Miss Fairy, Please Hear Me Out

Other than the sandalwood incense burning quietly, the study was wrapped in silence.

After thinking it through, Xu Changge gave a slight shake of the head. It was still all because of a woman, but at least this time the Third Young Master had done something that actually put people at ease.

What had been a situation where the enemy lurked in the shadows while they stood in the open had, thanks to that third brother, turned into the exact opposite. If the other side still had no idea they had been exposed, then if he slipped off to Stillwater now, he might just catch them completely off guard.

With that thought, Xu Changge gave a small nod. “Very well. I’ll leave for Stillwater at once.”

Xu Yinhe said nothing more. He rose slowly and walked to the lattice window of the study, looking out along the sill.

The Imperial Capital of the Great Flame Empire had been built atop Seven Dragon Mountain. But after a thousand years of expansion and reconstruction, the enormous mountain itself had long since been transformed into a majestic city.

Streets, markets, rooftops, and houses stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way up to the imperial city at the summit. Three towering walls, the outer city, the inner city, and the imperial city, carved up the vast capital into separate layers.

The residence of the Chancellor stood close to the imperial city at the mountaintop. From there, looking down from such a height, one could see rows upon rows of houses spreading across the capital without end.

After watching in silence for a while, Xu Yinhe finally spoke. “Changge, if things can’t be done, then bring Changtian back to the capital and we’ll make other plans. Don’t force it.”

Hearing that, Xu Changge smiled faintly and replied, “Don’t worry, Father. Back then, I could cripple Qin Weijiu with a single sword strike. I can do the same now.”

Maybe Qin Weijiu really had stumbled into some great opportunity over the years. That would not stop him.

You may have grown stronger. But what does that have to do with me killing you? That was the confidence of Xu Changge, a man unmatched among his generation.

Xu Yinhe turned back and looked long and hard at his eldest son. He did not smile.

“Changge, this world is very large.”

“Of course I know that.”

“Hmph.” Xu Yinhe let out a faintly displeased snort, but did not try to stop him. He only said evenly, “If you run into that boy called Qin Mo on the way, make sure you deal with him yourself.”

Xu Changge lifted his eyes slightly, surprise flickering across them.

Qin Mo was nearly 20 years old and had only just reached eighth rank Meridian Tempering. Why would trash like that deserve a special reminder from his father?

Their eyes met for a brief second.

Then Xu Yinhe explained softly, “Qin Mo was most likely raised together with that whole pack of vermin. Burial Village has produced several people with astonishing foundations, so for Qin Mo to be this old and only at this level is not normal. He may be cultivating some secret art that builds power slowly before erupting all at once. If he grows too fast, he could become troublesome.”

He paused, and something deeper flashed through Xu Yinhe’s eyes.

“And he may be carrying one of Burial Village’s secret treasures.”

A secret treasure? Xu Changge arched a brow.

“The Soul Nourishing Ring.” Xu Yinhe spoke plainly, then added, “When I wiped out Burial Village, I searched the entire mountain forest and still couldn’t find it. There’s a good chance that ring ended up in Qin Mo’s hands.”

“The Soul Nourishing Ring?” Confusion flickered through Xu Changge’s eyes. His father had never mentioned this thing to him before.

Xu Yinhe had no intention of being mysterious with his eldest son, so he explained directly. “That ring can house a spirit and nourish a soul. If that ancient text was accurate, then it should be sheltering the remnant soul of a Sage.”

“A Sage?” Xu Changge’s frown deepened.

Yet when Xu Yinhe spoke of a Sage, his tone was anything but solemn. There was even a trace of contempt in his eyes.

“There’s no need to worry too much. Even a Sage cannot defeat time, much less one reduced to a broken soul. And if this so-called Sage chose to hide inside that ring and cling to life all these years, then he’s nothing more than a cowardly old cur. If you go all out, killing him will be easy. That’s enough. You may go.”

With that, Xu Yinhe turned his back.

Seeing this, Xu Changge rose, bowed, and turned to leave the study.

He pulled open the door and was just about to slip away when Xu Yinhe suddenly spoke again.

“One more thing.”

Xu Changge stopped at once and turned back.

“Before you leave, remember to pick up some pills from the estate and take them with you.”

Xu Changge froze for a moment, then bowed again with a faint smile. “Yes, Father.”

The vast underground chamber was empty and cavernous. The only thing breaking the gloom was the communication crystal sphere, glowing softly with waves of white light.

Xu Yuan had already been standing there by himself for several minutes. This thing did not even have a hang-up indicator. As far as he could tell, there was no way to know whether the other side had already cut the connection.

Still, since the other party was not saying anything, Xu Yuan was more than happy to enjoy the peace. He extended his soul sense and carefully probed the complicated communication formations engraved beneath the crystal sphere.

He had always been intensely curious about new things. He wanted to see how exactly this formation managed ultra long-distance communication, but after fiddling with it for half a day, all he got for his trouble was a pounding headache from those dizzyingly complex patterns.

He could not make sense of the operating logic at all. Once his curiosity ran dry, he dropped the matter without hesitation and withdrew his soul sense back into his sea of consciousness.

In a broad sense, the answer was a combination of source qi and formations.

Still, speaking of formations, Xu Yuan suddenly recalled some of the things he had read earlier in the library.

In this world, formations were not only used for combat or for assisting cultivation. They had already seeped into every corner of ordinary life.

The imperial court had even established dedicated agencies to study civilian formations. The bright-pattern lamps that lit up the night markets on the streets. The sound-sealing formations carved into homes to keep noise out. The torchfire formation that gathered heat in winter for warmth.

Some luxury carriages even had specialized stabilizing devices for shock absorption. With that thing installed, no matter how hard the carriage rocked inside, it stayed steady as ever, sturdier than a bed.

“Third Young Master.”

In the silent secret chamber, that soft call from behind startled Xu Yuan so badly he twitched. He turned around little by little. Sure enough, it was Ying’er again. And beside her stood a half-white-haired old man.

The man was the steward in charge of the Stillwater residence. His cultivation was not impressive, barely enough to count as ranked, not even ninth rank, but he held considerable authority here in Stillwater. The reason was simple. He was exceptionally good at running things. A textbook management talent.

Xu Yuan drew a deep breath and said to Ying’er, “Next time you appear, make some noise first. Don’t just drift up like a ghost.”

“Oh.” Ying’er lowered her eyes and nodded. Whether she actually took that in was anyone’s guess. In the same calm tone, she said, “The Chancellor has already cut the communication. Did you still have something to say to him?”

Well then. Hung up again without a word. Xu Yuan said nothing and simply turned to head back upstairs.

His goal had already been achieved. He had successfully dragged both the story’s protagonist and Qin Weijiu lurking in the shadows into the sight of his boss-level father. Given the man’s nature, he would definitely take it seriously. That meant whatever happened next was no longer Xu Yuan’s problem.

The moment he turned, the half-white-haired steward hurried after him, his voice dripping with humble flattery. “Third Young Master, Third Young Master...”

Xu Yuan glanced sideways at the old steward.

Weak in strength, heavy in power, a classic case of low station, great authority.And in Xu Yuan’s memories, this old fox had always been very clear on exactly where he stood. Ever since the Third Young Master arrived in Stillwater, the man had never stopped sending money and women his way.

“What is it, Steward Li?”

Steward Li kept up the ingratiating tone. “Heh heh, Third Young Master, as you instructed, all the internal reports from this past ten-day period have already been delivered to your room.”

“Is that so? Fine, I understand.” Xu Yuan nodded.

But the old man clearly was not done. He leaned in mysteriously and pulled out a rolled paper document from his sleeve. “Third Young Master, this is a confidential report sent over the day before yesterday from Embrocade in Southriver Prefecture. Please have a look.”