Chapter 198 – Harvest and Return, The Long-Delayed Curtain Falls - Part 3

Back at Hundred Lotus Manor, after confirming he was back home did Li Yuan breathe a sigh of relief. He summoned a layer of shadow blood to wash away the Yin makeup clinging to him.

Outside the courtyard gate, Xiao Zhu was busy

teaching

a few newly arrived servant girls. After all, the Hundred Lotus Manor had its share of hidden secrets. Li Yuan didn’t disturb her. Instead, he headed into the inner residence, stashing the sixth rank beast meat in the cellar before calling for Xiao Lan and Xiao Mei.

Both women lit up the moment they saw him. They bustled around at once, one heating water for his bath and clean clothes, the other arranging a delicious meal. Not that they had to do any of the cooking themselves, since the front courtyard held a dedicated kitchen complete with its own chef.

Having been gone over half a month, Li Yuan roamed around to check on everything.

Outside Tang Nian’s courtyard, a sign read,

Do Not Disturb!

In another wing, his daughter Sheng'er was quietly playing a little

crow family

game. Leaning closer to eavesdrop, Li Yuan heard her chattering.

“Papa Crow and Mama Crow took the baby crows out shopping. They met lots of new friends. Everyone had a wonderful time today...”

The number hovering around Sheng'er’s crows was now 48~49. Impressive for ordinary folk, but from Li Yuan’s perspective, still child’s play. He was starting to see a pattern. Each month, Sheng'er gained one more crow, and her combat power climbed just a small fraction, hardly a meteoric rise. Heart aching at her slow progress, he went over to join her game for a while.

Afterward, Li Yuan left to see Ping’an, who was sparring with Xiao Ju using a wooden sword. The boy’s eyes gleamed with energy. Spotting him, Xiao Ju paused to bow. Ping’an ran up to him, calling, “Pops, did you bring me anything yummy? Anything fun?”

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

That earned him a light tap on the head from Li Yuan, who shook his own in exasperation. This time the boy didn’t wail immediately; he held it in for a few seconds before the tears finally burst out, and Xiao Ju led him away, soothing him.

Toward evening, a carriage rolled up to the manor. Xue Ning stepped down. She greeted him formally with a bow. “Dearest, you’re back.”

But once they were alone, she threw her arms around his sturdy waist, her face filled with concern.

“Everything go smoothly?”

“Pretty smoothly, I’d say,” Li Yuan replied. Privately, he couldn’t help thinking he really wasn’t cut out to be a grand protagonist.

His trip to Northriver Prefecture had been painfully ordinary—a bit of mercenary work, a decent payday, zero dramatic twists like companions bullying him, elders oppressing him, running into unbeatable foes, or any other sudden crises.

Mostly, he’d just tagged along behind Elder Zhu, who’d done the heavy lifting. Truthfully, it was Zhu Nuyang whose formidable abilities had single handedly dictated the campaign’s outcome.

Tall and graceful, Xue Ning slipped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “Not long after you left, Ping’an insisted on sleeping by himself. He said he didn’t want his sister calling him a crybaby anymore, and he was determined to become strong.”

Li Yuan grinned. “So the road to greatness begins by sleeping alone?”

She giggled, radiating a sultry charm she’d never show before others.

Li Yuan chuckled. “That brat ran straight up to me asking for sweets and toys. When I tapped his head, he held his breath a few seconds, then bawled anyway.”

She eased back a fraction, though their faces stayed all but touching. Her eyes shone, and she gave him a playful roll of her gaze. “You just love to pick on our son.”

He lowered his voice, teasing, “He’s not the only one I plan to bully tonight.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but something made her cheeks flush bright red. She gave him a gentle swat on the chest and murmured, “You’re terrible...”

He only laughed. “Every single night.”

She said nothing more, just closed her eyes and hugged him tight, a soft moan was all she needed to say.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next morning, Li Yuan hauled out a huge pot and five kilograms of sixth rank demonic beast meat into the courtyard, started a fire, and began cooking.

He still hadn’t figured out the path forward to fifth rank, so there was little chance of an immediate breakthrough, but he could at least keep honing himself.

Step one was to compress his blood as much as possible. Even the slightest increase in his shadow blood might let him help Yan Yu down the line. Yet sixth rank demonic beast meat was notoriously tough. It took him four solid hours just to half-cook it. Another two hours passed before it was finally done.

Taking up a pair of long chopsticks and a bowl, he dug in. Afterward, he hoisted the entire pot to his lips, gulping down every last drop of broth. Then he returned to his meditations, working on refining his blood.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later, at Northriver Prefecture...

Zhu Nuyang beamed happily at his daughter’s wedding. The lavish banquet stretched across the streets for miles. With that ceremony, the Zhu Family officially welcomed a live-in son-in-law—Fang Jianlong, a seventh rank martial artist.

Far from looking down on him, everyone in attendance gazed at Fang Jianlong in envy. More than a few guests secretly wished they could trade places and become part of the Zhu Family themselves.

Zhu Qiao’er clasped the hand of her new husband—a onetime prodigy of the Blood Blade Sect—leading him from table to table, proudly introducing him to the guests. It was a day of celebration all around.

As for Zhu Nuyang, he was in high spirits, drinking deeply until he finally staggered back to his chambers in a drunken haze and collapsed onto his bed. Before long, his snores filled the air.

Yet in the darkness, a blur of movement flickered near the bedside—a formless ripple aimed at the long blade resting there. Just before it reached the blade, a large hand closed around the hilt with lightning speed.

A shrill, piercing note tore through the night. The ripple recoiled as though scalded, hissing back into the shadows.

Zhu Nuyang lurched upright, utterly sober. Sitting there, legs astride, blade in hand, he laughed. “I left you an opening, and you took it right away? Well, you came this far...why not come all the way out?”

At his challenge, three figures emerged from the darkness.

The one in the lead was an older man, calm-faced and benevolent in appearance. Turning to the small fellow at his side, he remarked, “Chang Qi, didn’t I warn you? Trying to steal this man’s weapon while he’s drunk would never work. You see, we set our trap, but he set his own. The only reason we’re even standing here, able to slip out of the ancient ghost street from this spot, is because he allowed it.”

Chang Qi, silk-like thread swirling around his fingers, glared daggers at Zhu Nuyang. He’d seen his forces in Northriver Prefecture wiped out by Zhu Nuyang and those seven sixth rank martial artists.

The old man then turned back to Zhu Nuyang with a faint smile. “My surname is Liu. I used to be a doctor, nicknamed One-Hand Liu. You see, every time I cured someone, I also slipped them a little poison, making sure they’d come back for more. But heaven must have found my persistence inspiring, because eventually, I became...well, what I am.” He gave a courteous bow. “And here I am, face to face with a mighty elder of the Sacred Fire Palace.”

Zhu Nuyang didn’t mince words. “So you’re the prefecture lord.”

“That I am,” One-Hand Liu confirmed pleasantly.

Zhu Nuyang eyed him. “Clearly you’re not just here to snatch my blade while I’m drunk. So let’s hear it, what’s your plan now that we’re face-to-face?”

He shifted his gaze beyond the older man, noticing the tall, hulking man lurking behind him. That man radiated a scorching aura even though he stood silently in the dark, and no amount of effort could mask the potency of his presence.

One-Hand Liu meanwhile, reached into his robe. Zhu Nuyang wasn’t about to wait and see what he drew. Blinding blade-light tore through the floor and walls, slashing straight for One-Hand Liu. But the giant lunged forward, intercepting the blow in midair.

Boom!

The explosion of power sent shockwaves through the residence, tearing the walls apart and sending masonry flying. Several servants and maids outside collapsed, ears bleeding from the deafening crash. Amid the whirling dust, Zhu Nuyang yanked a crimson gourd from inside his robes.

Pop!

He pried out the cork and let a swarm of tiny mosquito-like needles stream forth. But the moment he peered through the haze, he saw a sight that made his eyes narrow.

Lotus petals, deep red, swirling like embers...began to drift through the air. They gave off a macabre yet radiant heat that spoke of terrifying Yang energy. Clearly the work of a spirit artifact...and its wielder, without question, was fifth rank as well.

“Red Lotus Cult...” Zhu Nuyang hissed, recognition flooding his face.

The Red Lotus Cult had usurped the emperor. They had aided the emperor in driving them out. Then the emperor aligned himself with the undying husks. Now, unbelievably, the undying husks had joined forces with the Red Lotus Cult.

Just then, One-Hand Liu whipped out the item he’d been fumbling for, a grim-looking mirror. Though it didn’t directly face Zhu Nuyang, something in the glass shimmered.

In a flash, it showed Zhu Nuyang’s reflection. Even stranger, the reflection of Zhu Nuyang dashed forward inside that mirror, pressing its face right against the glass.

Instantly, the real Zhu Nuyang felt a powerful force trying to drag him inside. If he was pulled in, his reflection would presumably emerge in his place.

That unnerving power forced him to divide his focus. Seizing the moment, the giant within the field of red lotus petals threw a mighty fist, a blow so devastating that it shattered the air and hurtled straight at Zhu Nuyang’s head.

Distracted, Zhu Nuyang managed only a hasty counter. Blade met fist in a blinding flash, but the impact knocked him clean off his feet, sending him flying. In a breath, the huge man flickered forward again, as if teleporting through the lotus petals. His broad hand clamped down on Zhu Nuyang’s skull, slamming him viciously into the debris-strewn ground.

Boom!

An earth-shaking impact rippled through the Zhu Family mansion. Panicked wedding guests, some still celebrating nearby, froze at the noise. Startled and confused, they scattered, screaming in fear.

Zhu Qiao’er, hand in hand with Fang Jianlong, looked on in stunned bewilderment. Her husband reacted at once, scooping her into his arms. Despite her flustered protests, he sprinted away with all the speed he could muster.