Chapter 119
Chapter 119
Yan Zhengchu nearly blurted out, “Every disciple of Mount Yunhe has a sword.”
Only after the words left his mouth did he realize that brat Ren Fengjue had been trying to bait him into talking.
He gave another muffled snort. “Why are you asking about that?”
Ren Fengjue only knew that Little Uncle had quite a connection to Mount Yunhe, but he had no idea what sort of “connection” it was.
He knew Yan Zhengchu wanted to hide it from him, so in order to keep him from dodging the question, he answered honestly, “Last night, in that Illusionary Realm, the ghosts inside asked me about Little Uncle’s ‘sword.'”
“They seemed to be looking for something like that…”
As he spoke, he deliberately pointed at the peachwood sword and coin sword hanging on the wall nearby and asked, “Are they these two?”
Yan Zhengchu was still annoyed at himself for his slip of the tongue.
But this was indeed not something he could simply ignore.
After thinking it over briefly, he answered in another way. “Those can indeed be used to subdue ghosts and drive out evil, but anyone can use them.”
“What that ghost was looking for must be something only your Little Uncle can use.”
Ren Fengjue thought back carefully.
Did Little Uncle carry a sword?
It seemed he did not.
He was always dressed in loose robes with wide sleeves, carefree and unrestrained, and especially fond of wine.
When had he ever seen him wearing a precious sword at his waist?
“I don’t remember Little Uncle having anything like that on him…”
Yan Zhengchu gave him a long, meaningful look, but did not reply.
Ren Fengjue fell silent for a moment as well, then asked, “That Jade Sword you carry, Daoist Master-surely it is meant only for your own use?”
Yan Zhengchu did not hide it from him. “When I began studying Daoist arts, my master bestowed this sword upon me. All these years, it has never left my side…”
“So my Little Uncle also has a sword like that?”
Yan Zhengchu let out a deep sigh, but said, “Young Marquis, I’ll be honest with you. As for matters concerning your Little Uncle, you had best not ask me. In truth… I want to know just as much as you do.”
“What I know is certainly far less than what your father knows.”
“You might as well ask him directly…”
Hearing this, Ren Fengjue fell silent once more.
He knew his father’s temperament far too well. If his father did not choose to speak of his own accord, no amount of questioning would help.
As he was pondering this, a young servant ran to the outside of South River Courtyard and announced toward the interior, “Young Master, the Marquis has instructed that you and this Daoist Master proceed to the study together.”
Ren Fengjue was somewhat surprised. “He wants to see this Daoist Master?”
Yan Zhengchu immediately panicked. “Why would the Marquis suddenly want to see me? I’m not going!”
Ren Fengjue had no intention of letting such an opportunity slip by. He deliberately frightened him, saying, “My father is not as even-tempered as I am. If you refuse to go, then the ones who come next will be the guards.”
Yan Zhengchu tried to make excuses. “My master warned me…”
Before he could finish, Ren Fengjue had already grabbed him and started pulling him outside. “Your master told you not to enter the Marquis Mansion, but you entered anyway. Since that’s the case, you may as well get everything cleared up.”
Seeing this, Yu Lang could not help asking the young servant, “Did the Marquis not invite me?”
The young servant replied politely, “The Marquis said Young Master Yu may do as he pleases.”
“…”
Vice Minister Yu was faintly displeased. He shouted after Ren Fengjue’s retreating back, “My lord, may I take one of the things in here too?”
–
The study of Marquis Renxuan was called Jingguan Hall.
Yan Zhengchu was half-pushed, half-dragged into the hall by Ren Fengjue. When he looked up, he saw Ren Xuan seated upright behind the desk, dignified without even needing to show anger.
Reluctantly, Yan Zhengchu stepped forward and, as a Daoist priest, gave a cupped-fist salute.
“Greetings, Marquis.”
Ren Xuan gave a muffled snort through his nose, then said, “You little Daoist from Mount Yunhe certainly put on airs. Why did you avoid seeing me last night?”
Since Yan Zhengchu realized Ren Xuan already knew who he was, he could only explain, “It was all my master’s instruction before I descended the mountain. I did not dare disobey…”
“Oh?” Ren Xuan feigned surprise. “And who is your master? Why would he give you such an order?”
Yan Zhengchu answered truthfully, “My master is the sect leader of Mount Yunhe-Master Tianji.”
Ren Xuan smiled knowingly and asked, “Then what is your name?”
“This humble Daoist’s surname is Yan. My given name is Zhengchu.”
After hearing that name, Marquis Renxuan seemed to think it over for a moment before saying, “I’ve seen you before. You were the eldest among that group of children.”
“…”
At that, not only Yan Zhengchu, but even Ren Fengjue was startled.
His father had actually met Yan Zhengchu?
Then had he once gone to Mount Yunhe as well?
“Father…”
Ren Xuan glanced at his son and said, “I still remember what you said to me in front of Tingxue Lake last time.”
“After all these years, it is indeed time I gave you an explanation.”
Ren Fengjue’s fingers clenched of their own accord.
Beside him, Yan Zhengchu did not even dare speak.
“Come. Let us go see your Little Uncle and Little Martial Uncle.”
Those words made Ren Fengjue instinctively glance at Yan Zhengchu. “Little Martial Uncle?”
Yan Zhengchu simply admitted it. “Your Little Uncle is precisely my Little Martial Uncle…”
“…”
But very quickly, the two of them realized the same thing at the same time.
“Father! Is Little Uncle still alive?”
Ren Xuan said nothing. He rose and walked straight toward the small garden behind Jingguan Hall.
Ren Fengjue and Yan Zhengchu immediately followed.
The two trailed behind Ren Xuan, hurried through the small garden, and arrived before a strangely jagged rockery.
Ren Xuan pressed his palm against one protruding stone and gave it a gentle push. The two main peaks of the rockery slid apart to either side, revealing a staircase leading downward.
Ren Fengjue had never known that such a place existed within the Marquis Mansion.
Yan Zhengchu, however, stared at the stones on the rockery for a long while.
If he was not mistaken, this should be an array laid out with stones, though it could only serve to conceal this place and cut it off from the outside world.
They descended the stairs and came upon another stone door. Ren Xuan opened it the same way.
What appeared before their eyes was a spacious stone chamber.
Yet inside, there was only a single bed.
A person lay upon it.
From a distance, Ren Fengjue and Yan Zhengchu both froze in place, hesitating to step forward.
At that moment, they already had a rough answer in their hearts.
Ren Xuan said, “Go and look.”
Ren Fengjue could not name the feeling in his chest. With somewhat heavy steps, he approached the person on the bed.
And once he drew near, that person’s face became clear.
It was almost exactly the same as in his memory.
Little Uncle had not aged.
At this moment, he looked as if he were merely asleep.
“Father, Little Uncle… is he still alive?”
Ren Xuan’s expression looked rather complicated as well. He said, “He appears to be alive, but he is no different from the dead. Nothing more than a living corpse.”
“How could this be?”
Ren Fengjue stepped forward and took Little Uncle’s hand.
It was ice-cold, without the slightest warmth of a living person.
There was no pulse, nor any breath from his nose. He truly was no different from a corpse.
And yet he had lain here for a full fifteen years.
Ren Xuan let out a long sigh and said, “Settling him here was his own wish.”
“He also instructed me that if, one day, I absolutely had to give you an explanation, then I should bring you here.”
“And tell you the whole truth as well.”