Chapter 204
Chapter 204
Cultivation was no easy path for animal immortals. Their ultimate goal was to accumulate Merit, receive divine investiture, and ascend to immortality.
But that path was far too difficult. The vast majority either perished along the way or strayed onto the wrong path.
Those who remained true to themselves long enough to see their cultivation bear fruit were few and far between.
Clearly, that Grey Rat had already lost sight of his original purpose.
Hui Moqiong’s low spirits certainly weren’t because he had failed to catch him, nor were they because of the wound on his neck.
What saddened him was the Grey Rat’s betrayal.
I had a feeling that he and Hui Moqiong must once have shared an extraordinary bond.
“His name is Hui Shuchen. He’s my thirteenth brother — my own flesh and blood.” After a long silence, Hui Moqiong finally began speaking. “We were born in the Qinling Mountains. My mother gave birth to a litter of fifteen — fourteen boys, with the youngest being a girl.
“We had too many natural enemies in the Qinling Mountains. Both our parents died in a disaster, and our sister disappeared. Of all the boys, only Little Thirteen and I survived. We depended on each other for many years.
“I had more talent for cultivation. Shuchen was born with a defect — his tail was far too short — so his cultivation progressed very slowly. But he possessed a pair of Spirit Ears and had exceptionally keen hearing. Even so, he always felt inferior. We cultivated together, but it wasn’t long before he fell far behind me.
“Then one day, he left without saying goodbye.”
The three of us remained silent, watching Hui Moqiong and listening to the story of him and his brother.
“I searched for him for a long time, but the Qinling Mountains were simply too vast. I couldn’t even be sure whether he was still there — or whether he was still alive.
“Many years later, I met the White Immortal, and we began cultivating together. You all know what happened after that.”
Later, Hui Moqiong and the White Immortal followed a monk to Wufu Town and became members of the Five Blessing Immortals.
“Once the Five Blessing Immortals made a name for ourselves, Shuchen found me. I never expected it. He called me Fifth Brother and said he didn’t want to wander anymore. He wanted to stay by my side and help me manage the Gray Immortal Lineage. I was overjoyed. He was my own brother!
“During those years, he stayed by my side and worked tirelessly without complaint. I also gave him as much Merit as I could. When something happened to the Pawnshop, before I was trapped, I entrusted the entire Gray Immortal Lineage and the Dou Family to him.
“But I never imagined that by the time I came out again, everything would have changed.”
At that point, Hui Moqiong looked at me with reddened eyes and said earnestly, “Xiao Jiu’er, your Granny died at Shuchen’s hands. I’ve never forgotten that. One day, I’ll make him come and answer for his crimes before you. If I can’t do that, then I’ll atone in his place — to you and to your Granny!”
“You are you, and he is he,” I replied without hesitation. “If I truly blamed you for what happened to Granny, I would never have personally asked you to return to the Pawnshop. Fifth Master Hui, you see him as your own brother — but what does he see you as?”
Hui Shuchen was clearly jealous of Hui Moqiong.
He envied Hui Moqiong’s talent for cultivation.
He envied the tremendous opportunity that had allowed Hui Moqiong to rank among the Five Blessing Immortals.
Why had he stayed by Hui Moqiong’s side and bided his time for all those years?
Because he had been waiting for the day when he could replace Hui Moqiong — and even surpass him!
And eventually, Hui Shuchen got his chance.
But he was no Hui Moqiong. Though he had taken control of the Gray Immortal Lineage, he had also led the entire lineage down an evil path.
Hui Moqiong clenched both hands tightly. He was far too intelligent not to understand all of this.
He simply couldn’t get past that hurdle in his heart.
I didn’t want to push him too hard, either.
Blood ties weren’t so easily severed.
When I was nine, hadn’t I still held out my hand and given my little sister two pieces of candy?
If the whipping from my grandma hadn’t knocked some sense into me, perhaps even now, I still wouldn’t have been able to let go of those family ties.
He would only sink deeper and deeper, leaving himself entirely at their mercy.
What remained between Hui Moqiong and Hui Shuchen was “a good whipping.”
Liu Junyan reached out and patted Hui Moqiong on the shoulder. In an earnest tone, he said, “After this confrontation, it’s time you faced reality. He stopped walking the same path as you a long time ago. Moqiong, you gave him his chance.”
And not just a chance.
He had also given Hui Shuchen authority.
Unfortunately, Hui Shuchen had failed to seize it.
That was simply his fate.
Hui Moqiong nodded. Li Qingying brought over the first-aid kit and began tending to his wounds.
When she applied the antiseptic, Li Qingying put noticeably more pressure into it than necessary, making Hui Moqiong hiss in pain.
I heard her grumble under her breath, “Serves you right! I offered to treat your wounds when you came back this morning, but you refused. If you’ve got any guts, don’t make a sound now.”
Hui Moqiong gritted his teeth and promptly stopped hissing altogether.
Watching the two of them left me torn between exasperation and amusement. What a pair of bickering lovebirds!
That afternoon, the refrigerator and small appliances were delivered. Li Qingying supervised the installation while I scanned the payment code.
The new refrigerator was placed in the side room next to Li Qingying’s bedroom.
The Buddha Eyes went into the fresh-food compartment, while Snow Phoenix went into the freezer.
Once everything was in place, I scratched my head and laughed. “Why does this feel a little weird?”
Who else kept things like these in their refrigerator?
What I hadn’t expected was that before long, this refrigerator would acquire yet another resident.
Two days later, I received a call from Jin Wuya.
He excitedly told me that Jiang Yingxue’s problem had been resolved. She was back to normal and had terminated her contract with the production company. It wouldn’t be long before she could return to an ordinary life.
I was happy for Jiang Yingxue, but at the same time, I found myself worrying about Gu Yan, the Teahouse Proprietress.
Gu Yan… should be back soon, shouldn’t she?
That evening, I made a special trip to the Teahouse, but its doors were still locked.
The notice announcing its temporary closure was still posted on the door.
Another two days passed. That evening, while Li Qingying and I were keeping watch over the Pawnshop, Gu Yan arrived.
She looked travel-worn and carried a wooden box in her hands.
Perhaps it was only my imagination, but the moment I saw her again, I felt that her entire aura had changed.
I rose and showed Gu Yan to the sofa in the Rear-facing Room. Li Qingying poured tea and brought over some pastries.
“I’ve recovered the fragment of Jiang Yingxue’s Souls that was being controlled.” Gu Yan placed the wooden box on the coffee table and got straight to the point. “Xiao Jiu, I came back this time to say goodbye.”
I stared at her in surprise. “Then… Then what about the Teahouse?”
In truth, I had already suspected things might end this way.
Gu Yan had escaped from a small village deep within the Shiwandashan Mountains. The peace she had enjoyed all these years had been borrowed time.
The moment Gu Die appeared at the Teahouse, that peace had been shattered for good.
She could run for a while, but she couldn’t run forever.
Gu Yan had only two choices: continue hiding from place to place, or return to Xiangxi and face everything.
When she chose to return to Xiangxi on my behalf and negotiate with the Corpse Driving practitioners for Jiang Yingxue’s Souls, she had already made her final decision.
She had chosen to face it.
That was why Gu Yan’s return to Xiangxi was inevitable.
And this farewell might very well be our last.
There was so much I wanted to say to Gu Yan, yet I had no idea where to begin.
Gu Yan, however, seemed to understand it all. She smiled at me and pushed the wooden box across the coffee table. “I told you about this before — the Gu insect that can temporarily suppress the Symbiotic Curse inside you. I brought it back for you. It’s called the Ice Silkworm. If you don’t need to use it, just keep it in the freezer and let it hibernate…”