Haunted House

On the evening of the appointed day, Xu Tianqi brought along another junior brother, Mu Jin, to Shi Xuan's small courtyard. He looked both worried and excited.

"Junior Brother Mu, this is Shi Xuan, Junior Brother Shi, the final disciple of a reclusive Elder from our Xu Family." As for Old Daoist Xu, their Old Ancestor, the Xu Family told everyone outside its core members only that he was a reclusive Elder. Shi Xuan had also made it clear to Xu Tianqi that he should use his assumed name, Shi Xuan, from now on. Though Xu Tianqi did not understand why, he complied.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Shi." Mu Jin was tall and powerfully built, with thick brows and large eyes. He looked honest and dependable.

"Junior Brother Shi, this is Mu Jin, Junior Brother Mu. He is my dad's fifth disciple and my closest friend."

"Heh heh, Junior Brother Mu, you are too courteous." Shi Xuan returned the greeting with clasped hands.

Xu Tianqi stepped closer to Shi Xuan and asked softly, "Junior Brother Shi, there will not be any problems, right?"

Shi Xuan smiled. "Senior Brother Xu, I can only say that I have done everything I can." Xu Tianqi stepped back and looked him over. Perhaps Shi Xuan's calm demeanor gave him confidence, for he smiled and said, "In that case, let us set out."

Shi Xuan had prepared everything that afternoon. He had placed talismans in the hidden pockets of his robes and sleeves. He had prepared several copies of some talismans, while those unlikely to be used had only one copy each. Everything was sorted neatly to ensure he could draw them at the first moment. After thinking it over and confirming that he had missed nothing, he nodded and headed out with Xu Tianqi and Mu Jin.

Along the way, Shi Xuan and Xu Tianqi chatted idly, while Mu Jin spoke little and seemed rather dull-witted. Perhaps that was why Xu Tianqi had brought him along.

When they neared the Haunted House, they saw five people standing outside from afar—three men and two women. Xu Tianqi's expression changed, and he stopped walking. "Damn it, why did Yuqiong come too?"

At that moment, the other side spotted them as well. A girl in crimson martial attire, red as a chili pepper, jumped up and waved at Xu Tianqi. Seeing that he could not avoid her, Xu Tianqi could only signal Shi Xuan before walking over.

Of the five, the most eye-catching was a tall girl of seventeen or eighteen in a lotus-root-colored dress. With phoenix eyes and a delicate jade nose, she was extraordinarily beautiful. The other girl, the red chili pepper, was petite, with large eyes, a pert nose, and a small mouth. She looked fourteen or fifteen and was brimming with life. The remaining three men stood a little farther away, led by the young man in the middle wearing a scholar's robe. Aside from his somewhat pale complexion, he was much more handsome than Xu Tianqi. Behind him stood two broad-backed, thick-waisted middle-aged men whose bearing was exceedingly fierce.

"Xu Tianqi, you scoundrel! Something this interesting, and you did not invite Sister Yuqiong and me?" The girl in red began shouting at him the instant he approached.

Xu Tianqi hurriedly clasped his hands and apologized. "Seventh Sister, it is your brother's fault. I was worried that ghosts and monsters would not be to you girls' liking."

Seeing that the girl in red was still being relentless and was about to speak again, the girl in the lotus-root-colored dress hurriedly tugged her back and answered first, "Brother Xu was considerate. We were simply too curious." She gave an apologetic smile after speaking.

Watching her smile from the side, Shi Xuan found it almost dazzling. Xu Tianqi was even more affected. "Sister Yuqiong, why do you still call me Brother Xu? We have known each other for so long. Just call me Tianqi. If I had known you were curious about this, Sister Yuqiong, I would have brought you here long ago." As he spoke, he edged closer, looking as though he had never seen a woman before.

When Yuqiong saw Xu Tianqi move closer, she frowned slightly. Looking around, she noticed Shi Xuan and Mu Jin standing nearby, so she asked Xu Tianqi, "Brother Tianqi, who are these two?"

Only then did Xu Tianqi realize that he had yet to introduce them. He hurriedly said, "This is Shi Xuan, Junior Brother Shi, the final disciple of an Elder from my sect. This is Mu Jin, Junior Brother Mu, my dad's fifth disciple and my companion today."

Just then, the three men farther away walked over. Upon hearing Xu Tianqi's introduction, the pale, scholar-like man laughed aloud. "Brother Tianqi, these are the 'experts' you invited? Truly, heroes emerge from the young. Come, come, let me introduce them. This is my Uncle Jian Cong, and this is Uncle Dao Feng. Both are renowned figures in the Jianghu. Let us all exchange pointers, hahaha."

When Xu Tianqi heard the introduction, his face turned pale. After a long moment, he said, "So they are the senior Blade Sword Double Kill of Ganlong Road from back then. This junior has been remiss."

Seeing Xu Tianqi's reaction, the girl in red's expression darkened. She turned to the scholar-like man and snapped, "Xia Wenhui, have you no shame? This was a bet between us juniors, yet you brought your family's Elder experts! My Fifth Brother has followed the rules."

"Miss Jinyi, do not speak recklessly in front of Miss Yuqiong. I do not know when such a rule was established. When Brother Tianqi and I made our bet, we never said we could not invite Elders to stand guard," Xia Wenhui said smugly.

"Enough, Seventh Sister. Say no more. Junior Brother Shi, this is Meng Yuqiong, Miss Meng, the most outstanding successor of this generation of the Yuhua Sect. This is Xu Jinyi, our Xu Family's Seventh Sister from the fourth branch. Her branch moved to Luojing over thirty years ago and rarely returns, so you have not met them before."

Shi Xuan clasped his hands in greeting to the two girls. Just as he was about to speak, Xia Wenhui took over again. "Eh, Brother Tianqi, why do you not introduce these two young 'heroes' to me? Could it be that you think my martial arts are too weak and I am unworthy of making their acquaintance?" The two fierce middle-aged men behind him glared at Shi Xuan. Shi Xuan felt a wave of Killing Intent rush at him. Only someone who had killed at least a hundred people could possess such dense Killing Intent.

Yet Shi Xuan had cultivated the Divine Illumination Meditation Method for so long that Killing Intent of this degree could not affect him in the slightest. Shi Xuan smiled and shook his head, ignoring them. He had originally intended to glare back and add a small spell, letting the two vicious men suffer a hidden loss. But their looks were so unappealing to him that he would rather spend that effort looking at the great beauty Yuqiong and the little beauty Jinyi. Of course, Shi Xuan was not some ten-thousand-year virgin. Cultivation was his priority for now; beauties were merely pleasing to the eye.

Seeing that Shi Xuan and Mu Jin did not answer, Meng Yuqiong feared that Xu Tianqi would be embarrassed, so she hurriedly smoothed things over with a smile. "Since everyone is here, why not go inside? Come to think of it, I have never seen ghosts or monsters before. I wonder whether I will get my wish this time."

Now that the beauty had spoken, neither Xu Tianqi nor Xia Wenhui had any objections. Xu Jinyi naturally walked with her Fifth Brother, and Meng Yuqiong naturally stayed with her close friend. Xia Wenhui could only lead his two Elders inside first.

"Brother Tianqi, were those two truly the Blade Sword Double Kill of Ganlong Road from back then?" Meng Yuqiong asked as they walked.

Xu Tianqi naturally told her everything he knew. "Yes. A few years ago, I heard my father mention that Blade Sword Double Kill somehow offended Sword King Qu Hanshui, one of the Eight Heavenly Kings of the Power Money Gang. They were hunted like stray dogs all the way to Yangzhou. Later, they joined the Xia Family and relied on Fine Rain Tower's influence to escape that fatal calamity."

While Xu Tianqi and Meng Yuqiong conversed ahead, little Xu Jinyi tactfully fell half a step back and studied Shi Xuan curiously. "Senior Brother Shi, I have been wandering around the family grounds every day lately. How come I have never seen you? I have seen Senior Brother Mu Jin several times."

Shi Xuan could only use the excuse the Xu Family had prepared. "My master was a reclusive Elder who preferred peace and quiet. He lived in an alley west of the city, so naturally I lived there with him."

"Oh? Which Elder was he? After returning, I paid respects to every Elder one by one. Which one was your master?" Little beauty Jinyi had the spirit to break a clay pot and ask to the very bottom. Meng Yuqiong seemed interested in this question as well. With the keen senses brought by his powerful soul cultivation, Shi Xuan sensed her quietly shifting her attention toward him. After all, when she had first heard that Shi Xuan was merely Xu Tianqi's junior brother, she had not paid him much attention.

Shi Xuan's expression turned solemn. "My master passed away nearly a year ago."

After he said this, Shi Xuan felt Meng Yuqiong's gaze resting faintly on him withdraw.

Seeing this, Xu Jinyi stuck out her tongue. "Sorry, Senior Brother Shi. By the way, what realm have you reached in martial arts? How do you compare to Third Brother?"

Shi Xuan thought that was truly difficult to compare. If they were speaking purely of martial arts cultivation, then he could only tell the truth. "When it comes to fist and foot combat, Senior Brother Xu is certainly stronger." As for the question of realms, he selectively ignored it.

Because his answer was so vague, it instead drew Meng Yuqiong's attention. With his keen senses, Shi Xuan felt her gaze fall lightly upon him once more.

Little Xu Jinyi seemed not to notice the ambiguity. "Of course. My Fifth Brother is a renowned young genius in the Jianghu."

Shi Xuan had nothing else to do, so he smiled at the little girl and said, "I wonder what realm Sister Jinyi has reached in martial arts now?" Xu Jinyi shot him a fierce glare for calling her so intimately after only a short while. But the question struck right at her heart, and she answered happily, "I recently broke through to the Qi Nourishing Stage." She looked immensely proud, her face practically saying, Praise me. Admire me.

Shi Xuan naturally went along with it. "Sister Jinyi, you are truly impressive. You were no worse than your Fifth Brother was back then." Xu Jinyi was delighted and began chatting with Shi Xuan. The little girl had no scheming heart. On the way from entering the residence to the main hall, she even told him about admiring Liu Suiyun, the White-Clad Young Master and one of the Four Young Masters of the Martial World. Young Master Liu had already reached Postnatal Great Accomplishment at such a young age and was the expert most likely to enter the Subtle Realm in the future. The martial realm corresponding to Soul Departure was the Subtle Realm; according to Old Daoist Xu, it manifested in the body's senses when the soul had grown to the Soul Departure Realm but lacked a method to leave the body. Liu Suiyun was handsome and talented in every art, so why had those old Jianghu sages not included him among the Five Great Grandmasters? They truly had no eye for talent.

Since the sky had not yet fully darkened, they could see after entering the main gate that the residence was grand and imposing, with none of the gloomy feeling one might expect. Only as they were about to enter the main hall did Shi Xuan keenly sense a trace of sinister chill.

Before entering the main hall, Xu Tianqi quietly fell half a step behind and whispered to Shi Xuan, "Blade Sword Double Kill were notorious villains on Ganlong Road back then. They killed without batting an eye and carried more than a hundred murder cases on their backs. I remember Old Ancestor saying that even ghosts would avoid people with such heavy Killing Intent."

Shi Xuan thought for a moment, then smiled at Xu Tianqi. "I have my own method. I guarantee that you will gain face as vast as the heavens before your Sister Yuqiong." Xu Tianqi then quickened his pace and entered the main hall abreast of Meng Yuqiong and Xu Jinyi.

Shi Xuan followed behind with Mu Jin, the tall youth so silent and taciturn that people often forgot he was there.