“Sect Leader isn’t going to sleep?”
“How can I sleep?” Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian, who had climbed onto the roof next to him. He stared up at the stars with a grave expression on his face. “First, there was that man in the alley, now there’s this guy. Both times, members of Screeching Sparrow were present—is this really just a coincidence?”
Wu Lingtian laid down beside Fan Yi. “Us being present could just be a coincidence, but two murders happening during the Discussion Conference shouldn’t be.”
Fan Yi looked at Wu Lingtian. “Do those two men have anything in common?”
Wu Lingtian cushioned his head.
If Jianshi had Zhen Yueyue as an informant, then Xianping had Wu Lingtian. In the later years of Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect’s prominence, Rong Meihua had created an elite force that would be sent out to exterminate evil. However, this elite force needed network of information to work to work in the way Rong Meihua wanted. Wu Lingtian was just that net. In a matter of a few years, any dirt on the most prominent cultivator fell into Wu Lingtian’s hands, allowing him to weave a web that many cultivators were afraid to struggling out of.
Of course, at the end of the day, it was all just gossip. Some scoffed at the validity of these rumors, while others swore by them. However, regardless of whether the truth was to the extent of the ridiculous rumors, it was undeniable that Wu Lingtian, with his amazing memory, knew a lot about the cultivation world and those who run around in it.
“Heng Liuran and Shu Ban’ge,” Wu Lingtian said. “Heng Liuran is from Xiuxing Temple and Shu Ban’ge is from the Wu Rong School. The two men have never crossed paths, but there is one similarity.”
“What’s that?” Fan Yi asked.
“They both practice medicinal cultivation,” Wu Lingtian replied.
Fan Yi froze. “…Is that so?”
“Did Sect Leader think of something?” Wu Lingtian asked.
“…I did, but,” Fan Yi murmured. His frown deepened. “Let me think about it. Once I’ve thought a bit more, I’ll tell you.”
“Alright,” Wu Lingtian closed his eyes.
Fan Yi glanced over and smiled. “A-Tian.”
“Mn?”
“How come you’re always so obedient? Are you faking it, or is it real?” Fan Yi teased.
Wu Lingtian opened his eyes again and blinked at the starry sky. “Does Sect Leader want a serious answer or a simple one?”
“Simple.”
“I like you.”
“…Just give me the serious one then.”
“You say I’ve saved you three times, but at most, you would have just gotten mildly injured. But you’ve saved me twice,” Wu Lingtian said.
“Twice? I’ve only saved you once,” Fan Yi chuckled.
“The second time, you saved my life, but the first time, you gave me purpose,” Wu Lingtian explained. “I suddenly had a reason to exist and I didn’t need to think about just surviving or just living for another person. It was nice.”
Fan Yi watched Wu Lingtian silently.
“I don’t have much,” Wu Lingtian continued. His eyes seemed to see beyond the stars as he spoke, “but I’m the Yu Lan Sword. This sword was tossed out into the rain and you happened to pick me up, so now you’re my master. I chose your sect, so I will be loyal to you. That’s just how I think about it.”
“You make it sound as if you’re an object,” Fan Yi chuckled.
Wu Lingtian met Fan Yi’s observance. “Am I not? I’ve been Yu Lan Sword or Lord Yu Lan for so many years—did you know the children don’t even know my real name?”
The white-robed man chuckled resignedly as he averted his gaze. “A sword is still good. It’s useful.”
Fan Yi leaned against his palm and observed Wu Lingtian. “If you’re my sword, can I wield you however I like?”
Wu Lingtian smiled. “Sect Leader, you sound as perverted as Third Pillar.”
Fan Yi scoffed in disbelief. “Even if I tried, I won’t be as perverted as him, alright?”
Wu Lingtian fell into a silent contemplation and glanced at Fan Yi. “Sect Leader, may I ask you a question?”
“Is it about Xiewen and Yizhou’s relationship?”
“Mn.”
“I also don’t know.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“…”
“Qf pera ilnf lc atf rjwf rfma, P vbc’a tjnf fcbeut fzagj ogff alwf ab qbxf ws tfjv lcab atflg yerlcfrr,” Mjc Tl rtgeuufv. “Aera…rbwfalwfr atfs ufa jibcu ilxf pera cbk, yea rbwfalwfr atfs jguef ilxf sbe’nf rffc. P atlcx Wlfkfc ilxfr Tlhtbe, yea Tlhtbe wluta pera fcpbs Wlfkfc’r ybvs? Ktfs’nf yffc ilxf atlr obg mfcaeglfr, la’r erfifrr agslcu ab wjxf rfcrf bo atfw.”
“…I think it’s quite nice.”
Fan Yi quirked an eyebrow and turned to face Wu Lingtian. He pinched the younger man’s cheek. “A-Tian, how come the more we speak, the more eccentric you become? How could that kind of back and for the relationship be nice?”
Wu Lingtian pushed Fan Yi’s hand off. “We live such long lives, isn’t it nice to have someone to argue with once in a while? At the end of the day, at least they know they still care about each other.”
Fan Yi’s smile stiffened. He leaned closer and narrowed his eyes. “Have you really never met my father?”
Wu Lingtian placed his hand over Fan Yi’s face. “I mean no offense, Sect Leader, but your father died before I was even born.”
Wu Lingtian felt Fan Yi’s lips curve into a smile against the palm of his hand. Fan Yi gripped Wu Lingtian’s wrist and tugged it away. “You would have gotten along with my parents. They would have loved you as their son-in-law.”
“Are you proposing now?” Wu Lingtian lazily raised an eyebrow.
Fan Yi released Wu Lingtian’s hand and sat straight again. “I sure am tempted.”
“Then, I’ll be waiting,” Wu Lingtian snorted.
“So generous,” Fan Yi said. “However, I don’t feel like being in a relationship yet—can you wait for me for a lifetime?”
“A lifetime, two lifetimes—however long you want,” Wu Lingtian replied with an odd note of sincerity.
Fan Yi laughed joyously. His eyes glimmered like the stars and he seemed to have heard a very amusing joke. “Would you say this to a woman?”
“Sect Leader, I enjoy the company of men,” Wu Lingtian suppressed a yawn and closed his eyes again.
“Men?” Fan Yi appeared surprised. He thought about it a bit longer and spoke cautiously, “Is that why you’re so close with Situ Hong?”
“I don’t like him,” Wu Lingtian murmured sleepily. “I like…”
“Like?”
“Like men who are responsible and give me a sense of security,” Wu Lingtian curled into himself a little more to find a more comfortable position to sleep on the tile.
Fan Yi reached into his Qiankun pouch and pulled out a padded blanket. He slipped it under Wu Lingtian’s head and sat back again. “Responsible and give you a sense of security, huh? At least you know what you like. That way, it’ll be easier to find them.”
“Mn.”
Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian’s sleepy appearance and chuckled. He couldn’t help but reach over and toy with the younger man’s hair. “A-Tian, are you tired?”
Wu Lingtian had a quirk—he despised being woken up. If you told him ahead of time that he had to wake up at three in the morning, then he would naturally get up at three in the morning by himself. However, if you woke him up unannounced, he would spend the entire day being drowsy.
At the moment, he really felt too tired to speak. He hummed in response again and nudged his head against Fan Yi’s fondling fingers.
“Then sleep. I’ll carry you back down when I’m done here,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian groggily sat up. He hugged the makeshift pillow to his chest and started to move. “Sect Leader should just come back inside. The summer nights here are chilly.”
Fan Yi quirked an eyebrow but followed Wu Lingtian down from the roof without another word of protest. He watched the man’s lumbering form amusedly as he flopped back down onto the daybed without taking off his outer robes. In the end, only his shoes were lazily kicked off. Fan Yi felt that in Wu Lingtian’s entire lifetime, he was the only person to see him so messy.
“A-Tian,” Fan Yi pulled Wu Lingtian back up. He bent down to fix the shoes as he glanced back at Wu Lingtian. “Take off your outer robes first. Your hair’s still up in the crown. It’ll hurt to sleep in it.”
Wu Lingtian let out a light whining noise. He leaned against Fan Yi’s shoulder, obviously reluctant to move.
Fan Yi sighed. He fiddled with Wu Lingtian’s crown until his hair cascaded down his back. He then brought over a ribbon to retie Wu Lingtian’s hair so it wouldn’t bother him in his sleep. He tucked Wu Lingtian in and stepped to the side to pull off his outer robes before getting into bed with Wu Lingtian.
He stared blankly up at the ceiling as he listened to Wu Lingtian’s soft breathing. After a moment, Fan Yi stood up again. He grabbed his pouch and pulled out a metallic spherical object with holes carved all around it. He blew out the candles and returned to the daybed. He pressed the circular object in his hand and embedded it with a bit of spiritual energy.
The spherical object began to glow from within, casting shadows onto the ceiling like stars.
Fan Yi laid back down. He placed the spherical object on the table behind his head and stared up at the man-made stars as he listened to Wu Lingtian’s breath. His eyes soon began to grow heavier and, eventually, he managed to fall asleep.
In better words, the conference was postponed, but in reality, it had most likely become cancelled. With two deaths happening in the span of a few days, this was obviously a horrible omen. Even those who were not superstitious felt that there at least had to be some type of conspiracy happening. But, unlike Wu Lingtian, they had yet to make the connection that the two deaths were of medicinal cultivators.
On a clear day, with the sun to properly witness everything, a grand argument was taking place once again. The sides were split between the unorthodox and the righteous. One side was indignant while the other was accusatory, however when it came to the parties involved, one felt indifferent while the other felt apologetic.
“What do you mean Sect Leader Fan can’t examine the body?” an unorthodox cultivator snapped. “State your reasoning!”
“Well, the one who was accused was a member of his own sect, right? It would be possible that he omits information in order to protect his own.”
“Oh, then, with your reasoning, we should hand the examination over to your sects? For you to think of that, wouldn’t it be more plausible that you change the evidence and twist it so that Third Pillar committed the murder?”
“How could you make such an atrocious accusation!?”
“What I just said is atrocious, but then what about you? Is your word Heaven’s law?!”
The other doctor pulled out by the righteous sect glanced awkwardly at Fan Yi. He was a member of Xiuxing Temple as well. Xiuxing Temple was a sect that stayed away from mortal affairs, only descending to attend conferences once in a while. He had no ill feelings towards Fan Yi and felt a bit helpless to have been dragged into such a situation.
“My apologies,” the doctor whispered to Fan Yi.
“No, no, it isn’t your fault Lord Zhang,” Fan Yi gave the man a smile. He looked back to the crowd. “At any rate, being able to witness the righteous sects tear at their own face before breakfast is always an auspicious start to the morning.”
As if timed, Wu Lingtian appeared with buns for the Three Pillars. He was eating his own breakfast when Situ Hong and Zhou Ying’an creeped over to his side.
“Lingtian,” Situ Hong whined.
“Tiantian,” Zhou Ying’an tugged at Wu Lingtian’s sleeve.
Both looked miserable and tired. Wu Lingtian glanced at them midbite and shifted away. An ominous premonition rose in his heart. “I don’t share food I’ve already bitten out of.”
“We weren’t asking you for that,” Zhou Ying’an clicked her tongue irritably.
Situ Hong raised a brow and fanned himself as he observed Wu Lingtian. “Since when have you eaten food?”
Zhou Ying’an glared at Situ Hong before turning to Wu Lingtian. She sweetened her voice again, “Lingtian, do shijie a favor and control the crowd.”
Wu Lingtian licked his lower lip and grimaced. “Shijie, it’s not that I don’t want to, but I don’t want to be involved anymore. Besides, you could also do it.”
“Lingtian, are you really going to be like this?” it was rare for Zhou Ying’an to lower herself to plead, even as a joke, so Wu Lingtian felt a twinge of guilt. “Am I not your shijie anymore?”
“Well, we really aren’t in the same sect anymore,” Wu Lingtian replied shamelessly as he chewed at his bun.
“I told you he wouldn’t help,” Situ Hong said. “We’ve been trying to recruit him for years, but he still turns his nose to us.”
“Frost Cliff Pavilion is too demanding,” Wu Lingtian waved his hand as he finished the last half of his bun. He swallowed and brushed his hands together. “I don’t have enough of a hero complex to attend something so strenuous.”
Zhou Ying’an scoffed. “Before your excuse was because you were helping Shizun, now what? What’s your excuse now?”
“No excuse. I’m just lazy,” Wu Lingtian said. “I can afford to be lazy after so many years, right?”
Neither Situ Hong and Zhou Ying’an could deny that.
However, no matter the reasoning, it was still Situ Hong and Zhou Ying’an using this opportunity to assert Wu Lingtian’s authority again. He would be a fool if he didn’t take what was handed to him. He summoned his internal strength and imbedded it into his words, his voice rang over the sounds of bickering, making it sound as if he were right beside them.
“Arguing is useless,” Wu Lingtian stepped forward and walked towards the quietest party. “If one side claims they can’t trust the other, then just use a third party.”
Wu Lingtian stopped in front of Wuma Qiongling. “Lord Wuma.”
Wuma Qiongling looked up lazily. They had brought his throne out and they had set it up under the shade of a tree. He was currently enjoying a few snacks and a cup of tea, served by his righthand man, Bai Qiu. He hadn’t expected to be approached and was just there to watch the so-called spiritual cultivators’ bickering. But, upon seeing Wu Lingtian’s face, he smiled.
“Lord Yu Lan,” Wuma Qiongling returned the greeting. He fixed his sleeve. “What is your meaning?”
“Lord Wuma excels in medicine and the art of Gu,” Wu Lingtian said. “It wouldn’t be too presumptuous to ask you to do the autopsy.”
“But the heat’s gotten me a bit lethargic, what to do?” Wuma Qiongling sighed emotionally.
Wu Lingtian remained unmoved.
“Ah, I don’t wanna move,” Wuma Qiongling whined as he stretched out on the makeshift throne. He frowned at Wu Lingtian. “I don’t think I’m suited for this job. It would be best if—”
“Situ Hong.”
“Yes?” Situ Hong stepped up with a flattering smile.
Situ An pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away angrily, so as to avoid watching his son’s ridiculous display.
Wu Lingtian gave Situ Hong a pointed glance. Situ Hong let out an “ah” of understanding and quickly erected a sound barrier, preventing any noise from leaving and enclosing them and Wuma Qiongling in a small array. Wuma Qiongling’s interest was piqued. He leaned forward with a bit more willingness to listen.
“I heard a rumor a while back,” Wu Lingtian smiled amicably as Situ Hong tossed his hair over his shoulder and wandered away, seemingly without any reason. Only Situ An and Situ Min knew this was the way Situ Hong milled about when he was trying to block something.
Wuma Qiongling quirked an eyebrow. “What sort of rumor, Yu Lan Sword?”
“Lord Wuma seems to have taken an interest on a large mountain just to the east of Luyang,” Wu Lingtian said. “Lord Wuma, if you help us resolve this small issue, I can tell you about it.”
Wuma Qiongling sat up and Situ Hong stepped forward, gripping Wu Lingtian’s shoulder with obvious astonishment.
Situ Hong’s voice sounded in Wu Lingtian’s head, “Lingtian, that’s where Xiao-ge lives.”
“I know that’s where he lives, so what?” Wu Lingtian asked with the same method, his hand brushing Situ Hong’s off his shoulder.
Situ Hong glanced at Wuma Qiongling and tugged Wu Lingtian aside. “Are you trying to sell out your sworn brother!?”
“Since when have we been sworn brothers?”
“We promised Heaven and Earth that we would go through even the fires of hell together, but you’re selling him out to—to him?” Situ Hong asked incredulously.
“Why are you so anxious?” Wu Lingtian removed Situ Hong’s hand again and created a bit of distance between them. “It’s not like he’s going to harm Xiao-xiong in anyway.”
“How do you know that?” Situ Hong flourished his fan. “Lord Wuma’s unpredictable and psychotic—he even killed his shizun. He can fight an army of five hundred all by himself, what do you mean he’s not going to harm Xiao-ge?”
“Think about it,” Wu Lingtian reasoned. “Lord Wuma has never publicly announced that he’s looking for Yu Shui Manor. Not only that, he’s never even talked about that large mountain by Luyang. Instead, he’s been quietly searching for it by himself. If it was some horrific vengeance he had planned, he would just announce it to the world. There would be so many people scouring Luyang to suck up to Lord Wuma—he’d find it in no time.”
“…Yeah, I suppose,” Situ Hong reluctantly agreed. He looked at Wu Lingtian with an epiphany. “No, you’re right! Then…then it’s nothing about vengeance?
“Of course not,” Wu Lingtian said. “Didn’t Xiao-xiong said he had an unwanted visitor a few years ago, so we couldn’t go over?”
“You even remember that detail but you don’t remember that we went over just a few months ago?”
“Forget that for now,” Wu Lingtian said impatiently.
Situ Hong fell silent in Wu Lingtian’s mind before cautiously probing, “So, you’re suggesting that unwanted visitor…”
“Mn.”
“Oh.”
The two childhood friends came to a silent understanding and returned to Wuma Qiongling. The demon lord glanced between the two men.
“You know about the mountain near Luyang?” an eager glint appeared in Wuma Qiongling’s eyes that they hadn’t seen previously. It was obvious that, even if they retracted their statement now, Wuma Qiongling would continue to pester them until they spoke.
“Mn,” Wu Lingtian nodded. “If you help us conduct an autopsy now, I will tell you all the information you need to find what you want.”
Wuma Qiongling’s eyes narrowed. He sat back lazily again. It seemed whatever thoughts he had weren’t urgent enough for him to lose all reasoning. “How should I trust you? Maybe you only heard that I was looking for something in the mountain near Luyang. Prove that you know what I’m looking for.”
Wu Lingtian thought for a moment before slowly recalling what Xiāo Xúnruì (萧寻睿) had told him once. “There was a little boy who loved to eat pears, as a result the pear trees on this mountain are always in bloom, waiting for the next coming months.”
Wuma Qiongling stiffened. For a moment, his façade seemed to break. He was somewhat grateful that Situ Hong was blocking them from prying eyes. He lowered his gaze and his fingers tapped against the arm of his chair.
“…How do you know him?”
“An old friendship,” Wu Lingtian said honestly.
Wuma Qiongling fell silent. No one knew what he was thinking at the moment, but a smile slowly curved onto his face. At one second, it was sincere, at another it was crazed, and then again, it seemed depressed.
“He’s definitely crazy. Lingtian, is it okay to send him over to Xiao-ge like this?” Situ Hong’s voice sounded in Wu Lingtian’s mind again.
“Whatever. If Xiao-xiong can’t handle Lord Wuma, he wouldn’t have been able to hide for so long,” Wu Lingtian said.
Wuma Qiongling’s obsession was obvious, yet instead of a frenzied search, he had waited patiently and quietly gathered information over the years. Even if Wuma Qiongling was obsessed with Xiao Xunrui, he was clearly scared of harming him or driving him away.
“Fine, I’ll help,” Wuma Qiongling stood. “I will come find you to fulfil your promise, Lord Yu Lan.”
“Of course, Lord Wuma,” Wu Lingtian clasped his hands together as Situ Hong undid the boundaries.
The conversation around them silenced as Wuma Qiongling sauntered over to the group with Bai Qiu, Wu Lingtian, and Situ Hong following behind him.
He looked over the crowd as if he were looking down on ants.
“Where’s the dead guy?”
↳ 修星庙 (Xiū xīng miào) – Xiuxing Temple
↳ 雾荣门 (Wù róng mén) – Wu Rong School
Aw~~ someone has a crush~~
Wuma Qiongling yes !!! Show off your skills
Tickling my demon lord fancy. Dead guy 😆.
yes Wu Lingtian!!!!! be spoiled and lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!
also im very interested in Wuma Qingling… hm….