Chapter 132: Take It Out and Let Me Have a Look…

Lu Yuan followed the direction Chen Fushun pointed to.

It was the very center of the tent area.

A gray-white tent, one size larger than the others, stood quietly on the snow.

The reed mat on the roof was pressed down neatly.

The wind ropes were pulled tighter than the rest.

The door curtain was double-layered, the outer layer thick canvas, the inner layer sewn with an extra cotton flap.

You could tell someone had put effort into it.

Lu Yuan was a little surprised.

His two beautiful aunts-in-law had actually spent the night right here?

The snow underfoot had been compacted, making small crunching sounds.

Morning light already spread across the camp, and cooking smoke thinned.

People began drifting toward the mess tent in twos and threes,

and many who had gone early were returning, carrying bowls and pocketing dry rations.

Their faces showed the contentment of a good meal.

Passing one tent, he heard loud, cheerful laughter from inside—

a few older women chatting idly.

They talked about which daughter-in-law was expecting twins, how many acres of corn to plant in spring.

Passing another tent, its cotton flap half lifted,

a middle-aged man crouched fixing a folding stool.

Three or four boys surrounded him, eyes bright with expectation,

handing over a screwdriver or a nail now and then.

Lu Yuan softened his steps.

For some reason, though he was eager to see them,

when he finally reached that tent, he suddenly stopped.

The cotton flap hung tight, hiding the inside.

Only a very thin, dim yellow light leaked from the gap between the flap and the ground,

dragging a narrow golden thread across the snow.

He heard voices.

It was Aunt Qiao'er’s voice.

"…Last night’s bedding, I still can’t get used to it."

"There were three layers under the mattress, and I still felt it."

Her tone had a touch of coquettish complaint, but kept very low, as if afraid of being overheard,

followed by Aunt Qin’s light laughter, gentle,

with some resignation and indulgence.

"You were naked; I woke freezing in the middle of the night!"

"Good grief, who knew you’d steal the covers so well? From now on we’re not sharing the same blanket with you!"

Aunt Qiao'er laughed in a soft voice:

"That won’t do!"

"In such winter, one person sleeping alone gets even colder."

Aunt Qin couldn't help teasing back:

"Then why don’t you split the blanket with me!"

Aunt Qiao'er immediately replied with a playful voice:

"It rolls away on its own while you sleep, I can’t stop it."

Aunt Qin burst into a snort-laugh.

After their laughter faded, the tent fell quiet for a moment.

When they spoke again, Aunt Qin’s voice dropped considerably,

carrying a faint, almost imperceptible fatigue:

"Alright, get up quick. We need to help settle things here."

"We can’t let the villagers feel wronged."

"Otherwise, when our men come back and see this mess, they’ll be so anxious."

Aunt Qiao'er softly hummed in agreement.

Lu Yuan stood motionless outside the flap.

He lowered his head, his face hidden in shadow.

His Adam’s apple moved uncontrollably.

Someone passed by and recognized him, about to greet him.

He waved his hand; the passerby nodded in understanding,

softened his steps, and walked away quietly.

Lu Yuan lifted his head against the biting wind.

He squeezed his sore, stinging eyes shut hard,

then reached up and gently pushed the cotton flap aside.

The morning light, carrying the sharpness and clarity of the snowy plain, flooded into the tent.

Inside, two women sat side by side at the edge of a camp cot.

Their shoulders touched, each holding a cup of hot water.

Aunt Qiao'er still wore that silver-gray sable cloak,

though her hair was a bit loose, the jade hairpin at her temple tilted slightly.

Her face was paler than usual, faint dark circles under her eyes, yet she still smiled.

Aunt Qin wore a deep blue cotton qipao, covered by a matching outer robe.

A red scarf lay casually over her shoulders.

Her eye rims were a little reddened; clearly she had not slept well.

Her nose was red too, likely frozen through the night.

Both turned toward the silhouetted figure at the doorway.

Lu Yuan opened his mouth.

A thousand words surged at once, emotions rising like a tide, but gratitude and pity clamped them in his throat.

He wanted to say thank you.

He wanted to say you worked so hard.

He wanted to say what kind of fortune had let him meet both of them in this life.

But those words stuck in his throat; not a single one came out.

In the end, Lu Yuan simply stepped forward quickly.

He pulled the two still-stunned beauties tightly into his arms.

To be honest...

With his "small" embrace trying to hold both of the "big" Aunt Qiao'er and Aunt Qin together, it was a little of a struggle.

But the two women, finally recovered, were obedient and sweet.

They squeezed together in his arms,

lifted their delicate chins, and raised those world-conquering, exquisitely mature faces.

Overflowing with uncontrollable delight, they said in coquettish voices:

"When did you come back~?"

Lu Yuan said nothing.

He just held them tightly,

then bowed his head, and in front of Aunt Qiao'er’s slightly stunned eyes, kissed her.

Then he turned and kissed Aunt Qin.

At that moment, both mature beauties instantly blushed.

Outside the tent, the morning was perfect.

Cooking smoke dissipated.

The aroma of pork stewed with pickled cabbage drifted from the mess, mixed with the wheaty scent of fresh steamed buns.

It warmed the cold air.

Chen Fushun squatted at his tent entrance holding a bowl of hot porridge,

squinting in the sun and slurping now and then, clearly enjoying it.

In the distance, Fengtian City’s gates slowly opened.

Carriages, horses, and people began flowing into the city that had slept through the night.

A new day was beginning.

Holding the two beauties close, Lu Yuan was silent for a long while.

After a moment, he mumbled:

"The old man at home wants liquor. It must be Maotai."

Aunt Qin blinked.

Aunt Qiao'er smiled.

"Got it~"

She said softly:

"I already prepared some~"

……

Fengtian City, the Zhao household, rear courtyard main room.

After returning from the tent area, Lu Yuan had planned on casually grabbing a bite,

or letting the servants at Aunt Qiao'er’s house quickly make some nourishing noodle soup—after a night like that, no one would care about fancy food.

But before he could speak, he was pressed down onto the kang in the warm main room.

"Sit, don’t move."

Aunt Qin removed her outer robe and hung it over the screen, an imperious playfulness in her tone that left no room for argument.

"All the cold should be driven out, warm your hands first."

Aunt Qiao'er had slipped out without him noticing, leaving only a soft "I’ll be right back"

Her voice gentle, the end carrying a barely concealed affection.

Lu Yuan sat on the kang edge, looking around the warm room.

The earth dragon stove was burning strongly; the warm bricks transmitted heat through his shoes to his soles.

The window was covered with fresh cotton paper, turning winter’s harsh light into a soft milky glow.

A copper basin in the corner burned silver frost coal, and alongside it lay pricey spirit meat, giving off no smoke, only a steady warmth.

Before he could inspect it further, the door flap lifted and Aunt Qiao'er returned.

Two maidservants followed, one carrying a red-lacquered, gold-painted food box, the other bearing a steaming copper pot.

"Wash your hands first."

Aunt Qiao'er personally wrung out a hot hand towel and handed it to him.

Lu Yuan took it; it was hot, carrying a faint scent of tallow.

He wiped his face and was about to protest that it was unnecessary—

The door flap rustled again.

This time an old housekeeper in a gray jacket entered, holding a large blue-and-white bowl.

Inside was rich ginger-jujube tea; the jujubes pitted, ginger shredded fine, steam rising sweetly.

"For driving out the cold."

Aunt Qiao'er took it, blew gently, and put it to his lips:

"Good boy~ Be obedient~"

"Drink it while it's hot~"

Lu Yuan: ...

This whole setup...

felt like being fussed over like a child!

Lu Yuan obediently opened his mouth.

The ginger tea slid down his throat, burning all the way to his stomach, chasing out a night’s worth of chill from his bones.

After the tea, the main room’s table was already filled with food.

It turned out Aunt Qiao'er had sent people hurrying back from outside the city to prepare the meal early.

"After the meal, take a good nap. Look at you—your face is all chapped from the cold!"

Aunt Qin tugged him toward the table, speaking with tender reproach.

Lu Yuan, however, shook his head:

"Not today. I just got back; there’s a lot to do."

Today he had to see two people.

One was Celestial Master He Xun.

The other was Shen Shulan.

He would visit Celestial Master He Xun partly as a junior paying respects after returning,

and partly to ask if, given the current situation, he could help sway the villagers’ vote or something.

After all, He Xun was a Celestial Master of the Upper Three Gates; his words carried weight.

If He Xun took the lead, this might be resolved quickly.

Seeing Shen Shulan was obvious.

Last time things had been too rushed after the Nurturing Malevolence Site. There hadn’t been a chance to thank her properly.

The matter at the Nurturing Malevolence Site owed much to Shen Shulan.

Not just Shen Shulan herself, but the valuable artifacts she’d brought from home.

Otherwise, those remaining Nurturing Malevolence Sites wouldn’t have been taken down so easily, nor would so much time have been saved.

Lu Yuan truly felt he owed her a lot.

He owed her in every way—not just favors, but materially as well.

Favors could be returned later when there was a chance.

But the expensive ritual tools had to be returned immediately.

Lu Yuan selected some powerful items from his system space,

so he had prepared a top-tier ritual tool, the same grade as the Divine Heaven Thunder Technique Sword.

This couldn’t be a token equal to the hundred-coin item Shen Shulan lent him; he needed to express real thanks.

He understood the principle of repaying a drop of kindness with a fountain of gratitude.

Lu Yuan wasn’t stingy nor miserly.

Besides, he could always earn such items again through the Vanquish Demons and Exorcise Evil system!

By the time he left the Zhao household, it was nearly noon.

He carried that heavy sword casket and climbed into the carriage Aunt Qiao'er had prepared, heading to the rear compound behind Beihua Tower.

The casket was fine golden-threaded nanmu wood, corners bound in white bronze, cool to the touch and heavy in the hand.

Inside lay the top-tier ritual weapon he’d obtained from the Vanquish Demons and Exorcise Evil system:

The Xuan Yuan Evil-Slaying Edict Sword!

Same rank as the Divine Heaven Thunder Technique Sword, but not of the thunder lineage.

Its core came from a millennium lightning-struck jujube wood from the Zhongnan Mountains, embedded with Five-Thunder Talismans, the Dootian Lawmaster seal, and three true-form edicts from the Northern Polar Demon-Repelling Institute.

On the day it was forged, birds in a thirty-li range had cried out.

The system’s appraisal read eight characters: Evils flee a hundredfold, all arts return to their source.

It really was top-quality.

Lu Yuan didn’t have many items of this level,

but for Shen Shulan, he was more than willing!

Since crossing over more than a year ago, Lu Yuan had seldom felt indebted to anyone.

Only Shen Shulan left him feeling deeply owing.

And Shen Shulan never altered her attitude just because of these debts.

She still called him senior uncle and earnestly helped him.

The more she acted like that, the more uncomfortable Lu Yuan felt—he felt he owed her too much.

Honestly, it made him puzzled.

This sword was not only to thank Shen Shulan, but also to clear the knot in his conscience.

Riding in the carriage, Lu Yuan soon reached the rear compound behind Beihua Tower.

Standing at the courtyard gate, he knocked the ring three times.

After a while, the door opened a crack and an old man peered out.

"Lu Yuan of Zhenlong Temple seeks an audience with Senior Sister Shulan."

Lu Yuan cupped his hands:

"Please inform her."

The old man sized him up, his gaze pausing on the sword casket in Lu Yuan’s arms, then wordlessly turned and went inside.

The door did not close.

Lu Yuan stood on the threshold and waited.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, footsteps sounded from within. Not hurried, not slow—boots on green brick, carrying the composed air of a noble household.

It was not Shen Shulan.

Lu Yuan lifted his head.

The newcomer looked around fifty, thin, with three wisps of beard, wearing a half-worn dark Daoist robe, sleeve edges faded white but neatly pressed.

He held a string of agarwood prayer beads in his hand, the beads darkened and polished from long use.

Shen Jizhou.

Lu Yuan had seen him at the last grand Luo Tian assembly.

That time he’d only observed from afar; now he stood this close.

Lu Yuan froze briefly, then bowed:

"Junior disciple of Zhenlong Temple, Ling-generation disciple Lu Yuan, pays respects to Master Uncle!"

Shen Jizhou did not respond.

He stood in the shadow inside the door, scrutinizing Lu Yuan from head to toe through the half-open door.

His gaze was not fierce but grave,

like still water whose depth you cannot gauge; it made Lu Yuan’s spine tighten.

"Lu Daochang, you come now,"

Shen Jizhou said, voice low but every word clear:

"to seek my little daughter?"

Lu Yuan answered plainly: "Yes."

"The last matter at the Nurturing Malevolence Site was greatly aided by Miss Shen. I have nothing to repay her with, so I prepared a small token to express my thanks."

He extended the sword casket forward.

Shen Jizhou glanced down but did not take it.

"No need."

His tone was indifferent:

"Shulan helped you of her own will."

"However, after this, your fates are done. There is no need for future meetings."

He paused.

"Lu Daochang, please leave."

Having said this, he turned to go inside.

Lu Yuan was taken aback. This...

Shen Jizhou seemed resentful of him?

That could be expected.

When everyone returned from the Nurturing Malevolence Site, they were indeed exhausted.

Shen Jizhou had only one precious daughter, and seeing her come back like that, who would be pleased?

But Lu Yuan had come precisely to give thanks.

Regaining his composure, Lu Yuan stepped forward half a pace:

"Master Uncle Shen!"

Shen Jizhou halted and turned his face slightly.

His profile was stern, his eyes carrying scrutiny and a subtle... displeasure.

"Lu Daochang."

His voice remained low but sounded tempered like iron—cool yet hard.

"Your two women at home... it’s no easy matter."

"Shulan is young and inexperienced; she doesn’t see some things clearly, and as her father, I cannot be blind."

He spoke implicitly.

Lu Yuan understood.

Suddenly, everything clicked in his head.

Oh—so that’s what this is about!

Lu Yuan opened his mouth to say, "I only came to return a gift, nothing more," but swallowed it back.

Any words now would be wrong.

He could only extend the casket again and say earnestly:

"Master Uncle, I have no other intentions."

"At the Nurturing Malevolence Site, Senior Sister Shulan brought many treasures from Wuqing Temple to help."

"This is a small token from me, merely to compensate for the loss..."

Shen Jizhou did not take it.

He did not even look at the casket again.

"Wuqing Temple is the foremost temple beyond the Great Wall; ordinary ritual tools can be compensated."

He said lightly:

"Lu Daochang need not worry. Please go."

With that, he stepped inside.

Lu Yuan stood there holding the casket, unable to go forward or retreat.

Suddenly he felt regret.

If he had known, he should have had someone deliver it.

By coming himself, he had only deepened Shen Jizhou’s misunderstanding.

But he had come and held the casket out—leaving empty-handed now would be embarrassing.

He looked down at the white-bronze corner caps on the box and sighed.

Fine.

He would send it by messenger.

He tucked the casket under his arm and turned to leave.

Maybe from a night’s fatigue, or because the box was too heavy, his arm loosened as he turned and the casket slipped.

He reached to catch it.

His fingertips barely hooked the edge, but the sudden force popped the latch open.

"Click."

A light sound.

The lid opened a sliver.

No earth-shattering signs.

No lightning, no dragon’s cry, not even a breath of sword qi escaped.

Yet—

Shen Jizhou’s footsteps suddenly halted.

He stopped abruptly.

His boots ground on the green bricks, producing a short, sharp "eh" sound.

Before Lu Yuan could press the lid closed, that dark figure strode back.

Shen Jizhou moved quickly.

So quickly that the agarwood beads rolled anxious circles in his palm, clacking softly.

He stopped in front of Lu Yuan, his gaze fixed on the opened crack of the casket.

He did not reach out.

He only looked.

After a long moment,

"What is in there?"

His voice was still low, but entirely different from before.

Earlier it had been dispassionate distance.

Now it seemed to contain restrained emotion…

not shock, not greed, but the solemn delight of finding a prize and forcing oneself to be composed.

Lu Yuan blinked at Shen Jizhou’s feigned calm, then glanced down at the casket in his arms.

"This sword is called the 'Xuan Yuan Evil-Slaying Edict,'" Lu Yuan continued.

"I obtained it by chance. Its core is made from millennium lightning-struck jujube wood, embedded with Five-Thunder Talismans, the Dootian Lawmaster seal, and three edicts from the Northern Polar Demon-Repelling Institute."

"On the day it was forged, birds cried out within thirty li."

Shen Jizhou said nothing.

He stared at the casket’s seam, his eyes deep.

After a long while,

he suddenly asked:

"When was the sword forged?"

"Is there an inscription on the hilt?"

Lu Yuan thought a moment:

"There is."

"An inscription card inside the casket reads: 'Thirty-seventh year of Wanli of the Great Ming.'"

Shen Jizhou fell silent.

After a long time,

"…That thing…"

"Take it out and let me have a look.."

Lu Yuan stared at Shen Jizhou trying to keep composed, blinked,

and then—

he immediately held the casket in both hands, smiling as he stepped up to Shen Jizhou and said:

"All right~"