Chapter 7

That "wait a moment" turned into a full shichen.

Xianzhou has always had a custom: whenever there is a joyous occasion in the immortal mansion, such as a new member joining through marriage—regardless of whether it is a bride or a groom, whether it is a first marriage or a remarriage—that tea must be served on the third day.

Tea is served to the parents and elders above, showing filial piety and respect. If there are younger generations, they must also serve tea to the new bride, showing respect and acceptance.

Gu Feiyin's parents passed away early, and Qing Wang’s mansion had no one in charge. The Wangfei’s elderly parents, grieving after their daughter's death, moved far away. These two elders never liked Qing Wang and had no feelings for their grandson.

Ning Shiting has become the only elder left for Gu Tingshuang.

Ting Shu said, "Gongzi, according to custom, the Shizi must serve you tea tomorrow. This is to keep the tradition intact."

Ning Shiting was pondering the structure of a scented fan, opening and closing the fan bones, making a kādá sound.

"The tradition was already broken long ago; I don't care if it breaks again with the Shizi. Too many rules make life too restrictive."

Ting Shu sighed, "Gongzi, you are too easy-going. That's why others always feel that you are easy to bully. You came here without a title; the Wangye told everyone you were a benefactor. Then, on the wedding night, you left… and now there's the Shizi."

"Ting Shu, don't talk nonsense. People don't know me. If they did, they'd want to walk around me."

Ning Shiting smiled, but then his smile froze, and his expression gradually became still.

——"I wish I could walk around you."

At that moment, a scene flashed through his mind.

A similar scene, a quiet afternoon.

Gu Feiyin had returned to Xizhou, arriving and leaving quickly.

He and Ting Shu sent off someone, and at the corner of the stairs, they encountered Gu Tingshuang.

Back then, the stairs and pathways in the mansion had not been dismantled. Gu Tingshuang had somehow made his way up.

The young man in the wheelchair was leaning against the study's pavilion, looking out at the gate, not noticing his return.

Ning Shiting asked, "Did the Shizi come here for me or something?"

Gu Tingshuang replied, "No."

His sharp, wolf-like eyes glanced over him, but then he seemed to be relieved and said, "The snacks in my room are gone. I'm here to get some. Now I'm leaving."

And he left.

At that time, Ting Shu had already noticed Gu Feiyin's coldness towards Ning Shiting. After returning, he said, "The Lord came back and didn't even touch the tea you made. Are you a poisonous Jiaoren? He can't even use the utensils you touched? The Wangye avoids you like the plague. Even the Shizi, who usually isn't nice to you, doesn't care about your background. When he occasionally comes to dine, he doesn't mind sharing dishes with you. If it weren't for you using separate chopsticks, the Shizi wouldn't care."

What did he say then?

He said, "The Shizi is just too tired."

Once involved, he obliviously dove in headfirst, and everyone else could see that Gu Feiyin didn't love the little Jiaoren by his side and despised his poisonous Jiaoren identity. People kept hinting things at him, but he seemed possessed, unable to break free.

"… the Shizi has a good heart," Ning Shiting said softly.

With a kādá, the fan closed.

"So, there's no need to worry about the rules with the Shizi. Let's leave it at that."

That year, Gu Tingshuang didn't come for the tea ceremony either.

Ning Shiting didn't care much about these formalities. He had followed Gu Feiyin at the border for ten years. Apart from issuing orders, he had climbed mountains, caught foxes, dug up Lingzhi mushrooms, and poked Taotie caves with his xiongdi.(1) All these things were of no consequence and was no distinction between them.

Ting Shu said, "Alright, let me prepare you for a nap, Gongzi. The matter you asked me to investigate has some leads, but it still needs confirmation. For five years, the Qing Wang’s mansion has been empty. Though the immortals appreciate Wangye’s merits, they still think of the immortal chief first when something happens. If you want to take over Xizhou, it will take time. Your health isn't good now; it's better to recover first. I saw immortals coming and going in the immortal chief's mansion, dealing with trivial matters. It gave me a headache, let alone you, Gongzi."

He smacked his lips repeatedly as if still in shock.

Ning Shiting said, "They managed Xizhou for five years with neither achievements nor failures. They are genuinely working for the immortals. Later, follow me to the immortal chief's mansion to get the records and chronicles of Xizhou from the past five years."

Xizhou has beautiful scenery, the most abundant resources, and the richest spiritual energy among the nine continents governed by the Immortal Emperor. It's an excellent place for cultivation, producing many spiritual medicines and elixirs. However, the nine immortal continents face constant internal and external troubles. Monsters and demons are eyeing them, and in recent years, the spiritual energy in the immortal realm has been depleting. Spiritual medicines and elixirs are becoming harder to find, making cultivation increasingly difficult. The path to ascension is getting narrower, leading to widespread discontent.

The title of the immortal chief is nominal. Seeing that Qing Wang couldn't return to manage affairs, the Immortal Emperor, fearing potential rebellion, appointed a relative of the Empress as the chief of Xizhou before Gu Feiyin could send someone back.

This person, Su Yue, is the current Empress's nephew. Young and already at the Jiedan stage, he had been managing Xizhou for five years, handling daily disputes among the immortals and establishing a private school to educate them.

The immortal chief's mansion is luxurious and imposing, not less impressive than the Qing Wang’s mansion.

When Ning Shiting and Ting Shu arrived, the people in Su Mansion were very polite. The steward said, "I knew Gongzi would be coming so I have prepared tea for your arrival. Please come in and wait a moment."

That "wait a moment" turned into a full shichen.

People came and went outside. Today, a Rabbit Immortal complained that the Tiger Immortal next door was "too scary" and insisted the immortal chief "separate their territories." Then the Tiger Immortal argued helplessly, "Is it a crime to look fierce?" One person said their child’s practice went astray and wanted to "dismiss the teacher." Another couple came with a divorce agreement but couldn't divide their property...

Throughout, Su Yue never showed up.

Ning Shiting’s side saw servants coming and going, serving the best tea and incense. The display was impressive, but no one handed over the Xizhou Chronicles despite Ting Shu's repeated inquiries.

Finally, at dusk, the steward apologised, "We are really sorry, Ning Gongzi. Our master is too busy. You see, the immortals' issues are of utmost importance. Our master really has no time to see you."

Ning Shiting smiled, "If he has no time now, we will meet eventually. Since the master said he was busy, we won't trouble him."

He paused slightly, then called a name, "Ting Shu."

Ting Shu responded immediately, "Yes, Gongzi." The eleven or twelve-year-old child smiled innocently and looked up at the steward, "Fetching a Xianzhou Chronicle is no trouble at all. I can do it."

In the next moment, Ting Shu vanished!

The sound of ice being sliced echoed through the air.

No trace of spells, only the sudden wind. Pages flew, items shattered, and the previously quiet guest room became chaotic. The tea boiling on the stove flew into the air and smashed to the ground, releasing hot steam. The charcoal basin overturned, bookshelves were emptied, and books rapidly spread out and tore apart as if an invisible ghost hand was manipulating them. The destruction grew, moving deeper until it disappeared from sight.

The most terrifying part was the fine, deep cuts. A thick file fell to the ground without any apparent damage, but when picked up, it was cut in half by some force.

"What... what is this!!!"

The old steward's face turned pale. He forgot about cleaning up and rushed to the main room.

Su Yue was sitting at his desk, leisurely flipping through the Xizhou Chronicles.

Knowing that people from the Qing Wang’s mansion would come today, he had waited here all day, rejecting all other visitors to deliberately snub the rumoured soft, effeminate attendant of the Qing Wang.

The Su family and the Qing Wang’s line had long been at odds. Now, with tensions high, the Qing Wang’s attempt to reclaim control of Xizhou after five years seemed foolish—what right did he have?

Su Yue smiled slightly, reaching for his teacup, but his hand froze.

An invisible force gripped his throat.

A cold presence pressed against his throat, just a single cun from his thin blood vessels. He felt the sharp, cold, and thin blade-like object.

Even though he couldn't see it, he knew that if this object cut his throat and extracted his core, he would turn into shattered ice and blood within a short time.

"By the master's order, I take this Xizhou Chronicle."

The ghostly voice echoed in his ear. As soon as it spoke, the heavy volume on the table disappeared, and the pressure on his throat vanished.

Su Yue broke into a cold sweat, trembling.

"An ice mayfly, such a thing is rare in the world. Mayflies live and die within a day, born in the snowfields, transparent like ice, and skilled in cutting and concealment, leaving behind not a single trace of magic."

In the tearoom, Ning Shiting stood up.

At the same time, a breeze passed by, and Ting Shu reappeared beside him, handing him a storage ring, "Everything is here, Gongzi."

"Good, let's go home."

Ning Shiting patted Ting Shu's head.

Ting Shu turned back to the old steward, a cold, challenging smile on his lips, "I took the chronicle. Gongzi spoils me. If you are dissatisfied, come to the Qing Wang’s mansion. Our people are not as stingy as you, leaving guests unattended and not even serving good tea."

The Qing Wang’s mansion was bustling today.

Everyone had heard that in the Shizi's mansion in the east, someone was caught bullying the Shizi by Ning Shiting, who immediately ordered Ting Shu to kill the two culprits.

"The blood…my Heavens, when we went to clean up, we were terrified. Blood splattered up to the beams. Who knew that the polite Gongzi had such frightening means."

"Didn't you hear? Gongzi also ordered the removal of all thresholds and stairs and even the renovation of the pavilion to make it easier for the Shizi to move around. Gongzi is still young, but he's so considerate of the Shizi. Maybe he heard the rumours and is doing it deliberately."

"Hāi, whether it’s deliberate or not, he's being good to the Shizi, and that's what matters. It's not for us to judge."

The Shizi’s mansion hadn't been this lively in a long time. Since noon, people had been coming to clean and tidy up.

Rooms were cleaned, grass removed, thresholds and stairs demolished, and weeds fished out of the pond. Everything was purified, and the once gloomy Shizi's mansion became vibrant.

Someone even brought a nest, saying it was for the heir's little silver wolf.

Gu Tingshuang initially wanted to throw it out, but the silver wolf loved it, rolling in it happily despite his scolding.

Inside, medicinal herbs were simmering, filling the room with fragrance.

Gu Tingshuang wheeled himself over, poured a bowl for himself, and slowly drank it.

The first taste was bitter, but the aftertaste was sweet.

The internal and external application of the medicine was effective, and the black and blue on his wrist was slowly fading.

The tall, thin guard who died yesterday had been dragged away and buried. Before that, Gu Tingshuang saw the body turn black and stiff within moments, even the bones tainted by the Jiaoren’s poison.

"Where is he?"

After a day and night of silence, Gu Tingshuang finally spoke.

The maid cleaning by the door thought she had misheard, but realising the Shizi was asking her, she quickly put down her things and respectfully said, "Gongzi is not in the mansion today. He went to the immortal chief's mansion to collect the Xizhou Chronicles."

"He went?"’

A hint of contemptuous laughter flashed in Gu Tingshuang's eyes.

He hadn't left the Shizi's mansion in four years, but with his pack of wolves, he was still aware of everything in Xianzhou.

Su Yue, the immortal chief, was adept at manipulation, evasion, and stalling. If Ning Shiting went there, he would undoubtedly be snubbed.

That Jiaoren seemed to always do useless things, like today's trip or trying to please him.

It was all in vain.

The Author has Something to Say

That Gu Persimmon: Heh, a Jiaoren trying to please me? No way!

Foot Notes

1. 饕餮 (tāotiè) is a mythological creature from Chinese mythology, also called a “Lao Tao” (老饕) and “Roe Deer” (狍鴞鴞鴞). They are one of the Four Great Beasts and known for being ferocious and gluttonous. The Taotie is shaped like a goat with a human face, with eyes in the armpits, tiger's teeth and claws, and a voice like a baby's.