The Immortal Lord Always Pretends To Be Affectionate Towards Me - Chapter 7

Yu Zaixi cast his spell quickly, not caring about the direction, and landed in a forest. As soon as he appeared, demonic creatures swarmed him from all sides. Too weak to handle them, he simply plunged his sword, Bukairen, into the ground; its aura was enough to repel some of them.

His spiritual energy was still churning uncontrollably within his body. The demonic energy that had been suppressing his cultivation was desperately struggling against his spiritual energy, the two forces warring inside him. The pain was excruciating. To any other cultivator, a surge of spiritual energy would be an exhilarating prelude to a breakthrough, but not for Yu Zaixi.

He had reached the late Nascent Soul stage decades ago and realized during his first attempted breakthrough that he would never reach the Deity Transformation stage. Every time he neared a breakthrough, that demonic energy would relentlessly suppress him, causing pain worse than death. It was as if every inch of his meridians were being torn apart.

Yu Zaixi did not care if Jiang Yan followed him. He did not want the man to see him in such a pathetic state, but if they insisted on pursuing him, there was nothing he could do. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. After the initial wave of agony passed, he adjusted his posture to sit cross-legged and focused on calming his internal energy.

This had happened at the Western Mountain the previous night. He had been about to strike when a breakthrough was triggered without warning. He could not retract his move, and with his strength halved, he was nearly countered by the demons. It was only Miao Pei’s timely arrival that saved him.

He had no time to wonder why he was attempting to break through again so soon; usually, one suppression would last months. The sharp, incessant pain made his breathing intermittent. He closed his eyes and meditated, ignoring the demons around him—even the smarter ones that had begun to nip at him. He could not handle them; he could not even manage the chaos inside his own body.

The pain would persist until the breakthrough was fully suppressed, depending on the intensity of the surge. Yu Zaixi had passed out from it many times before. Every time he woke up, he had to face the remnants of his own suffering: disheveled hair, messy clothes, and a face worn with exhaustion, sitting on the ground and wondering for hours who he even was.

Sometimes, when the pain felt too unjust, he would pull himself together just to go buy a bag of candied fruit. It never tasted good. One time, he bought a bag of sour plums; the tartness made him cry and laugh at the same time, looking even more like a madman than when he first woke up. He had wandered off, legs trembling, and dumped the entire bag on a roadside child.

As the memory surfaced, a drop of cold sweat beaded on his brow. He opened his eyes and shook himself from the daze.

Surrounding him, he found a barrier set up by Jiang Yan. Inside the cyan-blue formation, Jiang Yan gripped his sword, watching the surroundings. Seeing Yu Zaixi awake, he reached out and handed over a small bag of candied fruit. It was the sweetest kind.

Yu Zaixi’s nose stung suddenly; it was just like that bag of plums. “I do not want it.” He was still stubborn, the pain making it hard to speak.

Seeing him refuse, Jiang Yan did not force the issue and continued to guard him. He clearly thought this was a normal breakthrough. What a pity, Yu Zaixi thought with a bitter smile, he will never reach the Deity Transformation stage.

The pain continued. He focused on suppressing it, never daring to open his eyes again. He feared that if he did, he would not be able to bear the sight of the man who annoyed him the most. Pathetic, yet he yearned for company. He did not even know what he wanted.

Half an hour later, the energy within Yu Zaixi finally settled. He let out a sigh of relief, adjusted his breathing, and opened his eyes to look at Jiang Yan. The cyan formation remained; Jiang Yan’s eyes reflected the color, bright yet chillingly cold.

Yu Zaixi’s mind was in turmoil. Seeing that gaze, he froze for a moment before laughing mockingly. “What, disappointed that I did not die?”

Jiang Yan frowned at him. “The power inside you is not the reason you cannot break through.”

“Then do tell, what is the reason?” Yu Zaixi’s voice was heavy. He stood up, retrieved his sword, and looked around; dawn was breaking.

Jiang Yan ignored the question and held out the candied fruit again. “Go back and rest.”

Yu Zaixi looked at the fruit, then up at Jiang Yan’s eyes. “You knew I had escaped all along. You have been tracking me.” If not for surveillance, how would he know he could not break through, or that he would fail and need candied fruit for comfort?

He had been locked in Buer Prison for two hundred years, enduring endless torture and mockery, and thought he had grown used to it. But seeing Jiang Yan treat him with such calm, indifferent detachment, he felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart.

His question went unanswered. Jiang Yan was a man of few words, and now, with this condescending attitude, he was even less likely to speak, simply holding the fruit out, waiting for Yu Zaixi to take it.

On the horizon, the sun began to rise. The morning light filtered through the forest, casting a layer of warmth over them. Yu Zaixi chuckled, slapped the bag of fruit to the ground, adjusted his clothes, and activated his formation to return to the Zheng residence.

Qin Nai and Miao Pei were already waiting. They had not slept either. When they saw Yu Zaixi return, Miao Pei rushed over. “Yuan… Brother Yu, are you alright? Why did you suddenly leave?”

Yu Zaixi waved a tired hand. Two days of torment had left him exhausted, his body drained and his mind chaotic. He did not even have the energy for sarcasm. “Do not bother me. I need to rest. You two find somewhere else.”

Qin Nai did not ask questions; he took Miao Pei and left. As they walked out, Jiang Yan entered. Miao Pei started to speak, but Qin Nai dragged him away. Once outside, Miao Pei finally asked, “Why did you not say anything?”

Qin Nai looked profound as he watched a servant set the table. “They arrived together and left together. Do you think Brother Jiang does not know Yu’s condition?”

“That is true!” Miao Pei realized, beaming happily. He leaned back, murmuring to himself, “I knew it would be fine.”

Qin Nai did not know what he meant, but seeing him happy, he said nothing.

Back in the room, Yu Zaixi was taking off his outer robe when Jiang Yan entered. He glared at him and put the robe back on. “I am going to rest. Speak if you have something to say.”

Jiang Yan placed an object on the table. “Keep this.” He had only come to deliver the item; after setting it down, he turned and left.

Yu Zaixi had been staring at the object since Jiang Yan placed it down, not even looking up when the man left. It was a bone whistle, the size of a finger, carved with intricate patterns. The one Yu Zaixi had hidden on his waist was also a bone whistle—not this one, but another he had taken from the old man in the illusion.

Both whistles, along with the Divine Bone Candle, originated from the same source: the bones of ancient deities. It was said that blowing the whistle could connect to other worlds. This might be his only way home.

Yu Zaixi had spent decades searching ancient, obscure texts before learning this. He had searched for the whistle for ages; he had not dared to believe the one from the illusion was real until he found a physical one. There were supposed to be seven. He had found one, and to his surprise, Jiang Yan had just given him another. He did not know if they needed to be combined or if one was enough.

Yu Zaixi retrieved his own whistle and prepared to leave. Though exhausted, the arrival of the second whistle filled him with anticipation. He checked the room to ensure no one was around, took a deep breath, and blew hard into the whistle.

He expected a loud sound, or at least a hoarse whistle. Instead, there was absolute silence.

Yu Zaixi stared, incredulous. He checked the whistle repeatedly. He had assumed it was the one described in the texts, but he was not certain it was made of deity bone. After a moment of hesitation, he reached for the one Jiang Yan had left.

What Jiang Yan gave him could not be fake. Jiang Yan wanted him to leave as soon as possible so he would not occupy Yuan Qi’s body—he would not use a fake.

With that thought, he blew into the second whistle with all his might. Still, there was no sound—not even the sound of rushing air. It was as if he were blowing his breath somewhere else entirely.

Yu Zaixi thought, Do not tell me my breath is blowing into another dimension.

That would be too pathetic. Did he have to turn into air to pass through the whistle to get home? He weighed the two whistles in his palm, his expression shifting, until he finally made a difficult decision.

He put both whistles to his lips, intending to blow them together. Before he could start, a commotion broke out outside. Yu Zaixi’s courage evaporated instantly; it was too embarrassing. He stowed the whistles away, changed his clothes quickly, and went out to look.

At the entrance to the Zheng residence, a crowd was gathered, led by the steward of the Wang family. The Zheng family guards stood their ground with weapons drawn, not giving them a chance to cause trouble. Yu Zaixi did not approach; he sat nearby to listen to the gossip.

Qin Nai and Miao Pei emerged as well. Miao Pei was still holding a half-eaten chicken leg, too engrossed in the spectacle to care about anything else. Jiang Yan arrived late, carefully “invited” out by Mr. Zheng.

Yu Zaixi was annoyed by Jiang Yan’s perpetually expressionless face. However, because of the bone whistles, he was not as irritated as usual and wanted to see how this would play out. He wanted to see how Jiang Yan would handle it.

His goal was the wolf-tiger beast, but he had not found a lead, and the matter was unresolved. The Wang family was bound to cause trouble, and given Jiang Yan’s personality, he could not just sit by. He was the kind of do-gooder who would sacrifice his life to save others. There was also a question Yu Zaixi did not understand, and he wanted to hear Jiang Yan’s answer: if the incident happened at the Wang residence, why was he staying at the Zheng residence?

The Wang family knew Jiang Yan was in Quzhou City; they immediately fell silent as he appeared. Only the steward stammered, bowing low. “Immortal Venerable… why are you staying at the Zheng residence? Is it truly unrelated to the bride?”

Jiang Yan shook his head directly. “It has nothing to do with her, and nothing to do with anyone in the Zheng family. Go back and wait. The matter will be investigated clearly.”

“But even if it is cleared up, our young master can never return!” the steward asked in grief.

Yu Zaixi, listening from afar, curled his lip. Even if it is investigated, he is not coming back anyway. Investigating it is just to give you some comfort, what else do you want?

But Jiang Yan would not say that. Based on the illusions and the books, he would likely say, “While the dead cannot return, they can enter the cycle of reincarnation. Please accept my condolences.”

But that was not what Yu Zaixi heard.

He heard Jiang Yan’s chilling voice say: “The investigation is for the protection of others. The dead are of no consequence.”