Night descended, and a silver moon hung high in the sky, spilling faint, ethereal moonlight down below.
Inside Orchid Pavilion at Xiaoxiang Elegant Garden,
the table was laden with all sorts of fine wine and delicacies. The aroma wafting through the air was utterly tantalizing.
A mature, alluring beauty in a crimson-red Peony-and-Water skirt, her peerlessly beautiful face radiating a rich, maternal glow, sat beside a small figure.
Ning Wan picked up some dishes with her chopsticks and placed them into Deng Tianyu’s bowl, her voice gentle. “Tianyu, eat more Spirit Mushroom. It nourishes the body.”
Spirit Mushroom could indeed nourish the body.
He had heard somewhere that it might work on the principle of “like nourishes like.”
Deng Tianyu’s expression turned odd, but he gladly accepted his Shizun’s kindness.
“Tianyu, how long will this state of yours last?”
Also seated nearby, Qu Qirong placed a slice of perfectly marbled Spirit Beast Meat into his bowl and asked softly.
Years ago, the first time she met Deng Tianyu, he was still a babe in swaddling clothes. Due to various circumstances, she hadn’t seen him again after that.
Yet now, unexpectedly, she could see her Tianyu in the form of a child again.
Qu Qirong was naturally overjoyed by this.
“Half a day has passed. There are still two and a half days left.”
Deng Tianyu didn’t hide it and stated the facts.
Qu Qirong’s voice carried a hint of regret. “Only three days, what a pity.”
Only three days?
Deng Tianyu looked at Aunt Rong, baffled.
How did Aunt Rong have the same thought as Shizun?
Wasn’t three days long enough?
As if remembering something, Deng Tianyu looked at Qu Qirong and asked, “Aunt Rong, how is the struggle for the position of the Spirit Treasure Sect Leader going?”
Qu Qirong pondered for a moment, then parted her crimson lips. “The Tongbao Merchant Guild’s faction won the second match. Qu Tianheng is now the Spirit Treasure Sect Leader.”
“But he has been completely controlled by the Love Gu and the Heart-Controlling Gu. Moreover, from him, I also learned about his relationship with that Hall Master.”
Ning Wan’s brows furrowed. “What relationship?”
Meeting her gaze, Qu Qirong slowly explained. “Qu Tianheng and that Hall Master had a deal.”
“That Hall Master would help him seize the position of Spirit Treasure Sect Leader, and in return, Qu Tianheng would deploy the full force of the Tongbao Merchant Guild to search for information about a certain defector from Yin-Yang Law Heaven.”
Hearing this, Ning Wan’s expression revealed understanding. “So it is indeed aimed at this Seat!” (T/N: “This Seat” is a term of self-address for a high-ranking cultivator.)
The only defector who could warrant the Five Elements Palace’s Hall Master taking personal action was her.
Qu Qirong glanced at Ning Wan, then continued. “Originally, for this trip to the Bloodfall Mountain Range, that Hall Master planned to lie in wait like a hunter, waiting for this defector to appear before striking to kill.”
“But who could have foreseen that an Ancient Cave Dwelling would appear within the Bloodfall Mountain Range? It’s formed its own set of rules, preventing entry to all powerhouses above the King-Sealing Realm.”
“Thus, he instructed Qu Tianheng to retrieve the Blood Soul Crystal at all costs.”
As these words sank in, Deng Tianyu and Ning Wan exchanged a glance, immediately understanding that Hall Master’s plan.
The Blood Soul Crystal was one of the materials for refining the Extreme Yang Creation Pill. By controlling the Blood Soul Crystal, one held the initiative and could force Shizun out into the open.
Unfortunately for the Hall Master, he didn’t know that Qu Tianheng was already controlled by the Love Gu and Heart-Controlling Gu and had leaked this very information.
Qu Qirong voiced her concern. “This expedition to the Bloodfall Mountain Range will be a tangled mess, with forces from all sides involved. Tianyu, you must be extremely careful.”
“Mm!” Deng Tianyu nodded, deep in thought.
For this trip to the Bloodfall Mountain Range, he didn’t plan to participate in the struggle for the legacy treasures of that Ancient Cave Dwelling. He would leave immediately after obtaining the Blood Soul Crystal.
Therefore, the number of enemies he would face would be greatly reduced.
Handling this situation with his current cultivation, and with the addition of Yingying the Little Fox, shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.
While the three were discussing important matters, Qing’er and Ling’er, seated opposite them, ate their meal with heads bowed in silence.
Even though Madam hadn’t deliberately kept secrets from them, they knew what to listen to and what not to.
In contrast, Li Shishi had zero interest in their conversation.
Her heart was simply aching with displeasure. She drowned her sorrows with Peach Blossom Wine, glancing occasionally at Deng Tianyu and her Shizun.
Her Senior Brother had shrunk down, his little face pink and healthy, looking as delicate as carved jade, truly unbearably cute.
She had thought to hold him again, to get some cuddles.
But the moment she brought it up, Shizun flatly denied her.
The deeply aggrieved Li Shishi complained in her heart, “If it weren’t for me, how could Senior Brother have gotten so small? What right does she have to stop me from holding him?”
To make matters worse, she couldn’t even accompany Senior Brother on this trip to the Bloodfall Mountain Range. The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt. She downed her cup of Peach Blossom Wine in one go, a peach-red flush instantly blooming on her pretty face.
The most carefree ones present were Yingying the Little Fox, Hongxue, Moxue, and Bai Zhi.
The four little ones were immersed in the delicious Spirit Meals, emitting occasional “squeaks” and “yings” as they debated which dish was better.
After much wining and dining, Yingying the Little Fox drank some Peach Blossom Wine and became entirely drunk. Sometimes she pawed at Bai Zhi, other times she fiddled with Hongxue and Moxue.
Li Shishi was also drunk, sprawled across the table, muttering in her dreams. “Ning Xiaowan… what right do you have to stop me from holding Senior Brother?”
“One day, when my cultivation is complete, I will absolutely suppress you and make you face the wall every day… hic!”
Seeing this, Qing’er and Ling’er covered their mouths to stifle giggles.
Ning Wan, on the other hand, stared expressionlessly at Li Shishi. She had clearly noted this treasonous, blasphemous talk of deceiving one’s master and destroying one’s ancestors—ready to be settled later.
Also having drunk quite a bit of Peach Blossom Wine, Deng Tianyu could only laugh wryly. Most likely, after Li Shishi sobered up, she’d be punished with wall-facing again.
“Tianyu, now that you’re small, you probably don’t have many clothes that fit.”
“How about Aunt Rong tailor a few outfits that fit you properly?”
Gazing at the tiny Deng Tianyu, Qu Qirong felt maternal love and affection swell in her heart, and she made the offer.
Lately, she had often pondered: if that accident back then hadn’t happened, it would surely have been her, not Ning Wan, who accompanied Tianyu as he grew up.
In this way, she had missed watching her Tianyu grow up.
While Ning Wan had regrets in her heart, she had no way to mend them.
Yet now, by a twist of fate, Deng Tianyu had turned back into a child. Of course she wanted to properly compensate for that lost time.
Hearing this, Deng Tianyu was about to respond, but Ning Wan cut him off. “That won’t be necessary. I have perfectly preserved every single outfit Tianyu wore from childhood to adulthood.”
Qu Qirong was somewhat surprised, but her smile remained. “A few more can only be a good thing.”
Ning Wan pressed on. “Tianyu’s current state only has two and a half days left. He won’t be able to wear many outfits. No need for you to trouble yourself, Madam.”
Deng Tianyu’s mouth twitched. If he wouldn’t be able to wear many, why then had Shizun dragged him through trying on every outfit in the wardrobe?
“It’s no trouble at all. Even if Tianyu never gets to wear them in the end, I wouldn’t have a single complaint…”
As Aunt Rong and Shizun exchanged words, the tension between them, sharp as needles against wheat awns, grew ever more intense.
This scene… compared to when Aunt Rong visited Purple Cloud Sect and met Shizun, one couldn’t say it was somewhat similar. It was identical in every way.
A chill ran down Deng Tianyu’s spine. After drinking several more cups of Peach Blossom Wine, he pretended to be drunk and slumped onto the table, letting out even, rhythmic breaths.
As for why he feigned drunkenness, it was precisely because he feared getting caught between Aunt Rong and Shizun again, just like last time. Both were flesh of his flesh, the palm and the back of his hand—who could he possibly side with?
