Chapter 308: The Crooked Sprout

Xu Yuan lifted Master Fei to the front; Wang Shen stared at him for a long time... and failed to recognize him.

Master Fei suddenly remembered, wiping the fresh blood and tears from his face with his sleeve.

He tilted his old face up for Wang Shen to see again.

"Oh..." Wang Shen recognized him: "It's that 'Fei Kou She' who smacks his mouth while eating, spits while talking, and loves giving people ugly nicknames."

"Yes, yes, yes, that's me!" Master Fei happily admitted repeatedly: "My Lady, you are still alive; we truly feared..."

His eyes turned red again: "Everyone guessed you were no longer in the mortal world. I didn't believe it; I would rather you had truly forgotten us..."

Those two crafted objects could no longer hold back, clanging and banging excitedly once more.

Wang Shen retracted her ears and carefully put them back in place.

Then, a pair of wrinkled old hands gently stroked the Hundred Illness Cabinet and the Liang Xincheng, as memories in her mind gradually became clear and smooth.

The high spirits of that time, the youthful recklessness.

Disdain for all the rules of the mundane world.

I, an old woman, was once young too...

"You are all good children with filial hearts," Wang Shen said slowly.

The Hundred Illness Cabinet and the Liang Xincheng grew even more agitated.

The Hundred Illness Cabinet bounced up with a thud, jumped too high, and crashed its head into the ceiling.

The house shook with a rumble, and a lot of dust fell down.

Several tiles slid off the roof and shattered on the ground in front of the hall.

This startled passersby on the street in front of the door: "The Fire Virtue Saving the World Hall has been acting strangely lately..."

The Liang Xincheng poked wildly, leaving the eastern wall full of holes...

Xu Yuan had to speak up: "If you two keep causing trouble, you'll tear this house down!"

Only then did the two crafted objects quiet down.

"My Lady, please take your seat." Master Fei helped Wang Shen sit down—but the massive Hundred Illness Cabinet and Liang Xincheng insisted on squeezing in beside Wang Shen.

Just like pets that hadn't seen their master for a long time.

So the scene became quite ridiculous:

The two huge objects, like two little dogs, insisted on lying at Wang Shen's feet.

Master Fei felt he was in the way wherever he stood...

But Master Fei simply sat right on the Hundred Illness Cabinet!

The Hundred Illness Cabinet was greatly displeased.

Yet Master Fei wore an expression that said, "What can you do about it?"

Before, the guild always yielded to you and coaxed you because we had no choice, fearing you would quit your work.

But now—My Lady has returned; My Lady herself will discipline you!

Wang Shen felt somewhat melancholy, beckoned the Hundred Illness Cabinet and the Liang Xincheng to her side, and gently stroked them, one in each hand.

The space in front became empty; Master Fei got off the Hundred Illness Cabinet and stood there.

"Tell me, how exactly has the guild fared these years?"

Master Fei then began to speak at length.

Xu Yuan pulled over a chair and sat down a little farther away.

Listening to Master Fei start his tale from several decades ago.

It was as if... he was watching them go from their prime in those years, through time, aging with the years, step by step, to their current gray-haired state.

Regarding the bitter parts in between, Master Fei did not say much.

But whenever Master Fei mentioned an old brother from back then, Wang Shen still remembered clearly.

She would also speak with Master Fei about some amusing anecdotes of that old brother back then, sometimes smiling gently, sometimes laughing heartily.

And then, as they spoke, the conversation would always end with that old brother dying in a certain place in a certain year.

Wang Shen would fall silent for a while.

She had not forgotten.

It was just that these memories were buried too deep and had passed for too long.

As they spoke, without realizing it, noon passed, and Xu Yuan's stomach growled with hunger.

The Great Fire Master, Miao Yan, was guarding the back hall.

He was not far away, always pricking up his ears to eavesdrop on the commotion in front.

Fortunately, "eavesdropping" was not forbidden today.

Miao Yan could understand the commotion in front, but why did the sound of chatting begin to drift over faintly later?

One of them was Master Fei; Miao Yan recognized him immediately, after all, Master Fei had plenty of energy and his voice "shook the roof tiles" when cursing.

But who was the other one? Was it that old woman?

She wasn't chatting with my lord Xu, but with that old woman?

Master Fei wanted to see how my lord Xu would discipline the crafted objects, to determine if he was indeed a descendant of the Ancestor.

What situation is this now?

Miao Yan was also very concerned whether Xu Yuan truly was—he dared not go to the front to peek, and all morning it felt like a cat was gently scratching inside his heart.

At last, when noon arrived, Miao Yan thought to use the opportunity of asking about the meal to go to the front and check the situation.

But he saw my lord Xu stride into the back hall: "Is there any food?"

"Yes, yes..." Miao Yan replied, immediately ordering someone to bring up the prepared food box.

Xu Yuan picked up two and left.

Wang Shen didn't need to eat; Xu Yuan and Secretary Fei each took one.

"My lord..." Miao Yan wanted to call out to Xu Yuan to ask about the situation.

Xu Yuan seemed not to hear at all.

"Sigh..." Miao Yan scratched his head and let out a long sigh.

Not until dusk approached did Wang Shen pat the two artifacts: "You two work hard. I will stay in the city for a while and visit you often."

The two artifacts were overjoyed.

"But next time I come, do not cause trouble. Behave and treat people's illnesses."

The two artifacts used body movements to indicate they would surely obey.

Secretary Fei, however, heard it: "Niangniang, you are leaving again?"

Wang Shen sighed: "I must return eventually. This time I came to Champa out of worry for A-Yuan; otherwise, I, an old woman, would not have left home long ago."

Secretary Fei spoke urgently: "Why return? You are still the Founding Matriarch of the Three Fires Old Mother Society. I will take you back right now..."

Wang Shen waved her hand gently: "You have done well..."

"We have not done well!" Secretary Fei interrupted her: "While you were here, our members spread throughout Southern Jiaozhi, and we were preparing to expand into Zhengzhou.

Yet after so many years, we cannot even rival the Peace Heaven Society, forced to shrink into Luocheng, Ping City, and Champa. Now that you have returned, we should restore the glory of the past!"

Wang Shen fell silent for a moment: "I am too old..."

"Then let the members below show their filial piety. If you do not wish to go to Luocheng, stay in Champa. Lord Xu is your descendant; live with him. The Society will provide funds to build you a house and buy servants..."

Xu Yuan said: "Secretary Fei, my Wang Shen indeed has reasons too difficult to speak."

"This... then I don't care. After decades, I have finally seen you again, Niangniang. Under no circumstances will I let you leave.

I will follow you! Wherever you go, I go.

I will have Miao Yan write to his father and summon all those old fellows from the General Headquarters.

If I alone cannot keep you, then let everyone come."

Secretary Fei, despite his age, suddenly threw a childish tantrum!

"Oh, by the way, Miao Yan's father is 'Crooked Miao'."

Miao Yan's father was once a beggar too—he was originally a child from a good family, stolen by an old beggar who intended to maim him into a cripple using the technique of harvesting life and cutting limbs.

Just as he had begun to peel off a piece of skin from the boy's neck, Wang Shen arrived in time and, in a rage, incinerated the old beggar to ashes with a single flame.

But Miao Yan's father was left with a condition because of it; his neck was slightly crooked.

Secretary Fei later gave him the nickname 'Crooked Miao'.

But everyone had grown old, and even Secretary Fei had not used that nickname for a long time.

(End of this chapter)