesn’t talk much, he always manages to ‘strike with one blow,’ quickly pushing the other party into a fit of rage to the point where they end up physically attacking him. But, as you know, who in the Song family could be a match for Song Xuanji?”

Helan Xi was stunned, following his mother in confusion: “Is there really such a strange thing?”

Isn’t practicing verbal sparring necessary? Generally, those who are good at arguing are sharp-tongued. Song Xuanji doesn’t like to talk but can win arguments with all his siblings. How is that different from someone who can’t walk but runs fast?

Madam Helan: “I don’t know about that. Why don’t you ask Song Xuanji yourself?”

Helan Xi said nothing, frowning and thinking deeply.

His mother’s information was always reliable, so it shouldn’t be wrong. And suddenly hearing his mother say this, he indeed discovered a clue that he had overlooked all this time.

Song Xuanji didn’t talk much, but in the few verbal sparring exchanges between them, Helan Xi realized… he never seemed to have won?

Madam Helan: “Xi’er? Xi’er, did you hear me?”

Helan Xi was lost in thought and was pulled back to reality after his mother called him several times. He said, “I heard, I heard, both ears heard. Mother, I’m going to class now. I’ll talk to you later.”

Time was pressing, and Helan Xi quickly changed into the uniform of the Emotionless Dao Academy, packed his things, and left the house. He planned to meet Zhu Ruo Shang to go to class together. To his surprise, Zhu Ruo Shang was already waiting outside his Immortal Residence.

Zhu Ruo Shang smiled slightly: “Shiyu, shall we go to class together?”

Helan Xi smiled brightly, his lips curving up: “Sure, sure! Let’s go to class together!”

Before leaving the Immortal Residence, Helan Xi couldn’t help but glance in the direction of Song Xuanji’s Immortal Residence. He saw that the door and windows were tightly shut, clearly indicating that the owner had already left.

The disciples of Taihua Sect usually attend class and cultivation at the “Lost Ferry” located on the main peak of Taihua Sect.

The “Lost Ferry” is like a traditional academy, ancient and elegant, with clear windows and bright tables. Helan Xi’s seat was by the window. In the past, every time he attended the “Nine Provinces History” class, he would lazily watch the shadows on the desk shift little by little, waiting for them to reach Song Xuanji’s shoulder, which was usually when class ended.

In the past year, Helan Xi, Song Xuanji, and Zhu Ruo Shang had all been in the same lecture hall. Except for the three of them, there were no other disciples from different Dao Academies.

Helan Xi thought this year’s classes would be the same as last year, but as soon as he stepped into the lecture hall, his eyes were overwhelmed by a sea of red.

His first reaction was that he had taken a wrong turn and ended up deep in the Flower Garden. After taking a closer look, he realized that these “flowers” were actually many disciples of the Hehuan Dao Academy!

The disciples of Hehuan Dao Academy were all dressed in red, and their appearances were above average. They could be roughly divided into two types: one group carefully dressed in extravagant, eye-catching styles, like the Crimson Moon True Monarch; the other group wore simpler, more common attire, with little adornment, yet still striking and handsome.

There were about ten of them, gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing. Helan Xi swore he heard one of them ask another, “Did my darling sleep well last night?” — the disciples of Hehuan Dao actually called each other “darling”? This was a new sight for him.

Helan Xi looked at Zhu Ruo Shang with his eyes: What’s going on?

Zhu Ruo Shang quietly said: “Crimson Moon True Monarch?”

Zhu Ruo Shang’s guess was not without reason. Now, Crimson Moon True Monarch was managing the affairs of the Emotionless Dao in place of Jiè’ē True Monarch, who also served as the head of the Academy. Therefore, it made sense that their classes were arranged by Crimson Moon True Monarch.

Arranging for the disciples of Hehuan Dao and Emotionless Dao to have class together seemed like something Crimson Moon True Monarch would do.

Although Helan Xi felt dazzled by the sight, after looking for a while, he realized these people all seemed the same, and he couldn’t tell who was who. At that moment, a voice sounded behind him: “Why are you standing here?”

Helan Xi turned around.

The morning light shone, the leaves swayed gently, and Song Xuanji stood in the sparse shadows, wearing a white robe. His delicate and indifferent brows seemed to glow, and the brilliant and luxurious hairpins on both sides of his face paled in comparison.

Perhaps due to some personal bias, Helan Xi couldn’t help but think that Song Xuanji appeared even more stunning in the company of the Hehuan Dao beauties, with no comparison between the two.

When the disciples of Hehuan Dao saw the three disciples of Emotionless Dao gather, they stopped talking and stared at them without hiding their gazes.

An unfamiliar face spoke up: “Helan Shiyu, Song Xuanji, Zhu Ruo Shang.” That person named all three of them, eyeing them for a long time as if trying to find something to ridicule about their appearances but failing to do so. He coldly sneered: “I heard our headmaster gave you a few bottles of ‘Peiyuan Pills’?”

Zhang Wuyan, a disciple of Hehuan Dao who had been pestering Helan Xi for days last year.

At first, Helan Xi adhered to the sect rules and ignored Zhang Wuyan’s “dual cultivation invitations.” But after a few days, he couldn’t take it anymore and was planning something drastic to make Zhang Wuyan give up. However, for some unknown reason, Zhang Wuyan suddenly stopped pestering him and even avoided him when they happened to meet at the Lost Ferry.

Now, facing Zhang Wuyan’s somewhat questioning tone, the three of them tacitly chose not to respond.

Zhang Wuyan, anticipating that the disciples of Emotionless Dao wouldn’t easily speak, continued: “Peiyuan Pills are worth a fortune, but for the Helan family of Jinling and the Song family of Guso, they should be nothing but trivial items. Why don’t you hand over the Peiyuan Pills and give them to the friends who really need them? What do you think, two young gentlemen?”

Helan Xi couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke up: “‘Friends who really need them’?”

“What’s wrong, unwilling?” Zhang Wuyan didn’t continue pestering Helan Xi but inexplicably turned his attention to Song Xuanji: “Song Daoist, your golden hairpins are expensive, right?”

Helan Xi kept a neutral expression, contemplating how to respond with the simplest words. Before he could speak, Song Xuanji beat him to it.

“Not expensive,” Song Xuanji said indifferently, “Enough to buy your life.”