A Brief Respite (2)

Shen Yuxi had just finished teaching.

The disciples who had spent most of the lesson listening to "The Eldest Senior Brother Praise Chronicle" had long felt as though they were sitting on pins and needles, suffering inwardly. The moment the dismissal bell rang, it was like a signal of liberation. In the blink of an eye, everyone scattered like birds and beasts, and the vast lecture ground became cold and empty in an instant.

Watching their hurriedly departing backs, Shen Yuxi could not help but sigh. "Sure enough, no matter what world it is, students not liking class is the norm."

Just as he was about to turn around and return to Spirit Pool Peak to enjoy some tranquil leisure, someone came running toward him. Like an agile monkey, the person shot to his side with a whoosh and casually draped an arm over his shoulder.

A dazzling smile hung on Lin Huaixu's face, his enthusiasm seemingly enough to set the air around them ablaze. He greeted him warmly, "Yo, Second Senior Brother, just finished class?"

Shen Yuxi remained expressionless. He neither responded to his Fifth Junior Brother's overly familiar gesture nor reached out to push him away. After spending so much time together, he had long grown used to the other's fiery, boisterous temperament.

Lin Huaixu paid no heed to Shen Yuxi's indifference and simply opened the floodgates himself. "I heard this Outer Sect Grand Competition was quite lively? Too bad I missed it. Second Senior Brother, tell me all about it. While I was gone, did anything interesting happen in the sect?"

Shen Yuxi was speechless inside. ...Weren't you the one asking me? Was there no one else in this huge Profound Heaven Sect?

Though he said nothing aloud, he continued the conversation in his mind. What interesting things could there be? You brat successfully missed the college entrance exams. Is that interesting enough?

Hearing Shen Yuxi's inner voice, Lin Huaixu's heart surged with excitement, and a sly glint flashed through his eyes. Such a bizarre thing really existed!

"But I did return at just the right time. If I'd come back a few days earlier, I would've had the same fate as you all—unable to escape teaching people all day. Thinking of it that way, it isn't so bad."

Shen Yuxi fell silent, and his thoughts vanished completely, not a trace leaking out. Yet Lin Huaixu seemed to catch a faint disdain in those calm, utterly emotionless eyes—a look that said he had gotten a bargain and was still complaining.

He immediately and cleverly changed the subject, speaking as though the thought had just occurred to him. "Oh, I heard Eldest Senior Brother successfully broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm? Sigh, people truly cannot be compared. I was only gone for a while, yet Eldest Senior Brother has improved his realm again. It really inspires both admiration and envy."

Shen Yuxi mentally agreed. Isn't that so! But he is Eldest Senior Brother, after all. He's one of Heavenly Dao's favored sons. Isn't comparing yourself to him just asking for trouble?

One of them?

Lin Huaixu keenly caught that key phrase. In that case, Eldest Senior Brother was not the only person deeply favored by Heavenly Dao and blessed with extraordinary fortune?

Thinking this, he said aloud, "With Eldest Senior Brother's talent and gifts, even across the entire Nine Domains, he must be as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, a sight seldom seen."

"Heh, that's because you haven't seen the monsters from the Four Clans and Three Monarchies. Each one is more freakishly gifted than the last. They've practically blocked every road, leaving no way for anyone else to live. The Nine Domains are still far too vast."

Wow. Lin Huaixu silently marveled.

The Four Ancient Clans and Three Imperial Dynasties were not unknown in the cultivation world. The Nine Domains were divided by domain, and as the central region of the Nine Domains, Lingshu Heaven Domain was home to countless sects and prominent houses. Among them, the Profound Heaven Sect had the longest legacy and shone the brightest.

Yet the Four Ancient Clans possessed histories even older than the Profound Heaven Sect. Their countless miraculous secret arts made innumerable cultivators yearn for them and envy them beyond measure.

Not to mention the Three Imperial Dynasties. Within the Nine Domains, each dynasty occupied a domain of its own, even naming that domain directly after the dynasty. Their ostentation was plain to see.

However, the geographical environments of the various domains differed enormously, and crossing domain boundaries was fraught with difficulty. For the vast majority of cultivators, other domains were like hazy legends.

But this Second Senior Brother clearly knew a great deal about other domains. That was not something a simple power of prophecy could explain.

Lin Huaixu pretended to ponder, then answered his own question. "That may not be so. The Nine Domains are vast, after all, especially the mysterious Four Clans and Three Monarchies. For thousands of years, few have known anything of their inner circumstances. It would not be strange if there were people as talented as Eldest Senior Brother. It's simply that those people and matters are far too distant from us. Perhaps even after exhausting an entire lifetime, we may never have the chance to see them."

Shen Yuxi looked utterly calm as he dropped another bombshell. "Not really. Third Junior Brother's marriage-alliance partner who ran away from the wedding is a descendant of one of the Four Clans."

"Holy shit!" A tempestuous sea instantly rose in Lin Huaixu's heart, and he clicked his tongue inwardly. I hooked a big one!

Though few in the sect knew of this matter, Lin Huaixu naturally knew it inside and out.

Third Senior Brother Feng Yue had a marriage-alliance partner. At the time, even the wedding procession had been carefully prepared. Everything was ready; all that remained was for the newlyweds to tie the knot. Who could have expected the other party to flee without warning on the way to receive the bride?

Fortunately, the marriage had been arranged by the Lineage for various considerations, and Feng Yue himself had not invested much feeling into it. Thus, he had not appeared overly bothered by the affair.

Yet only now did Lin Huaixu hear for the first time that the person who had fled the wedding came from one of the Four Ancient Clans.

Shen Yuxi mused to himself. But speaking of Third Junior Brother and that person from the Nian Clan... ah, my stomach hurts so badly. I hope Third Junior Brother's life is tough enough. Amitabha.

Lin Huaixu: ??? Senior Brother, we cultivate the Dao.

"So they're from the Nian Clan..."

Of the Four Ancient Clans—Ling, Bai, Ye, and Nian—the Nian Clan lived in seclusion within the Misty Shadow Domain. This domain lay in the northeast of the Nine Domains, filled with dense forests and sprawling swamps. It remained blanketed all year by ink-black, viscous mist, carrying an unfathomably mysterious air.

It had always been said that the ancient Nian Clan was the most unwaveringly devoted in matters of love, their steadfastness even becoming a celebrated tale in the cultivation world. Who could have expected a Nian Clan descendant to run away from a wedding now...

At this thought, Lin Huaixu could not help but chuckle, already deciding that he had to find an opportunity to tease Third Senior Brother properly.

As he thought this, Third Senior Brother Feng Yue's possibly slightly ferocious expression upon being teased surfaced uncontrollably in his mind. It was as though he could even hear Third Senior Brother coldly demand, "So what—"

Mm... Lin Huaixu instantly sobered up. For the sake of his own life, he decided that this joke was best left untold and quickly abandoned the idea.

Though Lin Huaixu still itched to pry more shocking news from Shen Yuxi, this one-sided method of asking and answering through catching Shen Yuxi's thoughts could only yield so much information.

He knew that if this continued, Shen Yuxi would likely grow suspicious.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. There are geniuses everywhere under heaven; there's no end to comparing oneself with them, and thinking too much about it is useless." Lin Huaixu wore a perfectly measured smile, as though their previous topic had been nothing more than idle chatter, and smoothly shifted the conversation.

"On my way here, I ran into Sixth Junior Sister. Second Senior Brother, you have no idea—Sixth Junior Sister's lovesick obsession has flared up again. The entire way, she kept muttering in my ear, 'When will I meet my destined husband?' I thought my head was going to explode. She's driving me mad."

As Lin Huaixu spoke vividly, he exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, looking as though Lin Mumu's muttering was the most headache-inducing thing in the world.

Upon hearing this, helplessness welled up in Shen Yuxi's heart, and he muttered inwardly, Wait another ten years. The person she keeps thinking about is probably still an unhatched egg right now.

Lin Huaixu's eyes immediately lit up.

Wow, that's exciting.

He had not expected his casual probing to draw such explosive news from Second Senior Brother. All sorts of absurd yet amusing scenes flashed through his mind. At the mere thought of his Junior Sister's expression when she learned this, he could not help secretly delighting in it.

At the same time, he quietly took pride in his own impressive gossiping skills. See? Digging up the biggest dirt still has to be left to me!

"By the way, Second Senior Brother," Lin Huaixu tilted his head slightly, his peach-blossom eyes rolling as he looked at Shen Yuxi with a smiling gaze, "I've been chattering away this whole time. Don't tell me you haven't been listening to me at all?" He deliberately added a touch of suspicion to his tone, as though trying to find a crack in Shen Yuxi's composure.

Shen Yuxi turned his head slightly. His gaze, which had been cast into the distance, slowly returned and settled steadily on Lin Huaixu. He only said two concise words. "I was listening."

Lin Huaixu found the situation immensely amusing. Second Senior Brother's inner thoughts clearly surged like tides, yet whenever he spoke, his words were always so brief.

"Then what did I just say?" he pressed relentlessly.

Shen Yuxi was speechless inside. ...You're already this old, and you're still so childish.

In the end, he did not answer. Only a trace of disdain slipped unconsciously into his gaze. Naturally, Lin Huaixu caught it. Yet rather than getting angry, he seemed to have found some great amusement and laughed until he bent forward and backward, his shoulders shaking nonstop.

After laughing his fill with great difficulty, Lin Huaixu suddenly darted before Shen Yuxi like a nimble little beast. His face was piled with ingratiating smiles as he coaxed, "Second Senior Brother, I've only just managed to come back. It wouldn't be right if you didn't throw me a welcome banquet, would it? Everyone must be looking forward to it. You mustn't refuse."

Seeing that Shen Yuxi did not immediately respond, he hurriedly added, "Don't worry, we aren't inviting outsiders. Just us martial brothers gathering together. Wouldn't it be great to have some lively fun?"

Shen Yuxi cast him a helpless glance but ultimately said nothing, tacitly agreeing.

Afraid that Shen Yuxi would slip away the moment he let his guard down, Lin Huaixu simply refused to take no for an answer and insisted on dragging him along. Not only that, he directly cast a spell, transforming it into a silken rope that tightly bound their wrists together as though they were prisoners.

Shen Yuxi was speechless inside. ...What kind of handcuff play is this? Broad daylight, under the bright sun, in full public view—what sort of propriety is there in two grown men tugging at each other like this?

A passing disciple happened to hear these words. Though he had no idea what "handcuff play" meant, he could not help grumbling inwardly, If you know it's improper, why do you ship people together all day? You don't care about their gender or age either—you ship anyone you catch!

It was not as though Shen Yuxi truly had no way to deal with the spell-formed silk rope. With his abilities, breaking free would not have been difficult if he truly wished to. He simply felt that making such a huge fuss over such a trivial matter was unnecessary, so he let Lin Huaixu have his way.

Feng Yue's Pineview Pavilion was the closest residence to this place.

The moment the two drew near, they clearly heard repeated sounds of air being torn apart coming from within the courtyard.

Looking up, they saw thirty-six water swords floating in midair, responding to one another as they interwove into an exquisite sword formation. The black-clad youth stood firmly at the eye of the formation, his hands rapidly forming seals while he concentrated on controlling the swords' flight paths.

Under the sunlight, the water swords reflected rippling gleams, like flowing mercury, a spectacular sight to behold.

"Third Senior Brother's Surging Waves Sword Art has become increasingly exquisite." As Lin Huaixu praised him, he casually raised a hand and tossed out a pebble he had picked up along the road. Like a shooting star, it streaked through the air and struck the tip of the outermost sword with unerring precision.

In an instant, the sword formation that had been operating in orderly fashion seemed to lose its backbone and collapsed like a falling galaxy. Seeing this, Feng Yue flipped through the air with agile grace and steadily caught the falling sword. When he landed, an almost imperceptible trace of irritation stained his formerly cold features.

He had painstakingly practiced this sword formation for a long time, yet had never managed to bring it to the point of perfect mastery. Though he knew Fifth Junior Brother had always possessed sharp eyesight, having the formation's eye spotted so easily still stirred a trace of frustration within him.

"What is it?" Feng Yue raised his eyes toward Lin Huaixu, a questioning note in his voice.

"Come gather at the bamboo pavilion behind Spirit Tempering Peak at the third quarter of the hour of the Dog tonight." Lin Huaixu smiled. Feng Yue was just about to refuse when he heard Lin Huaixu immediately add, "Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are coming too!"

Feng Yue paused slightly. His gaze unconsciously passed over Lin Huaixu and fell on Shen Yuxi, who was indeed closely following behind him. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded and agreed to the invitation.

For the rest of the journey, Shen Yuxi watched Lin Huaixu dart endlessly among their fellow martial brothers and sisters like a tireless little spinning top. Every time he saw someone, he repeated the same speech without changing even a single filler word. Somehow, he really did gather all the martial siblings together.

Following silently behind, Shen Yuxi could not help sighing inwardly at Lin Huaixu's performance. ...Is this what an extrovert on steroids looks like? Starting with nothing but a mouth—terrifying indeed.

In the end, everyone had been gathered in one place. Though all present were fellow disciples familiar with one another in daily life, such a sudden private gathering of so many people without any serious reason instantly awakened Shen Yuxi's past-life memories of team-building events, triggering his social anxiety on the spot.

Setting everything else aside, for one thing, he had nothing to talk about with this group of martial siblings!

This was not merely because of his persona. Over the years, he had spent most of his time cultivating diligently on Spirit Pool Peak and rarely ventured out. On the occasional trips for training, he either traveled with highly accomplished Inner Sect disciples or went alone.

They might be called martial siblings, but in truth, they saw each other only a handful of times throughout the year!

Being alone with someone was still manageable. But now, having a grand reunion all at once... Shen Yuxi felt somewhat unable to bear it. Merely imagining it made him dizzy and even faintly nauseous.

Before long, he found an excuse and quietly left.

Chu Shihan had not been particularly interested in attending this gathering to begin with. Seeing Shen Yuxi leave first, he seized the chance to find an excuse as well and slipped away with him.

No one had expected the two of them to happily join in with the rest anyway, so they simply let them leave on their own. Everyone had different temperaments, and forcing the matter was impossible. Rather than make things difficult, it was better to let them do as they pleased and leave everyone at ease.

Once those two had gone, Feng Yue also found it difficult to remain seated. The two senior brothers above him were both training maniacs. If people stronger than him were racing against every second to cultivate, how could he afford to slack off?

Just as he made a move to leave, Lin Huaixu swiftly stopped him. "Third Senior Brother, don't go. I went through great trouble to pry some interesting things out of Second Senior Brother."

At Lin Huaixu's words, everyone's interest was immediately piqued, yet Lin Huaixu deliberately insisted on keeping them in suspense.

Only after everyone had gone to the trouble of pouring him tea, serving him snacks, and waiting on him until he was thoroughly comfortable did he slowly unfold his folding fan, clear his throat, and say, "Ahem, first of all, Sixth Junior Sister, let's talk about the lifelong matter you care about most—"

"!! You really asked about it! Hurry, tell me!" Lin Mumu instantly grew excited, her eyes shining with impatient anticipation.

Lin Huaixu had not lied. He had indeed run into Lin Mumu when he went to find Shen Yuxi, but it had not been coincidence. Lin Mumu had actually sought him out specifically to ask him to gather information, even promising him quite a few benefits.

Lin Huaixu deliberately lowered his voice in a mysterious manner. "The other party seems not to be human."

"!! An interspecies romance? That's rather exciting." Lin Mumu's mouth fell open in astonishment, her face full of mingled surprise and curiosity.

"Second Senior Brother also said that person is still an unhatched egg." Lin Huaixu continued dropping revelations, a trace of mischief in his eyes.

"??? An older-woman-younger-man romance?? Ah, isn't that a little too outrageous?" Lin Mumu's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.

"We are dignified cultivators. An age difference of twenty or thirty years is basically the same as no difference at all." Lin Huaixu advised her with a perfectly serious expression.

"That's true, but..." Lin Mumu was left speechless. Her mind was full of bizarre images of herself flirting with an egg, and she was completely dumbfounded, as though struck by an immobilizing spell.

Gently waving his folding fan, Lin Huaixu said leisurely, "Second Senior Brother also mentioned the Four Clans and Three Monarchies. From his tone, he seemed to know quite a lot about them."

"The Four Clans and Three Monarchies... the Four Clans and Three Monarchies I'm thinking of?" Zhou Wan frowned slightly, confusion flashing through her eyes.

Lin Huaixu snapped his folding fan shut, his expression certain. "In this cultivation world, could there be another Four Clans and Three Monarchies?

"You all know Second Senior Brother's circumstances. He has never taken a single step outside Lingshu Heaven Domain, yet he knows matters from other domains like the back of his hand. I truly wonder what sort of fortuitous encounter could let him know everything under heaven?"

At these words, everyone fell into thought, each wearing an expression of deep contemplation.

Watching all this silently from the shadows, True Person Yu Qing shook his head helplessly. He had restraint, but not much.

Qingyang indeed had some skill and knew well how to coax words from others. He was of the same generation as Shen Yuxi, and his naturally familiar personality would not easily stir Shen Yuxi's inner resistance. Thus, he could smoothly obtain information from Shen Yuxi.

Moreover, he knew when to stop. He always halted the conversation at just the right moment before Shen Yuxi could become suspicious.

Previously, True Person Yu Qing had only felt that Lin Huaixu was somewhat noisy and troublesome in his conduct. But now, an idea suddenly struck him. Perhaps Lin Huaixu's sharpness could be used to probe information related to the Profound Heaven Sect's future?

The more True Person Yu Qing considered it, the more feasible the plan seemed. Seeing that everything here appeared to be progressing smoothly, he silently turned and returned to Clear Parasol Hall.

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Four Clans and Three Monarchies

This referred to the Four Ancient Clans and the Three Imperial Dynasties, famed throughout the cultivation world.

Each of the Three Imperial Dynasties occupied a domain and named it after itself, wielding immense power. Unlike sects and prominent houses, imperial dynasties were not cultivation forces. Their populations consisted mostly of ordinary civilians, yet the dynasty fortune gained from sheltering the people of a region was far beyond ordinary spiritual energy.

The Four Ancient Clans were the opposite of the Three Imperial Dynasties. They did not flaunt themselves, and for a long time, people had only heard their names without ever seeing their members.

The Four Clans were heroic houses that saved the Nine Domains a thousand years ago. Yet the battle of that time exhausted their accumulated strength, and nearly all their clan elders perished. Thereafter, the Four Clans were greatly weakened and withdrew into seclusion.