Chapter 87: Don't stumble on human remains

Han Yu spends hours tossing and turning next to Xi Zirui, if not actively trying to crawl into his bedroll.

"Shizuuun, I want to sleep with you," he whines while Xi Zirui ignores him.

"Why is Shizun treating me so coldly after what we shared?" he insists, a while later when it becomes obvious Xi Zirui is not going to humor him.

"It's so cold Shizun, let this disciple sleep with you so that he may warm Shizun through the night," he cajoles, ignoring the cicadas singing outside the little bamboo pavilion.

"It's the middle of spring," Xi Zirui says, turning away from Han Yu and his pleading eyes.

The truth is that Xi Zirui would love to spend the night fucking, but he doesn't know what they'll face tomorrow in the pavilion of Bitter Tears - the name doesn't sound particularly optimistic - and he would rather be fully rested before meeting whatever awaits them there.

Han Yu is apparently too horny to think that far.

"Shizun, dual cultivation could be beneficial considering the trials that we might encounter tomorrow."

Ah, so he's not only horny, but crafty too.

Unfortunately for Han Yu, Xi Zirui has no idea what dual cultivation entails, beyond the obvious, and is not about to risk his continued existence over something so dumb.

"Silent meditation would also be beneficial," Xi Zirui retorts, calling on all his willpower to resist Han Yu's whining and insolent pouting.

He almost misses the cold, impersonal disciple he first met.

Almost.

Han Yu crawls over to Xi Zirui on his hands and knees and brings his face close to Xi Zirui's, his warm breath tickling his lips. "This disciple has waited so long for Shizun to become the sweet and loving Shizun of his dreams... can't Shizun indulge him just this once?"

Xi Zirui has indulged him plenty. He glares at Han Yu, who sticks out his lower lip in truly outrageous fashion.

He always forgets how Han Yu can be a manipulative bastard when he wants to.

With a resigned sigh, he lifts the thin cover of his bedroll and says, "Fine."

Barely restraining his smirk, Han Yu crawls up over Xi Zirui and lowers his body down on his, almost blanketing him.

Xi Zirui pinches him on the side. "Is this necessary?"

Han Yu grins and snuggles against him. "Yes."

He doesn't try to sweet-talk Xi Zirui into anything else, content to snuggle against his side and stick his nose into Xi Zirui's neck like an oversized dog.

Even though, Xi Zirui still lies awake for some time, feeling like he lost some kind of battle of wits.

And above all, very glad he isn't actually Han Yu's master. He has absolutely no backbone when it comes to Han Yu.

Unlike Han Yu, who wants to stuff a bone in his back at all hours of the day.

---

It's said bone(r) that wakes him up the next day, determinedly poking against his side.

Xi Zirui has a boner of his own and is tempted to throw caution to the wind for a good five minutes before his higher brain functions kick in.

Thankfully, Han Yu remains asleep while Xi Zirui admires his sleeping profile and contemplates waking him up in an original way.

Liao Min's brisk knock at the door puts a definite end to all of that.

This time, Li Siqi joins them in wearing a veil hat as the three of them follow after Liao Min like ducklings.

Xi Zirui casts one last look behind his back at Blood Crane's sect grounds as they cross the rope bridge. Why are evil lairs always infinitely cooler than the good guy's headquarters?

He changes his tune after he ascends an outrageous amount of stairs to reach the cave's gallery.

Actually, it's good and reasonable that Heavenly Dragon sect is located in a valley.

---

The carriage ride to the pavilion of Bitter Tears lasts for the better part of the day.

There's only one carriage for the four of them, which means they are forced to seat in close proximity to Liao Min who is less than thrilled to be there.

Not that Li Siqi is helping matters. "Are all demonic cultivators as rude as you, or is it a special skill of yours?" she asks, after Liao Min glares pointedly the whole time Li Siqi tries to hold a conversation with Han Yu.

"Are all immortal cultivators as self-absorbed as you? Is meimei under the impression that everyone must curtsy and smile at her every second of the day?"

"Don't call me meimei, we're not close."

"Only if you don't call me jiejie."

"I haven't!"

"Good, keep it that way!"

Xi Zirui watches their back and forth like a ping pong match. Amazed at how they managed to get into a fight with less than four sentences.

Han Yu isn't paying them any attention, and gazes out the window wistfully.

Xi Zirui wonders what he's thinking about that has got him looking so pensive. His wondering only lasts until Han Yu darts a quick glance at him, his lips curling up into a suggestive smirk.

Nevermind, Xi Zirui can guess.

---

By the time they reach the pavilion of Bitter Tears, they've shared one tense meal of sticky rice cakes, one shouting match, and almost fell over a ravine when Li Siqi's shouting startled not only the horses, but the Blood Crane retainer driving the carriage, too.

All in all, Xi Zirui's considers it a victory that they've managed to arrive there somewhat intact.

He was expecting that the pavilion of Bitter Tears to be located in some lavish estate, with manicured courtyards and stone fountains.

Instead, Liao Min leads them into what looks to be an abandoned village, and to a pavilion that must have served as a Taoist temple before falling into complete disrepair.

The entire village has been almost fully reclaimed by nature, with weeds and ivy sprouting through every wall and floorboard, but the pavilion is oddly clear.

It's in bad shape, with several holes, and missing tiles, the wood splintered in many places, but nothing grows on it, or around it.

That, above all the eeriness of the quiet village gives Xi Zirui the creeps.

Why would a priceless Heavenly Dragon sect artifact be hidden here of all places?

"I thought this place wasn't real," Han Yu says, looking in shock at the plaque hanging over the building opposite the pavilion.

'Jianglong village.'

Is that supposed to mean anything to him? Xi Zirui makes a pensive face to buy himself some time until Ni Ni bothers to clarify what's happening.

"Answering Host: It is said that the remaining survivors of the village cursed by the Dragon, moved away from the river, the lake, and any bodies of water and tried to reestablish their village here. They were successful for some time, but the Dragon eventually got wind that some villagers remained, and his curse reached the new village too."

She carries on, "As the legend goes, some lucky few managed to survive, and it was them who established Heavenly Dragon sect, in a move to appease the Dragon, and the Heavens, for their crimes."

After a pause, she adds, "of course all of this is baseless speculation. No one can say, one way or another, if any of that happened."

Xi Zirui rolls his eyes, he would expect Ni Ni to be better informed.

She grumbles. "Host is very demanding, Ni Ni only gets a very short brief into each world, and that's not counting all the changes!"

This mental conversation has gone on for too long, Han Yu and Li Siqi are starting to give him odd looks, but Xi Zirui needs to push Ni Ni for answers.

'What has changed in this world?' he thinks at her, making his urgency known.

"Su Xueyi was never supposed to disappear, never supposed to come here."

'Is that a bad thing?'

Her answer takes a few seconds to come. "Ni Ni doesn't know."

Han Yu's hand on his shoulder brings him back to reality. "Is everything okay, Shizun?"

Xi Zirui clears his throat. "Yes, this master just felt a strong resentful energy coming off this pavilion. and was momentarily overwhelmed."

Li Siqi casts her eyes towards the dilapidated building, and the circle of exposed soil around it. She wavers in place, uncertain of whether to go in or not.

Liao Min snorts, shaking her head at Li Siqi's trepidation. "I hope there's plenty of resentful energy in there, all the better for me to harness it."

She bumps her shoulder into Li Siqi on her way inside the pavilion.

Li Siqi glares at her back and follows after her, all the trepidation forgotten.

---

Xi Zirui isn't really surprised that the inside of the pavilion looks even worse than its outside.

And yet again, nothing grows in it, not even a dandelion through the cracks in the floorboards.

Despite the many holes in the walls, the inside of the pavilion is dark and dank, smelling faintly of decay.

Which is concerning, seeing as there isn't even mold growing on the walls.

The scent of decomposing organic matter can't mean anything good.

It doesn't help that they have no idea which way they're going. 

Liao Min isn't much help. "Shizun sent two of our retainers with shixiong and shidi, they should be waiting in the village, or at least not far inside the pavilion. Shixiong and shidi were instructed to stay by sect leader Su's side at all times."

How long can it take three people to retrieve a book, honestly? Even accounting for the hidden mechanisms and traps in the pavilion.

"What is the relevance of this pavilion to our sect?" Han Yu asks, it takes Xi Zirui a minute to realize he's asking him.

Right, he should say something.

"Host can tell him, that while no one can be certain whether Jianglong village really housed the surviving remnants of the first village, or that they funded Heveanly Dragon sect, that the traps in the pavilion of Bitter Tears made it a perfect hiding spot, and that the rumours of the curse and Heavenly Dragon's protection are enough to keep would be robbers away."

He parrots her words to Han Yu, who nods along, now paying more attention to where he steps.

Li Siqi throws Liao Min an ugly look. "Clearly they weren't enough of a detractor for some people."

Liao Min smirks. "Little girl, believe it or not demonic cultivators also die. My Shizun wouldn't risk coming here on her own, which is why she made a deal with your sect leader."

At the reminder of Su Xueyi's betrayal Li Siqi's face darkens, and she turns away from Liao Min, ready to put an end to any conversation.

Xi Zirui is tired of their terrible humor, but there's not much he can do about it.

The only way through is forward, but unfortunately it seems there's no end to this pavilion.

They look into empty room after empty room, and go forth through a hallway that seems to stretch on forever.

Xi Zirui is about to suggest they double back and try another route when his foot collides with something.

Sticking halfway out of an open doorway is a human leg.

Xi Zirui kicks it lightly and dislodges it from the doorway in which it was stuck.

This human leg doesn't have an owner, it seems.