Water Bamboo Pavilion

Tang Yuan gave a bitter smile and walked forward. That one cry of "Xue Er" called forth emotions he had suppressed for half a year.

Qiao Xue'er suddenly threw herself into Tang Yuan's arms, and the two embraced tightly.

Though they had not seen each other for more than half a year, that melding embrace made them both understand that nothing had changed. Their love had only grown deeper.

In that embrace, how could someone as attentive as Qiao Xue'er fail to notice the abnormality in Tang Yuan's arm? She lifted his black robe and saw the beastified arm.

Qiao Xue'er covered her mouth, her face filled with shock and fury as tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Th-this... who did this?!"

Qiao Xue'er choked out, resentment in her voice. For the first time in her life, she felt the urge to kill.

Jiang Ruoyun was somewhat stunned as she watched the scene. It was her first time seeing Qiao Xue'er like this.

A gentle, peaceful woman was enraged for the first time because of a man. Was this how loving someone changed a person?

Lu Feng's face surfaced in Jiang Ruoyun's mind, and her heart raced like a startled fawn.

Tang Yuan tenderly stroked Qiao Xue'er's beautiful hair and slowly told her what had happened to his arm. This pained her greatly, and she also learned of the recent unrest in Azure Dragon Town.

Once the two had finished their sweet reunion, Jiang Ruoyun stepped forward and asked, "Sister Qiao, how did you get out of Prison Manor?"

Qiao Xue'er straightened her appearance, her pretty face gentle as she explained, "These past few days, my father has been pleading with the prison official and putting pressure on him. In the end, the official could no longer bear it and went to Yan Manor. For some reason, Yan Manor's attitude had improved greatly. They no longer insisted that I pay with my life. Finally, Old Master Yan came forward and had Yan Jingjing clarify some of the circumstances."

At that, Qiao Xue'er paused and said with feeling, "Yan He's death seems to have changed Yan Jingjing. She's not quite the same as before."

Jiang Ruoyun pouted and pointed at Lu Feng. "It might not necessarily be because of Yan He. It could also be because this guy took advantage of her."

Qiao Xue'er smiled, sensing that the atmosphere was a little delicate. She changed the subject. "Xiao Rou visited me in Prison Manor. I heard from her that you moved out of Jiang Manor?"

Jiang Ruoyun nodded. Moving out of Jiang Manor had been inevitable. It was better to leave on her own initiative than be driven out later.

"Then where have you been staying these past few days?" Qiao Xue'er asked with concern.

"I found an inn at random and have been staying there for now," Jiang Ruoyun replied.

"My home still has quite a few empty rooms. Why not move in and stay with me?" Qiao Xue'er said with a smile.

Jiang Ruoyun shook her head. Considering that she had just moved out of Jiang Manor, moving straight into Qiao Manor would not look good for either family if word got out. She said, "Sister Qiao, can that residence we spoke of before still be rented?"

Qiao Xue'er said, "It's still available for rent, but someone did die there after all. Why don't you think it over some more?"

"I'll stay there. I'll have to trouble Sister Qiao to help negotiate it," Jiang Ruoyun cut in. Ordinary people might shy away from such things, but how could Soul Cultivators regard life and death so heavily?

"Alright, I'll go discuss it later. Shall we rent it for three or four months first?" Qiao Xue'er asked.

Jiang Ruoyun hesitated. Although Lu Feng had given her all the money from selling the prescription, it seemed insufficient to buy the house. Renting it, on the other hand, did not seem worthwhile, since it was not a long-term solution.

"Did the owner ever say how much they would sell that residence for?" Lu Feng asked.

"Buy it?" Qiao Xue'er said in surprise. Even an unlucky house would not be cheap, and that residence was, overall, an excellent living environment. It certainly would not come at a low price.

Jiang Ruoyun looked up at Lu Feng. She had just wanted to say, "We don't have that much money..." when she saw him nod with certainty.

"He's had it listed for two hundred and fifty thousand Soul Coin for several months, but no one has bought it," Qiao Xue'er replied. Qiao Manor had made its livelihood through residences and land, so she was very familiar with this field.

Jiang Ruoyun stepped closer, tugged at Lu Feng, and whispered, "We don't have that many Soul Coin."

Lu Feng smiled at that. "Have you forgotten about the Lotus Insect Grass? Once we collect that payment later, it'll be enough."

Jiang Ruoyun was taken aback. Looking at Lu Feng's confident expression, she did not know how to respond for a moment. Eight hundred per stalk of Lotus Insect Grass still seemed unbelievable to her, yet seeing Lu Feng's calm demeanor, she began to feel that it might actually be possible.

Qiao Xue'er was somewhat puzzled. One was the Young Miss driven out of Jiang Manor, while the other was her slave. Neither of them seemed like they could produce more than two hundred thousand Soul Coin. Yet she did not ask. She merely decided silently that if they fell short, she would make up the difference with the savings she had accumulated over the years.

Near evening, the group went their separate ways. Entrusted with the task, Qiao Xue'er went to negotiate the residence. Jiang Ruoyun went to the pharmacy to collect the Soul Coin from the consignment sale. Yan Mingchi returned to Yan Manor to regulate his breathing, while Lu Feng and Tang Yuan went to Tang Manor.

Though Tang Yuan had already calmly accepted his beastified arm, the huge beast arm was indeed inconvenient for small matters such as eating. Thus, he still decided to restore it to normal.

Lu Feng and Tang Yuan arrived at Tang Manor, but Tang Manor seemed somewhat different now. There had never been many maids or servants to begin with, yet now only one person remained.

"Young Master, you've returned." The speaker was an old man. More than a decade ago, Tang Xuan had saved his life. In gratitude, he had come to Tang Manor to serve him.

A bundle was slung over the old man's shoulder, and he held a somewhat wrinkled sheet of paper in his hand. His expression was full of reluctance.

Tang Yuan froze, seeming to sense something. "Qian Bo, this is..."

The old man gave a bitter smile and handed the paper to Tang Yuan. "Master left this for you. Young Master, have a look for yourself. This old servant has completed the last task Master entrusted to me, so it is time for me to leave as well. Young Master, take good care of yourself in the days ahead."

The old man's figure was somewhat lonely. He was reluctant to leave Tang Yuan standing there alone, but considering his own age and Tang Xuan's words before departing, he chose to leave in order to avoid becoming a burden.

Tang Yuan nervously unfolded the paper and lowered his head to look at the handwriting upon it. Though somewhat scrawled, it had lost none of its bold and rugged spirit.

"Yuan'er:

By the time you read this letter, I will already be gone. Do not be reluctant to part; separation is only for the sake of a better reunion. Do not come looking for me. Grow and temper yourself well.

Your father is a useless man. I have wallowed away too many years and wasted too much time. Now that I have awakened in regret, it is time to face the cowardice of the past.

I am sorry. Because of my incompetence, you took many wrong paths. The path of dual cultivation of beast and body carries your mother's will. It is a viable path, but an exceedingly arduous one. I hope you will be fortunate enough to continue down it.

Tang Xuan."

After finishing the letter, Tang Yuan stood rooted to the spot, looking somewhat lost and helpless. Tang Xuan's departure had come without any warning. Tang Yuan had not even seen him one last time.

Tang Yuan did not understand why his father had left, but he knew that he must have had his reasons. This was the first time in twenty years that Tang Xuan had directly spoken of his mother.

In the courtyard, a silent wine gourd still lay in one corner. Tang Yuan recognized it as his father's favorite gourd. For more than ten years, day after day, wine had never left his side, yet he had not taken it with him when he departed.

What had brought about such a change in Father? Though Tang Yuan did not understand, he was very happy. At the very least, his father no longer had to remain so dejected.

After today, Azure Dragon Town would likely have only Seven Manors left. After Tang Xuan's departure, Tang Yuan alone could not rank among the Eight Manors unless he possessed strength as terrifying as Tang Xuan's, or wealth comparable to the other seven manors.

After steadying his emotions, Tang Yuan looked at Lu Feng and asked, "Could there really be dragons in Azure Dragon Town?"

Lu Feng gave a bitter smile. "Let's hope so."

Lu Feng understood that Tang Yuan's question about the Dragon Core meant he had already made his choice. He wanted to use the Dragon Core's power to cleanse the chaotic Beast Power within his body.

When Tang Xuan left, he had left behind that stone connected to the survival of Azure Dragon Town. It had been tossed into a corner beside the wall, mixed in with ordinary stones. Though Tang Yuan recognized it, he did not put it away.

The Spirit Suppression Array was once again set up in Tang Yuan's former room. With their previous experience, they were far more familiar with the process this time.

After his arm returned to normal, Tang Yuan, who had never cared much about appearances, actually went out of his way to take a bath.

Only after cleaning himself up did he head off with Lu Feng to meet Qiao Xue'er and Jiang Ruoyun.

Gathering Fragrance Restaurant.

Qiao Xue'er, Jiang Ruoyun, and Xiao Rou were already seated there, chatting quietly. The wine and dishes had been ordered, and they were only waiting for Lu Feng and Tang Yuan to arrive. All three women wore faint, barely discernible smiles.

"I never expected little sister Ruo Yun to have hidden away so much private money..."

As Lu Feng and Tang Yuan entered, they happened to hear Qiao Xue'er teasing Jiang Ruoyun.

"No... it's Lu Feng's..." Jiang Ruoyun explained, but to the other two women, it sounded as though a husband's money was being kept by his wife.

"How did it go?" Lu Feng asked after sitting down. He was asking both about the residence and the consigned Lotus Insect Grass.

"Of course it worked out. Two hundred and thirty thousand," Qiao Xue'er said confidently. With her intervention, she had managed to negotiate the price down by a full twenty thousand Soul Coin.

Jiang Ruoyun replied in delight, "The Lotus Insect Grass really all sold. It brought in more than eight hundred thousand in total. The pharmacy owner took some commission, so we received seven hundred and eighty thousand Soul Coin altogether."

"It was Shi Manor that came to buy it, wasn't it?" Lu Feng said.

Jiang Ruoyun burst into laughter. "Yes. The pharmacy owner said that Shi Manor's man had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, but had no choice but to buy it all."

Having heard about the prescription, Tang Yuan interjected, "Once the Blood Return Powder is successfully refined, the profits Shi Manor gains will be far greater than this. No wonder they could bear to be slaughtered."

Jiang Ruoyun took out a money pouch and handed it to Lu Feng. "These are the remaining Soul Coin. I should return them to you."

Lu Feng accepted the pouch, took out some Soul Coin, then handed it back. "This is enough for me. Tomorrow, I'll go purchase some materials."

Seeing this, Jiang Ruoyun said, "As for furniture and the like, Sister Qiao and I already bought nearly everything earlier. Water Bamboo Pavilion has already been completely transformed."

The meaning in Jiang Ruoyun's words was clearly to save money, prompting Qiao Xue'er to tease her. "Little sister Ruo Yun is already so skilled at managing the household before even marrying in."

"What are you talking about? Lu Feng and I are only..." Jiang Ruoyun explained shyly, stealing a glance at Lu Feng from the corner of her eye.

"Did I say anything about you and Lu Feng? Aren't you confessing without being accused, giving yourself away?" Qiao Xue'er teased.

Jiang Ruoyun's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, rosy and adorable.

Xiao Rou spoke up to smooth things over. "Young Miss and Lu Feng are master and servant. They absolutely cannot violate propriety."

Jiang Ruoyun paused. In her heart, she actually felt some regret over the existence of the Contract Array, but she said aloud, "Yes. Sister Qiao, don't go pairing up mandarin ducks at random."