"Cough, cough, cough...!"
As a racking fit of coughs broke out, Manor Lord Zhu, who had been lying stiff as a corpse, seemed to have his soul return to his body. Abruptly, he rolled over and sat bolt upright.
People had already been listening intently to the room from a distance; hearing the coughing, they were instantly thrilled with surprise.
"He's awake! That's the manor lord's voice!"
"Father!"
Zhu Youqi shouted and charged straight inside.
Just as he reached the threshold, Manor Lord Zhu, who had been staring blankly ahead, shook his head and regained full consciousness.
"Father, you're finally awake!"
Tears welled in Zhu Youqi's eyes, threatening to spill over. In his haste, he stumbled and fell forward before Old Zhu's bed.
Knowing full well his son was acting out of filial devotion, Manor Lord Zhu nevertheless knitted his brows and barked, "Wretched creature! Your old man isn't dead yet—are you in such a rush to hold my funeral?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! How could your son wish for your death?!"
Young Zhu felt immensely wronged, yet his father scolded him further:
"You unfilial brat! Not only are you eager for my funeral, but you were also insolent toward your Uncle Qin just now. Unacceptable! Kowtow and apologize to him this instant, or you're no longer my son!"
The young man was dumbfounded. Thinking his father must be possessed by a ghost, he had no idea what the man was talking about.
Where on earth did an Uncle Qin come from?
To the side, Qin Xuan was also momentarily taken aback. Before he could speak, Old Zhu was already pointing at his son sprawled by the bed with an expression of bitter remorse. "Brother Qin saved my life, and I regard him as my own brother! That makes him your elder! Admit your wrongdoing at once!"
Zhu Youqi felt deeply aggrieved, yet dared not defy his father's command.
Though he was not entirely convinced by Qin Xuan, Qin Xuan had indeed saved his father's life, so kowtowing to him was not unreasonable.
Thud, thud, thud!
Without hesitation, he swallowed his resentment and knocked his head against the floor in three loud kowtows. "Uncle Qin, your nephew was rude earlier. I hope you in your seniority will forgive me."
Good grief. Zhu Youqi was actually older than Qin Xuan himself. Hearing that honorific address, Qin Xuan felt as though he had aged fifty years on the spot.
"There is no need for this, Young Master Zhu."
Qin Xuan stepped forward to help him up, but Old Zhu climbed down from the bed, sighed, and stopped him. "Brother Qin, this boy of mine has never endured hardship, and he speaks without respect for his elders. Heaven knows what trouble he'll stir up in the future. Let him kneel today so he learns his lesson."
A crowd looked on from outside, but none dared step forward.
Qin Xuan did not wish to dwell on such trivialities. Before Manor Lord Zhu could voice an outpouring of gratitude, he spoke up first: "Brother Zhu, that you were able to awaken is also thanks to the soul-calling arts performed by our friends from the divine path. Now that the sun is setting in the west, you should host them for a few cups of wine. We can discuss our matters at leisure later."
Catching Qin Xuan's meaningful look, how could Zhu Jinting fail to understand? "I've grown muddled, truly muddled! That is indeed what should be done!"
As he moved, his body was still somewhat unsteady, so Zhu Gui and Zhu Ping hurried forward to support him. Old Zhu first addressed the Day Wandering Spirit, inviting her to stay. Next, he also detained Captain Lu, Lord Gutless, and the mountain temple's protector deity, all of whom had been watching the spectacle from afar.
Each harbored their own motives, but seeing that Old Zhu was generous enough not only to treat them to a meal but also promised gifts of gratitude afterward, they saw no harm. Lianyun Manor traded in spirit herbs; seeing there was something to be gained, what harm was there in staying for another meal?
Seeing Manor Lord Zhu moving about freely, the Day Wandering Spirit was deeply bewildered and wanted to speak with Qin Xuan. But Qin Xuan did not accompany Zhu Jinting; instead, he headed toward the cattery in the rear courtyard.
Madam Wei's cat had originally been here, but when Qin Xuan arrived, it was gone.
He crushed a messaging talisman.
Before long, a black-clad figure trod through the last rays of sunset into the manor and arrived beside Qin Xuan. Immediately following, a white crane drifted down with the wind.
Qin Xuan smiled at them. With his two good friends present, he wasted no words and pointed at the ground. "Can you sense people from the Xieling Sect beneath us?"
"No," Zhao Huaimin shook his head. "The Xieling Sect specializes in corpse-walking arts and is skilled at concealing their presence. Operating underground with earth vein qi shielding them, even spiritual awareness can hardly detect them."
He Wushuang sniffed hard. "There is corpse qi underground."
"All right. Wait here, and I'll go take a look."
With those words, a hazy yellow glow enveloped Zhao Huaimin, and he used an earth escape technique to vanish into the ground.
Qin Xuan and the white crane waited for half the time it took to drink a cup of tea before Zhao Huaimin returned.
"How is it?"
"It's indeed the Xieling Sect. From the subterranean trenches, someone seems to have laid an ambush beneath this manor long ago. Zihou, if this is targeted at you, it means they knew beforehand that you would come to Lianyun Manor."
A look of suspicion crossed Zhao Huaimin's honest face. "Someone leaked the news. Could it be Shen Yunfei and the others?"
"Shen Yunfei?" Qin Xuan pondered briefly. "The Xieling Sect is a demonic path after all. If he dared collude with demonic paths, that would be a death sentence—not even Lai Jing could protect him. I almost hope it is him."
The white crane asked, "What do we do now?"
Qin Xuan replied, "We need to capture a live one first."
Zhao Huaimin dusted off his hands. "Strike directly?"
"Don't be in a rush." Qin Xuan glanced toward the bustling parts of the manor. "I have an idea..."
He promptly shared his plan with them and asked for their thoughts. He Wushuang couldn't be bothered to overthink it: "I have no objections."
Zhao Huaimin, however, grinned mischievously and nodded. "Let's do it."
With their plan decided, Zhao Huaimin burrowed straight into the ground. Qin Xuan glanced at the empty cat basket, exchanged a look with He Wushuang, and turned back toward the liveliest part of the manor.
Old Zhu had handled things properly and kept everyone here.
In the Banquet Hall at the center of Lianyun Manor, Qin Xuan saw the crab demon, Captain Lu, and the Hawk's Beak Mountain protector deity who had previously appeared at the Geng residence and swallowed several horses.
Back then, that deity's attitude toward him had been rather vile.
Seeing him today acting thick as thieves with the crab demon, it seemed the Hawk's Beak Mountain God's stance was crooked as well, in cahoots with the Lan River Water Mansion like snakes and rats in the same hole.
Together with Yan Lu, the Day Wandering Spirit, the guests sat around the hall, enjoying the music.
A troupe of male and female musicians and dancers was performing the "Celestial Palace Immortal Dance." The piece recounted a tragic romance between an immortal and a mortal, where the mortal, lacking cultivation aptitude, eventually died of old age, leaving the immortal helpless in sorrow.
Yan Lu of the City God Temple watched with rapt attention, casually spreading layers of white mist so that everyone felt as if they were seated atop the clouds.
Qi Refining cultivators and mortals alike watched in deep immersion, imagining themselves as the transcendent immortals in the dance.
Only when night fell did the gratitude banquet arranged by Manor Lord Zhu officially begin. Though the dance ceased, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments lingered on.
Deep underground, Zhang Laosan of the Xieling Sect could hear it clearly as well, occasionally humming along under his breath.
Beside him, Lian Ji remarked cautiously, "Master, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until those divine beings depart before we can make our move."
Zhang Laosan answered as if it were obvious, "Naturally."
Just then, a browless old man walked over. He was not the guardian elder who had survived previously, but rather Fourth Elder Xu Dong of the Xieling Sect, who had newly arrived in Pingyuan Commandery. Behind him followed over a dozen disciples.
Seeing Zhang Laosan's composed demeanor, Fourth Elder Xu Dong could not help reminding him, "Third Brother, Vice Sect Master Feng is already on his way. If you bungle things again this time and fail to capture the brat, you know Sect Master Feng's methods."
Behind Xu the Fourth were two guardian elders. One of them arrogantly boasted in a fierce voice, "In my view, everyone here is connected to that brat. Why not slaughter them all? That way we can win back the face we lost last time."
Xu the Fourth shot him a sidelong glance, thinking to himself that the deities who had come to Lianyun Manor were hardly easy targets—how could killing them be so simple?
He cleared his throat. "Let us not create unnecessary complications. However, the brat moves stealthily, and this opportunity must not be missed. Sect Master Feng is eager to learn about the changes Geng Zhi underwent over the years and what he did here. Since this brat went to the Cold Pool on Yunxiu Mountain, he most likely knows."
Only then did Zhang Laosan nod. "Brother Xu, will you wield the treasure against Old Daoist Wu, or shall I?"
At that, Xu Dong's eyes darted back and forth. "The corpse puppet grand formation brought this time must naturally be operated by you, Third Brother, to hold off Old Daoist Wu. How could your younger brother possess such ability?"
Zhang Laosan nodded once more, as if making a difficult decision. "Very well, Brother Xu. You strike first shortly, and I shall guard against Old Daoist Wu."
Xu Dong's eyelids twitched, and he looked toward Lian Ji. "Martial Nephew Lian, you are more familiar with his sword art. Draw out that sword talisman first, lest he possesses another sword escape technique. That would be safer."
Lian Ji froze. "Me?!"
Although his cultivation exceeded his opponent's, his magic power was only slightly stronger. Unless he ambushed him, in an open clash of arts against that incoming flying sword light, he had no confidence he could withstand it.
Zhang Laosan cherished his disciple after all.
Tossing a bell and handing over an incantation talisman, he said, "Use the incantation talisman to activate this bell, and you can control the corpse general within it. With the Corpse Offering Technique, merge yourself with the corpse general. That brat couldn't break through the corpse general last time. Though his sword art has some tricks, his cultivation is lacking. So long as you are careful, you won't be killed by his sword light."
Only then did Lian Ji breathe a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Master, for your protection."
Zhang Laosan waved his hand. Seeing this, Xu Dong was also put at ease. He extended his palm, revealing a large handful of corpse bugs. "First, let us scout with the bugs to see when those divine beings will leave."
Xu the Fourth cast a spell to drive the corpse bugs, sending them scurrying swiftly out through the soil.
Yet what he never dreamed of in his wildest dreams...
Just as these corpse bugs crawled to the surface, three large toads hopped into the courtyard outside. With a flick of their long tongues, they swallowed the plump corpse bugs into their bellies.
These three toads were, of course, disciples of Frog Daoist.
Practicing the Human-Demon Symbiosis Technique, while inside the toads' bodies, they experienced the toads' senses. The moment the plump bugs entered their mouths, they found them even more satisfying than ingesting medicinal pills.
Elder Tao of Toad Mountain remarked, "They are feasting and drinking inside, so there's no reason for us to go hungry. Let's enjoy ourselves first, then see what they're up to in there."
"Yes, Elder."
Turning into ravenous gourmands, the three flicked their tongues back and forth, and in no time at all devoured all of Xu Dong's corpse bugs clean—leaving him unable to sense a single thing...
Chapter 39