Chapter 151 – The Gentlest Protection, Curse Lifted - Part 1

A soft spring breeze rustled the willow branches in the second month of the year.

Li Yuan sat leaning against an old tree, his legs comfortably stretched out. The potent Snow Brew liquor he had been drinking gave him a pleasant buzz, letting his thoughts drift.

Over the last couple of weeks, he’d occasionally wondered if he had made the right choice. Would it have been better to enter the Clock Mansion right away? After all, doing so might reveal more about ghost domains.

But the Clock Mansion was completely foreign to him, and potentially dangerous. The living and the dead supposedly resided together there, which was hard enough to believe. There was also the mansion master and a council of elders, implying a strict hierarchy.

All that pointed to a new and likely perilous environment, possibly even more treacherous than the carpenter’s workshop. Li Yuan wasn’t about to dive headfirst into such unknown territory, risk getting enmeshed in complex power games, or end up as someone’s expendable pawn.

People loved to talk about unity and helping each other, but that was just to fool the naive. Knowledge was power; those who knew more would always hold the advantage. He knew almost nothing, so in his mind, staying away was the wisest choice.

Now, warm sunlight fell across him in shifting coin-sized patches on his wine-stained white robe, swaying in tandem with the breeze and the rustling forest. He stuck a fishing pole into the muddy bank, letting the line trail in the water.

The spring ice had melted, and from time to time, fish leaped out of the lake, thrashing their tails around his bait, yet none of them bit. Birds fluttered overhead, some even coming to rest on his shoulder, creating a serene scene.

He was trying to extend his bond to more birds. In theory, now that he had reached peak sixth rank, the number he could control should have increased. His Dragon-Fanged Blade was hidden in his sleeve as always, while a sturdy steel blade, used for scaling fish and slicing meat, stood embedded in the ground nearby.

Every so often, the thunder of hooves echoed in the distance as disciples of the Blood Blade Sect rode up. They would dismount well before reaching him, kneel behind him in his white robe, and report the latest happenings from places like the Flowerpath County and Central Plains. Then, with a respectful bow, they would remount and hurry off.

Originally, Gemhill’s seat of power lay within the inner district of Silver Creek. Yet now, above that center of authority stood Li Yuan—the Blood Blade Patriarch—transcending all other ranks.

Hoofbeats came and went. The sun rose and fell.

Early one morning, Li Yuan opened his eyes, sensing something. He held out his palms, and two sparrows fluttered down onto them. He reached out with his spirit, linking to them both. Moments later, two more sparrows landed on a nearby branch, and he connected with those as well.

“It worked!”

At his mental command, the four sparrows flew in a circle around him, then soared off into the distance. Closing his eyes, he saw the world through theirs, each view flowing into his mind. His stronger spirit did let him control more birds now, going from three up to seven. But he remained limited to ordinary birds rather than any kind of demonic beasts. That meant his scouting range was still restricted by how far such birds could fly. Sparrows in particular couldn’t cover much ground.

After a short time, he summoned them back. When the next Blood Blade Sect disciple arrived to report, Li Yuan handed him a letter.

“Please have this delivered to the Hundred Lotus Manor when you return to the inner district.”

“Yes, Patriarch! Of course!”

Li Yuan had thought long and hard about writing that letter. He missed his family, but he wanted a proper reason to ask them to visit. Now he had one. All the letter said was—

"Bring four blackbirds, and don’t come by carriage.

"

Those blackbirds had an average combat power of 1~3, not as solid as the white finches’ 2~3 or the gyrhawk’s 3~4, but still much stronger than the usual 0~1 of the sparrows. If he swapped the sparrows for blackbirds, he could see even farther. He himself had originally gathered those special birds at the Hundred Lotus Manor.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Over at the Hundred Lotus Manor, Yan Yu read the letter and burst into laughter the moment she finished.

“What’s so funny?” Xue Ning asked beside her.

Yan Yu leaned in and whispered, “Our husband finally can’t hold back anymore.”

Xue Ning smiled as well, recalling how energetic Li Yuan always was. In the past, before she became pregnant, it usually took both her and Yan Yu to keep up with him in bed. Lately, though, he hadn’t come home because of the carpenter’s workshop curse. Even after it had proven harmless, he still hadn’t summoned them. Now, at last, he’d found an excuse.

“Who’ll go first, me or you?” Xue Ning asked, who was three years older than Yan Yu and now 27 years old. She was in the prime of her life and yearned for him, but one of them had to stay behind with the children. She didn’t mention the curse, choosing instead to treat this like a happy chance to be with their husband.

Yan Yu giggled. “I’ll go tomorrow, and you can go the day after.”

“Wait,” Xue Ning hesitated.

But Yan Yu just grinned and said, “That’s settled.”

Xue Ning held back a sigh, then smiled softly. “He must be sure it’s safe or he wouldn’t have asked us. All right, you go first.”

The next day, Yan Yu rode out on horseback. Flanking her were two hulking ebony marquises, each carrying two birdcages strapped to their broad backs. Five disciples of the Blood Blade Sect followed behind. They all gaped at the two beastly creatures—like moving hills on either side of the elegant woman—yet their imposing presence brought a palpable sense of safety.

Before long, their small group fanned out into a triangular formation and left the inner district. Only then did Yan Yu breathe a sigh of relief; leaving home, even briefly, was never simple for her.

She remembered how her daughter Sheng'er had clutched her hand just before she set off.

“Go?” Sheng'er asked in a childish voice.

“We’re not going anywhere far,” Yan Yu had murmured.

“Go! Papa!” the child insisted. Apparently, she’d gotten wind of her father’s whereabouts somehow. It took half the morning, plus the promise of new sweets, to distract Sheng'er long enough for Yan Yu to slip away.

Moments later, beside Silver Creek, the Blood Blade Sect disciples withdrew to a distance. The two ebony marquises posted themselves at the road leading to the area, one on each side, ensuring no one would intrude.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan freed his spiritual link to the four sparrows, then linked that connection to four blackbirds he had requested from the Hundred Lotus Manor, sending them to monitor Flowerpath County. The place felt like a ticking time bomb, and those crows—despite being weaker than some of his other birds—would suffice for keeping an eye on the four wards of that county.

With that done, he finally turned to look at Yan Yu. Small and graceful, she was wrapped in white fur that clung to her shapely figure. Her porcelain features radiated a soft, gentle energy, perhaps a result of her many kind deeds and the fact that people often called her their goddess of mercy. Leaning delicately against an old tree, she gazed at Li Yuan with an enchanting charm. He looked back at her, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

“Did you miss me?” she asked.

“I did,” he replied.

“How much?” Her almond-shaped eyes glistened, and she took a half-step closer, settling beside him. Without waiting for an answer, she lowered her voice. “We’re outdoors. We can’t stay that way too long... it would be mortifying if someone saw us.”

Li Yuan said softly, “I can hear everything around us. Trust me, no one is anywhere near.”

Just as the two were leaning in, a handful of crows flew overhead.

“Caw, caw, caw!”

They both froze.

It felt like misbehaving students suddenly caught by a strict teacher. Li Yuan instantly went stiff and acted as if he was simply lounging by the tree, watching the scenery. Yan Yu sat primly, smoothing her hair in a show of modesty.

Three crows landed before them, each marked with a combat power of 8~9. And then, incongruously, a childish voice emerged.

“Papa! Mama!” It was Sheng'er’s voice, somehow coming through the crows’ cries.

Yan Yu gave Li Yuan a helpless look. Had she known, she would have just brought the child along. They spent a short time talking to the crows, then urged them to fly back home. Once the birds were gone, husband and wife finally seized a private moment. Like two secret lovers, they embraced under the open sky, sharing a tender, if hurried, intimacy.

Afterward, Yan Yu quickly straightened her clothes and rested her head on Li Yuan’s shoulder. Speaking in a quiet, serious tone, she said, “Husband, there’s something that’s been on my mind for a while now. The more I think about it, the more worried I become.”

“It’s about that dream, isn’t it?”

“You already know?” she asked softly.

“Go on, tell me everything.”