SS CH83

Ye Fusheng spent most of the day practicing qinggong with Xie Li.

From the Jinghong Technique, he selected a set of footwork called “Unstained Robes.” The name derived from the phrase, “A thousand threads of rain fall like lines, yet not a single thread stains the robes.” Simple and agile, it was perfectly suited for a child of Xie Li’s age.

The boy was highly talented and possessed the resolve to endure hardship. He practiced every single movement Ye Fusheng taught him multiple times until it was etched into his mind. He meticulously pondered over every spoken principle, terrified of missing a single word.

It wasn’t until Xie Li was utterly exhausted, and Ye Fusheng deemed it enough, that he grabbed the boy, tossed him onto his back without a word, and headed toward the Ningmo Quarters, which served as the guest compound.

The Eldest Miss Qin had likely taken Lu Mingyuan to pester Shen Wuduan. Aside from the guards and sweeping servants, the massive courtyard was empty. After settling the already-sleeping Xie Li into bed, Ye Fusheng happened to run into Sun Minfeng on his way out.

Seeing Ye Fusheng, the Ghost Physician’s eyes curved into a smile. “Young Master Ye, what a coincidence.”

“Quite a coincidence.” Ye Fusheng leaned against the door, noting the money pouch hanging from Sun Minfeng’s waist. “Is Mr. Sun heading out of the valley?”

Sun Minfeng chuckled. “I’m short two errand boys to help me out. I heard from the patrolling ‘wild ghosts’ that there are children being sold over in Huadeng Town recently, so I plan to go take a look.”

Although times were not as bleak as in previous years, everything was still waiting to be rebuilt. Many families in remote towns simply couldn’t afford to eat. If they had too many children and couldn’t feed them all, giving them away or selling them was inevitable; at the very least, it gave the child a place to go. Not to mention, human traffickers always loved buying children in such places and selling them in prosperous cities, where the price could multiply significantly.

Huadeng Town wasn’t very far from Netherworld Valley. After a moment of thought, Ye Fusheng said, “I also need to purchase a few things. Why don’t we go together?”

“Sure, let’s go,” Sun Minfeng agreed.

When the two exited the valley, a carriage was already waiting. Sun Minfeng pulled Ye Fusheng inside with him. Pastries were laid out on a small wooden table inside.

Ye Fusheng picked up a piece and ate it slowly before suddenly asking, “Mr. Sun, you’ve been in Netherworld Valley for over ten years now, haven’t you?”

“Mm.” Sun Minfeng added some medicinal powder to his teacup, drinking the strange concoction that could have been either poison or medicine. “What, is there something you want to ask about?”

Hesitating for a moment, Ye Fusheng finally cut to the chase: “I just wanted to ask about A-Yao… How did he join the Hundred Ghosts Sect ten years ago?”

Sun Minfeng slapped his thigh. “Ha! You’ve asked the right person. I’m the one who brought him into Netherworld Valley back then.”

As Ye Fusheng stared in surprise, Sun Minfeng reminisced, “It was around this time of year too. He was just a half-grown teenager back then. He followed a group of refugees to Huadeng Town and fell severely ill. I happened to be short a medicine tester, so I bought him for a string of cash.”

“He…” Ye Fusheng couldn’t help but tense up, sitting completely straight. “Why would he be mixed up with refugees? What illness did he have?”

“Just the seasonal plague. However, lacking doctors and medicine, it ravaged him miserably.” Sun Minfeng paused. “As for how he ended up in such a state, I don’t know. But he was tough. He tested the medicine and didn’t die, surviving for over half a month. By coincidence, Madam Qin came to see me for a consultation at the time. Delirious, he grabbed Madam Qin’s hand and called her ‘Mother.’ The Madam’s heart softened, and she asked for him.”

Ye Fusheng slowly exhaled a sigh of relief. Even seeing Chu Xiwei living perfectly fine now, hearing these stories of the past still filled him with lingering dread.

“Seeing that he had good root bones and a foundation in martial arts, combined with the Madam’s favor, the Old Sect Master took him in as a disciple. But… heh, in the Hundred Ghosts Sect back then, the Old Sect Master had more than one disciple.”

Knowing the conditions for succeeding the Hundred Ghosts Sect’s throne, Ye Fusheng instantly clenched his fists in secret.

“In the beginning, none of us expected that the weakest of the bunch would end up being the final winner.” Tapping a finger on the table, Sun Minfeng looked deeply intrigued. “He was highly ambitious. He despised the system of the Hundred Ghosts Sect, but instead of escaping, he intended to change it. This aligned perfectly with the Old Sect Master’s own thoughts. So, he took him in as an adopted son, treating him as his own and guiding him meticulously… Only after gradually relinquishing power and stepping down over the past two years did we get the Sect Master Chu of today.”

Ye Fusheng’s fists clenched and unclenched. “It sounds like the Ghost Physician admires him quite a bit?”

“You’re wrong. I am afraid of him,” Sun Minfeng smiled. “This man… he’s easy to get along with normally, but when he gets angry… he’s more terrifying than all the vicious ghosts of the Hundred Ghosts Sect combined.”

Ye Fusheng blinked and joked, “Hearing you say that makes me suddenly panic a little.”

“Tch,” Sun Minfeng scoffed. “What are you panicking about? Afraid he’ll eat you?”

He emphasized the word ‘eat’. Hearing it, Ye Fusheng shuddered inexplicably and replied, “I’m afraid… I won’t be able to resist beating him up.”

Sun Minfeng: “…”

Expressionless, he merely uttered an “Oh,” lifted the carriage curtain, and looked outside, thinking to himself: Sect Master, this subordinate can only help a thousand-year-old blockhead of a dense elm tree so much.

The carriage traveled all the way to Huadeng Town. The moment they hit the streets, Sun Minfeng vanished without a trace, leaving only a brief, “Meet back here at a quarter to nine,” before disappearing into the bustling crowd.

The town wasn’t large. Ye Fusheng walked alone, browsing the stalls, mostly seeing crudely made trinkets. He finally stumbled upon a jewelry stall. Although it only sold flower hairpins and ceramic rings, the craftsmanship was surprisingly delicate and quite ingenious.

Thinking of Chu Xiwei’s ink-black hair that constantly cascaded down his back, Ye Fusheng stopped in front of the stall. He spent a long time picking and choosing, putting more effort into it than when he had to go undercover at Zuichun Brothel and was forced to court the top courtesan. Finally, he selected a hairpin.

It was a men’s hairpin carved from celadon. The top was fashioned into a crane’s head holding a small white pearl in its beak, perfectly lodged between the upper and lower jaw—secure, yet revealing a faint luster.

The longer Ye Fusheng looked at it, the more he liked it. Readily paying the stall owner, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him. Turning his head, he saw a girl he didn’t recognize staring intently at him… or rather, at the hairpin in his hand.

Coughing lightly, he tucked the hairpin away and asked, “Miss, how may I help you?”

Startled back to reality, the girl looked slightly embarrassed. “Apologies. It’s just that I also had my eye on that item earlier, but unfortunately, I didn’t have my money on me. After going home to fetch it, I found that the young master had already chosen it.”

Understanding her meaning, Ye Fusheng replied, “It is a gift for someone, so forgive me, but I cannot part with it. There are still many fine items here. You might want to take another look; you’ll surely find something else that catches your eye.”

Fortunately, the girl wasn’t unreasonable. “Buying and selling depend on fate. Since the transaction is complete, it belongs to the young master’s fate.”

Feeling inexplicably pleased, Ye Fusheng couldn’t help but ask, “Is the young lady buying a gift for her sweetheart?”

Given the open-minded customs of the Central Capital, his question wasn’t considered rude. The girl smiled and shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. Yesterday, while gathering herbs on the mountain, I slipped and fell, but was rescued by a passing benefactor. This is just a small token of my gratitude.”

Under his recommendation, the girl finally chose a hair ribbon embroidered with bamboo leaves. The two hit it off well in conversation and, before they knew it, arrived at the inn where this so-called benefactor was staying.

Walking alongside her, Ye Fusheng could tell the girl actually harbored some romantic feelings but was too shy to say it outright. After estimating the time, he cheerfully decided to play the temporary matchmaker.

If it worked out, everyone would be happy; if it didn’t, it would at least let the girl give up early.

Seeing the girl pacing back and forth in front of the door, too afraid to call out, Ye Fusheng found it highly amusing. Raising a hand to knock on the door, he mimicked the tone of a young maiden: “Esteemed guest, are you lonely?”

“…” The girl was so startled she nearly dropped the hair ribbon.

After shouting twice with no response, Ye Fusheng casually pushed the door, and to his surprise, it opened. The room was empty. The bedding was neatly folded, looking completely unslept in, and the cup of tea on the table remained untouched. Only an outer robe draped over the screen to dry indicated that the tenant had likely just stepped out temporarily.

He glanced at the robe. It was just an ordinary long coat, suggesting the owner was a traveler from afar.

Failing to stop him in time, the girl said nervously, “He isn’t here. It’s not right for us to just enter without permission!”

“I haven’t entered. One foot is still on the threshold; I haven’t stepped inside.”

The girl: “…”

Without looking back, Ye Fusheng spoke with earnest sincerity, “Miss, although you aren’t very old, good men are scarce these days. Regardless of whether it works out or not, you only know if you try… Although you are only sixteen this year, in another two years, other people’s children will be old enough to run errands. Won’t you be jealous watching them?”

The girl was utterly dumbfounded, likely having never met such a bizarre eccentric in her life; it was a total waste of a handsome face.

Ye Fusheng continued, “But there’s also the saying, ‘better to have nothing than something substandard.’ You definitely can’t ruin your life by marrying a beast in human clothing. Brother and you have hit it off today, so I’ll help you see if this guy is a true hero or a hypocrite. If he’s a good one, don’t let him go; if he’s a bad one, you absolutely cannot let him go! By dealing with him, who knows how many innocent girls you’ll save?”

“Young master, you… please stop talking…”

“Am I wrong?”

A faint, flat voice suddenly drifted from behind him. It was perfectly calm, devoid of any fluctuation, yet it made one’s blood run cold. “You are absolutely right.”

Only then did Ye Fusheng realize someone was standing behind him. He immediately turned around. “You…”

Standing behind him was a Daoist dressed in black and white robes, with sparse eyebrows, cold eyes, snow-white hair, and a face as frosty as ice.

“It has been many years…” Duanqing quietly watched Ye Fusheng’s eyes widen in shock. “You’ve grown quite capable, Gu Xiao.”

Ye Fusheng dropped to his knees on the spot.