My Husband’s Ascension C29 (Part 2)
Chapter 29.2 Divination
Though he had foreseen their meeting at Jimo Sea, Lord Yaoguang never expected Dao Lord Tianshu to appear before him in such a condition.
“You—”
He could scarcely believe his eyes, taking in the figure before him.
Robe tattered to shreds, dirt obscuring any trace of its original hue.
His silver hair, once shimmering with a moonlit sheen, was now disheveled like withered straw.
And the wounds, so many left untreated, layered anew with each outburst of sword intent along the way, old injuries compounding new ones. The sight was nothing short of wretched.
“It’s of no consequence.”
Unlike Lord Yaoguang’s stunned, hesitant expression, Dao Lord Tianshu’s face remained composed.
His strength was scarce now; he had no luxury to spare in tidying his outward appearance.
“First, speak of Zhongli’s matter.”
Without much small talk, his gaze swept across the documents on the table and he said in a measured voice, “This time the rot in the Zhongli Clan began from within. As clan head, it was my oversight. I should be removed from office first. As for the rest, those who line their pockets, those who pay lip service while betraying duty, you ought to have found some clues. Execute those who must be executed; exile those who must be exiled.”
Lord Yaoguang sighed, tapping his brow with his fan in vexation. “Easier said than done. You know how the Zhongli Clan was rebuilt—they were raised amid untold childhood sufferings. You and I should understand best: having endured so much as children without proper guidance, they now try to make up for their past by doing these foolish, grasping things…”
What Lord Yaoguang did not say outright was that many of those involved were the Dao Lord’s close kin, including members of his mother’s branch.
By strict clan law, those to be punished, the dead or exiled, would include his very blood.
“The rules admit no exception,” Dao Lord Tianshu stated without visible emotion. He lowered his eyes. “I failed to distinguish right and wrong with acuity. In accordance with clan rules I must also be lashed. Fix a date and let it be done alongside the others.”
Lord Yaoguang had always known the Dao Lord’s cruelty toward others was matched by cruelty to himself; today he saw that cruelty anew. He stared at him helplessly for a while, then made a last attempt at protest, “And the new clan head? Who will fill these vacancies? The Tushan Clan watches like a tiger ready to pounce. If you punish those above in the Zhongli leadership, the clan’s operations will halt. Who will sustain so large a family?”
Dao Lord Tianshu lifted his eyes to meet him.
Lord Yaoguang immediately waved off the notion. “I cannot manage it! Besides, any respect these people show me is only because of your reputation. Leave me here, and very few would truly follow me; the chaos would surely deepen.”
After saying this, Lord Yaoguang felt as though he had glimpsed the words ‘useless’ shining from those crystalline eyes.
“I will remain here until a suitable heir to lead the Zhongli Clan is chosen.”
Finally, they reached the heart of the matter. Lord Yaoguang grabbed a chair and sat across from him.
“Why did you suddenly vanish from the Blessed Land of Langhuan? Where have you been this past month?”
“Kunwu didn’t dare make a scene, but secretly they searched desperately. There’s talk you visited the Divine Farmer Sect; yet if you did go, how come your injuries show not the slightest sign of healing?”
“Moreover—” Lord Yaoguang’s gaze sharpened, piercing toward Tianshu’s chest as if through flesh, fixating on the golden core within. “Your cultivation, what happened to it?”
Lord Yaoguang had long suspected that this recent period of closed-door cultivation might yield little progress. But he had never anticipated that it wouldn’t just stagnate, but had even regressed a full realm!
The realm that had taken seven centuries to break through! Seven centuries of precious time!
He was about to speak further when the man across from him rose abruptly and walked toward the second-floor window.
This was the Zhongli Clan’s family estate: eternally silent, solemn, and echoing only with the whispers and screams of swords.
However, when Tianshu gently pushed open the window, peals of children’s laughter drifted in. Beyond the frost-kissed maple grove his gaze fell almost immediately upon the cluster of little figures surrounding a single presence.
“—Xie Tanzhao, I’ll warn you one last time! Yaos may be slain but not humiliated! If you tell these damned children they may ride on my back again, I’ll eat every last one of them the moment you’re not looking!”
There were so many of the Zhongli children that knowing one was like harvesting a string of buried tubers, one after another they popped up.
Zhao Zhao had only come across a toddler crying in the household and meant to have Li Feng shift into his original form to soothe her. The child, placated, ran back and returned with a great throng of companions who all begged to pet the big doggie.
Zhao Zhao had meant to refuse, but before she could speak Zhongli Shun consoled, “It’s fine, Master; don’t feel obliged if it’s too troublesome. These younger brothers and sisters of mine have been locked inside the compound since they were little—never seeing the outside, never before seeing a dog. We’re used to this kind of life where we cannot have things we love…”
Zhao Zhao could not stand such words. She snapped, “Pet all you want, everyone! All of you may pet him! A dog yao fattened on those precious spiritual fruits is meant to be petted!”
With that she forced Li Feng back into his beast form; the canine yao could only gnash his teeth in impotent fury.
Nearby, the Tushan arctic fox covered his lips and laughed softly. “You dare address the master by name like that? Such a mutinous dog yao truly has no manners! Master, if you go out again, do not bring him. Even should this servant be asleep, you may wake me.”
Zhao Zhao had already resolved, in her own heart, to take Zhongli Shun in. Sooner or later the Tushan Clan would learn of it; there was no longer reason to hide that she kept the arctic fox by her side.
Li Feng could not bear to hear the arctic fox put on that affected, coquettish act again. Grinding his back teeth, he growled, “Indeed, how could we, of the dog race, compare to your fox-kind in manners?”
“Fox? Foxie!”
At the keyword, a small child’s eyes lit up. She dashed straight toward the arctic fox. “You’re a foxie? Can I touch your big tail?”
The arctic fox froze in horror and scrambled toward Zhao Zhao, who was seated on the swing beneath a tree.
“My tail is only for Master to touch!”
Zhao Zhao, sitting on the swing with a little girl in her lap, gently stroked the arctic fox’s head, then her expression softened with a touch of melancholy, “Xiao Bai, they’ve had no parents since birth. They’ve never even been outside the compound…”
(TLN: Xiao Bai (小白) means ‘little white’. It’s a cute name for a pet, like snow, tofu, or cloud.)
“It’s not my fault they were confined"
The fox, called Xiao Bai by Zhao Zhao, bristled in anger. His fur required daily care, what if these children touched it, dirtying or messing it up!
The little girl in Zhao Zhao’s lap looked up with delight, “Foxie has a name too? So his name is Xiao Bai?”
Zhao Zhao gently held the girl’s hand and stroked the arctic fox’s ears, which had puffed up in annoyance.
Beneath the gentle autumn sunlight, the girl’s amber eyes reflected the warm glow, her hair fluttering with the soft sway of the swing, weaving layer upon layer like silken threads around something unseen.
From the second floor, Dao Lord Tianshu heard her say—
“The fox didn’t have a name; I gave him one.”
“From now on, you can just call him Xiao Bai.”
Maple leaves fluttered down, carried by the cool autumn breeze, stirring memories long tucked away.
It was the first day he had recovered from his injuries at the Xie Residence.
The girl carefully removed the bandages. Though the horrifying wounds had already healed, for some reason, her fingers still trembled slightly as they brushed against his skin.
She placed his freshly made clothes behind the screen, quietly waiting for him to change.
When he emerged from behind the screen, he glimpsed a look of awe in her eyes.
Flustered, she quickly averted her gaze.
Though the route was well-trodden, she nearly fell as she stepped over her own doorstep.
He immediately caught her by the arm, steadying her before releasing her.
Inside, the Xie family watched them curiously.
The girl calmly positioned herself in front of him, smiling slightly, yet with a sense of solemnity as she introduced him to her family:
—This is the person I rescued.
—He lost his memory and doesn’t remember his own name, but I gave him one.
—From this day forward, he shall be called Xie Lanshu.
What he had once thought scattered by his millennia of memories now returned with astonishing clarity.
He remembered the warmth of her grasp on his arm, the flush of crimson across her cheeks.
He remembered how, though barely reaching his chest, she had stood before him, her small frame a shield meant to comfort him.
Legends say that a person’s soul is hidden within their name; to carelessly reveal it to wandering spirits or wild ghosts risks capture and consumption, vanishing from the mortal world.
Yet no one speaks of how the one who is given a name may also become a puppet of the giver—forever bound, eternally imprisoned beneath that name, never to be freed.
“…You didn’t come here to deal with the Zhongli Clan, did you? You came for her.” Lord Yaoguang moved to the window, standing alongside him to survey the scene outside.
“It seems that, by some twist of fate, she became acquainted with a child of the Zhongli Clan. Though gifted, the child had no parents and suffered constant bullying. Miss Xie, being tender-hearted, sought to remove him from the Zhongli Clan.”
“However, the children who wish to leave with her are more than one. All of them watch eagerly. I haven’t yet decided how to handle this, so I allowed her to stay in the residence for a few days, to soothe them on my behalf.”
Dao Lord Tianshu tilted his head, his gaze falling upon him, eyes cold and clear as frost.
Seeing this, Lord Yaoguang’s mischief stirred; he deliberately spoke with a layered meaning, “Yes, indeed, there is a touch of old affection…”
The teacup on the table exploded without warning, startling Lord Yaoguang.
“Alright, alright! By old affection, I meant when she first came to Kunwu, and those elders at Tianxuan stopped her from seeing you. She was so furious she punched Tianquan.”
Lord Yaoguang lamented slowly, “You know how those elders are. After cultivating for so long, mortals are like ants in their eyes. I just blocked them for her a little. Perhaps because of that, she took a liking to me and agreed.”
Dao Lord Tianshu slowly withdrew his gaze. “I didn’t ask.”
“All right, all right, I just chatter too much, that’s all.” Lord Yaoguang didn’t bother to expose him and instead looked down at the children, “Actually, it’s good that she’s taking these children away. I’ve been inquiring around Jimo City these past few days. She bought a hill on Beaconlight Mountain and built a sect there. Her master even supplied high-grade pills to the pharmacy at a steep price. For the Zhongli Clan to recover fully, it would take decades. Leaving these children here would only delay things…”
Outside the window, the young woman leapt down from the swing beneath the maple tree.
She held one child’s hand while the dog yao, fed by the others, finally returned to human form under her command.
The dog yao was tall and handsome, clad in a blue robe adorned with the unique trinkets of his kind. Judging by his unwilling expression, he must have bound a yao familiar contract with her.
“Xie Tanzhao, after how you treated me today, you owe me a roasted lamb feast.”
“Roasted lamb tastes best in winter.”
“Liar! Last time, Yao Ling wanted some, and you took her to eat it!”
The arctic fox, whose ears had been stroked by Zhao Zhao, no longer drew them back and followed her closely, speaking softly, “What is roasted lamb? This servant has never seen it. Master, will you take me next time?”
Zhao Zhao, pestered by the two of them, could only respond half-heartedly, “Next time, next time… For today, let’s go enjoy the red maples first!”
The day before, Lord Yaoguang had mentioned that behind the Zhongli Clan’s residence lay a reflecting lake, where the view of the maples on a clear day was particularly elegant. Zhao Zhao’s heart was already drawn to it, and today she planned to take the children—many of whom had never stepped outside—to enjoy it.
It was a pity, though, that the Zhongli Clan’s chefs were not particularly skilled; if only one of them could cook properly.
Unbidden, Zhao Zhao thought of Xie Lanshu.
His talent was extraordinary, mastering everything swiftly, even cooking. No matter what dish she desired, from lands near or far, once he had tasted it, he could reproduce it almost perfectly.
“Excuse me,” she said, pausing beside one of the Zhongli Clan’s maids and smiling as she handed over a bag of spirit stones. “Could you run an errand for us? Buy some food from the nearby eateries and bring it to the boat on Reflecting Lake.”
The maid lowered her gaze and nodded.
Zhao Zhao also gave her some extra money for the errand, then set off with the group.
Shaking off the memories that clung to her, Zhao Zhao realized that the familiar flavors she craved were by no means irreplaceable. This world was brimming with culinary delights, and the years were long; there were still many tastes left to discover.
…
Autumn waters rippled gently, the breeze warm and mild. Zhao Zhao hired two boatmen to row them across the lake. Xiao Bai, with a flourish as if by magic, produced a bamboo flute from somewhere unknown. Meeting Zhao Zhao’s gaze, he blinked.
The flute’s melody rose, soft and flowing, as the boat cut through the lake. On both banks, the maple leaves, hardened by nights of frost, glowed red as fire, dazzling and vivid.
Zhao Zhao couldn’t help but be momentarily entranced.
By the shore, a snow-white robe brushed over a carpet of red maples, and a long-delayed figure gazed at the boats drifting across the lake.
In his memory, the girl’s smile was radiant as a blossoming flower, her eyes bright like morning stars.
—After everything at home is taken care of, how about we go traveling?
—Where would you like to go, madam?
—Hmm... In spring, we’ll go see the jade rain in Yingzhou. In summer, we’ll visit the lake to pick lotus seeds. Autumn is perfect for Wanzhou, to admire the red maples. And in winter, we’ll head to the grasslands of Qingzhou to feast on roasted mutton!
Her joyous voice suddenly fell silent, carried off by the howling wind of Separation’s Regret Heaven.
—Then…it doesn’t matter to you if I spend the rest of the years you once promised me with someone else?
And indeed, she kept her word.
He stood in silence for a long while before turning away.
…
Half a day of maple viewing concluded, and the boat docked. The maid, carrying boxes of food, waited at the side.
The children, already famished, watched eagerly as the boxes were opened, revealing dish after dish of exquisite and fragrant food.
But as the last dish was set down, Zhao Zhao’s expression suddenly changed. “How could there be Yangchun noodles?”
(TLN: A type of wheat-based noodles served in a soy sauce-flavored soup, it doesn't include any meat or vegetable toppings, except for chopped scallions as a garnish.)
Li Feng looked on, puzzled. “With so many rich dishes of fish and meat, what’s so special about a bowl of plain Yangchun noodles?”
Zhao Zhao lowered her gaze, staring at the bowl of noodles for a long while.
Back when they lived by Yunmeng Pier, though Xie Lanshu could prepare countless delicacies, her favorite had always been that bowl of Yangchun noodles he secretly cooked for her in the middle of the night, the very first dish he ever learned to make.
Before she could say a word, Xiao Bai suddenly reached out and took the Yangchun noodles from before her. Zhao Zhao lifted her head, only to see the beautiful arctic fox blinking innocently.
“This servant must restrain his diet. All that fish and meat sit poorly with me. May I have this instead?”
Zhao Zhao fell silent for a moment, then smiled softly. “It’s fine. Go ahead; it’s only a bowl of Yangchun noodles.”
.
.
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Author’s Note: The two-faced fox exists solely to torment a certain stubborn man~
