The old servant Zhou Buyi hesitated for a moment before telling the truth. "Two were killed, and one was gravely wounded—his injuries will be difficult to treat. Another was scared out of his wits; we are preparing to have someone examine whether his divine soul was harmed."
The corner of Zhou Qiyun's eye twitched. Slowly opening his eyes, his gaze fell upon the servant, his voice rumbling like the low growl of a tiger. "Killed two? He dared kill people inside my Zhou manor?"
Zhou Buyi bowed his body even lower.
Zhou Qiyun snorted coldly. "Buyi, you have grown too full of your own calculations. When you handled matters at my side in the past, you were diligent and conscientious, never making a single slip. Now that your status has risen, you have inevitably grown lazy and arrogant. You neglected him and looked down upon him, and as a result, our Zhou clan's descendants suffered casualties."
The old servant trembled and lowered his head. "The Ancestor speaks the truth."
Zhou Qiyun continued, "You had the chance to save those few disciples, but you harbored other intentions. Xu Ying offended you, so you indulged him in killing Zhou clan disciples, letting him stir up a catastrophe. That is borrowing a knife to murder—you wanted to engineer an ambiguous death for him. In truth, with your abilities, saving them would not have been difficult at all."
Zhou Buyi dropped to his knees with a thud and knocked his head against the floor.
Zhou Qiyun asked, "You still have children at home, do you not?"
Tears streaming down his aged face, Zhou Buyi wiped them away and said, "I have two sons, neither of them very capable. They were brought to the manor for evaluation, but neither could become a Nuo master. The eldest son's wife is with child, not yet delivered. The younger son has yet to wed, but he forcibly claimed a peasant girl, and that peasant girl bore a boy who is already six years old."
Zhou Qiyun said, "Have him marry the peasant girl and give her a proper status; do not neglect her. Send the boy to the manor. Even if he cannot become a Nuo master, the Zhou clan will not mistreat him. Once you return home, make arrangements for your funeral."
Zhou Buyi kowtowed heavily, choking with sobs. "Thank you, Ancestor, for granting me this fulfillment!"
He raised his head to look up at Zhou Qiyun, wiped away his tears, and asked, "The Ancestor allows me to die in peace, but what punishment will Xu Ying receive?"
Zhou Qiyun closed his eyes, no longer looking at him, and said indifferently, "As long as he is useful, there will be no punishment. If he proves useless, I will sacrifice him to you. Go."
Zhou Buyi rose and departed in silence.
Zhou Qiyun kept his eyes closed to regulate his breath. Before long, however, his breathing grew slightly disordered.
He sighed, opened his eyes, and whispered, "Master of the Mud Pill Palace, I have waited for you for so long. Why have you still not come? Are you hiding in the dark, waiting for my mind to be unsettled? But while I am waiting, could it be that you are not waiting as well?"
Over the next few days, the members of the Zhou clan could always see Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the bronze bell striking one peculiar pose after another atop the palace roof. During these days, the fragrance of flowers grew increasingly rich, and the three of them practiced with even greater diligence.
The onlookers could not help but seethe with fury. "The Old Ancestor captured him to decipher Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture! Yet this brat relies on his talent to act arrogant. Leaving aside the fact that he killed several of our Zhou clan members, he isn't deciphering the scripture at all! Every single day, he invents new ways to sunbathe and sun that big snake on the roof!"
What made them even angrier was that with Xu Ying perched on the palace roof, it felt as though he were sitting right on top of their heads.
Yet during these days, Old Ancestor Zhou Qiyun never once showed himself. Thus, Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the bell grew increasingly brazen, only running down when mealtime came to gorge themselves before disappearing once more.
"Did he come here for a spring outing? The Nai River is right beside us—where is there any spring?"
Someone barked in rage, "Why haven't Eldest Brother and Second Sister returned yet? When they get back, they'll teach this brat a lesson and boost our prestige! This is infuriating!"
Yuan Weiyang, however, knew that Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture had likely been fully deciphered by Xu Ying long ago. Not only the Immortal Scripture, but even the jade slip Daoist scripture that the Zhou clan treasured like a priceless gem had already been deciphered by him.
He could clearly sense the growth in Xu Ying's and Yuan Qi's cultivation. This rate of advancement was terrifyingly fast; even when he cultivated his Yuan clan's ancestral Yuan Dao Heavens Induction, he had never progressed so swiftly!
He felt somewhat conflicted.
Over these past few days, he had deciphered more of Granny Tuo's Immortal Scripture, but he had also spotted more deficiencies. It lacked an explanation of Yang, and its descriptions of certain Qi Refiner realms were vague and riddled with major flaws.
Therefore, the Taiyin Primordial Nurturing Technique in Xu Ying's grasp was all the more precious.
Unfortunately, Uncle Xiao would never permit me to exchange the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction with him. Uncle Xiao wouldn't, and neither would Mother and the elders, he sighed inwardly.
Just then, mealtime arrived again, and Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the bronze bell appeared right on schedule.
The dining hall was separated from the Immortal Scripture hall, requiring a short walk. The Zhou clan lived in luxury, their meals punctual, exquisitely flavorful, and well-balanced between meat and vegetables, prepared by imperial chefs brought from the imperial palace.
In the past, Xu Ying and Yuan Qi had been exceptionally enthusiastic, always lining up at the very front. This time, although they showed up on time, they vanished shortly thereafter.
Yuan Weiyang's eyes flickered. As the ancients said: if someone isn't keen to eat, there must be something amiss!
He therefore abandoned his meal and went looking for their traces. Sure enough, he found Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and the bronze bell inside the great hall.
"Lord Bell, didn't I tell you this pillar was extraordinary? I used the Realm Breaker strike and slashed it twice with my sword, and it didn't leave even the faintest mark."
When Yuan Weiyang peered into the hall, she saw Xu Ying, the giant serpent, and the bronze bell huddled around a bronze pillar, murmuring among themselves.
The giant snake said, "Dig the pillar out, carry it outside, and melt it into liquid bronze to patch up Lord Bell. The handprint on Lord Bell's face still hasn't faded. That female ghost struck far too brutally."
Yuan Weiyang's heart thumped wildly. They're stealing the Zhou clan's things!
Such a thing was something she had never witnessed, let alone experienced!
She poked her head out to look. Xu Ying and the giant serpent were currently prying at the base of the pillar. The serpent wrapped around it to pull outward, while Xu Ying executed the Dragon Snake Awakening Technique, mobilizing the power of dragons and pythons to shove outward with all his might.
Even the bronze bell was leaning against the pillar, straining to push it out.
In the center of the hall, the thirteen Zhou clan elders were still seated in a circle around the jade slip Daoist scripture, turning a blind eye to Xu Ying and the others brazenly stealing a structural pillar.
I have studied the books of the sages since childhood. How can I sit by and watch them stray into banditry, falling into error after error?
Yuan Weiyang was torn with inner conflict, unwilling to see Xu Ying degenerate, yet worried that shouting "thief" would bring harm to him from the Zhou clan. While she was engaged in this internal battle, Xu Ying suddenly spotted her. Overjoyed, he waved at her in a hurry. "Brother Yuan, come over here and lend a hand!"
As if possessed by a ghost, Yuan Weiyang walked forward and gently admonished, "Demon King Xu, what you are doing is not right..."
"Good brother, push over this way."
"All right."
With Yuan Weiyang's help, the base of the bronze pillar was finally pried loose. A faint tremor ran through the hall, and the two people, one snake, and one bell finally dislodged the bronze pillar entirely.
"Quick, run! Run!"
Xu Ying and the giant serpent hastily hoisted the pillar and slipped outside at high speed. Yuan Weiyang's heart pounded furiously as she scrambled to keep up with them, cheering inwardly, I broke the rules! I've finally done something bad! So this is what doing something bad feels like—how utterly exhilarating!
She caught up with Xu Ying and supported the pillar with both hands, feeling an overwhelming rush of delight.
Xu Ying and the others trotted all the way to the foot of that towering locust tree. Yuan Weiyang glanced back and saw that the green-robed old servant, Uncle Xiao, had not followed, presumably still eating.
According to the Yuan clan's rules, one must observe silence while dining and sleeping; during meals, one was forbidden to speak and had to sit upright without looking sideways. He likely had not noticed her departure.
Yuan Weiyang suddenly felt relieved. Carrying this bronze pillar, she felt she could practically fly across the ground.
"Let's go up the tree!" Xu Ying shouted to her.
"Up the tree?"
Yuan Weiyang looked up. The locust tree was immeasurably massive and tall, towering straight into the sky. Its cracked bark resembled dragon scales covering its entire trunk.
These dragon scales were all reverse scales, each one as vast as a woven mat!
Although the trunk had an incline, climbing it was no easy feat, and carrying such a thick bronze pillar up the tree promised to be even harder.
Yet Xu Ying seemed not to have considered these difficulties in the slightest. Something that appeared completely irrational to Yuan Weiyang was tackled by him with boundless enthusiasm.
Visualizing the Ba Snake, he wrapped it around the bronze pillar to haul it upward while scrambling up the tree with hands and feet, saying, "Brother Yuan, the past couple of days we found some fun things up in the tree. Come along!"
Yuan Weiyang followed behind him, casting Nuo arts to assist, which eased the burden on Xu Ying and Yuan Qi.
The group climbed upward of a thousand zhang, yet only reached midway up the trunk. After resting a moment, they climbed another thousand zhang before reaching the first branch, still far from the canopy.
Traveling and resting in this manner, they paused seven times before finally arriving at a flat expanse.
This was where the canopy forked in all directions. A small town capable of housing ten thousand people could be built in the center, and the surrounding land could even be cleared for farming, as there was a thick layer of soil here, complete with flowers and grasses!
Yuan Weiyang also spotted a river not far away, cascading down from another massive bough with a rushing current!
She was quite curious, having no idea where they intended to carry this bronze pillar. Suddenly, rolling waves of heat rushed at them, and the air filled with a scorched scent.
"We're here!"
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi set the pillar down, and Yuan Weiyang hastily followed suit. Not far ahead lay a fire pit spewing crimson and cyan flames. The pit was not large, only thirty to forty feet across, but the heat was astonishing. Had an ordinary person come near, they likely would have been charred into charcoal on the spot!
Even as a Nuo master of the Yuan clan, Yuan Weiyang found it somewhat difficult to endure.
Steeling herself against the heat wave, she walked to the edge of the pit and peered downward, nearly swooning and tumbling inside!
The pit was hollow, penetrating deep into the heart of the great locust tree. The walls were a dazzling, glowing red, extending thousands of zhang into the depths!
For reasons unknown, this immense locust tree had been ignited from within, and it was still burning to this day!
Just then, the great bronze bell they addressed as "Lord Bell" flew up, gradually expanding in the air. Its divine sense transformed into a voice that echoed in Yuan Weiyang's ears. "This is heavenly fire left behind after a heavenly tribulation. You can collect a wisp to refine and place within your Realm of Xiyi. Though it is not quite as good as Ah Ying's Pure Yang anomalous fire, it is still extraordinary and will be of immense benefit to your cultivation."
Yuan Qi said smugly, "I gathered one the day before yesterday. You refused to trade techniques with Ah Ying. If you had, we could cultivate and play together, and you would have gathered the heavenly fire much sooner."
Yuan Weiyang inquired, "By 'Realm of Xiyi,' do you mean the inner world?"
Yuan Qi asked in surprise, "You know about the inner world?"
Yuan Weiyang replied, "I once opened it by accident and flew inside, but I didn't know what it was called. Only now do I know it is called the Realm of Xiyi. 'Xiyi' refers to the elusive, tranquil subtlety of the Dao; the Realm of Xiyi is the realm of the Dao's wonders, which is indeed very fitting."
Yuan Qi glanced toward Xu Ying and asked tentatively, "Is that what it means?"
Xu Ying nodded slightly. "You could put it that way. The Yuan clan's secret depository is the Purple Palace, which houses divine sense. As a disciple of the Yuan clan, your divine sense must be exceptionally powerful. By using divine sense for inner contemplation, one can open the Realm of Xiyi and perceive the internal organs within. For a member of the Yuan clan, opening the Realm of Xiyi should not be difficult."
Yuan Qi grew wary in his heart. This fellow surnamed Yuan is just as erudite as I am. It seems I have a rival.
The bronze bell grew larger and larger, its mouth facing the sky and its crown pointing downward as it slowly sealed the fiery pit, saying, "I'll cover most of the heavenly fire so you can take this opportunity to draw some out for refinement."
Yuan Weiyang expressed her thanks and carefully stepped forward to collect the heavenly fire, asking, "Lord Bell, you said just now that this was heavenly fire left by a heavenly tribulation. Who was undergoing the tribulation?"
Seeing Xu Ying call the bell Lord Bell, she addressed it as Lord Bell as well.
The bronze bell replied, "Who else could it be? Naturally, this great locust tree. Zhou Qiyun claims this tree is an innate immortal, but to become an immortal, one must undergo tribulation; there are no exceptions. This tree is either steeped in wickedness or is a being akin to an immortal. It was struck by heavenly lightning and burned by heavenly fire—sooner or later, it's done for."
It paused and added, "Burn it for another eight thousand years, and it'll be burned to death."
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi carried the bronze pillar forward. Yuan Qi called out, "Lord Bell, hold on tight!"
With that, the youth and snake shoved the bronze pillar straight into the bell.
Xu Ying dusted off his hands and smiled. "Lord Bell, you won't be melted by the heavenly fire, will you?"
The bronze bell chuckled with metallic clangs, saying proudly, "Do you know the painstaking effort my master went through to forge me? He went to the Heavenly Dao world to steal immortal fire and forged me with it! If I could withstand immortal fire, what is mere heavenly fire to me?"
At that point, the base of the bronze bell was scorched crimson, and its voice gradually began to quiver. "Ah Ying, something's not quite right. I just remembered that my injuries haven't healed yet. It's roasting me so much that it hurts... lend me some qi and blood..."
Xu Ying pretended not to hear and strode off toward a thick bough.
The bronze bell hurriedly called out, "Yuan Qi! Master Qi! Don't run! Lend me some qi and blood!"
Yuan Qi scrambled to catch up with Xu Ying and vanished in a flash.
Yuan Weiyang asked curiously, "What are they going to do?"
Unable to sit still from the searing heavenly fire, the bronze bell snapped testily, "Knocking down locust flowers! Those two beasts have been knocking down locust flowers to roast and eat over the past few days—what a waste of precious treasures!"
Remembering that Yuan Weiyang was still beside it, a thought crossed its mind. It chuckled with a metallic resonance. "Say, Little Brother Yuan, is it? Could you lend me a bit of qi and blood to play with? In return, I can teach you the formula to refine heavenly fire!"
Yuan Weiyang agreed at once.
Only then did the bronze bell breathe a sigh of relief. Borrowing qi and blood from her to resist the heavenly fire, it passed along the formula for refining the fire.
Yuan Weiyang tested it out, and sure enough, harvesting the heavenly fire became remarkably easy.
Once she stored the fire, sensing that drawing any more would endanger her Realm of Xiyi, she stopped immediately. Just then, Xu Ying and Yuan Qi returned carrying locust flowers.
A single blossom on this immense tree was over a foot long, with hundreds clustered along a single branch in a splendid riot of blooms. As Xu Ying and Yuan Qi dragged a branch over, a fresh fragrance washed over them.
The scent of the locust flower was not overly lush; beyond its floral sweetness, it carried a hint of grass, remarkably delicate and elegant.
Xu Ying and the serpent plucked over a dozen blossoms each and roasted them over the heavenly fire. Soon, the flowers turned golden-brown, crispy on the outside while remaining tender and fragrant within, exuding a honeyed aroma.
Yuan Weiyang had skipped her meal, and upon smelling that aroma, her stomach began to rumble.
Hearing the noise, Xu Ying tossed over a roasted flower. Yuan Weiyang quickly sat upright, looking straight ahead, and nibbled on it with small, refined bites, displaying utmost propriety.
Meanwhile, Xu Ying rolled the foot-long flower into a ball, stuffed the entire thing into his mouth, and reached for more.
The more Yuan Weiyang ate, the hungrier she became. Throwing etiquette to the wind, she followed his example, rolling a locust flower into a ball and stuffing it into her mouth. She chewed vigorously, but because her mouth was small, honeyed nectar dripped down the corners of her lips.
She hurriedly sucked it back in. A sweet fragrance washed down her throat—a delicious delicacy unlike anything she had ever tasted.
Chapter 51