Leaping Onto a Branch to Become a Phoenix

Jiang Shouyi was truly desperate. He hadn't expected that as soon as he spoke, the killing intent would temporarily recede.

It turned out Xiangyun had taken a liking to the infant in his arms, marveling at what a perfect specimen it was.

"You're the one selling the child? Let me see."

Jiang Shouyi braced himself and brought Xue'er out. Xiangyun gently took her, examined her closely, and sighed with emotion, "This is so much better than the one sent two days ago. In over ten years, she'll definitely be a peerless beauty of the Zhu family."

"Are you really going to take Xue'er as your adopted daughter?" Jiang Shouyi was astonished.

Xiangyun shook her head faintly, "No. If the Concubine is satisfied, she will be the biological daughter of the Concubine and the Young Master."

Jiang Shouyi's mouth fell open. He found it unbelievable. This child was truly fortunate.

Not only would she survive, but she would also become a noble lady of a prominent family! A biological daughter at that!

But she wasn't biologically related, so why... Jiang Shouyi understood in an instant. Although Xiangyun hadn't explicitly said it, it was clear that the Concubine had faked her pregnancy for some reason.

However, she hadn't actually conceived. While she might have been able to hide it normally, with the due date approaching, she needed an explanation, which was why she had sent her personal maid to secretly scout for infants.

"You can take this old man's life, but please, Miss, also take this male infant!" Jiang Shouyi brought out Yan Nu.

However, Xiangyun looked at Yan Nu in Jiang Shouyi's arms with some regret, "He's so cute... but I'm sorry, Madam doesn't want a boy."

"Why?" Jiang Shouyi was bewildered. Everyone wanted boys, so why did the Zhu family's Concubine only want a female infant?

Xiangyun said bitterly, "It's a matter of life and death."

Jiang Shouyi was speechless, realizing how cruel things were within such a prominent clan.

Since it was a fake pregnancy, a girl was probably better. Boys grew up to inherit the family business. If the master felt the child wasn't his, it would be troublesome if he suspected it wasn't his biological child.

As for girls, no one would think too much about it; as long as they were beautiful, who would care if they looked alike?

Moreover, since it was the Concubine's doing, she was probably wary of the First Madam and didn't want to compete for anything. Faking a pregnancy was likely for self-preservation.

Jiang Shouyi's head hurt thinking about it. He didn't want to get involved in the Zhu family's mess. The urgent matter now was how to survive.

What Xiangyun had said revealed too much and was too direct! Clearly, she didn't consider Jiang Shouyi a living person!

Since Xiangyun didn't want to take in the boy, he certainly couldn't die.

"No, I still have to raise Yan Nu myself."

Jiang Shouyi felt the ruthlessness of the great clans and had figured it out. Yan Nu was incredibly strange, like a monster. Chen Hu had gone mad, wanting to skin and dismember the child, as if digging for treasure! He figured that even if Xiangyun agreed to take him in, the child wouldn't fare well in the Zhu family.

Now that Xue'er's fate was settled, he just needed to escape and find a place to live peacefully with Yan Nu!

To live a peaceful life and watch his grandson grow up – that was Jiang Shouyi's greatest dream.

"I have to live. I want to raise Yan Nu!" Jiang Shouyi gritted his teeth, his will to survive unprecedentedly strong. Knowing that running away was useless, he gritted his teeth and charged towards Xiangyun inside the door.

"Sigh..." Seeing his desperate struggle as if he were facing death, Xiangyun merely sighed faintly. Then, she lightly leaped up and, like a willow catkin, retreated ten paces, unwilling to be touched.

The two entered the backyard one after the other. Xiangyun slowly raised a hand, plucked a plum blossom from her hair, and gently plucked off a petal.

At the same time, Jiang Shouyi looked despairingly at his opponent's agile movements. On impulse, he took out that copper bell from his embrace!

After all, he was unarmed. The woodcutter's axe was still stuck in Chen Hu's neck. Chen Hu's steel saber was too conspicuous, so he hadn't dared to take it. As a lowborn like him, carrying a saber into the city would get him arrested as a rebel.

At this moment, he had no choice. The only thing he could use as a weapon was this lump of copper! He gripped the handle of the bell; it felt quite comfortable!

"Jingle jingle jingle!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as the copper bell was taken out and entered the courtyard, it began to ring loudly, its sound echoing throughout the backyard.

Jiang Shouyi was stunned. He knew it was just a mute bell. Where was the sound coming from now?

Xiangyun, on the other hand, looked bewildered and even found it amusing, "Old man, is this your cow-herding bell?"

Although her martial arts were superb, she was ultimately just a servant. Having served noble figures since childhood, how could she know this was a magic artifact? She also didn't notice that there was no copper core inside the bell.

Nor did she know that the ringing of the bell meant there was demonic energy here!

"Whoosh!"

Just as Xiangyun was channeling her True Qi into the petal, about to shoot it out, a beautiful and dignified figure suddenly appeared before her.

She wore a pink gauze skirt and jacket, draped in embroidered brocade. Although her hair was disheveled and she wasn't made up, her unadorned face was still lovely, and her demeanor was elegant, like fragrant dew.

"Ah! Mistress! Why have you come out?" Xiangyun quickly withdrew her True Qi, stepped forward to support her, and looked around vigilantly to see if anyone else was in this secluded backyard.

The visitor was Xiangyun's mistress, Le Qin, the Concubine of the Zhu family's eldest young master. She had been pregnant for ten months and was due to give birth any day now!

Yes, any day now! After all, it was a fake pregnancy, and the due date was just a few days away, any day would do, depending on her mood!

Although Xiangyun had already sent away the servants who usually walked around the back door when she dealt with Old Man Tan, there was no telling if some idle people might stumble upon the Concubine not lying properly on her bed, but high up in the backyard with a large belly...

"Who is this old man?" Le Qin looked at the copper bell with a solemn expression. With a wave of her sleeve, she caused it to stop ringing.

Of course, she recognized this item as the Demon-Startling Bell, a magic artifact. It didn't have much power, only capable of detecting demonic energy, and didn't need to be wielded by anyone.

But it was precisely this demonic energy detector that forced her down from her bed to investigate, simply because she herself was a demon!

Her true form was an ancient zither belonging to Zhu Xiazhi, the eldest young master of the Zhu family. As a scion of a prominent clan, Zhu Xiazhi was skilled in music from a young age and excelled at playing the zither.

Most scholars of the world enjoyed discussing metaphysics and Daoism, pursuing elegance and expressing freedom! Therefore, when Zhu Xiazhi played the zither, besides indulging in pleasure and satisfying his sensory desires, he also pursued a metaphysical artistic conception.

He spent his days with friends, enjoying the scenery, playing music together, drinking, and engaging in leisurely conversation. When he got tired, he would directly fall asleep with his head on the zither, stating that he couldn't sleep without his zither companion!

One day, upon waking, he discovered a corner of his ancient zither had been broken by her. Zhu Xiazhi actually wept over the zither, his tears soaking into the wood, his grief genuine and profound.

His friends all laughed, "We never saw you so heartbroken even when your beloved concubine died." Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiazhi declared, "Even if the Goddess of Luo or Consort Xiang were here, they wouldn't compare to my beloved zither!"

With that, a sudden idea struck him. He made a vow to heaven and earth, with his friends as witnesses, and married the ancient zither on the spot!

His friends all praised Zhu Xiazhi for his disregard of convention, his appreciation for the unconventional, and his broad-mindedness in marrying a zither.

From then on, Zhu Xiazhi's reputation for elegance spread throughout the scholarly circles, becoming a celebrated tale of the time.

Scholars called him "Young Master Sleepy Qin" and ranked him among the Famous Scholars of Langya!

Perhaps it was Zhu Xiazhi's deep affection for objects, his emotions reaching the heavens, that moved the Dao of Heaven. Or perhaps the ancient zither, constantly accompanying the scholar, had absorbed much human emotion over the long years.

In any case, that ancient zither then opened its Spiritual Aperture, becoming a Demonic Creature, taking "Music" as its surname and "Qin" as its given name.

Le Qin watched Zhu Xiazhi day and night, accompanying him as he studied diligently in his study and practiced swordplay for Body Tempering. Whenever Zhu Xiazhi took medicine or consumed elixirs, she would secretly absorb a portion. Thus, another ten years passed, and she finally formed her own Demon Bone, condensed Magic Power, and entered the Mystical Stage.

She was born because of Zhu Xiazhi and had a vow of marriage with him, so she created a transformation technique and appeared as a young maiden to meet him. Because she was skilled in music and extremely familiar with Zhu Xiazhi's thoughts and temperament, he considered her a true confidante and cherished her deeply. Soon after, she married into the Zhu family.

At that time, Zhu Xiazhi was already thirty years old. He had already married a woman from a noble family, and moreover, Le Qin's origins were unknown and her status humble. Joining a prominent family meant she could only be a concubine.

At first, it was fine. Le Qin didn't care about status or position; she only wished to be with her beloved for life.

Besides, those in the Zhu family who could cultivate immortality never returned; they all lived in seclusion in deep mountains, overseas, or in blessed lands. Furthermore, she lived alone in a secluded courtyard and didn't wander around, so no one in the Zhu family could discover her identity.

However, gradually, the First Madam became jealous of her favor and often sent people to harm her. Le Qin, in the end, was just a concubine. If she had no children, even if she were killed like a servant, it wouldn't matter much.

And the problem was, she was a monster. How could a zither get pregnant? Thus, after three years, her life in the Zhu family became increasingly difficult, and several times she was almost forced to reveal her true form.

She didn't fear the First Madam's schemes, nor did she fear death. Her only worry was that her identity would be exposed and she would lose her husband.

It wasn't just that monsters ate humans; humans also liked to eat monsters.

There were always some self-righteous individuals who would hunt her down! The Zhu family itself often organized manpower, recruiting wandering heroes to pacify the demonic creatures in the Anqiu region.

Humans and monsters walk separate paths. How could a noble lady in a prestigious family be a monster? If this secret were known to outsiders, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, to improve her standing in the family and make the First Madam restrain herself, Le Qin devised a plan to fake a pregnancy and instructed her only trusted maid, Xiangyun, to find a female infant.

"Master, the old man was brought by Zhang the Broker. This is his granddaughter..." Xiangyun quickly explained the situation.

Le Qin sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in her tone.

But since things had come to this, she could only let Xiangyun act ruthlessly.

However, before that, she had to ask clearly: "Old man, who sent you to bring this thing? Tell me who it is, and this madam will spare your life."

Although the Demon-Startling Bell was ordinary, it was still a Magic Artifact, and only cultivators could refine it. How could a mere mortal possess such an item?

Therefore, she immediately judged that Jiang Shouyi had someone behind him. Perhaps her identity had aroused suspicion, so she had people bring the Demon-Startling Bell to test her.

Someone from the Zhu residence? Or a Daoist priest or wandering hero who had traveled here... It was all possible.

However, how could Jiang Shouyi understand this? He had no idea that what he held was the Demon-Startling Bell, nor that the imposing noblewoman before him was a monster.

Seeing such a noble lady from a great family, he thought there might be a turning point. He immediately knelt subserviently, "This item, I picked it up. I don't know why it rang, it has offended your ladyship. I wish to live and raise my grandson. I know nothing of your ladyship's affairs. I beg for your forgiveness!"

"Picked it up? Where did you find it?" Le Qin didn't believe him.

"It was a person called Heavenly Tiger. He claimed to be a third-generation disciple of the Heaven Swallowing Sect... I saw him get killed, and I was starving, so I took his clothes and his belongings..." Jiang Shouyi honestly explained the origin of the bronze bell.

But he wasn't foolish; he concealed the fact that he had killed the person himself.

He only said that Heavenly Tiger was a heroic swordsman who fought with someone in the wilderness. He didn't know who it was; he only saw it from afar and then went to loot the body.

He didn't mention anything about a Demon Infant.

However, Le Qin sneered repeatedly, hearing that he was lying. If such a top-tier wandering hero died, would the corpse be left for a refugee to loot?

Besides, the Heaven Swallowing Sect was a martial arts sect; where would they get a Demon-Startling Bell?

"You dare to lie to me again!" Le Qin took a step forward, her aura imposing.

"I... I..." Jiang Shouyi had indeed lied and was trembling, unsure of what to do.

Just then, the Demon-Startling Bell rang again, precisely because Le Qin had released her imposing aura.

Le Qin listened anxiously. Although this small courtyard was empty, if someone heard the bell and it reached the First Madam, she might guess it was the Demon-Startling Bell, as its ringing was very unique.

She extended her delicate hand and remotely retrieved the Demon-Startling Bell into her palm.

It was merely a basic Magic Artifact, and no one was controlling it. She permeated it with her demonic power and easily suppressed it.

"Hmm?" Le Qin suddenly discovered that there was a hidden wave of information left by a Martial Artist's True Qi.

The most important criterion for a Magic Artifact is not its special function, but whether it can store energy like Magic Power, demonic energy, or True Qi for a long time.

Any power, even if it does nothing, will consume itself just by existing, the only difference being the speed.

Therefore, even the most exquisite ordinary weapons used by martial artists cannot store energy; at most, they can be released instantly through techniques like blade qi or sword qi.

Conversely, any Magic Artifact, even the most basic one with no special effect, can definitely store energy.

"A martial artist left a dying message inside... So that's how it is..."

"Jiang Shouyi!" Le Qin suddenly called out his name loudly.

"Here!" Jiang Shouyi abruptly stood up, his eyes wide as he looked at her, then he prostrated himself again: "How does your ladyship know my name?"

Le Qin chuckled, "This Demon-Startling Bell really was picked up for free... Elder Jiang, I didn't expect a renowned expert from Qingzhou to fall into your hands."

After reading the dying words left by Heavenly Tiger, she realized she had misunderstood Jiang Shouyi.

Although Old Jiang had indeed lied, it wasn't because someone had instructed him as she had thought.

The dying words mentioned the killer's identity, and Heavenly Tiger was clearly unwilling to accept his fate. Perhaps out of pride, he emphasized that he was ambushed and killed by a lowborn.

This led Le Qin to imagine a ridiculous scenario of a martial arts hero meeting his end in a gutter, carelessly killed by starving refugees.

These dying words basically proved that Jiang Shouyi was just a disaster victim who knew nothing.

Jiang Shouyi had no internal energy, so he couldn't have faked these dying words. Moreover, the True Qi within the bronze bell was his life-bound True Qi, the seed of a martial artist's True Qi, only used when fighting for their life.

To test her identity, would he make a top martial artist cripple himself? That would be meaningless; he might as well have come to her directly.

If there was anything questionable in the dying words, it was the mention that Jiang Shouyi's grandson was a "rare treasure." She didn't understand that.

"What is a rare treasure?" Le Qin asked.

Jiang Shouyi was even more taken aback. "What? What rare treasure?"

Le Qin said, "That Heavenly Tiger called your grandson a rare treasure."

"My grandson's name is Yan Nu," Jiang Shouyi replied humbly.

Le Qin smiled faintly. "And what is your granddaughter's name?"

"Reporting to the noble lady, she is called Xue'er." Jiang Shouyi vaguely realized what "rare treasure" might mean, possibly referring to Yan Nu's strange and peculiar situation.

But fortunately, Le Qin didn't understand. After becoming a spirit, she became engrossed in worldly affections, lived in deep mansions for a long time, and only wished to grow old with her husband, spending a lifetime of love.

She knew little about martial arts affairs, let alone rare treasures.

In fact, the existence of rare treasures was a great secret. Many Immortal Mighty Beings didn't even know that Innate Exotic Treasures existed in the world.

"Xue'er... so cute..." Le Qin took Xue'er from Xiangyun's arms. With just one look, she instantly fell in love with the porcelain doll-like female infant.

It was rare for an infant to already show signs of exceptional beauty... Without a doubt, this girl would grow up to be stunningly beautiful and captivating.

She desperately longed for a child. At this moment, her affection for Xue'er grew with every glance, and she couldn't wait to 'give birth' and have this child be hers and her husband's daughter.

Seeing Le Qin beaming with joy, Jiang Shouyi seized the opportunity and kowtowed. "It's good that the noble lady likes her. Xue'er lost her parents at birth and hasn't been nursed for two days. I beg the noble lady to take her in and raise her... This old man kowtows to you."

Le Qin saw that the child's condition was indeed not right; she was crying weakly and could no longer cry. She said anxiously, "Why didn't you say so sooner? Xiangyun, prepare quickly, and then notify my husband. I am going to give birth today!"

"Yes... Then him..." Xiangyun responded, while holding petals and looking at Jiang Shouyi, implying: Should I silence him?

Le Qin shook her head slightly and said, "Old man, you also know that this madam's pregnancy is fake. This matter is of great consequence..."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare... This old man knows nothing," Jiang Shouyi kowtowed desperately.

Le Qin was not a bloodthirsty person. In fact, as a spirit who was attached to worldly affections, she had never killed anyone.

Xiangyun always handled things for her.

Because of the fake pregnancy, she didn't want to kill anyone. Otherwise, she would have agreed to Xiangyun's suggestion to silence Zhang the Broker long ago, and these subsequent events wouldn't have happened.

Killing Old Man Tan now was acceptable. He was arranged by the First Madam, and since she was pregnant, her elders would protect her, so the First Madam wouldn't be able to do anything even if she was angry.

But this old man holding the child was a famine victim who had suffered disasters and even sold his granddaughter. Getting him involved was simply an undeserved disaster.

If he were killed, the equally adorable Yan Nu would surely not survive.

If it weren't for the fact that giving birth to a male infant would bring endless misfortune, she would have wanted to take Yan Nu in as well.

"Elder Jiang, you may leave. Take your grandson and leave far away! Forget everything you shouldn't remember." Le Qin said and then left.

"Thank you, noble lady, for sparing my life! Thank you, noble lady!" Jiang Shouyi quickly bowed in gratitude and happily left with Yan Nu.

p.s: Sorry. They'll grow up in two more chapters.