Chapter 246 Attachments

Xiao Chen and Murong Xian'er ambled around in the streets and returned to the compound of their lodgings when it was sundown. There were many people grouped around the entrance of the compound. But as they got closer, Xiao Chen realized that they were students of the Jade Qing Sect and quickened his pace.

When he got there, a few of the students greeted him. "Junior Brother Xiao." He smiled at them and went inside to find about forty people waiting at the courtyard. They were more students of the Jade Qing Sect joined by the disciples of the Xianyong Sect. Amongst them, he found Fengxi and Zi Mo.

"D*mned rascal, where have you been the whole day? Have you been off having fun on your own? And what is that you're wearing?!" Zi Mo glowered at him as soon as he saw Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen smiled weakly in response. Then he saw Luo Shangyan and Li Muxue, both of whom also noticed his return, and they came to him. They too were surprised when they saw his clothing. "What in the world is this attire..."

Xiao Chen responded with a silly giggle and said nothing again. "That's the most popular clothing in the West for respectable noblemen!" Murong Xian'er smiled and added, "It's about two thousand taels of silver!"

"WHAT!? TWO THOUSAND!?" Zi Mo bellowed incredulously. Around them, curious and interested stares from the students of the Jade Qing Sect and the Xianyong Sect trained upon Xiao Chen.

"Whatever, whatever," Zi Mo waved everyone away before he told his students, "All of you, find somewhere here to sleep for now. Any corner you find will do. We need to go to the Daoist League of the Five Continents at the city center tomorrow morning."

"Heavens, no... Sleeping on the cold, hard ground is nothing tonight. But we'll all have to cram into the storerooms of the Daoist League starting tomorrow... If only I knew... I would not have volunteered to come..."

The students began groaning at the expectation of the arduous and sleepless nights that would be awaiting them.

"What else can we do? Try speaking to the Leader yourself. It was he who did not allocate much money for us. That said, the costs for lodgings across the entire Tianyuan City has risen tenfold since we were last here! I sure hope that luxurious mansions or palaces were not on your minds before we came," Zi Mo scowled at them.

"It's fortunate that the Xianyong Sect has allocated enough budget for this trip," Fengxi teased and said, "There's also the sum of money we've gotten from a bet with a certain someone. Heh heh heh!"

Zi Mo's expression turned ugly immediately at Fengxi's mention of "a certain someone".

The students of the Xianyong Sect all roared in celebration. Fengxi nudged Xiao Chen, grinning widely to himself, "Little Xiao, you should come with us and join us! Look at us, we're having good food and comfortable lodgings! This is the benefit of joining us! But if you decide to follow that senile Xiaoyao, then you'll have to squeeze in the dusty and crammed storerooms of the League while you wait for the tournament."

Xiao Chen merely gave a thin smile while not giving any remark. But the students of the Jade Qing Sect were still whimpering in dismay, much to Zi Mo's annoyance. "Shut up you all! Quit whining and get to bed, otherwise, there will be no room for us at the storerooms if we're late tomorrow!"

"Heavens, no, please, Martial Uncle Xiaoyao... We'd rather spend our nights under the stars rather than staying in some dusty storehouse! The last time I slept there, I had red rashes on my face for an entire month that Junior Sister Qingyu dared not to approach me!"

"Indeed, indeed," said another disciple, "I have some equipment, and we can camp outside the city..."

Just then, ten young girls, all similarly clad in dark garb, filed in through the entrance. The remaining members of the Hidden Fragrance Wafting Under the Moon stood in a row to greet Xiao Chen, crying in unison, "Young Master!"

Everyone in the courtyard was flabbergasted. "What's this? An all-female personal guard consisting of beautiful young women!?" Amongst the students of the Jade Qing Sect who were present was the Mu Shaoai who was always jealous of Xiao Chen. He was crouching in a corner when the ten girls came in, watching them while salivating on his own.

"What's going on?" Li Muxue whispered to Xiao Chen as she drew near warily.

"I'll explain later." Xiao Chen smiled then he turned to acknowledge his subordinates. "You're here," He nodded approvingly before he extracted a Tier-5 Spirit Stone and handed it to Qingluan. "Take this and get some respectable lodgings for everyone."

"Understood, Young Master!"

Qingluan took the Stone and led her sisters with her and vanished into the twilight.

"A Tier-5 Spirit Stone, that's about a hundred thousand taels of silver! And Xiao Chen even has his own bodyguard cadre of beautiful ladies!? Is this even true?!"

Xiao Chen faced his fellow students and addressed them, "Senior brothers, I trust that you are all wearied and tired due to the long journey. Please bear with me a moment while I have some comfortable lodgings arranged." He spoke to everyone as if he was a host showing his guests his hospitality.

Unable to contain their amazement anymore, a few of the other students who were close to him rushed at once to Xiao Chen.

"Junior Brother Xiao, what is going on? How is it that you have so much money?!"

"I heard you sacked the residence of the Zuoqiu Family! Did you fill your coffers with their money?!"

"And what of the twelve girls?! Did you hire them to protect you?"

Xiao Chen made no response to the flurry of questions pelted at him; he merely smiled, shaking his head. He could never admit that his wealth was derived from the sale of the pills he brewed. When the night was fully upon them, Qingluan and her sisters returned to report that the arrangements had been made. The rest of the students of the Jade Qing Sect were led away to their accommodations, leaving only Li Muxue and Luo Shangyan still at the courtyard.

Xiao Chen waved for them to sit under a tree. He was amazed. In just a month, Li Muxue and Luo Shangyan had progressed much, reaching the mid-levels of the Core Forming Realm. He then reflected upon his own headway, which had been slowly in comparison.

Sitting under the moonlight, Xiao Chen told them about his experiences during his foray into the Middle Continent, sparing them about the more gripping details from his recounts. He then asked about his friends, and Li Muxue was the first to smirk, "Humph! Here I am, worried about a certain somebody, but he seems to be enjoying himself! And who are they, this Qingluan and Ziyun'er?"

Xiao Chen smiled abjectly. But before he could answer, Murong Xian'er cut him to the chase, "They were subordinates of a man called None-flower Dust! It was he who charged them to protect Big Brother Xiao Chen!"

Xiao Chen nodded gently, attesting to what she said. They continued chatting at the marble table under the tree. The shadows of the boughs overhead sprawled upon the flagstones of the courtyard, slowly lengthening as the moon climbed to its peak and cast its pale glow down from above. Xiao Chen suddenly realized that Luo Shangyan hardly spoke much.

Long ago when they left the Teal Jade Sect, he and Luo Shangyan were very, very close. They talked so much, like a pair of close-knitted brother and sister, even as they weathered the storms they encountered together. But Luo Shangyan had changed; she hardly said anything, responding with one-syllables no matter what they tried to talk to her about.

Their conversation eventually came to an abrupt end; nobody knew what to say, leaving a palpable uneasiness hanging over the table. "Is this how girls think?" Xiao Chen asked himself, bewildered and confused. But he would not say anything either, even if he could see through a girl's intricate webs of thought.

There was just so much he had yet to accomplish. There was still no news about his teacher, and he knew better than to hinder himself with too many attachments, especially emotional ones. He wished to be an immortal one day, and to become one, he could not bear too many emotional attachments and their corresponding karma, lest all his efforts would be for naught, and he would only become a Rogue Immortal in the end.

He took out two small flasks from his Divine Vessel and gave it to Luo Shangyan and Li Muxue. In the flasks were the Evolution of Tao Pills that he had kept for them. They were stronger and better than the one he sold, and they had no side effects.

"Use these well. They will help you when you reach the later levels of the Core Forming Realm."

The girls took the flasks, still saying nothing. Xiao Chen broke into a chuckle. "All right. It's getting late. Go have some rest. According to Perfected Immortal Qing Chen, we'll have to submit our names for the Sword Assembly in the next few days and prepare for the preliminaries."

When he returned to his room, Xiao Chen did not light up his lamp. He walked to the window and opened it. Gazing up at the silvery moon, he sang to himself, "A season comes a season gone, eh? The end is still far..."

No matter how he tried, he knew full well that he was already neck-deep with attachments to many people. Love, hate, and all. His teacher must already have fully resolved her karma and ascended into Heaven. But how would he meet her, if he failed to resolve his karma...

"Oh dear..."

He sighed and walked back to his table. He set alight his lamp and tried to clear his thoughts. Then he remembered about the strange and mysterious box he bid and won. But before he could take it out to examine it, the light on his candle flickered, and Zi Mo had appeared magically before him.

"Heavens, Senior Xiaoyao. If only you can have some bit of decency to knock before entering, you could've frightened me to death in the midnight!"

"Heh heh heh! I know what you're worried about: karma. But it is an enigma that has befuddled even the greatest of men. No one could possibly hope of fully resolving one's karma. So I suggest it's best you quit worrying, boy. Just follow the direction of your destiny."

"Surely you're not here in the late night to provide me with simple advice, Senior?" Xiao Chen chuckled.

"Heh heh heh! Of course not!" But his cheeks reddened with embarrassment. He fidgeted and hesitated before he finally said, "Well, I'll be direct then! I'm having quite a bit of trouble, and I need some help. And from what I saw earlier, you seem to be needing some help spending some of your extra money. Hmm?"

Xiao Chen's hand instinctively reached for his pouch and he fondled the Spirit Stones inside. He shifted uneasily. "And why is that so? Did Perfected Immortal Qing Chen not give you enough money?" Then he remembered what Fengxi said about a certain somebody losing a lot of money in a bet. "These two old rascals!"

"Come on, boy! Just a little will do! It'll do you no harm!" Zi Mo frowned at him, his nostrils seething with impatience.

"Very well." Xiao Chen took out a Tier-5 Spirit Stone and passed it to Zi Mo. "Just try not to lose it again this time."

Zi Mo's ancient cheeks were flustered with shame. He stowed away the Spirit Stone and changed the subject at once. "Ah, that! So, the preliminaries for the tournament will be after seven days. You'll all be directed into Forest of Illusory Moon. But beware of the perils within and be careful about the Fallen Immortals Sect. I heard that they are already challenging other young elites even before the Immortal's Sword Assembly begins. And so far, they have yet to lose a duel. You are also within their sights, and big game for the likes of theirs too." He finished and disappeared.

Xiao Chen did not move from his seat. He merely watched the fire burned and murmured softly to himself, "The Fallen Immortals Sect, eh?"

"If they are as strong as they claim, then we'll meet sooner or later," he mused. Even so, Xiao Chen would never raise a sword against others unless being provoked.

Then he took out the strange, black box he bid for fifty-thousand Spirit Stones in the auction at the Myriad Immortals Pavilion from his Divine Vessel. Oddly, the box was chilly to the touch in the night, as if he was touching a surface of ice.

He studied the square box and inspected the faint crevices on the surface of the box. These were not engravings or decorations, but slits containing something mechanical inside. "Traps, maybe," he wondered. He shook it beside his ears, hoping to hear something but there was only silence no matter how hard he shook it. "I do hope that I've not spent so much money for just an empty box," he began to dread.

With a sigh, he tossed the box onto the table. He got up and walked to the door. He was about to go out to fetch some hot water, when he stopped at once, hearing a strange sound coming from behind.