Feigned Death

Balmy sunlight and a warm, gentle breeze swept across the courtyard pond, stirring soft ripples across the water. Time ticked by, second by silent second. Under the scrutinizing, wordless gaze of the three men, Xu Yuan felt a fleeting impulse to shrink straight back into his room and slam the door shut. Though he knew he was perfectly safe right now, that hardly meant he was exempt from a thrashing. After a brief silence, Xu Yuan bit the bullet and took a step forward, tugging the corners of his mouth into an awkward, probing smile. "Father... what is this about?" "......" At the sound of his voice, Xu Yinhe and Feng Jiuxuan exchanged a glance, both reading a subtle sense of relief in the other's eyes. As family, a single glance was often enough to convey volumes. The one who had awakened was indeed Changtian, not the monster from before. With that thought, Feng Jiuxuan stepped forward with a smile in his eyes. "Changtian—" *Hum!* Before he could finish, a sudden hum cut through his words. Looking at the willow ghost blade the lad had drawn, Feng Jiuxuan raised an eyebrow with an odd look. "......" Glancing down at the willow ghost blade he had whipped out purely on instinct, and then back at his smiling maternal uncle, Xu Yuan swallowed dryly and quietly put it away. Though he didn't know how much time had passed in the outside world since he fell unconscious, the memory of being pummeled by this uncle felt as though it had happened just moments ago. Consequently, the instant his gaze met the snow-white-robed uncle's, his body reacted with what felt like reflexive, traumatic muscle memory. "Ahem." With a light cough, Xu Yinhe patted Feng Jiuxuan's shoulder, signaling that he would take over. A trace of contemplation flickered in Feng Jiuxuan's narrow eyes. He sighed softly, and in the next instant, his figure vanished from the courtyard. The lad clearly remembered that encounter. He had come merely to check on the boy's condition. Now that Changtian was awake, lingering doubts remained, but there was indeed no further need to stay. After all, he had struck rather hard earlier. With Feng Jiuxuan gone, Xu Yuan's tense muscles gradually relaxed. After more than ten years, another savage beating from this uncle had once again left him traumatized. In the blink of an eye, only the father and his two sons remained in the courtyard. Xu Changge still stood atop the wall. Xu Yuan stood in the shade beneath the eaves. Xu Yinhe basked in the sunlight, his expression mild. Xu Yuan glanced at his eldest brother perched on the courtyard wall, dark-sleeved azure robes fluttering in the breeze, and felt a touch of amusement. Xu Changge was as fond of posturing as ever. Next time, he might as well stand on a streetlight. Amid his thoughts, his father's steady voice drifted over: "Changtian, how do you feel now?" Ever since Lou Ji and that Saint-turned-spiritual essence spirit had stabilized Changtian's condition using the resources and personnel of the Gewu Academy and sent him back to the inner compound of the Prime Minister's Manor, the two Saints—he and Feng Jiuxuan—had taken turns examining his physical state. It had been terrible. His life had hung entirely on the combined power of fused life origin and yin origin. Xu Yinhe had assumed Changtian would remain bedridden in that state until the Saint spirit named Luo Xiran produced some research results, never expecting him to suddenly wake today. Hearing his father's question, Xu Yuan did not conceal anything. Measuring his words carefully, he replied softly, "Well... some mutations have occurred in my body." As he spoke, Xu Yuan raised a hand and opened his palm before Xu Yinhe and Xu Changge. A wisp of black Source Qi materialized above it. Xu Yinhe fixed his calm gaze upon it for several seconds before instructing Xu Changge on the wall, "Changge, test it with your Source Qi." Xu Yuan raised a brow. Before he could ponder what his old man meant, an azure afterimage flashed before him. Facing his third brother, Xu Changge expressionlessly raised an index finger. A beam of pure white, crystal-clear Source Qi shot forth, striking the wisp of black Source Qi in Xu Yuan's palm with pinpoint accuracy. The instant the two Source Qis collided— *Sizzle...* A skin-crawling sound of corrosion abruptly broke the silence of the warm courtyard. Watching this, Xu Yuan's jaw dropped slightly, excitement flashing in his narrow eyes. He had actually retained the power from his berserk rampage! This black Source Qi was none other than that membrane capable of deconstructing other people's Source Qi spells! Instinctively, Xu Yuan looked at Xu Changge with an eager glint in his eye. Meeting his gaze, Xu Changge first showed a flicker of confusion, then curled his lips into an odd smile. In a lightning flash, his index finger tapped Xu Yuan's dantian. The very next instant, Xu Yuan felt the black Source Qi in his dantian cut in half. "......" Xu Yuan was speechless. "Changge," Xu Yinhe said, his brow creasing slightly. At that, Xu Changge slowly withdrew his finger. Without a word, he patted his third brother's shoulder, sighed, shook his head, and turned to walk straight toward the courtyard gate. Watching his retreating figure, Xu Yuan ground his teeth in vexation. Sooner or later, he would wipe away this humiliation. With physical hardware that was practically peerless under heaven, thrashing Xu Changge was merely a matter of time. With that thought, Xu Yuan extended his spiritual vision toward the departing Xu Changge. He wanted to see just what stage his eldest brother's cultivation had reached. Yet before his spiritual vision could even touch him, Xu Changge stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at him. And this time, Xu Changge's eyes held an eager glint of their own. "......" Xu Yuan froze. *Crap. Xu Changge is merely in the Origin Realm—how can he sense my spiritual vision too?* Yielding to caution, Xu Yuan instantly averted his gaze and looked toward his father. Clearing his throat, he said solemnly, "Father, aside from this Source Qi, there is also my intent-soul..." Watching the 'infighting' between his two sons, Xu Yinhe let a wry, amused smile pass through his eyes and gently waved his hand. "No need to demonstrate. I already sensed it earlier." Surprise flickered through Xu Yuan's mind, but he quickly understood. To the Prime Minister's Manor, his old man was an autocratic tyrant, but toward his family, he was not a father driven by a desire for control. With his cultivation, everything in the massive manor spanning several city blocks fell within his perception, yet he deliberately refrained from prying into the inner courtyard rooms of his children. His situation, however, was rather unique; the moment he awoke, his father had likely noticed immediately. Xu Changge had left as well. He had only dropped by out of concern for his good-for-nothing third brother; seeing that he was fine, there was naturally no reason to stay. With Feng Jiuxuan and Xu Changge gone, only the Prime Minister's Manor's emperor and crown prince remained in the courtyard. Xu Yinhe showed no intention of leaving. Glancing toward an elegant stone pavilion beside the pond, he turned and strolled over. As he walked, Xu Yinhe asked the son trailing behind him in a low voice, "With these mutations occurring, do you feel any discomfort in your body, Changtian?" Hearing the concern from his father, who usually managed countless state affairs every day, Xu Yuan felt a warm softness in his heart. Smiling faintly, he answered, "Not for now. In fact, my mind feels clearer than before." "Breaking through to Body Integration naturally leaves you clearer-minded than when you were in Soul Condensation." Xu Yinhe's voice carried a smile. As he spoke, he glanced with mild helplessness toward the direction Xu Changge had left. After a moment of silence, he advised softly, "Changtian, don't always butt heads with your eldest brother. He might have that temperament, but he has always cared for you. He used to beat you only because you were so unruly." The two stepped into the pavilion. Birds chirped in their ears, and sweet floral scents filled their nostrils. Sitting upon a stone stool, Xu Yuan said, "I know that, of course. I was just joking around." Xu Yinhe looked at his third son, his deep gaze seemingly able to peer straight into the human heart. "Truly a joke?" With that, Xu Yinhe shook his head with a smile. "No matter. I won't meddle in matters between you two brothers. But Changtian, if you hope to surpass your elder brother in cultivation, you may find it rather difficult." Xu Yuan felt a touch dissatisfied at that. The only gap between him and Xu Changge now was cultivation level. He retorted in a low voice, "Father, have you forgotten about my current body..." "He is injured," Xu Yinhe interrupted, gazing toward his eldest son's courtyard next door and speaking leisurely. "And quite severely, at that." Xu Yuan frowned, though there was no real surprise in his eyes. Though his eldest brother had seemed normal on the surface just now, Xu Yuan's spiritual vision sweep had still detected a faint trace of disorder in the qi dynamic within him. After a moment's thought, he asked softly, "Father, how was he injured? Surely no one in this world would provoke him without rhyme or reason?" Hearing the question, Xu Yinhe glanced up at Xu Yuan, fetched two teacups and a pot of fresh tea, placed them on the stone table, and replied unhurriedly: "Upon learning of your condition, Changge went alone to hunt down the assassin who reduced you to that state." The image of a masked fat man instinctively crossed Xu Yuan's mind. He asked tentatively, "Was it that stout Transcendent Realm cultivator?" "No," Xu Yinhe replied placidly. "It was Luo Bingli." "......" Xu Yuan's breath hitched slightly. After a brief silence, he asked hesitantly, "Luo Bingli... If I recall correctly, she's a Semi-Saint?" "Yes." "Xu Changge won?" "You could say that. More accurately, both suffered heavy losses." "......" Silence descended abruptly upon the air. Licking his lips, Xu Yuan asked awkwardly, "So... Xu Changge has already broken through to the Transcendent Realm?" "No." "Then he fought a Semi-Saint with merely an Origin Realm cultivation?" "Yes." "......" Xu Yuan swallowed dryly, glanced toward the courtyard of that king of pretenders, and asked in a low voice, "Did Xu Changge use underhanded tricks?" Xu Yinhe asked back, "Knowing your elder brother's disposition, do you think he is the type to stoop to such methods?" "......" Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment before inquiring softly, "Dad, the gap between the Origin Realm and a Semi-Saint should be immense, shouldn't it?" Xu Yinhe nodded as if it were only natural. "Naturally. Otherwise, Luo Bingli would not have been able to escape." "......" Xu Yuan felt his scalp tingle. Although damage from high-tier cultivators' arts was always overkill, under the overwhelming suppression of intent-soul and Source Qi, even lethal power meant nothing if you couldn't land a hit. Between the Origin Realm and a Semi-Saint lay a chasm as vast as heaven and earth. And now his old man was telling him that Xu Changge could already take on a Semi-Saint in direct combat... What was he supposed to do when his future suddenly looked so pitch-black? Soon enough, however, calm returned to Xu Yuan's heart. For he remembered something. Fighting above one's realm to face a Semi-Saint as an Origin Realm cultivator was something he, Xu Changtian, had done before as well. And in the end, he had won—won decisively. Even though that had involved every dirty trick in the book and the assistance of Tianyan, it could still be counted as an Origin Realm cultivator slaying a Semi-Saint. With the physical hardware he possessed now, once he broke through to the Origin Realm, he wouldn't necessarily lag far behind his elder brother. At that thought, Xu Yuan immediately felt there was plenty of hope for the days ahead. Caressing the Sumeru ring on his finger, he prepared to take out some refreshments and snacks to set on the stone table before them. Yet the moment his spiritual vision probed into the Sumeru ring on his fingertip, Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Empty. Inside his Sumeru ring, nothing remained except for a single willow ghost blade. Looking into the empty ring, Xu Yuan's defense broke in an instant. Millions of taels in banknotes, various medicinal pills, Source Crystals, fine wines, and all manner of stockpiled supplies had been cleaned out completely! Yet before long, his mind swiftly identified the culprit. In all of Great Yan, while there were very few who dared to swipe his belongings, there were still a handful. But someone who actually would swipe his things—there was only one. The seductive, languid countenance of big sister Lou Ji instinctively floated into his mind. Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment and turned to the old man across from him. He was going to lodge an imperial complaint. "Father, Lou Ji, she—" "If you are referring to the banknotes and supplies in your Sumeru ring, Lou Ji already informed me about that." *Crap.* Hearing his old man say this, Xu Yuan's heart sank instantly, aching so fiercely he could barely breathe. The money and supplies were almost certainly gone for good. Thinking this, Xu Yuan instinctively glanced toward his old man's study. Now that he was back in the Imperial Capital, he would hardly have chances to shake people down or fleece fat sheep anymore. If he wanted silver, he'd probably have to return to his old trade. Seeing the look in his third son's eyes, Xu Yinhe's impassive, steady countenance betrayed a helpless, amused expression. "Changtian, silver is merely a number." Xu Yuan looked at his old man, grumbling inwardly. To you, Lord Chancellor, silver might indeed be just a number, but your son hasn't reached your realm yet. All that silver was amassed bit by bit through your son's painstaking labor of fleecing fat sheep! "Phew..." As though discerning Xu Yuan's thoughts, Xu Yinhe let out a soft sigh and said quietly, "Changtian, having that silver wouldn't do you any good right now anyway. You have been unconscious for over a month. Now that you are awake, focus on your cultivation and do not go outside anymore." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's expression turned serious at once. He asked in a low voice, "Father, what do you mean by that?" Xu Yinhe's voice was calm and even: "I will proclaim to all under heaven that you perished in the assassination."