Chapter 799: Xiezhi Master's "Old Friend"

Ji Yuan was writing, and the Xiezhi scroll in his sleeve could see it. The Xiezhi’s slightly deep voice emanated from Ji Yuan’s sleeve.

“Ji Yuan, are you preparing to leave this place, given how much homework you’ve assigned your young student?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I see. Let me out for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Ji Yuan uttered a questioning sound, but still took the Xiezhi scroll from his sleeve and set it aside before continuing to write.

Wisps of black smoke drifted from the Xiezhi scroll, seemingly illuminating several characters on its outer edge. These characters, left by Ji Yuan, helped Xiezhi manifest a physical form. As the characters lit up, the Xiezhi scroll automatically floated into the air, and a misty light materialized from the characters, quickly forming a body.

Ji Yuan glanced at Xiezhi, then lowered his head and continued writing.

“Grandpa Xiezhi, what are you planning to do?”

“Hehe, Ji Yuan, lend me some money.”

“What?”

Ji Yuan looked up at Xiezhi. Although the human form was an illusion, its face bore a smile and a slightly embarrassed expression that was remarkably vivid.

“Just a little bit of money, that’s all. One tael of silver will be enough.”

Ji Yuan grimaced.

“One tael of silver is ‘just a little bit of money’ to you? How many one-tael pieces of silver do you think I have?”

“Don’t you still have some gold dust?”

“You’re surprisingly well-informed…”

Despite his words, Xiezhi wasn’t the Old Ox; Ji Yuan was willing to lend him money on this rare occasion. If it had been the Old Ox, Ji Yuan wouldn’t have given a single copper. So, Ji Yuan took a few pieces of broken silver from his sleeve and handed them to Xiezhi. The latter grinned, took the money, thanked him, and then stepped out the door and departed.

“Come back soon. Don’t let me leave without seeing you again.”

“Don’t worry.”

Xiezhi walked out of the monastery. He passed monks sweeping the grounds, who seemed not to notice him, then proceeded down the somewhat desolate alley outside the temple. He eventually reached the street and headed straight for a small tavern in the city. As soon as he arrived at the entrance, Xiezhi called out inside.

“Waiter, bring me your signature braised duck and a pot of rice wine.”

“Right away, esteemed guest! Please come in. We have private seating upstairs.”

Xiezhi smiled and followed the waiter upstairs, taking a seat in a corner towards the back of the second floor. Directly across from him was a window. From his seat, Xiezhi could vaguely see far down the alley behind the building, all the way to a corner of the main street beyond it.

In that distant corner, a burly man was swinging a hammer in a blacksmith’s shop. With each strike, the metal blank on the anvil sent out showers of sparks.

This blacksmith was none other than Jin Jia, who had transformed into a blacksmith’s apprentice. He was powerfully built, a man of few words but diligent and hardworking, earning him the old blacksmith’s high regard. This blacksmith shop was not far from the Li family’s residence.

Rather than merely having Jin Jia keep an eye on Li Feng, it was more that Ji Yuan was using this opportunity to let Jin Jia experience human life and affairs.

Xiezhi looked up towards the sky but couldn’t find the little paper crane. As for the local earth god, he would certainly be difficult to locate. However, Xiezhi simply smiled contentedly and settled down to wait for his order.

After finishing his meal and paying the bill, Xiezhi left directly through the tavern’s back door. He navigated through alleys and crossed streets, heading straight towards the main gate of the Li Mansion.

As Xiezhi passed by, Jin Jia naturally noticed him but didn’t move. His gaze was fixed on the man Xiezhi had transformed into, yet the hammer in his hand continued to fall with precise strikes. From a corner of the eaves of a nearby small building, a little crane also watched him thoughtfully.

Xiezhi walked up to Li Feng’s gate and addressed the gatekeeper directly.

“I am a friend of your young master’s teacher. I’ve come specifically to see your young master.”

The gatekeeper dared not delay. He asked Xiezhi to wait, then quickly entered to announce his arrival. Soon after, he returned to invite Xiezhi inside.

Xiezhi was led directly to a small reception room in the Li Mansion, where Li Feng was already waiting for him.

Seeing the pastries and tea already laid out in the room, Xiezhi, with a smile, unceremoniously helped himself and began to enjoy them, completely ignoring Li Feng and the few Li family servants in the hall. Li Feng, meanwhile, frowned and scrutinized the man.

“Who are you? You claim to be the teacher’s friend, but I’ve never seen you, nor have I heard the teacher mention you.”

Xiezhi remained silent, continuing to eat a plate of pastries from the table. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the eaves outside the hall. Although there was no discernible aura, a small crane had, at some point, perched on one of the wooden beams, showing no intention of avoiding Xiezhi.

“Indeed…”

As Xiezhi spoke, one moment he was reaching for a pastry and bringing it to his mouth, and the next, he seemed to teleport, appearing instantly before Li Feng. He reached out and directly gripped Li Feng’s neck, lifting him up. His face was almost pressed against Li Feng’s, and his eyes stared directly into Li Feng’s.

Outside, the little paper crane was so startled that its wings blurred into afterimages. Several of the Li family’s martial arts-trained servants didn’t even have time to react, yet they all instinctively adopted defensive stances, staring at Xiezhi.

“Young Master Li Feng, do you truly not recognize me?”

Li Feng was clearly terrified; his small face was red from being choked, and his eyes were wide with fright as he looked at Xiezhi. His words came out disjointed and incoherent.

“You, no, you can’t be the teacher’s friend! You—I don’t know you! Guards! Guards, quickly, seize him!”

At that moment, deep within the eyes of the man Xiezhi had transformed into, an image of a scroll appeared. The Xiezhi on the scroll was baring its fangs and claws, glaring fiercely at Li Feng. The Li family servants had originally intended to act, but suddenly felt a surge of panic, recognizing that the person before them was an unparalleled master. They instantly became hesitant to make a move.

After a long moment, Xiezhi sneered and finally released his grip, lowering Li Feng to the ground. The Li family servants immediately rushed forward to shield Li Feng but dared not attack Xiezhi.

Xiezhi returned to the table and resumed eating the pastries, his peripheral vision still fixed on the shaken Li Feng.

“It seems I was overthinking things. Hmm, Li Feng.”

“Wh-what?”

“Would you lie to your teacher?”

Li Feng paused, taken aback.

“My teacher? No!”

The last two words left his lips, and suddenly, Li Feng saw wisps of black smoke wafting from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, which were then instantly drawn into the mouth of the terrifying man across from him. Yet, no one else around seemed to notice this.

Xiezhi nodded.

“Very good. I’ll take this plate of pastries with me.”

Not until Xiezhi had left the hall did the Li family servants immediately rush out. They were about to call for others to help apprehend the stranger, but once outside, they couldn’t see any trace of him. They didn’t know if he had escaped with superior agility or if he was simply not an ordinary mortal.

When Xiezhi returned to Mud-Dust Temple, he saw Ji Yuan sitting on the wooden planks of the corridor in front of the monastic cell, with the little paper crane perched on his shoulder. Xiezhi understood that Ji Yuan must already know the entire sequence of events.

“Anyway, you’ve heard everything. There’s nothing more to say.”

Xiezhi shrugged, walked up to Ji Yuan, and his form flickered and dissipated, finally reverting to a scroll that fell into Ji Yuan’s hand. Ji Yuan looked down at the painting in his hand, then turned his head to find the little paper crane also watching him.

Ji Yuan then let out an exasperated laugh. With a flick of his wrist, he put power into his hand and directly shook the entire Xiezhi scroll open.

“What kind of riddle are you playing with me, Ji? Explain yourself clearly.”

The Xiezhi on the scroll flopped onto the ground, clearly having been jolted by Ji Yuan’s shake. After propping itself up, it shook its head and then opened its cavernous mouth to speak.

“Your student was supposed to be an ‘old acquaintance’ of mine. Of course, his original form certainly wasn’t human, and he should have recognized me, but now he doesn’t. My riddle isn’t hard to guess, is it?”

In this world, Ji Yuan hadn’t met anyone else who recognized Xiezhi apart from himself. He naturally understood that Xiezhi’s previous question was significant, but that wasn’t what he wanted to ask. So, he continued to watch Xiezhi with a cool gaze.

Under Ji Yuan’s gaze, Xiezhi inexplicably felt a pang of guilt. It shifted its form on the scroll, then added:

“I’m not sure who your student truly is, but that ominous feeling is vaguely familiar. He must be a dangerous entity in a borrowed shell, just as I am merely a painting, bound by heaven and earth. He is only Li Feng for now, but he shouldn’t have been born… Ji Yuan, you must understand what I’m saying, right? I’m not unwilling to say more, but I dare not.”

As Xiezhi finished speaking, Ji Yuan felt a subtle sense of trepidation, a feeling he was intimately familiar with, having experienced it countless times during the game of Heaven’s Will in the past. Thus, he nodded with understanding.