Chapter 460 - Night of Bright Moon and Rumination

Xiao Chen’s taut nerves relaxed the moment he heard the two familiar voices. He turned around and saw that the newcomers were indeed Yi Tong and None-flower Dust.

Yi Tong landed on the ground, shrank his gourd, and hung it around his waist. None-flower Dust glanced upward with narrowed eyes, shaking his feathered fan, and said leisurely, “Your shabby gourd is just too slow.”

“Haha!” Yi Tong threw back his head in laughter. He walked toward Xiao Chen and cupped his fist in his palm. “Brother Xiao, I hope you have been well.” Xiao Chen, who wasn’t expecting them to be here as well, returned the salutation. “Brother Yi.”

“Koo-chee! Koo-chee, koo-chee!” The Koo-chee beast also ran up to them on its four paws. It leaped onto Yi Tong’s shoulders and started pawing at his face. Yi Tong laughed out loud. “Little Koo-chee, it has only been three months since we last met and you’re already three times rounder.”

On the other side, None-flower Dust walked up to Gui Xian with a smile. “Old thing, don’t you die again this time.” Gui Xian shook his head, scolding with a chuckle, “You stinky brat, you’re really everywhere.”

The crowd was boring holes with their gazes. They weren’t familiar with Yi Tong, but None-flower Dust had built a reputation for himself over the years. No one was a stranger to his name. Even the older cultivators looked surprised to see him. The youngsters might be ignorant about the mysterious seventh place on the Heaven List, but they were well aware that this person wasn’t to be trifled with.

On another side of the cliff, quite a few female disciples were swooning. Their faces were red with excitement and embarrassment. “Is that… None-flower Dust? The rumors don’t do him justice…”

Xiao Chen, Huangfu Xin’er, and the rest were still facing off Chu Lingjiao, but the sudden appearance of None-flower Dust and Yi Tong meant the latter couldn’t act as overbearing as before. Her side had the upper hand before, but the situation had changed now. Some of the cultivators behind Mo Jinyan were beginning to retreat out of fear of None-flower Dust.

“Are you going to hand it over or not?” Huangfu Xin’er’s gaze was dangerously cold. Chu Lingjiao couldn’t help but tremble and shift closer to Mo Jinyan.

Mo Jinyan’s gaze was as sharp as it was cold, like the point of a needle. He looked at Xiao Chen coldly. “I’ve told you that it’s useless even if you have ten people on your side today. If you want the thing, come to the battle on the summit tomorrow. If you lose, screw off back to the Human World and never step foot in the Violet Manor again!”

Xiao Chen’s gaze was just as cold. “What gives you such confidence…”

“Because you’re just a bug from the Human World. Even if you climb to the top, you’re still a bug standing at the top. Your Xiao family couldn’t win against my Mo family back then, so you resorted to dirty tactics. After so much time, it’s still the same: you’re still no match for my family! I, Mo Jinyan, will be the one to tidy up descendants of evil like you! From now on, I’ll kill every Xiao that I see!”

Mo Jinyan’s voice was small, but his gaze was ice-cold. Still unperturbed, Xiao Chen replied in a solemn voice, “Very well. Let’s see how you kill every Xiao that you see.”

Both their gazes had dropped to a dangerously low temperature. In unison, they said, “Tomorrow at noon, battle at the peak of Mount Wuyue!”

Their voices resonated for more than five kilometers, sounding even more powerful amid the snow, and sent a shock to the cultivators’ spirit. It seemed that a heated battle would occur tomorrow. Apart from this, others must also be competing over the titles of West and South Emperors on the West and South Peaks.

Looking past Xiao Chen, Mo Jinyan glanced at Yi Tong and None-flower Dust and scoffed. He flicked his sleeves and said, “Let’s go!”

Huangfu Xin’er stepped forward, but Xiao Chen reached out to stop her. He shook his head at her. The four ladies of the Hidden Fragrance Wafting Under The Moon had released the man in cyan as well. After suffering two slaps on his face for no reason, he didn’t dare to even make a peep. It didn’t stop him from staring at Ziyun’er with increased malice, however.

Noticing him glaring at her, Ziyun’er returned the favor with her hands on her hips. “Why are you staring at me? Is it because I’m pretty? Hurry up and scram!”

“You!” The man in cyan clenched his fingers, swearing to torture this girl to death one day. He gritted his teeth, turned around, and went after Mo Jinyan.

Ziyun’er chortled. She patted her hands and returned to Xiao Chen’s side with a grin. “Don’t worry, my Lord. Everyone from the Mo family deserves a good beating. When you have that Mo Jinyan’s head pressed against the floor tomorrow, you’ll be able to retrieve Empress Huangfu’s cultivation method.”

Xiao Chen didn’t reply. His brows were tightly knitted. He had a bad feeling, especially when he recalled Gui Xian’s words from before. The Mo family might have the Earth Immortal as their main source of power. Their strength was unquestionable. They were, no doubt, no longer beneath the ten main clans of the Violet Manor.

Meanwhile, the majority of cultivators were scouring the summit for a cave to spend the night and await the Battle of the Emperors tomorrow. Even more cultivators would likely gather here tomorrow.

Yi Tong walked up to Xiao Chen and smiled. “There’s a jar of wine up there. Come, Brother Xiao, let’s drink!” He bounced off the tip of his foot, prompting swirling snow around him, and flew toward Gu Feng’s previous location.

Yi Tong looked with pity at the only few wine jars still intact on the snowy ground. “What a pity to waste such good wine,” he said as he carried one of the jars out of the snow.

Xiao Chen glanced at Huangfu Xin’er next to him, prompting her to say coldly, “Go ahead and drink with your brothers. You don’t have to concern yourself with me.” She leaped and flew toward another direction.

Xiao Chen reached out, wanting to stop her, but ultimately retrieved his hand. He then flew toward the platform on the summit and saluted Yi Tong and None-flower Dust. “Thank you for your help earlier.” If it weren’t for their prompt arrival, he would have started fighting a strenuous battle against Mo Jinyan’s people.

Yi Tong laughed. “Don’t mention it. Come, I’ll treat you to wine today.”

None-flower Dust sneered and cast him a glance. He shook his feathered fan and said serenely, “Shameless. Someone else put those wines there. How did it become your treat?”

“Haha!” Yi Tong threw his head back in laughter. “Don’t concern yourself with the details. I’m just borrowing it for our pleasure today.”

While the three of them savored their wine, those underneath exchanged looks. Those jars of wine were left behind by Northern Mad Emperor. Perhaps those three were the only ones there who were brave enough to touch them.

After enjoying the wine for a while, Yi Tong noticed that Xiao Chen looked worried. He fished out an item from his bosom and handed it to him. “Sister Bai told me to give this to you.”

Stunned, Xiao Chen took the item. It was a crescent-shaped wooden pendant with a thin red rope. When he felt the wooden pendant with his fingers, he could feel a gush of powerful spiritual energy fluctuation. “What is this?”

Yi Tong smiled. “This is a puppet that Sister Bai made for you through sacrificial refinement. Just cast a spell and your puppet will be able to fight your enemies for you. This is a Dryad Puppet, refined from the wood of the five elements. It’ll develop intelligence as time passes, so it’s not a Corpse Puppet.”

“This…” Xiao Chen pinched the wooden pendant, feeling warm on the inside. He remembered how Bai Susu had released her Five Elements Puppet to protect Xiao family the last time he returned to the family manor. However, he didn’t know her. Why did she help him time and again…?

Yi Tong suddenly let out a loud laugh. “Don’t overthink it. Sister Bai will never hurt you.”

“You misunderstand, Brother Yi. I have no such intention.”

Yi Tong chuckled. He turned to glance at the cloudless sky and sighed. “She has heard about what happened, but it’s often inconvenient for her to show up, especially in front of the Immortals’ League…”

Toward the tail of his sentence, he turned his head around and smiled at Xiao Chen. “But remember this always. No matter when or where, even if you no longer have a family member in this world, remember that Sister Bai is the one closest to you.”

Xiao Chen trembled ever so subtly. Even in such cold weather, a gush of warmth was filling his heart. What kind of person was she? They didn’t know each other, yet…

Suddenly, None-flower Dust sighed. “If only the Sage Fairy from the Spirit Silence Room is that kind to me, I wouldn’t even fear carving a hole in heaven itself…”

“Just drink your wine.” Yi Tong smashed a handful of snow on him, laughing as he scolded him.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath. He looked at the wooden pendant in his hand. The Spirit Silence Room, one of the three great forces of the world…

…

The full moon that hung over the night was as large as a plate, casting its splendor upon the boundless snow-covered ground. Numerous caves and cliff undersides were lit up with the light of fires. It was the night of the Mid-autumn Festival, indicating bright moonlight. The summit of Mount Wuyue almost seemed within reach.

Xiao Chen and his friends occupied a cave. It was particularly noisy, with plenty of excitement around. The vivacious Ziyun’er ran circles around Gui Xian, chirping about so-and-so and such-and-such. Sometimes, she would crack a joke and Yi Tong would play along. The mood was harmonious.

Xiao Chen sat at the mouth of the cave, looking up at the bright moon overhead. The Human World must also be experiencing the night of the full moon. Was his father doing well back home? Was his mother doing alright at the Su family residence?

He was still ruminating when Qingluan entered the cave with a solemn expression. He immediately rose to his feet and walked up to her. They walked out of the cave, where Xiao Chen asked quietly, “How is it?”

Qingluan looked around before lowering her voice. “Mo Jinyan has put out an urgent summons. I fear we’ll have huge numbers of Mo family experts arriving here. My Lord, should we prepare in advance?”

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes, where a dangerous glint flitted across his pupils. He shook his head. “No need. Brother Xiao Ning and Gu Feng will probably return by tomorrow,” he said. “Oh, right. How is Xin’er doing?”

“Empress Huangfu is circulating her energy in the cave over there by herself.” Qingluan pointed to a distant cave.

Xiao Chen nodded. “I don’t feel comfortable leaving her on her own. The cunning and vicious Chu Lingjiao will surely make a move tonight. I’ll go and take a look.”

“Very well. Please summon me if you have any orders, my Lord.”

Xiao Chen nodded again, and then left for the cave where Huangfu Xin’er was in.

Huangfu Xin’er was sitting in the cold cave in pitch-black darkness, circulating her energy on her own. When she heard footsteps outside, she said coldly, “Who is it?”

“Xin’er, it’s me.”

Xiao Chen walked in. The sight of her lonesome self stood in contrast to the lively atmosphere on his side. His heart couldn’t help but ache. It felt like someone had squeezed it. He walked over, draped the coat of fox fur over her shoulders, and said softly, “Come with me; I’m afraid Chu Lingjiao will…”

“No need!” Huangfu Xin’er replied firmly.

Xiao Chen smiled and then let out a sigh. He sat down beside her and looked at her. “It was my fault last time. Brother Koo-chee told me afterward that it was you who helped me circulate my energy for a few days without sleep. Thank you…”

“I told you, a life for a life.” Huangfu Xin’er’s gaze was ice-cold. Her eyes seemed to be hiding blocks of ice that remained unmelted for a thousand years.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath. He looked at the moon overhead and slowly said, “Even as the moon wanes, it’ll one day be full again. Even if a string snaps, it can also be repaired. But if people separate… will they never meet again…”

Huangfu Xin’er trembled. She felt like a sharp blade had slashed her across the abdomen. Her heart twisted with agony. Xiao Chen continued to stare at the moon, smiling like a fool. “The last time I returned, my father mentioned you. He asked me if you’re doing well.”

Huangfu Xin’er’s heart ached. Right now, emotions were rippling in her pupils. She gritted her teeth. “Why are you bringing up the past? Whether or not someone from my Huangfu family is doing well, has nothing to do with your Xiao family.”

“Xin’er…”

Xiao Chen turned around, only to see the tears glistening in her eyes. His heart throbbed with sharp pain, like it was being perforated with thousands of needles. Still, he resisted the pain and slowly reached out to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes.

Her tears were wet, but they weren’t cold.