Chapter 37: What a Name

Northern Border, Cangzhou City.

Incense smoke wove thickly through the Splendid Palace, twelve rows of screens facing each other, dragon saliva incense burning thin wisps in a bronze censer.

Yi Jinxiang lounged obliquely on a beauty couch in front of the hall, her massive tail draped over the armrest. She propped up her face with one hand, her fingertips idly teasing the rabbit in her lap every now and then.

A boy with a high ponytail squatted beside the beauty couch. Four braids hung from the cloud patterns on his white brocade robe, his face like white jade, his eyes rippling as he blinked up at Yi Jinxiang.

After staring for a long time, Wenren Sheng spoke to himself. “Thanks, Master, for agreeing.”

Yi Jinxiang ignored him and said flatly, “I didn’t agree.”

Wenren Sheng looked greatly disappointed. He flopped down onto the ground and dragged out his words. “Whyyyy—Master does this every time!”

Yi Jinxiang’s expression turned somewhat displeased. She casually shooed the little rabbit off the chair.

“You’ve only been here two years and you already want to leave?” she said crossly. “Until you reach the Soul Formation Realm, you’re not going anywhere.”

Wenren Sheng knew Yi Jinxiang had a tough-on-the-outside-but-soft-hearted personality, but he still refused to give up. He stood and clutched at the chair back with both hands.

“Good Master…”

“No.”

“Aiya, Master, I just want to go out of the city once. Then I promise to stay by your side for the next ten years. I’ll study diligently every day, cultivate seriously, do whatever you say. How about it?”

As he finished, he pouted, his eyes big and round and bright, looking at Yi Jinxiang all pitifully.

Yi Jinxiang couldn’t stand him like this. She sat up and deliberately turned her back so she wouldn’t see Wenren Sheng.

Ever since she had brought this little thing back from Fragrant Ze Mountain, Yi Jinxiang had cut off contact with the Heavenly Court and hidden the entire Cangzhou City within a barrier.

She wasn’t the Martial God and didn’t have the power to oppose the Heavenly Court, so she could only protect Wenren Sheng and his heavenly spiritual root this way for the time being.

But Wenren Sheng grew bigger by the day and gradually refused to be a bird in a cage. He always wanted to sneak out, and he got caught and dragged back several times a year.

Now he didn’t even bother hiding it. Every day he waited right in front of her seat and begged all day long. When he got tired, he went back to sleep, and when he woke up, he came back to beg some more.

When asked what he wanted to go out for, he always hemmed and hawed and refused to answer.

“Tell me the truth,” Yi Jinxiang sighed, shaking her fan. “Do you want to go back to Fragrant Ze Mountain to find Cangyu?”

Wenren Sheng, who had been making a fuss just moments ago, instantly fell silent.

“No,” he said, his tone a bit flat. “I don’t want to go back, and I don’t want to find him.”

Yi Jinxiang turned her head and gave him a couple of looks. “Then what are you in such a hurry to go out of the city for?”

“…”

Wenren Sheng stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up. “Forget it. If I can’t go out, I can’t go out. I’m going to play in the city.”

With that, he deliberately left behind a cold “See you later, Master” and left the Splendid Palace without looking back.

Yi Jinxiang watched him go all the way out of sight.

Once he had run off, she pinched the space between her brows and lay back on the beauty couch, looking greatly troubled.

“He doesn’t seem to be the one putting on a tough front.”

The little rabbit she had shooed away earlier hopped back up onto her tail and started nibbling on her hair.

Yi Jinxiang absentmindedly scratched at its fur.

“But this… does it mean he resents him, or doesn’t he?”

Not far out of the Splendid Palace was the marketplace. Wenren Sheng dispelled his Transformation Technique and slipped into a narrow alley.

The alley ran deep, and at its end stood a teahouse. The storefront wasn’t large, with a wooden signboard that read “Fufeng Pavilion.”

Wenren Sheng wagged his tail, shifted back to human form, and pushed the door open to go inside.

He had discovered this great place in his second year in Cangzhou City. The owner here was a recluse of the jianghu who never showed his face, but he managed the teahouse very well, and hardly anyone came to cause trouble.

Most importantly, they had a kind of tea here called Dragon Pellet Snow, which He Mu used to always bring him to drink.

Wenren Sheng secretly blamed himself for not trying more kinds of tea when he was little, which had made his tastes so picky that now he could only drink this one.

He went up to the second floor, picked an elegant private room, and sat down, propping his face as he watched the Dragon Pellet Snow swaying slightly in his cup.

He didn’t have to wait long before hurried footsteps sounded outside the room. Then a scar-faced man in a gray cloth shirt mysteriously pushed open a crack in the door and peered inside.

Wenren Sheng’s gaze met his, and the two exchanged a tacit look without speaking. The man then tiptoed into the room and closed the door.

“Brother Xu,” Wenren Sheng called out.

This scar-faced man was a jianghu wind messenger with the nickname Duoxiren. People at the teahouse called him Old Xu, but Wenren Sheng still politely called him “Brother.”

Duoxiren looked like he was in a great hurry. He had just sat down when he snatched Wenren Sheng’s teacup and gulped down a big mouthful.

“Ah—”

“It’s scalding!”

Wenren Sheng took a new teacup and poured himself a little tea, saying at the same time, “Any news on the matter I asked Brother about last time?”

Duoxiren’s tongue was burned red. He fanned his mouth while grabbing several pastries from the table and stuffing them in.

“Last time? What did you ask me last time?” he said with a thick tongue.

Wenren Sheng was a bit speechless but still patiently said, “I heard there’s a kind of incense sold outside Cangzhou City that can temporarily draw out the soul to go to the Underworld. It’s called Rebirth Incense?”

Duoxiren chewed for a good while before swallowing what was in his mouth. Then he answered vaguely,

“This Rebirth Incense… hiss, why can’t I remember… what was it again…?”

Wenren Sheng anxiously grabbed him. “Brother, don’t joke with me. You said last time you’d help me look into it. I gave you a lot of money—don’t you remember?”

Duoxiren glanced at him guiltily.

“…Did you?”

Wenren Sheng saw that look again, like he wanted to cheat him out of more money, and immediately pulled a long face. He slapped the table and stood up.

“You think I’m that easy to fool?” Wenren Sheng said angrily. “Every time I come to ask you for information, you pull this!”

Seeing him angry, Duoxiren hurriedly waved his hands. “Hey hey hey, don’t get mad, don’t get mad. You you you, sit down first!”

Wenren Sheng saw he was finally willing to talk and let out a light hum before slowly sitting back down with his arms crossed.

He said crossly, “Spit it out. I’m in a hurry.”

Duoxiren quickly cupped his hands in salute to him and explained, “Little brother, it’s not that I’m not biased toward you. There have been too many demons killed in the past two years, and this Rebirth Incense is a rare item that everyone wants. I really… don’t have any stock here…”

“Demons killed?”

Wenren Sheng raised a brow and leaned forward, sitting up straight.

“I see Cangzhou City is just fine. Nothing big has happened.”

Duoxiren shook his head and said mysteriously, “Cangzhou City is Cangzhou City. Lord Wenqu Star is protecting it, so humans can’t find this place. But outside, it’s different.”

“How different?”

Duoxiren said, “I heard a bunch of people calling themselves Night Touring Gods have popped up in the jianghu lately. They specifically hunt down demons in the Immortal Sects and kill them. They’ve even put out word that if any Immortal Sect takes in demons from now on, they’ll wipe out every single one they find.”

“What?” Wenren Sheng said indignantly. “That’s too much!”

Duoxiren clucked his tongue. “Who knows. I heard all the ones killed were big demons about to ascend. Anyway, these past two years… the winds have been off.”

“Lord Wenqu Star really had foresight, hiding Cangzhou City from the world ahead of time. That’s how we’ve managed to live peacefully until now, right?” Duoxiren kindly lectured Wenren Sheng. “You should stop thinking about things outside the city. Cultivate obediently, and it won’t be too late to go out after you ascend.”

Wenren Sheng made no comment and twisted his fingers in thought.

Two years ago, when he left Fragrant Ze Mountain, his master had also said the Heavenly Court was after his heavenly spiritual root.

It seemed that even after these two years of seclusion, they hadn’t given up, and they probably wouldn’t let up in the future either.

He didn’t know about the Mountain God…

The moment he thought of He Mu, Wenren Sheng’s train of thought knotted up. He irritably ruffled his hair and continued asking, “Brother, is there really no Rebirth Incense to be found in Cangzhou City?”

Duoxiren hissed and leaned back against the chair.

“Well… there is.”

Wenren Sheng’s eyes lit up. “Where?”

Duoxiren hesitated for a moment, then pulled a folded scrap of paper from his collar and slid it across the table.

“This is the contact for the black market in the city lately.”

He tapped the paper and lowered his voice.

“At the second watch of the night, go to the place written here and find him. He might have some stock left.”

Wenren Sheng let out an “oh” and took the paper like it was a treasure, nodding solemnly. “Got it. I’ll sneak out tonight and give it a try.”

With that, he lost all interest in drinking tea and eagerly stood up to leave.

He had just taken a step when he stopped and touched the money pouch at his waist.

Although he had paid in advance last time…

He hesitated for a bit, then took out two copper coins from the pouch and pushed the rest to Duoxiren.

“Here,” Wenren Sheng said. “Thanks.”

Duoxiren stared at the money pouch, his eyes bulging.

He swallowed and said, “This is too much,” while tucking Wenren Sheng’s pouch into the crook of his arm.

“Hey, no problem at all. Should be.”

He thought to himself that the rumors about Cangzhou City were true—the city lord’s little disciple was an easy mark, a pure-hearted little spendthrift.

They hadn’t known each other long, and Duoxiren had already taken dozens of taels in payment from Wenren Sheng, which almost made him feel a bit guilty.

But Wenren Sheng didn’t seem to mind at all. He quickly pushed open the window and stepped onto the sill.

A breeze and the clamor of carriages and horses poured into the room together, ruffling the bangs on his forehead.

Wenren Sheng leaped lightly outward, landing on a nearby rooftop, then slipped away down the same narrow alley he had come from, nimble as a cat.

“Lightness skill this good at eighteen,” Duoxiren said with a sigh, watching Wenren Sheng’s back. “He might really ascend to godhood someday.”

No sooner had he spoken than a figure approached silently beside him.

Duoxiren looked up to see a sword cultivator wearing a face covering and a black conical hat. He was dressed in dark training clothes, tall and slender, probably half a head taller than Duoxiren.

Two long swords were strapped to his back, wrapped tightly in white cloth strips.

Duoxiren recognized him and quickly saluted with cupped hands, grinning. “My lord, I’ve taken care of the matter you entrusted to me.”

The covered man said flatly, “Thanks.”

Duoxiren knew the rules of the trade and didn’t pry. He nodded to the covered man, hugged his money pouch, and stood to leave.

As he brushed past the man, however, a hand wearing a green thumb ring suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

“Wait.”

Duoxiren felt a chill down his back and turned around trembling.

“W-What’s wrong?”

The covered man paused, lowered his gaze to look at Duoxiren, then took Wenren Sheng’s money pouch from his hand and tossed him a new one.

“Take my money. Give me his.”

“…Huh?”

Duoxiren clutched the new pouch and blinked in confusion.

“Is there… a difference?”

No sooner had he spoken than a cool breeze swept through, and the presence in the room was gone.

Wenren Sheng used the remaining two copper coins to buy a pancake. He sat alone on a rooftop to eat it, then casually pulled out the scrap of paper he had just received and unfolded it between his fingers to look.

He mumbled around a mouthful as he read.

“Second watch of the night… Bell tower, Murong He.”

About what Duoxiren had said—probably go to the bell tower in the city at the second watch and wait for a wind messenger named Murong He, who would take him to the black market.

The bell tower wasn’t hard to find. The problem was Master’s curfew. Yi Jinxiang had kept a tight watch on Wenren Sheng these past two years. Once the Xu Hour passed, he could only stay in the Splendid Palace studying and couldn’t go out anymore.

He needed to figure out a way tonight.

As he pondered, Wenren Sheng’s gaze drifted down inadvertently to the last three words on the paper.

Murong He?

He let out a cold snort and tucked the paper back into his collar.

What a name to choose. It just didn’t sound reliable. He’d have to stay on guard.