novelraw Chapter 428: Perhaps Young Master Tu Has Been Unwell Lately
Chapter 428: Perhaps Young Master Tu Has Been Unwell Lately
“What sort of riddle are you two playing at?”
Huo Shao Yan’s displeasure was evident as he noticed the subtle exchange of glances between Shui Qiu Bai and Feng Jiu Si.
Neither of them bothered to respond. Instead, Shui Qiu Bai turned to Tu Xiao, saying, “I’ll give you a personal seal. Next time you attend an auction, you’ll get a fifty percent discount.”
This was Shui Qiu Bai’s way of leveraging his family’s influence to silence Tu Xiao.
Though still visibly upset, Tu Xiao considered the potential to recover his losses and grudgingly held his tongue. He remained uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the journey, sparing only an occasional glance at Feng Jiu Si but refraining from any further actions.
Perhaps fortune was finally turning in their favor.
A few days after fleeing the Abandoned Planet, they discovered a Small World marked on their star map and promptly charted a route back home.
When the silhouette of the Earth Realm appeared on the horizon, an air of elation swept through the group.
They were finally back.
The Tu family members, unaware that the incoming heap of scrap metal was carrying Tu Xiao and his companions, rushed over with menacing intent when the starship landed on their territory.An impatient voice bellowed, “Who gave you permission to park that hideous thing here? Get lost now!”
Tu Xiao jumped out of the starship, his face dark. “I gave permission. Got a problem with that?”
“Y-Young Master?”
The crowd froze in shock at the sight of Tu Xiao.
Their jaws practically hit the ground when Shui Qiu Bai, Feng Jiu Si, and the others emerged from the ship. After an awkward silence, they hastily bowed and stammered their apologies.
Tu Xiao found their flustered reactions exasperating and waved them off impatiently. But before they could retreat too far, he called them back, instructing them to clean and prepare the guest rooms. Then, he led Feng Jiu Si and the others to meet his father.
Yu Zhao recalled the last time she had seen the Tu family patriarch during a grand ceremony. Back then, he had struck her as a stern and inflexible man.
This time, the patriarch’s cold and authoritative demeanor remained unchanged. After exchanging only a few curt words, he dismissed them.
As they exited, Huo Shao Yan muttered under his breath, “Uncle Tu is getting scarier by the day.”
Unconcerned, he reached out to sling an arm around Tu Xiao’s shoulders. “Must’ve been tough on you.”
Tu Xiao reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, leaping away. “What are you doing? Don’t touch me!”
Huo Shao Yan stumbled, nearly falling. His temper flared. “What’s your problem? You’re not a girl; what’s the big deal about a little contact?”
“Did I say you could touch me?” Tu Xiao snapped, brushing off his shoulder and sneaking a glance at Feng Jiu Si’s expression.
Feng Jiu Si’s furrowed brows deepened, his unease palpable. A wave of nausea stirred within him.
The unfolding farce made Shui Qiu Bai’s head ache. Without waiting for Feng Jiu Si to intervene, he stepped forward to apologize to Tu Xiao on Huo Shao Yan’s behalf.
Though Huo Shao Yan was visibly disgruntled, a sharp glare from Shui Qiu Bai silenced him. Yet, his simmering resentment toward Tu Xiao was evident in his sulking demeanor as he stormed off to rest, his back radiating indignation.
…
“Fairy Liu Yun.”
As Yu Zhao was about to retire to the room the Tu family had prepared for her, Feng Jiu Si’s voice called her from behind.
She turned and smiled faintly. “Young Master Feng.”
“Fairy Liu Yun, you were with Tu Xiao during his period of unconsciousness. Did you notice anything unusual about him?”
Feng Jiu Si’s face betrayed no emotion, but Yu Zhao detected the probing intent in his gaze.
He was suspicious of her.
Yu Zhao deliberately pondered for a moment before shaking her head. “Young Master Tu was very quiet while unconscious. Nothing seemed amiss…”
She paused mid-sentence, then exclaimed softly as though recalling something important.
“What is it?” Feng Jiu Si pressed.
Yu Zhao hesitated before finally divulging, “When I searched his body for medicine, I discovered some yang-replenishing pills.”
Yang-replenishing?
Feng Jiu Si’s expression froze.
Quickly blinking away a glimmer of mirth, Yu Zhao added with apparent earnestness, “Perhaps Young Master Tu has been unwell recently…”
Her comment wasn’t baseless. Among Tu Xiao’s belongings, she had also found women’s personal items and various… stimulating products.
It seemed plausible that his notorious indulgences had taken a toll, perhaps even shifting his preferences.
Feng Jiu Si departed in a daze, locking himself in his room for the following days and refusing all visitors.
Meanwhile, Tu Xiao was preoccupied with finding someone to repair his starship, becoming as elusive as a dragon.
This gave Shui Qiu Bai and Huo Shao Yan ample opportunity to visit Yu Zhao’s quarters daily.
The two cousins, constantly running into each other, grew increasingly irked. Soon, they began competing over who could present Yu Zhao with the more extravagant gifts.
Yu Zhao’s most frequent phrases during this time were “This is too much,” “How could I accept this?” and “You’re too kind.”
Before their rivalry could reach a resolution, Feng Jiu Si finally emerged from his room. Without delay, he announced his intention to take Yu Zhao back to the Wind Realm.
Since Yu Zhao was still nominally his Daoist partner, no one could oppose him.
When Tu Xiao heard the news, he rushed back in time to confront Feng Jiu Si. “You’ve only just arrived. Why the hurry to leave?”
Aware of Tu Xiao’s feelings but constrained by the relationship between their families, Feng Jiu Si replied coolly, “The Great Thousand Alliance selection is approaching. Time is short, so I mustn’t linger.”
“Then I’ll go with you to the Wind Realm,” Tu Xiao blurted.
A flicker of impatience crossed Feng Jiu Si’s face. “That won’t be necessary.”
“But it will,” Tu Xiao insisted, though a growing sense of foreboding tempered his bravado. Feigning displeasure, he added, “Don’t forget our wager. Until Fairy Liu Yun makes her choice, you can’t interfere with my actions. Afraid you’ll lose?”
“Do as you wish,” Feng Jiu Si replied icily, unwilling to expose Tu Xiao’s true feelings.
Shui Qiu Bai and Huo Shao Yan had no intention of abandoning their pursuit either. Thus, the group returned to the Wind Family, where Yu Zhao’s days became more eventful than ever.
In their eagerness to win, Shui Qiu Bai and Huo Shao Yan flooded Yu Zhao with spiritual treasures, all meant to enhance her cultivation. By day, she dealt with their antics graciously. By night, she meditated in solitude, rapidly advancing her skills.
In less than a month, she reached the Nascent Soul late-stage peak, just shy of the Divine Transformation stage.
However, Divine Transformation required more than accumulated spiritual energy; it demanded an epiphany, a transcendence of understanding.
This bottleneck had stymied countless cultivators for lifetimes.
Though Yu Zhao remained calm, her suitors were anything but.