Chapter 86: This Venerable One's Ex-Wife Isn’t Low-Maintenance

"..." Ye Wangxi choked visibly at his words, but didn't get mad, instead taking a moment to gather his bearings before saying, "You misunderstood. I'm here on the sect leader's orders to buy something from Xuanyuan Pavilion, not following you" Mo Ran and Chu Wanning exchanged a glance.

——The holy weapon.

Nangong Si swung the jar of wine danging from his hand, his face darkening even more: "So my Father's asking you to fetch his things for him now, huh?

What, do I have no hands or no legs that I can't do it for him?" "...A-Si, that's not what I meant." "Who said you could call me that?" Nangong Si lowered his brows in a scowl,

lightning crackling in his eyes, "Ye-gongzi, don't think you can be so impudent with me just because Father is blind enough to be friendly with you... aren't you disgusted of yourself?" "I call you so at the sect leader's behest. If you dislike it, you can bring it up with him." Ye Wangxi paused for a few moments, then said, "What's the point in taking it out on me." "Don't you use my Father against me!" Nangong Si drew in a breath and forced himself to calm down. There was a cold light in his dark eyes, like a silvery moon in a night sky saturated with beacon smoke.

"Ye-gongzi." He seemed to be dragging the word out, "I'm afraid that Father told you to call me A-Si because he has certain misconceptions about your position in the sect, but I'd advise you to know your place. Don't take a mile just because you were given an inch—after all, no matter what kind of facade you put on, you'll never be my equal by reason of your birth alone." A hint of something dark seemed to flash across Ye Wangxi's refined features. He lowered his thick curtain of lashes and said, quietly: "The young master is right, but I…...have never once thought to be the young master's equal."   The change in the form of address made him feel a bit better. Nangong Si lifted the jar and downed some of its contents; the wine burned its way down his throat, but he always could hold his liquor. He stared at Ye Wangxi for a while longer, then scoffed and waved a hand: "That's what I thought. Just look at the way you are now, how could you possibly even..." He caught himself before letting slip something he shouldn't in public and abruptly pressed his lips together, saying no more.

"..." As for Ye Wangxi, even after being humiliated and insulted so, his lashes were still lowered, and no one could see if it was anger or indignation in his eyes. He gave the onlookers nothing beyond a calm, gentle face, dauntless yet reserved.

The atmosphere was uneasy to the extreme.

Nangong Si looked around awkwardly for a bit before his gaze landed on the woman behind Ye Wangxi. As if to cover up the near blunder just now, he cleared his throat and tipped his chin toward the woman, asking: "Someone you saved?" "Mn." "Where's she even from? Don't just go bailing out random people."

"It's alright, she's from Xuanyuan Pavilion's auction."   Nangongsi had no interest in the auction, nor did he waste any energy looking into it, but he couldn't help his surprise at hearing that Song Qiutong was bought from there. His originally unconcerned gaze becoming sharp all of a sudden as he stared at Song Qiutong's face for a while before saying: "So is this thing a Slave-Boned, or a Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast?" In the cultivation world, only two types of people could be openly bought and sold: Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts, and the Slave-Boned.

The Slave-Boned are those born of the union between humans and demons.

People fear the demonic nature of such crossbreeds, so once they're found out,

their vital energy is destroyed and a curse is used to put a slave mark on the bone of their shoulder blades, and they are henceforth condemned to servitude.

But the Slave-Boned don't go for much and are by no means rare; they usually just end up being either servants of the big sects or playthings of the rich and powerful. Xuanyuan Pavilion wouldn't even bother auctioning some run-ofthe-mill thing like that.

Sure enough, Ye Wangxi replied: "Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast." Nangong Si, suddenly interested, walked past Ye Wangxi to look at Song Qiutong, circling around her like he was inspecting merchandise. He frowned:

"What's wrong with its leg? Is it defective or something?" "...She was injured when they captured her. We applied a salve, it's healing." Ye Wangxi paused, "That's why we can't walk around too much and were hoping to stay here tonight." Nangong Si said nothing, only narrowing his eyes before suddenly diving down to the side of Song Qiutong's neck and taking a big whiff like some feral wolf. The lecher-like move frightened her so much she paled instantly, frozen in place clutching her clothes like she's about to faint.

"Doesn't smell any different from normal people." He rubbed his nose and sneezed, "And some kinda perfume powder…..."   Waving his hand, Nangong Si asked offhandedly: "How much?" "Fifty million." "Silver?" "Gold."   Nangong Si's eyes shot wide open: "Ye Wangxi are you crazy? Do you know how many top-grade whetstones that is? And you fucking buy a woman to bring back to me? What, is Rufeng Sect's money not money to you?" "I didn't use the sect's money." Ye Wangxi paused for a moment, then continued, "And I didn't buy her for you."   "You——!" The anger that had only just subsided roared right back to life,

and Nangong Si snarled, "I see how it is!" He turned to glare at Song Qiutong,

getting more irritated the more he looked, and that veil just straight-up pissed him off, so he ordered, "You, take that shitty rag off your face!"   Song Qiutong, spooked, clutched tightly at Ye Wangxi's sleeve, shrinking behind him and saying in a pitiful voice: "Ye-gongzi, I...I don't want to...

Ye Wangxi's slender figure wasn't as tall or muscular as Nangong Si, but there was no fear in his eyes as he tilted his head up slightly to look at the other:

"Young master, since she doesn't want to, just let her be."   "You talk too much. You saved her, so she owes Rufeng Sect her life, and that means she has to listen to me. Take it off!" "I saved her, yes, but the moment I did, I also set her free." Ye Wangxi said,

"So please don't force her, young master."   "Ye Wangxi! What the hell!" Nangong Si punched the door frame in anger,

"What do you take me for? You just really gotta go against me huh? If I tell her to take it off then she damn well better take it off. I'll let you guys stay if she takes the damn thing off, else get the fuck out!" Ye Wangxi only sighed almost imperceptibly before turning to Song Qiutong:

"Let's leave." This time Nangong Si wasn't the only one to choke; Ye Wangxi had the holy weapon with him, there's no way they could let him go just like this. Chu Wanning immediately said: "Go stop him."   "Ok ok." Mo Ran was just thinking the same thing anyway, but then he suddenly paused, "Shizun, where would he sleep though?" "He can have half of our room." "...Uh." Mo Ran looked uneasy for some reason, "That's probably not a good idea." Chu Wanning gaze flicked upward slightly: "Why not?" "There are some things Shizun doesn't know about, but it's best if we don't stay in the same room as him. Besides, he won't agree to it anyway, since he's actually..."   He was just getting to the important part when he was interrupted by the sound of Nangong Si kicking over a table downstairs, cups and dishes clattering to the floor, then a screech as he dragged a bench over and put his foot on it,

bellowing: "Who said you could just leave?! What are you, revolting or some shit? Get back here!" "..." Even Nangong Si's attendants looked awkward now.

Young master…...wasn't it you who just told them to get out?

    But  Ye Wangxi seemed long-used to Nangong Si's unreasonable temper fits, pretending not to have heard anything as he tapped Song Qiutong on the shoulder and gestured at her to ignore the crazy person behind them.

"Ye Wangxi!" "..." "Ye Wangxi!!!!" "..." "YE——WANG——XI!!!!!!!!!!"   The vein at Ye Wangxi's temple twitched and he looked back despite himself,

only to be unexpectedly met with an oncoming wine jar hurtling directly toward him. Pupils contracting, he was just about to dodge when a blur of white flashed in front of him.

"AH——!" A delicate voice cried out in pain, startling everyone in the room, especially Ye Wangxi and Nangong Si.

Song Qiutong had blocked the hit for Ye Wangxi in the nick of time, and was bleeding profusely where the heavy jar of red clay had hit her on the forehead.

She touched the blood with a trembling hand fair as jade, and tears of pain immediately began to fall.

"Don't touch it; let me see." "I'm okay, as long as Gongzi didn't get injured..." "Can't you talk without throwing things?" Ye Wangxi said in a sullen tone,

shooting Nangong Si a blame-laden glare before turning to his own attendant,

"Get the Jinchuang medicine[6]."   "Gongzi, we ran out." The attendant said quietly, "Should I go buy some?" Nangong Si hadn't expected this to happen either; he forced himself to remain calm, but there was a bit of guilt in his eyes. He mumbled with a stiff expression: "I, I have some... A-Lan, fetch my medicine bag."   Ye Wangxi, still angry, pressed his lips into a thin line and ignored him.

Nangong Si stood there stiffly holding the little bottle of medicine for a good while, but Ye Wangxi didn't so much as glance at him the entire time. He couldn't let down his pride, so he shoved the bottle roughly at Song Qiutong instead:

"Here, use it if you want, I don't care." Song Qiutong was like a frightened little deer, first looking shakily toward Ye Wangxi, only accepting the medicine when she saw that he was silent but did not stop her, and then even lowered her head in a bow to the person who had injured her, saying quietly: "Thank you, Nangong-gongzi." Not having expected the girl whose skull he had nearly cracked to thank him,

Nangong Si was taken aback for a second before quickly snapping out of it and waving a hand with an awkward cough: "No problem."   That night, Ye Wangxi's group ended up staying at the inn after all.

A multitude of candles flickered in the inn like a scattering of stars in the sky.

Mo Ran sat by the window with his cheek propped up and his thoughts wandering. It had been nearly two years since his rebirth, and so many things have happened quite differently from how they had in the last lifetime; it was strange, watching the same people do different things.

Song Qiutong, Ye Wangxi, Bu'gui...

With the passing of time, these familiar people and object from his past life had once again reappeared in this life. Only this time, he absolutely will not take Song Qiutong to be his wife again. As for Ye Wangxi, his name will soon resound throughout the cultivation world, second to none but Chu Wanning.

And then there was Bu'gui.

Agitation flooded his chest when he thought about the long blade that had accompanied him through his previous life.

"Shizun." "Yes?"

"You've been drawing that talisman for an hour already, isn't it done yet?" "Almost." Chu Wanning said. By the dim light of the candle, he carefully put down the finishing strokes with a brush dipped in cinnabar to reveal a vivid,

elaborate drawing of a soaring dragon.

Mo Ran shuffled over to look.

"What's that?" "Rising Dragon Array." Chu Wanning answered.

"What does it do?" "It can detect all spells in the area, big or small. If our mysterious person intends to use the holy weapon to test for spiritual essence, there is sure to be some kind of trace left on the weapon. This way, we'll know if the weapon's appearance was mere coincidence or part of his plan." "Wow, neat. But then why didn't Shizun use this back at Xuanyuan Pavilion?"   "...You'll understand once I awaken it."   Chu Wanning pricked his finger and brushed the blood across one of the dragon's scales. The little dragon on the paper instantly began to glow golden,

its eyes and tail moving around nimbly.

Chu Wanning spoke: "Are you a real dragon?" A squeaky voice came from the paper: "Yup yup, this Venerable One is a real dragon."   "Prove it." "Stupid mortal! What's there to doubt!" "I'll know you to be a real dragon if you can jump out of the page."   "What's so hard about that! Just give this Venerable One a quick sec! Hah!"   There was a flash of golden light, and a mighty little dragon the size of the palm leaped out the paper, wiggling its body and baring its fangs, and flew a circle around Chu Wanning, quite pleased with itself, making a ruckus as it boasted: "Hahaha, hahaha, I'm a dragon big and real, big and real, I know lots of secrets, lots of secrets, but I'm not gonna tell you, not gonna tell you, not, gonna,

tell, you!"   Chu Wanning's eyes, clear as an icy lake, swept coldly over the little eel before covering it under a cupped hand and turning to Mo Ran with a deadpan face: "You see?" "I see..."   "Let go! You stupid mortal! You're messing up this Venerable One's whiskies!"   Chu Wanning lifted his hand and poked curtly at the blood-colored scale at its throat: "Shut up and get to work."

Author's Notes:

Nangong Si

Courtesy name: Wuju Nickname: None Occupation: The heir of Rufeng Sect To put it simply: An officialling Social Appearance: A youthful, handsome talent of the upper cultivation realm who leads hordes of fans To put it simply: A gangster with a bunch of underlings Current favourite: Naobaijin Favourite food: Pork ribs Dislike: Vegetables Height: 185cm

[6] A class of anti-inflammatory pain killer that also stops bleeding