Chapter Sixty: A Leisurely Half-Day in the Fleeting World

Ming Yi received the order, bowed, and withdrew. As he passed Wu Lei, he couldn't help but glance at him again. This youngest junior of his truly was different.

Those born of Tianfeng Qisou always possessed peculiarities. Some were born with white, pupil-less eyes; others, like himself, with three eyes, or just one. Yet none, like Wu Lei, had two eyes and remained unscathed.

Even if they appeared normal at birth, within a few years their differences would emerge, regardless of whether their parents had married outside the Tianfeng Qisou line. The result was always the same.

Clearly, this little junior was unlike any other.

Moreover, there was often a subtle red glow within his eyes, shielding him from the fierce winds, even helping him absorb and harness their power for himself.

It seemed that, though young, his fortunes were extraordinary.

Wu Lei, who had been sitting silently, suddenly looked up and met his gaze.

Ming Yi laughed. "Are you afraid?"

Wu Lei shook his head. "No."

A person's words may deceive men and gods alike, but their eyes never lie.

"Senior brother has a few wild deer to chase. When I return, shall I take you to the back hills to play?"

"Mm." Wu Lei nodded, watching Ming Yi's departing figure, then sank once more into silence.

Brother Egret was recovering from his wounds, and "father" had said he could not keep him company. Yet deep down, he missed Shadow Father…

Bu Feng watched Wu Lei's demeanor, feeling both gratified and pained. Even he himself could not say whether he felt gratitude or hatred toward the Third Prince.

By rights, he ought to hate him.

But his enemy had raised his child well, even better than he himself had as a father.

By reason, he should be grateful.

Sometimes, he… really envied the Third Prince—having her by his side, and the child’s genuine affection.

Lord Qi Sheng could see the trouble between father and son, so he tugged at Bu Feng, saying he wished to stroll about Wusheng Gate.

Bu Feng gladly agreed, instructing Wu Lei and Su He to wait quietly in the Two Insect Courtyard.

He himself led Lord Qi Sheng out of the courtyard, wandering without clear aim.

He teased, "Who would have thought an old rogue like you could have such a delicate mind?"

Lord Qi Sheng, hands behind his back, gazed at the wild grass by the path and replied offhandedly, "You are mistaken. It isn’t that I am delicate, it’s that you wear your heart on your sleeve. Which of those youngsters hasn’t noticed? It’s only out of respect for your seniority that they don’t call you out."

"You really don’t spare anyone’s dignity."

"That depends on the person. Are you, Bu Feng, someone who needs others to spare your feelings? If so, you wouldn’t be Bu Feng."

"You’ve said it all—what more is there for me to say?" Bu Feng lowered his head, voice low.

"You could tell me, why are you so determined to protect that brat?"

Bu Feng stopped, turning to look at Lord Qi Sheng. "And why are you so set against a youngster?"

Lord Qi Sheng also paused. "As for my reasons, aren’t they perfectly clear to you? Why bother asking what you already know?"

"Haha, just as you said. And as for my reasons, well—you understand them too." Bu Feng suddenly smiled, waving a hand. "Ahead is the Butterfly Pavilion. Shall I show you?"

Lord Qi Sheng shot him a glare. "No need. I’m used to coming and going alone. I can’t stand your scholarly airs."

With that, he turned onto a side path, heading into the pine woods.

After a while, he asked, "Three days from now, if some fool dares to cause trouble, what will you do?"

Blood on a joyous day is never a good omen.

Bu Feng jeered, "With you here, I doubt they’d dare."

"Oh, so you’re just waiting for me to handle it? Always running interference for that boy—I won’t have it. I can’t let him off so easily."

Not only had that boy stolen away his niece, but Shu Xing Tower’s troubles were thanks to him too. And now, Bu Feng wanted him to help as well. Absurd.

With a snort, he turned and walked away.

"Hey…" Bu Feng blocked his path. "Stubborn old mule, if you really leave, I’ll just tell Little Chen."

"…"

"We both know Shu Xing Tower’s matter had another true culprit. Why keep hounding him, hmm?"

"Hmph—just this once. Don’t let it happen again."

"Deal." Seeing Lord Qi Sheng relent, Bu Feng didn’t press further and agreed readily.

With him overseeing the ceremony, Bu Feng would have far less to worry about. He didn’t truly wish for bloodshed, either.

Lord Qi Sheng strolled ahead, Bu Feng following.

Lowering his head to duck under a pine branch, he asked, "What do you plan to do about that little white egret?"

If you keep him, his origins from Emperor’s Island will not go unnoticed. When the others find out, they might direct their resentment toward you.

Wu Lei can be explained away, but there’s no way to account for Egret.

The birds of Emperor’s Island, tainted by Teng Sea, always carry a salty sea breeze about them. Among crowds, they are bound to be exposed…

"Of course I’ll keep him. If he hadn’t risked his life for Wu Lei, I’d never have been reunited with my son. One mustn’t forget their roots."

Baili Su He has shown me kindness, and so has this child.

Since Wusheng Gate already bears one cause due to the Emperor’s Stone, another effect from Emperor’s Island won’t hurt.

Lord Qi Sheng knew exactly what he was thinking and cast him a sidelong glance. "You’re awfully philosophical about it."

Bu Feng followed, ducking under more pine branches. "I’d hoped you’d stay at the sect a while longer, but I know you won’t. After the ceremony, what are your plans?"

"I’ll return to Inviting Moon Peak first."

"You mean to rebuild Shu Xing Tower?" Bu Feng looked up.

"Yes. Years ago, my elder brother and I made a vow: to share fortune in life, and hardship in death. When he was in trouble, I did not die with him. Now, I must restore Shu Xing Tower’s former glory with Little Chen."

"And the girl agreed?" From his experience, it was obvious the young lady was deeply in love with Baili Su He—only, one wouldn’t speak, and the other was too dense.

At this, Lord Qi Sheng immediately put on airs, chin held high. "Naturally. Would she ever disobey me?"

"Yes, yes…"

Bu Feng paused, then decided to let it be, and walked on with him.

As the two wandered through the pines, on the other side, Yi Qingchen kept glancing at Su He, wanting to speak but holding back. Alas, she was willing, but he was oblivious.

Meanwhile, Huai Yin lounged in a chair, his eyes drifting, intentionally or not, toward Yi Qingchen—clearly, here the man was interested, but the woman was indifferent.

His careless attitude finally provoked the persistent Jade Sprite, who opened her mouth and bit down.

The pain made the veins bulge on his forehead, and he dared not snap at the little girl again. Instead, he put on a kindly face. "Jade Sprite, Uncle Huai must have done something wrong again? Next time, can’t you remind me in a gentler way? That really hurts, you know."

Seeing that Huai Yin was finally paying attention to her, Jade Sprite released her bite at once, pointed toward the courtyard, and grinned, "Uncle Huai, Jade Sprite wants to play that game from last time!"

As she spoke, she mimed pushing and pulling with her hands.

Huai Yin took a deep breath, coaxing her, "Jade Sprite, there are bugs outside—they’ll bite you. How about we play something else?"

Heaven help him—outside the Two Insect Courtyard, disciples were constantly coming and going. If they saw him playing that game, his reputation, built over a lifetime, would be ruined. Did he not care about his face?

But Jade Sprite didn’t care about any of that. When Huai Yin refused, her bright eyes immediately welled with tears. She threw herself pitifully into Yi Qingchen’s arms, sobbing, "Sister Yi, bad man—bad man won’t play with Jade Sprite."

Yi Qingchen, startled by the impact, pulled her out and soothed her, "What do you want to play? Sister will play with you, all right?"

But Jade Sprite shook her head like a rattle drum, still sniffling, and pointed at Huai Yin. "No, I want to play Push the Rice with the bad man."

At this, even the preoccupied Su He couldn’t help but look up.

Huai Yin’s face flushed with embarrassment, his hands suddenly with nowhere to go, his gaze darting everywhere.

Trying to act composed, he said, "Ahem… it’s nothing. She’s just a child; she needs to be indulged. It’s not what you think—I’m a proper man, no questionable hobbies."

But his explanation only made Su He more confused, so he turned to Yi Qingchen. "Miss Yi, what does Brother Huai mean by this?"

After returning, he’d learned a bit about Jade Sprite’s situation, but he had no idea what "Push the Rice" was. Having grown up in Si You, the game was entirely unfamiliar.

Yi Qingchen gently patted Jade Sprite, a smile in her eyes. "Ah, that’s not for me to say—you’ll have to ask Brother Huai himself."

Huai Yin glanced from Su He to the smiling beauty, deliberately skipping over the teary-eyed Jade Sprite. He scratched his head, racking his brain—he couldn’t play the game in public, but Jade Sprite also needed appeasing. Suddenly, his gaze landed on Wu Lei, sitting quietly on the threshold.

Instantly, he grinned like a sly old wolf. He beckoned Jade Sprite over—she always fell for his tricks.

With just a gesture, she skipped over, beaming. "Uncle Huai, will you play with Jade Sprite?"

Huai Yin pulled her down, their heads close together, whispering conspiratorially while pointing at Wu Lei. "Uncle will teach you something even more fun today."

Jade Sprite’s eyes sparkled at the promise of an even better game. She grabbed his sleeve, her voice small and breathless, "What is it?"

"Go find Wu Lei."

"What for?" she asked. "All he does is sleep or daydream. What’s so fun about that?"

"Ah, that’s where you’re mistaken. Wu Lei is Sister Yi’s little brother. He knows lots and lots of fun things. Really, go ask him and you’ll see."

Yi Qingchen covered her mouth, laughing so hard her shoulders shook, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Great, now she was involved too.

At first, Su He was puzzled, but now he understood and couldn’t stifle a laugh himself.

When he saw Su He smiling, Yi Qingchen’s eyes softened as she stole a glance or two at him.

So, this is what he looks like when he smiles… how handsome.

Noticing Yi Qingchen’s odd demeanor, Su He assumed he’d overstepped and quickly apologized, "I’m sorry—I was out of line."

Yi Qingchen’s heart ached. Sitting up straight, she forced a smile. "It’s nothing."

Then she looked toward Jade Sprite.

The little girl, seeing how confidently Huai Yin had spoken, believed him at once. With a quick scurry, she reached Wu Lei’s side, squatting behind him and tugging at his robe.

Wu Lei, sensing someone behind him, turned around to face her. "Big sister."

"Hee hee, Uncle Huai says you know lots of fun games. Shall we play together?"

"Fun games?" Wu Lei glanced at the three adults. He didn’t know any.

Back in Shadow Father’s little world, he was always alone. He had no friends.

"Yes, yes! What games do you know?" Jade Sprite’s eyes sparkled at the word "play."

"Climbing trees, catching little red bugs—does that count?"

Jade Sprite blinked, pointing at the umbrella-shaped tree outside the courtyard. "Like that?"

Wu Lei nodded. "Mm."

"Yes, yes! I want to go! Let’s go!" She grabbed his hand and ran off, calling, "What are the little red bugs?"

"Mm… They’re a kind of long, red worm. Soft and slippery, very cold."

"Do they bite?"

"No," Wu Lei answered seriously after a moment’s thought.

Shadow Father had always told him, "Wu Lei, see those little creatures? You can play with them however you like. They’re very well-behaved and won’t bite."

Later, when he’d tried catching them, it turned out to be true.

Hearing that the bugs didn’t bite and were soft, Jade Sprite’s curiosity soared, and she forgot all about climbing trees. She dragged Wu Lei up the mountain, vanishing in a flash.

Su He watched the two run off. "Is this all right?"

He’d experienced the fierce winds of Wusheng Gate before. With one still a child and the other not quite right of mind, it was hard not to worry.

Huai Yin straightened his clothes, lounging back with a wicked glint in his eyes, thoroughly pleased. "No need to worry—this is Wusheng Gate, the old man’s domain. If anything happens, it won’t be to those two."

Su He and Yi Qingchen exchanged a glance, each silently hoping… nothing would go wrong.