Chapter 178: Pointing Mysteries Against Pointing Mysteries

Across the Lands, Feudal Lords Play with Fire

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The architecture on Guniu Peak was meticulously designed, with strict hierarchies and intricate rules. For instance, the main residence of the eldest branch, though compact, was fully equipped. It featured an imposing banquet hall, painted in fine vermilion lacquer, adorned with carved rosewood, and topped with flying ridge beasts. On the hall wall hung a large plaque with the four characters "Hutian Yongdong." It had a front courtyard, a back garden, and upper floors on the east and west wing rooms. In the courtyard, there was a half-human-height glazed jar, holding thousands of catties of water, where eight or nine elegant lotus plants grew, their roots visible, and over a dozen plump red carp swam leisurely. It was early autumn, and amidst the red walls and green tiles, yellow leaves covered the bluestone floor tiles beneath the eaves. Unswept, the scene conveyed a sense of desolate quietude.

A woman in an elegant palace gown stood before the glazed fish tank, holding a small porcelain bowl and scattering feed into the tank, which drew the red carp to swim around joyfully. She carried herself with grace and an air of languidness. A tall, robust man in luxurious attire walked directly into the courtyard. A maid by the woman's side quickly lowered her gaze, not daring to look directly at him. The middle-aged man rested his hands on the edge of his red agate belt, his gaze habitually conveying an arrogant sense of superiority, as if looking down on all creation. Even in this courtyard, where he should address the woman as "sister-in-law," he showed no intention of curbing his arrogance. He raised a hand and waved, dismissing the maid whose eyes were fixed on her toes. It was unclear how this meek maid saw his gesture, but she ran towards the gate as if granted a great reprieve. As she passed him, he slapped her sharply on her upturned rear, startling her so much that her face turned ashen. The cold and beautiful woman remained indifferent, continuing to feed the carp.

The middle-aged man walked up to the glazed tank, ran two fingers along its smooth wall, and smiled faintly. "Sister-in-law," he said, "with just the two of us here, shouldn't we do something?"

The woman gazed at the carefree, vibrant red carp and replied coldly, "Xuanyuan Jingxuan, aren't you afraid that if you swallow this 'dumpling' of mine, you'll burn away your tongue along with your heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys?"

The man, called by his given name, responded nonchalantly, "Sister-in-law, living in seclusion as you do, you naturally wouldn't know. After emerging from his seclusion this time, the Old Ancestor intends to entrust the family head position to me. It's no wonder you're unaware; it's been some time since you and the Old Ancestor cultivated together, hasn't it?"

The man placed his palm on the glazed fish tank and suddenly exerted force. Over a dozen carp and the lotus roots were dragged to the tank wall, stuck fast and unable to move. He bent down, watching the struggling carp, and smiled. "Xuanyuan Jingxuan has coveted sister-in-law for a long time; it's common knowledge in Huishan. Once I legitimately take over Guniu Peak, why would the Old Ancestor care about an aging, worn-out 'cauldron'? My bookworm eldest brother worships you like a goddess, thinking you're above worldly desires. He clearly doesn't understand women's hearts at all; all those sagely books he read were for nothing. Women are like wolves at thirty and tigers at forty; once they've tasted the sweetness after a long drought, how can they endure loneliness? Don't you agree, sister-in-law?"

Despite being insulted by such words, the woman remained composed. She simply watched the nearly suffocating, dying carp and calmly scoffed, "Xuanyuan Jingxuan, why are you in such a hurry? It won't be too late to vent your frustrations after you actually become the Xuanyuan family head. Oh, by the way, do you recall going to the Southern Frontier six years ago for business? Your sister-in-law just happened to see your 'loyal and unwavering' wife on the grand bed in Guniu Jiang. She was quite the vixen. When she first arrived in Huishan, she would curse me daily for my 'immorality.' Are you not curious why she's been silent these past few years? I might as well tell you plainly: your sister-in-law took pity on her loneliness. Rather than wasting energy on scolding, it's better to save it for serving people in bed. So, with great compassion, your sister-in-law kindly requested the Old Ancestor to bestow his 'dew and rain' upon her as well."

Xuanyuan Jingxuan's face darkened. After a brief pause, he removed his palm from the glazed tank wall. The lotus roots, tilted, snapped off uniformly, and blood seeped from the scales of the dozen or so carp, leaving their dead bodies floating on the water's surface. Xuanyuan Jingxuan uttered "Good, good, good," three times, then sneered, "My eldest brother, Xuanyuan Jingcheng, is utterly useless—you couldn't beat a fart out of him with three sticks! I never thought sister-in-law would be so calculating, knowing how to play little tricks for revenge. This is excellent! Today, I'll carry you back, sister-in-law, and see who else in the main residence of the eldest branch has such backbone as you! Or perhaps Xuanyuan Jingcheng should just revel in pleasure with you right here? I hear sister-in-law has pined away for a painting. Later, I wouldn't mind hanging that painting by the bed to set the mood. What do you say, sister-in-law? Isn't Jingxuan far more romantic and versed in pleasures than your dear elder brother?"

The woman calmly looked at the blood-filled fish tank and smiled faintly. "Compared to Xuanyuan Jingcheng, you think too highly of him."

Xuanyuan Jingxuan asked, "Later, sister-in-law, you should display all your skills in bed, like a woman's eighteen martial arts."

"Xuanyuan Jingxuan, you're worse than an animal!"

A furious shout came from the doorway.

Hearing the familiar voice, Xuanyuan Jingxuan didn't bother turning around and laughed unrestrainedly. "Qingfeng, I hear that Yuan bastard you value so much is already half-dead. So, what happens to your mother today will be your fate in a few years. Your uncle has the patience to wait for that day. In fact, your uncle wonders if, by the time he's sixty, Qingfeng will have lovely young daughters of her own? I never understood the meaning of the six characters 'solitary enjoyment of earthly blessings' on that stone tablet, but now I do. Such fortune is truly something only immortals can experience."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng stood at the doorway, her fingernails digging into her palms.

Seeing her daughter, a flicker of panic finally appeared in the woman's eyes. She said coldly, "Qingfeng, leave here!"

Xuanyuan Jingxuan clicked his tongue and chuckled, "Such touching mother-daughter affection, truly heartwarming."

A quiet, ill-timed cough sounded.

Xuanyuan Jingxuan was stunned. He slowly turned around, seeing a figure appear at the doorway, and was instinctively slightly startled. But then he was amused by his own trace of panic, and he stood by the glazed tank, laughing uproariously and unrestrainedly. The reason for his surprise was that Xuanyuan Jingxuan knew anyone could enter the main residence's inner court, except for the man now at the doorway! And that man happened to be the husband of the woman behind Xuanyuan Jingxuan—what an utterly absurd fact! His once vibrant wife had preferred to cultivate with the Old Ancestor, making the eldest branch a laughingstock. She'd rather stare blankly at a faded painting for twenty years than even glance at her husband—no one would believe it if told.

Xuanyuan Jingxuan, almost in tears from laughter, reached up to wipe the corner of his eye, his gaze chillingly sinister. He recalled the warm scene from their childhood when the three brothers stood on the Wangjiang Terrace of Wending Pavilion, leaning on the railing on tiptoes together. He clearly remembered their eldest brother saying he wanted to be a statesman whose name would echo through history, and their second brother declaring he would revive the family's prestige, surpassing the Wu Family Sword Tomb. Xuanyuan Jingxuan himself vowed to be a martial artist like Wang Xianzhi, capable of smashing even the True Man of Longhu Mountain into a pulp with one punch. The three brothers were then as close as blood. However, as they grew up, their paths diverged dramatically. Their second brother, Xuanyuan Jingyi, possessed the demeanor of a great general in his conduct, astute and resourceful, attracting many formidable forces from the martial world. Xuanyuan Jingxuan himself had made rapid strides in martial arts, now on the verge of entering the Grandmaster realm. His future achievements would be no less, perhaps even greater, than their father, Xuanyuan Guoqi. But what about their eldest brother? Despite the great expectations and abundant resources bestowed by the Old Ancestor, he remained an unhelpable failure. He would only nod submissively when speaking to others and always back down in arguments. In the Xuanyuan family, which revered strength and martial prowess, how could the martial arts enthusiast Xuanyuan Jingxuan respect an elder brother who never touched swords, knives, or staffs, but only carried around a few lightweight books?

After coughing, the middle-aged scholar still didn't enter the courtyard. Covering his mouth, he mumbled, "Jingxuan, you should have waited longer. It's a pity you've had no patience since childhood; that's not good."

Xuanyuan Jingxuan seemed to have heard the funniest joke. He had just stopped laughing, but then he couldn't help but burst into laughter again. With his hands resting on his agate belt, he looked directly at his frail and sickly eldest brother, Xuanyuan Jingcheng, and said, "Elder brother, what do you suggest I wait for? Wait for you to become family head based on your belly full of benevolence and virtue? Wait for my niece to become a pitiful 'cauldron' for yin-replenishing cultivation in Guniu Jiang? Or wait for our father, whose patience has run out, to support your eldest branch once more? Oh, elder brother, elder brother, you should know that although I've taken liberties with sister-in-law verbally in the past, you are, after all, my elder brother—an elder brother is like a father. Jingxuan wouldn't truly disrespect sister-in-law so much. After all, we three brothers all share the 'Jing' generation name."

Xuanyuan Jingcheng released his hand, nodded, and said, "Go on."

Xuanyuan Jingxuan chuckled. "I've endured for many years, and I truly don't want to anymore. Elder brother, do you know what realm I've reached now, after receiving guidance from the Old Ancestor and filling my Qi Sea with elixirs?"

The middle-aged scholar said calmly, "You've skipped Vajra and just entered Zhixuan."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng's face changed drastically.

The perpetually pale-faced scholar slowly said, "But do you know that such a realm, achieved by 'pulling up seedlings to help them grow,' is like a tree without roots? It offers no long-term benefit to martial arts."

Xuanyuan Jingxuan rubbed his stomach and scoffed, "Coming from your mouth, those words are truly sincere and enlightening. My stomach aches from laughing."

Xuanyuan Jingcheng turned his head to glance in the direction of the Great Snow Plains of Guniu Jiang, and softly murmured, "Only with heavy winter snow will Huishan be clean. This family of ours is truly too dirty."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng extended her hand, gesturing for her mother to leave the courtyard and move away from her uncle, who had advanced to the Zhixuan realm. But the woman did not budge. She never willingly approached that man. The middle-aged scholar gazed deeply at her, then offered a slight smile, conveying an unutterable sense of broad-minded release. He, who had never set foot in this courtyard, incredibly stepped over the threshold. Both she and Xuanyuan Qingfeng were utterly stunned.

Xuanyuan Jingxuan maintained his disdainful and arrogant expression, scoffing, "Elder brother, what's this? Are you going to hit me with a book?"

Xuanyuan Jingcheng shook his head. "Huishan cannot be established without destruction. Xuanyuan Dapan long ago led Huishan astray. Today, I will set it back on the right path. In terms of martial talent, even you and Xuanyuan Jingyi combined cannot compare to me. You are Zhixuan, so I will use Zhixuan to kill you."

The middle-aged scholar spoke unhurriedly, his wide green robes and their sleeves fluttering gracefully. The mother and daughter could only watch as this man, who had lived a life free of contention, walked directly towards Xuanyuan Jingxuan. He seemed to walk slowly, yet he was before Xuanyuan Jingxuan in the blink of an eye. Xuanyuan Jingxuan, who was already in the Zhixuan realm, widened his eyes. The middle-aged scholar gripped his neck with one hand, continued walking, passed the glazed tank, and then, behind the main door, the scholar stopped. Xuanyuan Jingxuan was thrown into the room. His body exploded in mid-air.

The middle-aged scholar, with slight blood trickling from his seven orifices, turned around. He seemed to want to reach out and touch his wife but ultimately lacked the courage. As he reached the courtyard gate and passed his daughter, he said softly, "Qingfeng, from now on, you'll take care of your mother."

The woman suddenly cried out, "Xuanyuan Jingcheng, where are you going!"

The middle-aged scholar continued walking, smiling gently as he said, "To the Great Snow Plains of Guniu Jiang. Once this home is swept clean, you will truly be free. The sages say, 'If one cannot sweep a single room, how can one sweep the world?' Alas, Xuanyuan Jingcheng can only accomplish this much in his lifetime. Xuanyuan Jingcheng does not regret marrying you back then."