Chapter 685: The Might of the Purple Star Constellation Realm — Xie Guan Takes His Leave

The Xie family, Daguanyuan, Hongjing Courtyard.

Outside the carved nanmu veranda, the young scions of the Nine Surnames gathered in small groups.

From within the hall, the muffled laughter of elders drifted, mingling with the scent of sandalwood as it curled through the chamber.

“Xie Yuan, why hasn’t Guan Young Master arrived yet?” Zhang Yunzhi’s cup of Jiangnan Longjing had been refilled three times, “The auspicious hour is nearly here.”

After her last visit with her father to see Xie Guan, she returned to the Zhang household.

She was no frail woman; she openly confessed her feelings to her father.

Her father did not stop her, saying, “If Yunzhi truly wishes to marry him, do not use your Zhang family status to mistreat him.”

“This Xie Guan is no ordinary man. Do not look down on him because he now stands low—caged birds still await flight, and sick dragons may yet summon rain.”

Zhang Yunzhi replied, “I do not covet his future. Even if Xie Guan remains an ordinary scholar all his life, I would willingly share his table and raise children with him.”

She could be a Zhang family lady, and she could also be a woman in hemp hairpin and coarse gown, devoted to her husband and raising children.

Her parents heard her and laughed—they both supported her.

Today, Zhang Yunzhi had resolved to confess to Xie Guan the deep feelings she had long hidden in her heart.

The world holds not only the phoenix seeking the phoenix, but also the gathering of orchids and the gift of peonies.

In her heart, she felt both nervousness and anticipation.

Xie Yuan had just returned from Lao Taijun’s Songhe Hall—an honor none of the Xie family’s other descendants enjoyed; he could even enter and leave Daguanyuan freely without seeking Lao Taijun’s permission.

“He should be here soon!”

“With Yingjie’s wedding, Guan Di would never miss it.”

As Xie Yuan spoke, he suddenly clapped his hands and cried out, “Oh no—”

Xie Qiyue impatiently snapped, “Xie Yuan, what’s wrong with you? Having another fit, jumping like a startled cat?”

Xie Yuan hurriedly said, “Guan Di recently injured Xie Renfeng. The courtyard has been quiet, but Madam Zhao must be furious.”

“Could she be writing an essay today to block Guan Di outside Daguanyuan?”

Zhang Yunzhi frowned upon hearing this—she thought it highly likely, perhaps even worse.

Xie Qiyue nodded as well; since Father left the Xie Fu, Madam Zhao had grown increasingly erratic, and her methods likely went beyond this.

Li Shuwan, who had come with them, held a celadon teacup and looked up in surprise: “Could Guan Young Master really have struck someone?”

In her memory, that gentleman who always read beneath the wutong tree was the very image of gentle jade.

Xie Yuan recounted the story.

Li Shuwan was startled—when had Xie Guan gained martial cultivation?

Sima Muqing, beside her, knew far better: at the Qunfang Banquet’s carriage pavilion, Xie Guan had fought Zhu Zhiqian and killed him.

Shuowan !

As Xie Yuan’s group stepped out of the vermilion threshold of Hongjing Courtyard’s outer hall, they met Xue Hong, dust-covered and weary.

“Strange!” Xie Yuan remarked, “Xue Hong, why are you only arriving today?”

Xue Hong brushed off fallen petals from his brocade robe and smiled bitterly, “My second brother, who left home five years ago, suddenly returned and said he’d come with me…”

He gazed toward the distant lake, “But he hasn’t shown up yet. I don’t know where he’s gone.”

After meeting, Xue Hong remained by Xie Qiyue’s side.

The group strode out in a flurry, drawing many glances.

～

Behind the inner hall of Hongjing Courtyard.

A slender hand parted the pearl curtain, eyes cold as frost as they watched Xie Yuan’s group depart.

A beautiful woman in golden robes stepped forward, dignified and elegant—Madam Zhao of the Second Courtyard.

Behind her trailed several personal maids.

“The Xie family’s spawn, who brought disaster upon Master, should have been drowned in the pond and fed to fish long ago.”

“Today is a good day for him to die!”

Tears glistened in Madam Zhao’s eyes, “My Feng’er, avenging his father, lies injured in bed—yet now the Xie family suddenly cares about propriety?”

“Saying it would ruin the Xie family’s reputation? All nonsense.”

She shook off the maids supporting her, the gold-threaded hem sweeping the floor, “Since the Xie family wants face…”

Her crimson lips curled into a chilling smile, “Then let me be the villain.”

“Master is not in the Xie Fu—who dares to bully us, a widow and her child?”

Madam Zhao also left Hongjing Courtyard, heading toward the lake to watch how Xie Guan would die in its waters.

Suddenly!

Her face turned deathly pale; her slender hand flew to her vermilion lips as she stifled a dry heave—

“Madam!” her personal maid cried in concern, “Did you eat something unclean? Shall I summon the imperial physician?”

Madam Zhao swallowed back the bitter, sour fluid in her throat, “It’s fine. Nothing.”

As her golden silk hem brushed the threshold, no one noticed the subtle way she pressed her hand to her waist.

Beneath her once slender, waist-nipping sash, a faint curve was beginning to show.

Madam Zhao’s previously flat abdomen had begun to swell slightly.

～

～

【Xue Huai’an’s expression shifted from tension to relief, then to resolve.】

【He looked at Liu Zixin’s tightly clenched, pained face and said gently, “I had no choice. I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”】

【The jade talisman in Xue Huai’an’s hand glowed, its ripples enveloping both Liu Zixin and Zhou Zhirou.】

【Mei Qingsu watched, throat bobbing, and finally let out a soft sigh.】

【He knew this second son of the Xue family, who had left home four or five years ago, had always been stubborn—no one could dissuade him since childhood.】

【The jade talisman in Xue Huai’an’s hand had the power to teleport anywhere within Bianjing.】

【It was the protective charm left by the Xue family’s eldest son for his second son—never imagined it would be used to save others in this crisis.】

【The second son truly is a hopeless romantic!】

【Mei Qingsu shouted at the pair of female corpses: “Does the White Bone Temple truly wish to make an eternal enemy of the Xue family?”】

【He knew—only by invoking the Nine Surnames’ name might there be a sliver of hope.】

【“The Nine Surnames?” The female corpse laughed softly, a bell-like chime beneath her veil, “Wait until I take that thing…”】

【“Even if the Academy’s Master, a Ninth Realm Xuan Dan cultivator, came himself—what then?”】

【Xue Huai’an: “What do you want? The Xue family can…”】

【The female corpse smiled, “Your life. The lives of everyone on this boat.”】

【Mei Qingsu stared at the crimson tidal wave raised by the ghost bride—his pupils reflected a sky of ice crystals: the corpse’s deadly aura had frozen the water vapor into frost flowers!】

【This night demon had no intention of leaving them alive.】

【“Is this where I die?” Mei Qingsu bit his tongue—iron-tanged blood and searing pain sharpened his mind.】

【Flashes of ten thousand brothers from the Giant Whale Gang passed before him—if he died here today, those newly subdued river transport forces would be instantly carved up by the Nine Surnames!】

【The foundation he’d built over half a lifetime would be handed over to others.】

【Then let him fight for his life!】

【Mei Qingsu still had one final hidden dagger—a technique that killed a thousand but wounded himself eight hundred.】

【As the three-inch dagger slid from his sleeve, its blade glowed with an eerie crimson hue.】

【At that moment, his dantian’s true qi boiled over, pouring entirely into the blade—the edge blazed with blinding crimson light.】

【On the other side, Luo Su had torn a strip from her sleeve to bind her wound. Though she’d lost her sword, the manager of Xiujin Tower pulled a golden thread from her hair—upon closer look, it was a supple sword forged from a thousand-fold refined steel!】

【The blade reflected her icy gaze like a new moon emerging from clouds.】

【She was using a life-or-death method to ignite her body—every sect that had survived decades of Jianghu struggles kept secret techniques to turn death into life.】

【Now, Xiujin Tower’s secret art surged through her, stimulating every acupoint, squeezing every drop of essence and blood from her body.】

【Luo Su gripped her soft sword tightly—this battle between life and death elevated her sword intent to a new height.】

【In a narrow path, only the bold prevail!】

【Xue Huai’an released the two women and burned all six or seven of his blue jade talismans.】

【“I’ll hold the boat.”】

【“You two, strike freely.”】

【Seven beams of talisman light shot out, coalescing into a shield—solid, unbreakable, shielding them all.】

【After using them, Xue Huai’an was utterly drained, eyes bloodshot.】

【But he saw the ripples covering Liu Zixin and Zhou Zhirou were nearly complete—only two or three breaths remained before they escaped.】

【“Heh—”】

【A soft voice spoke, “Foolish.”】

【“My current realm has surpassed corpse puppets—I am a night demon never before born in the White Bone Temple. Even corpse talismans cannot control me.”】

【“As long as I have blood to feed on, I will never die.”】

【A red-clad figure instantly tore through the blue light shield and appeared before them.】

【Mei Qingsu’s dagger shot forth—but hung trembling midair, its crimson veins dimmed and corrupted by the demon’s aura.】

【He realized in horror—this night demon’s cultivation was far stronger than he’d imagined.】

【Luo Su slashed with her sword—the blade’s arc like a crescent moon struck the red-clad woman’s shoulder, yet could not advance an inch.】

The female corpse merely brushed her crimson wedding robe, and Luo Su su was flung backward like a kite with severed string, smashing into the boat’s wooden frame.

A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the lake, blooming into a startling red plum blossom.

Corpse miasma churned like ink, obscuring all five fingers within three zhang.

The female corpse stepped onto the deck in her embroidered silk shoes.

Xue Huai’an and the others’ breaths grew weak, their eyes dimming—their situation was utterly desperate.

The female corpse saw the woman beside Xue Huai’an about to be teleported away.

She opened her mouth, and a foul black blood shot out like an arrow! Xue Huai’an lunged to block it, but the filthy blood had already splashed onto the talisman light surrounding the two women, emitting a hissing sound of corrosion.

The talisman array, already on the verge of activation, was tainted by blood; its glow slowly faded, then vanished entirely—the teleportation talisman was nullified.

“Damn it!”

Xue Huai’an’s face turned ashen—he had heard the legend that a nightcrawler’s blood corrupted all arts, but now seeing it with his own eyes, the faint, ethereal glow of the teleportation talisman melted away like snow meeting boiling broth.

The female corpse smiled. “I told you—all of you will die today.”

Her voice carried a soft, gentle warmth, yet it sent chills down Xue Huai’an and the others’ spines.

At that moment!

The female corpse’s step faltered; beneath her veil, her brows furrowed.

This corpse puppet, cultivated for centuries, showed alarm and doubt for the first time.

At the stern, ten paces away, stood a boy holding an umbrella.

She and the jade corpse had completely ignored his presence!

Had he not been so close, the female corpse would not have caught the faintest whisper of breath—only then did she snap her head up.

The boy was like the empty space in a landscape painting—apparently nothing at all, yet perfectly integrated into heaven and earth.

Amidst the blood mist, the boy stood as still as before, not a speck of dust on his robes.

The female corpse’s reaction drew Luo Su su and the others’ attention to the stern.

It seemed there had been one more person on the boat all along.

The female corpse merely frowned, studying him. She had long since gained sentience and knew she could not linger in the Xie Fu too long—otherwise, she would be sealing her own doom.

This young master who used talismans was clearly of extraordinary origin, and her orders were to kill everyone on this boat.

No survivors left—only then could she obtain that object.

Clearly, this boy, whose depth she could not fathom, was among them too.

Suddenly, a shrill silver bell rang from the lakeside.

Beneath her veil, the white bone face of the female corpse flickered with irritation: “Annoying—why the rush?”

She no longer hesitated. With a finger point, the male corpse behind her lunged toward Xie Guan at the stern.

The female corpse’s miasma surged, transforming countless blood and ghostly mists into hundreds of spectral hands surging toward Luo Su su and the others.

Xue Huai’an silently cursed—had Xie Guan held out just a few more breaths…

Only ten breaths more and his uncle would arrive!

Alas—it was too late.

Xue Huai’an shielded the two women, shattering three spectral hands, but a fourth seized his throat and lifted him high.

Ugh… nine breaths left! Just nine more!

“Puff!”

Luo Su su’s back exploded in a spray of blood—a spectral hand pierced through her chest. She staggered to her knees, her soft sword snapping piece by piece, like her fading consciousness… her oil spent, her lamp extinguished.

On her face was despair; in her eyes, unyielding resentment.

Mei Qingsu too was pinned by a spectral hand against her forehead, powerless to resist, her eyes fixed solely on the female corpse.

Watching the Canzhuang of those in the boat, you saw they were moments from death.

Fortunately!

A smile curled your lips—the Ziwei Hengjie was finally complete.

In your view, a phantom Ziwei Palace had risen from your heart-sea, silently projecting into reality, enveloping the entire boat without a sound.

This was why you stood at the stern—and why the two murderous corpses had unconsciously ignored you.

Within the Ziwei Hengjie, all things were as clear as patterns on the palm—every heartbeat, every flow of true qi through meridians, even the flutter of eyelashes, laid bare.

Within the Ziwei Daochang, all your spells and sword intentions would surge in power!

You could even control the flow of yuan qi and spiritual energy within this zone.

This was the mystery of the Ziwei Hengjie—in this Daochang, you were the “sovereign.”

Since you discovered the female corpse beneath the lake, you had begun setting this up.

Otherwise, this corpse puppet already evolved into a nightcrawler—you could not have held it so easily.

Beneath the umbrella’s brim, you slowly lifted your gaze.

The Yangfu Jing flowed within you—this most yang and fierce solar force was the ultimate counter to yin corpses.

Your gaze grew colder. You placed your right hand to your lips, palm forward, and blew gently toward the charging male corpse and the blood mist.

All felt a wave of scorching wind strike their faces, as if suddenly transported to the Mountain of Flames.

Moments later, the jade corpse took the brunt—its body instantly turned crimson, blazing white flames erupted from all seven orifices, and it erupted into fire like a burning ball, shrieking horribly before turning to ash.

The entire sky of blood mist was blown away.

In a single breath, all spectral hands around them vanished.

The two women in Xue Huai’an’s arms stirred awake, warmed by the gentle current.

Luo Su su and the others froze, faces blank with confusion—their bindings gone, not just the male corpse, but the female nightcrawler too.

Burned to ash as well!

The entire lake cleared, all returned to stillness—lake light and mountain hues resumed, the misty rain falling gently once more.

The boat’s stern slowly drifted to shore.

You held your umbrella, clad in plain robes untouched by dust, stepping onto land through the light wind and fine rain, turning back to speak softly.

“Thank you for the ride.”

“Xie Guan, farewell.”

(End of Chapter)