The Immortal Lord Always Pretends To Be Affectionate Towards Me - Chapter 8

“The dead are of no consequence?”

Yu Zaixi was so shocked that he could not help but bolt upright. Qin Nai and Miao Pei, who were standing slightly in front of him, immediately turned back to look at him. Qin Nai, seeing his genuine bewilderment, asked, “Little Yu, what is wrong?”

Yu Zaixi waved his hands, not knowing how to articulate his thoughts. He pointed a finger at Jiang Yan, sputtering for a long moment. “How could he say that? ‘The dead are of no consequence’?”

How could Jiang Yan say something so heartless? He wondered if the gossip books were lying or if the memories he saw in the illusion were false. However, seeing the blank, unfazed expression on Miao Pei’s face, Yu Zaixi realized that this was perhaps just who Jiang Yan was; he was a man devoid of sentiment. Otherwise, why would he have forced Yuan Qi to his death? He felt as if he were seeing Jiang Yan for the first time. In truth, he was seeing him for the first time.

Yu Zaixi pursed his lips and sat back down. Qin Nai remained silent, but seeing Yu Zaixi settle again, he leaned over to comfort him. “Little Yu, the deceased have already passed. We cannot mourn them forever; protecting the living is the only thing we can do.”

Yu Zaixi did not take his words to heart; he was simply stunned. Once the shock faded, it didn’t seem so strange. That was the reality. No one in this world could bring the dead back to life. Mourning and obsessions were futile; protecting those who remained was indeed the only path.

“It is just that he was so blunt,” Yu Zaixi muttered. “He could have at least offered the family some comfort.” He considered himself hot-tempered, but he would never say something so infuriating to someone suffering through a tragedy. Even if it were a lie, one should at least offer a gesture of consolation.

Qin Nai glanced toward the door. Jiang Yan’s silhouette exuded an invisible pressure. Among those present, Yu Zaixi was likely the only one who did not fear him.

“This is business as usual for Brother Jiang. Comfort offers no solutions,” Qin Nai said, still defending him.

Yu Zaixi smiled at him and nodded, saying nothing more. In his view, Qin Nai was just a soft-hearted pushover. Yet, this pushover knew far more than he did. Yu Zaixi leaned his head against a pillar and began to calculate where he should go after leaving Quzhou City. He needed to get as far from the Tianji Pavilion as possible and continue gathering the bone whistles. Perhaps, once he collected them all, he could finally go home.

At the entrance, after Jiang Yan had uttered his cold statement, the area fell into a momentary silence. The Wang family members were stunned, unable to believe such words had come from their savior, Jiang Yan. Even the Zheng family members exchanged uneasy glances.

The Wang family steward looked behind him. The master and mistress were too grief-stricken to come in person, making him the pillar of the family. They had come to demand answers, yet all the powerful cultivators were staying at the Zheng residence, ignoring the crisis at the Wang house. Who was to ensure the safety of the Wang family? Were they supposed to rely on a few Tianji Pavilion disciples?

The steward lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Yan’s robes, his heart sinking. The strongest man in the world stood before them, yet they could not even uncover the truth. People from the mountains never pitied those below. Their “saving the world” might just be a way to accumulate merit. Who cared about the dead?

He took a few deep breaths and looked up at Jiang Yan. “Immortal Venerable is right. But our young master died so tragically. Please, we beg you to uncover the truth so that the hundred thousand people in this city can rest easy.”

Uncovering the truth was not Jiang Yan’s duty. Yu Zaixi, watching from behind, raised an eyebrow. He was getting paid to work for the Zheng family, but no one could afford to pay Jiang Yan for this trip. So, how did these people dare to command him? They must have been blinded by anger; he could see the steward’s clear resentment. It was infuriating, but manageable. Since the demand was not aimed at him, Yu Zaixi sneered inwardly. Seeing that the scene was not about to turn into a full-blown confrontation, he stretched and prepared to return to bed.

Before he could stand up, Jiang Yan turned his head abruptly. “Yu Zaixi, you will return to the Wang residence with them.”

Yu Zaixi looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“The vicious beast is drawn to the demonic energy in your body.”

So, he was to be used as bait. Yu Zaixi crossed his arms and hissed, managing to stifle a curse. He replied with a mocking grin, “The Wang family is truly unfortunate. If I draw the beast back, there is no telling how many more people might die.” He walked toward the exit with a smile, not forgetting his own comfort. “Arrange a room for me first. I need to rest.”

The steward saw a slovenly, carefree boy and was not reassured, especially after hearing their conversation. He said awkwardly, “Immortal Venerable, that might be inappropriate. Our master and mistress are bedridden; if a beast were truly drawn here, would it not endanger their lives?”

As Yu Zaixi passed Jiang Yan, he nodded in complete agreement. “Exactly. What if I cannot defeat that beast?”

Jiang Yan glanced at him coldly, offering only one word: “Run.”

Without further engagement, he turned and walked away. Miao Pei, who was still holding a half-eaten chicken bone, hurried to follow. Qin Nai hesitated for a moment before asking Yu Zaixi, “Little Yu, I shall accompany you.”

Yu Zaixi clasped his hands in mock gratitude, appearing as if he wanted to burst into tears. “You are the only one who cares about me.”

Qin Nai smiled and followed him out. “Your personality truly makes people love and hate you at the same time.”

They ignored the Wang family’s troublemakers and headed toward the Wang residence. Yu Zaixi walked with his usual slouch, arms crossed. “Well? Do you look at me like a joke?”

Qin Nai glanced at him. “No. It seems you care very much about these things.”

Yu Zaixi nodded. “I do. I used to have a position of status, and to fall from grace so suddenly is difficult. You should understand.”

The biggest difference between them was that one acted proactively while the other was passive, but both should understand the feeling of falling from the clouds. Qin Nai did not reply, looking back to see the Wang family still lingering at the Zheng residence gate.

The trouble lay in the fact that the beast had left. Had it been any other demon, they could have set up a formation or used an artifact to flush it out. Luring the beast back was essential. Since Yu Zaixi had a unique constitution, using him as bait was a logical choice.

Yu Zaixi walked with a sense of triumph. It was wonderful not to have to spend time with Jiang Yan. With Qin Nai’s talismans suppressing his demonic energy, he would have fled immediately if not for the life-force bond.

The two sauntered into the Wang residence, where they saw Tianji Pavilion disciples guarding every corner. Two of them trembled in fear upon seeing Yu Zaixi. They were not cowards; Yuan Qi had once nearly wiped out the Tianji Pavilion, and they could not distinguish whether the soul in this body was Yuan Qi or the Demon Lord.

It was neither; it was Yu Zaixi. Poor body.

A servant came out to welcome them. Judging by their attire, he could not guess their strength but could see they were not poor, so he addressed them respectfully as “Young Masters.” Yu Zaixi was too lazy to explain. He pointed east. “Arrange a room for me that does not get much light. I need to sleep before I get to work.”

Qin Nai had no special requirements and thanked the servant politely. The servant led them to separate rooms. Qin Nai’s guest room was bright and spacious, kept clean and ready for immediate use.

The room provided for Yu Zaixi was in the most secluded courtyard, appearing as if it were about to become a storage area. The servant opened the door for him to inspect. “Young Master, are you satisfied with this room? I shall have someone come to clean it.”

Yu Zaixi scanned the red paper cuttings fluttering in the breeze and looked inside. It was dark but not damp, and relatively tidy. Once the dust was cleared, it would be livable. “Clean it. This will do.”

The servant rushed off to gather people, dragging a chair over with his sleeve so Yu Zaixi could rest. Yu Zaixi sat in the courtyard and looked around. Next door stood a two-story wooden building that blocked most of the light; it was perfect for him. He had only two requirements: the room had to be dark, and the bed had to be wide.

Half an hour later, Yu Zaixi finally lay down. The moment he closed his eyes, the rustling of the window cuttings became noticeable. He opened his eyes, but it seemed fine; after being woken up several times, he reached out through the window and knocked the cuttings down. Even after closing his eyes again, the rustling persisted.

Yu Zaixi sat up, turning his gaze toward another section of the wall without window cuttings. Is it haunted? Pity this was a world of cultivation.

Yu Zaixi cast a spell and opened his eyes to see the courtyard from a few days ago, much like the illusion Jiang Yan had created. He intended to see what had transpired. The Wang household had been bustling with activity on the wedding day, with paper cuttings pasted even in this remote courtyard, though no one came here.

Yu Zaixi sat and waited in boredom until footsteps approached after dark, accompanied by an anxious female voice: “There is an exit here that leads directly out of the estate. Once I leave, I will never return.”

The male voice replied, “I will go with you. We shall never return.”

“You cannot. If you leave, what will happen to Miss Zheng?”

“Are you truly willing to leave me behind just like that?”

“I will leave on my own!”

“No, I must go with you!”

They bickered over whether to leave. Yu Zaixi opened the door and saw them clearly: a woman dressed as a wealthy young lady and the groom. What a cliché plot. Do all noble families have this problem of being unable to control their own fate?

Yu Zaixi smiled, leaning against the doorframe as he watched them enter. They moved a large jar in the corner of the courtyard, revealing a dog hole behind it. Wonderful. Even the method of escape is unoriginal.

Yu Zaixi did not know the full story of the Wang family, recognizing only the groom. He had no idea who the lady was or why she needed to escape in such a way. The argument continued for a long time. When the lady turned to leave, she suddenly wept and ran back to embrace the groom; they stumbled backward several steps before regaining their footing, and the groom accidentally knocked the window cutting off with his hand.

How deep their affection.

So far, nothing was amiss. He could not see why the courtyard held such resentment. Later, the groom failed to climb through, and when he returned shortly after, he seemed a bit crazed, staring at the dog hole. Was this after he quarreled with the bride? Did she leave him, and he came here to grieve? It was hard to guess, but soon, the groom pulled a bone whistle from his clothes. He blew it at the dog hole, then hurriedly covered it and ran out.

Yu Zaixi gave chase. He saw the groom return to the wedding chamber with the whistle. He followed him inside to find the bride lying on the ground, pale and lifeless. He checked her breath; she had been dead for some time. The groom returned, carefully uncovering the whistle, and blew into it with great force. Before two seconds passed, the bride on the floor opened her eyes.

She saw the groom first, called out “Brother Wang,” then looked around in confusion. The moment her eyes landed on Yu Zaixi, her pupils contracted violently. Before Yu Zaixi could react, the illusion shattered.

What was that?

Yu Zaixi returned to the bed in the gloomy room, reflecting on the look in the bride’s eyes. Logically, those inside an illusion should not see those outside. The bride had connected to the real world; her unstable state had caused the illusion to collapse alongside her panic.

Yu Zaixi did not care about the love-hate drama between the groom and bride, nor how she had connected to the outside world; he began to think seriously about the use and effect of the bone whistle. Was it used to resurrect the bride, or had she brought back the soul of the girl outside the dog hole?

On the other side, Jiang Yan looked at the woman opposite him, who had suddenly screamed and curled into a ball, and asked coldly, “What did you see?”