Pei Du composed himself and browsed through the books one by one. Most of these volumes predated Emperor Zhidao Dasheng, and some even went back before Wang Mang—ancient pre-Qin texts that Wang Mang had collected during his era.
The first scroll was an anecdote from the Book of Sui. It recounted that in the second year of the Kaihuang reign, a boy surnamed Xu lived in a certain village south of the Yangtze River. He had stayed there for over ten years without his appearance aging in the slightest, before suddenly vanishing without a trace. Over thirty years later, a traveling merchant from that same village ventured a thousand li away and encountered a child who looked identical to the missing boy surnamed Xu.
Even after thirty years had passed, the boy's countenance remained exactly as it had been, unchanged in every detail.
The merchant approached to question him, but the child did not recognize him at all. The merchant went away believing that reincarnation truly existed in this world.
The second scroll recounted a tale from over seven hundred years ago. A man was gathering firewood in the mountains when he came upon two figures by the roadside—one in red, one in white—engrossed in a game of chess. Spellbound by the match, the woodcutter lost track of time and forgot to return home. When the pair finished their game, the woodcutter was startled to discover that the wooden handle of his axe had long since decayed away.
Stumbling back home, he found his village utterly transformed. His parents and wife had long died of old age, and every villager he had once known had passed into the grave. Only a single youth surnamed Xu in the village recognized him, telling him that while he had been away for what felt like a brief excursion, a hundred years had already elapsed in the mortal world.
The woodcutter looked at the youth, utterly astonished to see that he appeared precisely the same as he had a century earlier. Right then, the two figures in red and white reappeared and took the hundred-year-old youth away.
As they left, the two muttered that playing chess had nearly delayed their duties.
Pei Du flipped through the other books. They were filled with bizarre, esoteric tales, and the events recorded within were frequently brought about by an ageless youth.
The more he read, the more thoroughly chilled he became. As he gradually worked his way back to ancient texts from two thousand years ago, he remarkably found sporadic mentions of an ageless youth there as well!
The history of this ageless youth was older even than the Pei clan!
He had appeared in the meteorite crater that annihilated Wang Mang’s grand army; he had crawled out of the mass graves from the burning of books and burying of scholars; he had stood beside Meng Jiangnü as her weeping brought down the Great Wall; he had even taken part in the Battle of Changping, being one of the four hundred thousand surrendered troops buried alive by Bai Qi!
He had been the youth who imitated a fox's cry during Chen Sheng and Wu Guang’s uprising, and he was also the boy who had tied up Liu Bang’s father before the opposing armies, preparing to throw him into a cauldron to be boiled alive.
He drifted through the forgotten margins of history, seldom drawing any notice.
Pei Du skimmed through all the ancient books, sinking into a prolonged silence.
The Pei clan's collection was limited, with nothing older remaining. Thus, he had no way of knowing whether this ageless youth appeared in even more ancient chronicles.
Some of the books contained illustrations, while others consisted solely of text. Judging by the drawings, the depicted youth indeed bore several resemblances to Xu Ying, though it was impossible to confirm with certainty.
"Clan Master, most of these texts are unofficial histories and folklore. What they record may not be factual, nor is it necessarily the same youth," Pei Jingting said cautiously. "An undying youth who has lived from four or five thousand years ago until today... If word of this got out, not a soul would believe it."
Pei Du gave a gentle nod. "You are right. This person is virtually unknown, his deeds omitted from authentic historical annals. These anecdotes are mostly wild tales from miscellaneous writers, hardly worthy of credence."
Pei Jingting added, "And Xu Ying may not necessarily be the immortal youth from the books. From what I have observed, though he speaks astonishing words and performs startling deeds, his temperament remains that of a youth."
Pei Du agreed. "He often adopts the posture and tone of an adult, yet his heart is still that of an innocent child."
Pei Jingting said, "He is extraordinarily useful to our Pei clan. We ought to win him over."
"Indeed," Pei Du replied. "He can decipher Qi Refiner cultivation arts. Which of the great families wouldn't want to draw him to their side? With every major family seeking his favor, if our Pei clan were to make a move against him, we would become a target for everyone."
Pei Jingting smiled. "I was only worried that you might harbor improper designs on him because of his longevity, Elder Brother. Father grafted a piece of flesh tainted with the longevity curse to prolong his life to this day, and he has yet to be devoured. What if there were a piece of immortal flesh free of any curse? What if one could attain eternal life just like that..."
"Do not say it!" Pei Du snapped, cutting him off, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently. "Do not say another word! My Dao heart is not strong enough to withstand every temptation! Jingting, step down for now. Instruct the younger generation who gathered these books that not a single whisper of this is to leak out!"
Pei Jingting bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Pei Du waved his hand to dismiss the maids as well. He paced back and forth across the study alone, his gaze drifting from time to time toward the towering piles of books, his expression shifting between light and shadow.
"To eat, or not to eat..."
"Longevity, within arm's reach for the first time. Should I live a life worse than death like Father, or take a bold step further? After all, my own lifespan is nearly exhausted..."
* * *
Xu Ying and Yuan Rushi spent the entire day roaming outside, not returning until the sun had sunk below the horizon. The moment they stepped through the front gate, Xu Ying sensed an unnatural tension in the air. Standing before them was a beautiful, middle-aged woman accompanied by a gray-haired elderly matriarch, both watching them in absolute silence.
The smile froze on Yuan Rushi's face. Lowering her head, she walked over and said softly, "Mother, Great-grandmother."
Xu Ying hurriedly stepped forward to offer his respects as well. The beautiful woman bore a striking resemblance to both Yuan Rushi and Yuan Weiyang. Smiling faintly, she said, "No need for ceremony. Master Xu, forgive us for neglecting you these past few days. Uncle Xiao, escort Master Xu to rest."
Uncle Xiao complied and stepped forward with an invitation.
Xu Ying had no choice but to follow Uncle Xiao away, his heart uneasy and apprehensive.
Over the next few days, he did not catch a glimpse of Yuan Rushi. He did, however, cross paths with Yuan Weiyang a few times. When Xu Ying inquired after Yuan Rushi, Yuan Weiyang replied, "My younger sister was punished by Mother for her mischief and placed under confinement."
Xu Ying felt deeply uneasy, yet without Yuan Rushi around, he was finally able to rein in his restless desires and focus on deciphering the Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture.
Within half a day, Xu Ying completed the deciphering and brought it for Yuan Weiyang to see. Yuan Weiyang read through it once, remarking with slight confusion, "This is a method for refining the soul and the Primordial Spirit, but it feels as though a portion of the content is missing."
Xu Ying clapped his hands and laughed. "I noticed that too! I deduced along the lines of the scripture and pondered it for a long time. The subsequent part of the art ought to be the most vital core—the method of calamity deliverance! I thought of a way to patch it. Take a look and tell me if this works."
Lifting a brush, he wrote down a passage of scripture to make up for the deficiency. Yuan Weiyang studied it for a good while before saying, "There are still loopholes. If it is modified like this, the Primordial Spirit can truly deliver oneself from calamity and avert disaster."
He picked up the brush and adjusted a section. Xu Ying leaned in to look, nodding repeatedly with a grin. "I'll circulate the art to test it out first!"
The two of them each attempted to circulate the Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture, making further corrections whenever something felt amiss.
Once they had fully completed the scripture, they each practiced it anew. Before long, both were able to cultivate their souls; as for averting calamity, that was an achievement meant for after the Primordial Spirit was formed.
Nuo masters lacked cultivation arts for the soul, so their souls were rarely particularly robust. In completing this Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture, both Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang regarded the feat as nothing more than a casual effort, utterly unaware of the monumental significance of this technique!
Xu Ying chuckled. "I'll go deliver the Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture to Grand Chancellor Pei. He must have been waiting for quite some time."
Yuan Weiyang hesitated briefly, then said, "You must be careful on this visit. While Chancellor Pei is broad-minded, the Pei clan is vast, and I worry others might bear you ill will. I will have Uncle Xiao escort you."
Xu Ying agreed. Calling along the bronze bell and Yuan Qi, he set off for the Pei manor alongside Uncle Xiao.
Before long, a steward of the Pei clan came to greet them and ushered Xu Ying into the study, where Pei Du was already waiting.
Xu Ying took a look at him and saw that white hair had sprouted profusely across Pei Du's head in just a few days, making him look several years older. Xu Ying asked, "Does the Chancellor have something weighing on his mind?"
Pei Du chuckled. "You saw right through me. These past few days, I have been pondering a momentous decision, hesitating between choices."
Xu Ying presented his deciphered copy of the Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture and returned the original text, saying, "Chancellor Pei, please take a look first."
Pei Du settled his mind and read through it carefully. Only after a long while did he thoroughly digest the scripture, remarking, "Many thanks, Little Friend Xu. You are truly the one who assisted Ancestor White Brows through his tribulation. Our Pei clan gathered our most gifted descendants and spent decades contemplating this Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture, yet the text they deciphered was nowhere near as thorough as yours."
Xu Ying smiled. "This scripture is incomplete."
Pei Du was shaken to the core, blurting out, "Incomplete?"
Xu Ying pulled another manuscript from his sleeve with a smile. "After completing the deciphering, I realized that the scripture on the gold paper was lacking, so I patched the rest for you."
He did not mention Yuan Weiyang, fearing that if others learned of Yuan Weiyang's extraordinary intellect, they might bring harm upon him.
"The original Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture only cultivates the soul and tempers the Primordial Spirit, but it lacks the method to deliver oneself from calamity, avert disaster, and cross tribulations. So, I filled in the gaps for you."
Xu Ying handed over the completed text, stretched his back, and laughed. "If you cultivated strictly according to the original text, your soul would grow mighty and your Primordial Spirit extraordinary, but tribulations would remain nearly impossible to survive. If you cultivate according to my revised version, however, there shouldn't be any major issue."
Pei Du hastily turned the pages. Sure enough, Xu Ying's corrected scripture contained far more profound subtleties than the previous version!
He was left stunned. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Little Friend Xu, please come this way."
He guided Xu Ying into an inner chamber, where numerous ancient scrolls were laid out across tables and stands.
Pei Du said with a smile, "These past few days, the difficult choice weighing on my mind was whether or not to plot against you, Little Friend Xu."
Xu Ying jumped in fright. In his mind, Lord Bell panicked, "Keep calm! At worst, we'll take another severe wound and I'll risk everything to shield you as we break out of the Pei manor! But Ah Ying, stealing your vitality only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays won't do anymore—I want Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays too!"
Pei Du said, "Little Friend Xu, look at these books first."
Composing himself, Xu Ying stepped forward and examined them one by one. His expression grew increasingly startled as memories of Xujiaping involuntarily surfaced in his mind. His thoughts turned muddled and dizzy, his head growing heavier by the second.
Seeing this, Pei Du pinched his fingers into a seal and tapped Xu Ying between the eyebrows, barking, "*Duo!*"
That sharp cry instantly reordered Xu Ying's scattered divine sense, rescuing him from the brink of mental collapse.
Pei Du's sleeves fluttered rapidly. Each time his arms paused, the hand seals formed by his fingers shifted in turn. He said, "Little Friend Xu, let me teach you a Heart-Converging Seal Method. If you ever encounter this situation again, you can heal yourself!"
Xu Ying followed his lead and learned the Heart-Converging Seal Method. Immediately, his senses cleared, and the chaotic sensation clouding his mind dissipated significantly.
Xu Ying hurriedly expressed his thanks. Pei Du said solemnly, "In my half-century of cultivation, I nearly allowed greed to trap me and ruin my Dao attainment a few days ago. Truly, I am the one who should thank you. The Heart-Converging Seal Method is merely a minor trick, hardly worth mentioning. Little Friend Xu..."
He frowned slightly, feeling that addressing Xu Ying as "Little Friend" was no longer appropriate. He changed his wording: "Brother Xu, finish reading first, and we shall discuss this in detail afterward."
Xu Ying continued reading, examining the folded markers in each of the books. He stared blankly in a daze, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Chancellor Pei, you can't possibly think that this undying youth in these books is me, can you? Hahaha!"
He roared with laughter.
Pei Du joined in with a hearty laugh, shaking his head. "I too thought it couldn't be, for it is simply too absurd. Yet I also felt it might be. After all, for Brother Xu to guide Ancestor White Brows through his tribulation at such a tender age is equally absurd."
Xu Ying laughed until tears welled in his eyes. Wiping away the moisture at the corners of his eyelids, he chuckled, "I don't even know if my memories from before the age of six are real. I only know that the memories after age six are genuine. So even I have no idea whether I truly am the youth in these books!"
He laughed heartily once more.
Pei Du reminded him, "Brother Xu, the Heart-Converging Seal Method."
Xu Ying circulated the seal method, steadying his mind and regaining his composure. "Thank you, Chancellor Pei."
Pei Du shook his head. "You treated me with absolute sincerity, not only willing to impart the deciphered Primordial Spirit Calamity Deliverance Scripture in its entirety, but even filling in its flaws. If our Pei clan cannot reciprocate such sincerity in kind, we would be unworthy of our two-thousand-year pedigree. Rest assured, my Pei clan will guard this secret, and I will help you scour through more ancient records to assist you in uncovering the truth of your origin."
Xu Ying bowed in gratitude. Pei Du returned the courtesy, saying, "I dare not accept. If I can avert the calamity of life and death in the future, it will be entirely thanks to Brother Xu's righteous deed today. I must study the scripture, so forgive me for not seeing you off in person. I will have Bihe escort you out."
Xu Ying followed the maid Bihe out of the study and toward the exterior of the Pei manor.
The Pei manor spanned a vast area, as though containing a thousand hills and valleys within its walls, laid out in an intricate fashion. Xu Ying felt entirely at ease, taking in the scenery along the path. Spotting an ethereal, breathtaking spot, he thought to himself, *If I could taste rouge with Sister Rushi here, that would be delightful indeed. A pity this is the Pei manor.*
As he was musing, several young men approached from the front. The young nobleman leading them smiled and asked, "Are you the snake catcher surnamed Xu?"
Xu Ying stopped and gave a slight nod. "I am."
The young master said, "I am Pei Jing of the Pei manor, the second young master. Today I am hosting friends from the imperial palace and would like you to keep us company."
Xu Ying smiled. "Why not?"
Pei Jing, the second young master, waved a hand to dismiss Bihe and led Xu Ying to a pavilion overlooking a lake. Before the pavilion, clear blue waves stretched for acres, rippling through lotus leaves.
Second Young Master Pei Jing and the other young noblemen took their seats. Just as Xu Ying prepared to sit down, Pei Jing's face darkened, and he snapped displeasedly, "We told you to keep us company. Do you even understand what keeping company means? Do you think you have the standing to sit? Why haven't you brought out your snake to perform tricks? If you give our friends from the palace a good laugh, you might earn a few taels of silver!"
Xu Ying was stunned. Silently, he stood up, walked to the edge of the lake, and lightly raised his hand. "Since you gentlemen wish to see a snake, Seventh Master, please come out."
A small snake gleaming all over with glistening scales slithered out from beneath his collar, arriving at his fingertip and coiling around it a few times.
Second Young Master Pei Jing and the others burst into uproarious laughter, pointing at Xu Ying. "He really is a snake catcher! He actually carries a snake on him!"
Xu Ying smiled faintly. "Seventh Master, dance with me!"
His yuan qi erupted, launching the little snake from his fingertip. Instantly, an ancient, primordial aura of savage violence swept outward. The little snake swelled rapidly, expanding in the blink of an eye to a length of a hundred zhang, its colossal body undulating slowly across the lake's surface.
Xu Ying's sleeves danced, and the massive serpent rose into the air, ascending higher and higher as radiant sword qi sprouted all over its body, whirling around it.
The great serpent glided through the sky, stirring up howling gales. Resembling both dragon and python, it bore a pair of black and white horns on its head, and a mane like a fluttering battle banner rippled in the wind along its spine.
Standing before the pavilion, Xu Ying swung both sleeves. Suddenly, the great serpent swooped downward, its surrounding sword qi growing ever more suffocating as it arrived before the building in an instant!
Inside the pavilion, Second Young Master Pei Jing's expression changed drastically. He sprang to his feet in panic, and the other young lords scrambled up as well, each desperately pouring forth all their cultivation to resist with all their might!
*Boom!*
The entire pavilion detonated as sword qi poured through. The noblemen were sent flying backward, tumbling into the water in utter disgrace!
Xu Ying laughed aloud. Walking over the ruins of the pavilion, he saw that the table remained intact and the banquet completely undisturbed. Grabbing a piece of meat, he ate heartily, and finding it delicious, he lifted the wine flagon and drank deeply. With a grin, he said, "I came to your manor as a guest; even the Chancellor treats me with courtesy. Who do you think you are to humiliate me?"
Chapter 97