41: Chapter 41 Read Less Serious Books

A few sporadic chicken crows came from the direction of the southern city, sounding listless; at this hour, even the chickens hadn't fully woken up.

When Xie Feng vaulted back over the city wall, it was much smoother than when he had climbed out. He placed both hands on the wall top and pushed himself right up, then naturally squatted down to absorb the impact as he landed inside the city, stirring up only a faint gust of wind.

Walking towards the Xie Residence along the empty street, his blind cane tapped against the stone slab road, sounding exceptionally crisp in the silence of early morning.

Those four people were definitely finished; before leaving, he had given each of them a finishing blow, and Tu Ziguan had also reported the situation to the Sect. However, Meng Yi was not a Qingyun Sect Cultivator, so rashly surrounding and blocking him might cause friction between the two Sects; they had to catch him with genuine evidence first. That anomaly indeed looked extremely like it had been polluted by a Formless Spawn, but there was no handiwork of Tsathoggua involved; since the God of Toads was so lazy, how could it possibly stick a hand into this? Besides, could Cosmic Horror creatures even pollute anomalies?

Walking and thinking along the way, the Xie Residence had arrived.

Xie Feng did not take the main entrance; Old Zhou should still be sleeping in the gatehouse at this hour, so Xie Feng could only demonstrate Tu Ziguan's behavior once more, pushing open the side courtyard door, entering the house, leaning his blind cane back against the wall, and sitting down by the couch.

There was less than half an hour left until dawn, and sleep was out of the question, but at least he could sit and let his legs rest for a while.

As he was thinking this and preparing to lie down on the bed to rest for a moment, the mark on his chest suddenly grew slightly warm. Xie Feng abruptly sat up, and the perceived location pointed directly towards the main courtyard's side room.

Xie Tianxiong's residence was right in the back. Xie Feng walked forward along the corridor, and the closer he got to the main hall, the heavier that sensation became.

A faint layer of light shone through the window paper of Xie Tianxiong's study, and the study window was opened by a crack.

How is one supposed to perceive this? With his Fifth-realm Cultivation base, if I use Qi perception, wouldn't I expose my foundation? But I'm a blind person, and I can't see either.

Helpless, Xie Feng could only infuse his ears with Qi and began to eavesdrop.

First came a rustling sound, seemingly as if Xie Tianxiong was browsing through some book. Why did the sound of these pages turn out so unusually bizarre?

It lacked the texture of plant fibers; it was tougher, thinner, and carried a subtle grainy feel, resembling pages cut from some kind of animal skin after being tanned.

Just listening to this book made one's sanity drop.

Xie Tianxiong was turning the pages with very slow movements, taking several breaths just to turn a single page. Every time a page was turned, Xie Feng's chest grew hot.

This was neither the aura of a Cultivator cultivating a Cultivation Technique nor the sign of Qi Deviation; something was seeping outward from the book, and Xie Tianxiong's body was absorbing it.

The state was not right; Xie Feng could sense Xie Tianxiong's Qi fluctuations.

Xie Tianxiong's Qi fluctuations were originally what a Seventh-layer Fifth-realm should look like—deep and stable. Now, every time the Qi circulated within Xie Tianxiong's Meridians, one could sense a sticky, unsmooth resistance. His breathing rhythm had also changed, no longer the prolonged and steady pace that a Fifth-realm Cultivator should have, but rather shorter and drier, as if something was stuck in his throat, and every inhalation had to squeeze past the gaps of that object.

Just as Xie Feng was hesitating whether to use his Qi to probe a bit, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

He immediately pulled back his Qi, shrinking his body half a step behind the pillar. The footsteps came from the direction of the main hall's front courtyard, one following closely behind the other.

The person in front walked with very light and steady steps, the interval between each footfall seeming as though measured with a ruler, unhurried and composed. The person behind had heavier and slower steps, sounding like Xie Tianxiong.

Xie Tianxiong came out of the study? Xie Feng suppressed his breathing to the shallowest level.

The two people entered the main hall. Separating the main hall and the corridor was a carved wooden door that was not tightly shut, leaving a finger-wide crack. Xie Tianxiong and the visitor took their seats in the main hall. The sound of chair legs rubbing against the floor passed through the door crack, echoing shortly within the spacious main hall.

"Head of the Xie Family." The visitor spoke first.

Xie Feng's spine stiffened slightly; he had heard this voice before.

This was that steward who kept a concubine outside.

"My master sent me to ask," the steward's voice was not loud, and his speed was unhurried, "as for the matter over at Liushu Village, has Lord Tianxiong heard of it?"

After a few breaths, the voice finally sounded, so hoarse that Xie Feng almost didn't recognize it. "I've heard of it. Sun Dayou is dead; after that incident in the Black Pine Forest, the Penal Hall investigated him. An incident occurred again tonight in Liushu Village. Was it your people?"

"Not my master's people." The steward's tone was flat, "It was the cult's people—that thin fellow, the Agent. He acted on his own."

"Why did he make a move?"

"I don't know. My master also wants to know." The steward paused for a moment, "But there is one thing my master is very certain of: that Disciple of the Qingyun Sect named Xie Feng was in Liushu Village tonight."

Holy shit! This damn stalker, playing tailing games with me? Hearing this, Xie Feng directly held his breath.

"How much did he investigate?" Xie Tianxiong asked.

"I don't know. But he came to the City Defense Mansion this evening, drank tea with my master, and my master probed him a few words. His reaction didn't look like he knew. But it didn't look like he was completely unaware either." The steward's fingers tapped lightly twice on the chair armrest; the sound was soft, but it was amplified in the echo of the main hall, "Head of the Xie Family, my master asked me to bring a message."

"Speak."

"The book in your hands, my master wishes to borrow it."

The main hall fell silent for a long beat.

"That is the Xie Family's property." Xie Tianxiong's voice became even hoarser, carrying a hint of something Xie Feng had never experienced in this man before.

"Indeed, it is the Xie Family's property." The steward's tone didn't change at all, "Sixty years ago, that ancestor of the Xie Family returned from the Far North, bringing back three things: a two-volume Immortal classic, an Immortal imprint, and an Immortal sculpture." He paused for a moment, "Now only the classic remains in your hands. My master says he is not in a hurry. My master has waited forty years in Cangyun City; he doesn't mind a few more days. But after the incident at Liushu Village, my master feels that time might be running out."

Xie Tianxiong did not speak.

The steward stood up, the sound of the chair legs rubbing against the floor dragging out very long. "Please consider it. My master also said that Xie Feng is your son, and he doesn't want to hurt the harmony between the two families because of this matter. But if you cannot keep him under control..."

"He is my son." Xie Tianxiong suddenly interrupted him. His voice wasn't loud, but every word sounded like it was squeezed out from between his teeth.

The steward did not pick up on this sentence. His footsteps moved towards the main hall entrance, walked a few steps, and then stopped. "Right, Lord Tianxiong. My master asks one last thing... How many times have you read that book?"

There was no reply from the main hall.

The steward seemed not to need an answer either. His footsteps left the main hall, following the front courtyard's corridor toward the direction of the main gate, step by step, unhurried, just like when he came.

Awesome indeed. A person of unknown cultivation base dared to threaten a Fifth-realm Cultivator; as expected, to beat a dog one must still look at its owner.

Behind the pillar, Xie Feng remained motionless. After the steward's footsteps completely vanished outside the gate of the Xie Residence, Xie Tianxiong was still sitting in the main hall. He didn't return to the study immediately; he just sat there like that, his breathing rough and raspy.

After a long while, the chair gave a sound, and Xie Tianxiong stood up and walked back to the study. Xie Feng silently moved out from behind the pillar, retreating along the corridor towards the direction of the side courtyard.

The person from sixty years ago was the Xie Family's ancestor, but the Xie Family probably didn't have the strength to keep everything brought back from the Dreamlands, only managing to protect what they thought was an 'Immortal Cultivation Technique'. But looking at it now, it was most likely some mythological book—the kind that drops your sanity after reading it. Speaking of which, Xie Tianxiong hadn't been seen these past few days; what happened to him?

Xie Feng's fingertips stopped on his knees. He seemed to understand who had poisoned him: if Xie Feng's talent was still passable, possessing a Six-meridian talent, given enough time it would be enough to turn him into a Fifth-realm Cultivator, making the Xie Family's strength greater than Meng Yi's. If they directly killed the original owner, it would trigger even more intense conflict. Viewed this way, the original owner being poisoned was most likely Meng Yi's doing. As for why he couldn't detect it...

Most likely Meng Yi also used some cosmic horror methods, right? The original owner's remaining sanity value was probably not high, which was why he couldn't sense it, and the Xie Family practiced that whatever-classic every day, so they were probably even more done for. However, when Xie Feng came, he brought the Incarnation of Yog-Sothoth, which was why he hadn't been affected.

"Speaking of which, Xie Tianxiong and Meng Yi have strong enough willpower; I've been cultivating for a year, and these two haven't gone crazy yet? What a pair of Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix these two families are!"

The direct Bloodline of the Xie Family, ever since that ancestor entered the Dreamlands sixty years ago, had probably been marked by some god. What that ancestor brought back from the Dreamlands wasn't just three things; he definitely also brought back a certain "gaze". After all, was the Dreamlands a place one could just enter casually? Whoever went in wouldn't emerge without losing a layer of skin.

The steward representing Meng Yi came to borrow the book because Meng Yi wanted to find the method to enter the Dreamlands. Could that book possibly have it?