Chapter 69

But just as he thought about revealing his identity to Ji Quan, Lin Xiao decided against it. They didn’t know if they were safe yet, and he could be overheard.

“That Yin family is very arrogant,” Ji Quan suddenly said.

“Ah?” Lin Xiao not understanding why Ji Quan would state that out of nowhere.

Ji Quan gave Lin Xiao a knowing look, saying: “Don’t worry, I already searched. There’s no one eavesdropping.”

Of course. Lin Xiao had been forgetting that Ji Quan was a Huangfu family member. Ji Quan probably had a qi that checked for anyone listening in. Then…he could tell Ji Quan that he was Lin Xiao.

But before Lin Xiao could speak, Ji asked, “Why did you come to help me? We have nothing to do with each other.”

Lin Xiao was silent for a moment, then said: “Ji Quan, I am…I’m Lin Xiao.”

Ji Quan went wide-eyed. “You’re Lin Xiao???”

“Yes.” Lin Xiao affirmed, taking off the mask off his face.

At the sight of Lin Xiao’s familiar face, Ji Quan hugged him. “I knew you weren’t dead! When I heard that Yin Ziju was killed, I was wondering who was responsible. You and Ling Luo, right?”

Rubbing his face, Lin Xiao nodded. “Yes, that man was too hateful. Even his death wasn’t enough to calm my anger.”

“It’s good you killed him!” Ji Quan laughed. “Killing is prohibited at Yunqi Academy, otherwise I would have taken care of him myself earlier. And he was a shrewd guy. He knew to hide from me. I could only take the opportunity to beat him up, there at Yunqi. It’s to every one’s satisfaction that he’s gone.” Ji Quan paused, then continued, “After he died, the Yin family sent people to follow me many times. But they found out about my family, so they gave up.”

“The Yin family truly are troublesome,” said Lin Xiao.

Ji Quan patted Lin Xiao on the shoulder. “The Yin family may be powerful in the refining country, but they can’t take you if the Huangfu family doesn’t allow them to! You’re my good brother, I won’t watch you get caught by them.”

Lin Xiao smiled at Ji Quan. Maybe it would be a good thing, to hide behind Ji Quan’s people. He wouldn’t have to worry about the Yin family, just live under the Huangfu family protection for rest of his life. But he didn’t want to rely on someone else. He wanted to ensure it himself, that the Yin family dare not investigate or capture him.

As Lin Xiao was thinking, Ji Quan kept talking. “I didn’t want to let that little Yin bastard go, but we were in their city. If we had continued fighting, no one would have benefited.”

Lin Xiao chuckled. “There will always be chances to make them suffer.”

Ji Quan agreed, then added, “As a brother, I shouldn’t hide it from you anymore. I am a Huangfu family member, and you should have known earlier. My real name is Huangfu Jiquan, and this is not my real face.”

Lin Xiao blinked. Huangfu Jiquan? Ji Quan really did simplify things for himself, splitting his name like to make his pseudonym.

Having told Lin Xiao this, Ji Quan, no, Huangfu Jiquan, also took off his human-skin mask. A very handsome face was revealed. With those features and his calm eyes, Lin Xiao felt that if Huangfu Jiquan stood side by side with Ling Luo, he would not be inferior.

But why wasn’t this in the plot Lin Xiao knew? What had he somehow entirely missed? Lin Xiao put his own face mask back on, sneaking glances Huangfu Jiquan, while refraining from asking questions.

Huangfu Jiquan’s name gave him authority. However, Lin Xiao was only a little brother to him, and had nothing to do with the family behind him. So, he was reluctant to say much…

Lin Xiao did guess that Huangfu Jiquan’s position in his family would not be low.

“Why are you not at Yunqi Academy? Did you graduate?” It had just occurred to Lin Xiao to wonder why Huangfu Jiquan had appeared where he had. Shouldn’t Huangfu Jiquan still be learning at Yunqi?

Huangfu Jiquan answered easily: “I should have continued there, but my family sent me word to go find a spirit grass instead, and return home immediately when I found it. Originally, some of the Huangfu family didn’t want to allow me to go to Yunqi Academy anyways. I think they want me back. But my task doesn’t feel fake, so I can only be obedient.”

Lin Xiao could understand why the Huangfu family wouldn’t want Jiquan to go to Yunqi Academy. Truthfully, the Huangfu family’s own strength could teach a student better than Yunqi Academy.

Leaving his family to go to an inferior academy far away. The Huangfu family would indubitably find it strange.

And Lin Xiao hadn’t expected that Huangfu Jiquan was in the same situation as him. Having to find a spirit grass before they could return to the Medicine Pavilion or their family.

“How are you doing now?” Huangfu Jiquan asked Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao replied: “Ling Luo and I are training in the Nebula country’s Medicine Pavilion. I came out this time to find a type of spirit grass.”

“Oh,” Huangfu Jiquan asked, “What spirit grass are you looking for? I’m not in much of a hurry, perhaps I could help you first?”

“Heaven spirit grass,” Lin Xiao told him.

Hearing this name, Huangfu Jiquan frowned. Slowly, he said: “Heaven spirit grass can be found, but it’s difficult.”

“Can you find it in three months?”

Huangfu Jiquan replied with one word: “Dangerous.”

Lin Xiao grimaced. If he can’t find the grass in three months, he won’t be putting the four-wave badge on his shoulder. He’ll have to wait to reach fourth-level.

Seeing Lin Xiao’s expression, Huangfu Jiquan said reassuringly, “Don’t worry. I know a place, maybe the most likely place, to try and locate the grass. Let’s go find someplace to take a rest.”

Lin Xiao’s eyes brightened at Huangfu Jiquan’s words. He nodded violently, saying, “Then I will trouble you.”

“So polite.” Huangfu Jiquan laughed.
……
Consequently, the two people dawdled along on the road. They talked about the things they’d encountered in the past few years. Huangfu Jiquan listening attentively as Lin Xiao described what had happened after the cliff fall.

After conversing for a while, Huangfu Jiquan suddenly asked, “Do you remember Yu Weiwei?”

Lin Xiao recalled a woman with bright eyes turning cold. “I do remember. What happened to her?”

“She’s changed a lot. And now she’s being called back by her family too. No one has told me what’s going on, but I think it’s definitely unusual,” Huangfu Jiquan told Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao felt the same way.

If it was only Huangfu Jiquan being told to return to his family, then it would concern only his family. But if other large families were also calling their children back, it might mean something was afoot.

It didn’t involve Lin Xiao though. He just needed to find the heaven spirit grass.

Slowly walking and staying at inns overnight, the two men reached the central city of the refining country after three days.

Lin Xiao thought back to when he had seen Yu Zheng and Huangfu Ling together outside the door of the Yu family house. Huangfu Ling was supposed to be in Ling Luo’s harem, ranking second. Lin Xiao had mixed feelings about Huangfu Ling now, so he asked his companion: “Is the woman Huangfu Ling in your family?”

Huangfu Jiquan was a little surprised, wondering how Lin Xiao knew her. But he didn’t think much of it, telling Lin Xiao, “She is my sister.”
Lin Xiao nodded his understanding.

Huangfu Jiquan then thought, did Lin Xiao suddenly mention Ling because he had seen her somewhere and had a favorable impression? With this idea, Huangfu Jiquan told Lin Xiao more about his sister.

“Huangfu Ling is a very excellent woman in our family. It’s said by the elders that she can be compared to a long ago ancestor. In Xuan Huang country, there are countless men courting her…Well, I know Yu Zheng liked Ling too. But Huangfu Ling doesn’t seem to have interest in anyone, she’s just indifferent.

Hearing Huangfu Jiquan, Lin Xiao thought that Ling Luo had truly captured Huangfu Ling in the original plot. To make her willing to share her man with so many other women. It was rather incredible…

Lost in thoughts, Lin Xiao and Huangfu Jiquan unwittingly came not far away from the Yu family door. Lin Xiao raised his head to catch Yu Weiwei coming out.

He hadn’t seen Yu Weiwei for several years. She looked even more lustrous, but her demeanor appeared as cold as ever. Was it popular for women to be icebergs now? Lin Xiao couldn’t help muttering in his heart.

Taking a few steps, Yu Weiwei noticed she was being watched. She looked around and saw Huangfu Jiquan and a complete stranger standing not far from her. She went over to them, asking: “Ji Quan, how are you here?”

(Huangfu Jiquan had not revealed his true identity to anyone besides the Yin family and Lin Xiao, so Yu Weiwei naturally called him Ji Quan.)

Huangfu Jiquan gave her a pleasant expression, “Just passing by.”

Yu Weiwei bobbed her head, adding: “You…have you seen Ling Luo, along your way?”

So Yu Weiwei was still carrying Ling Luo in her heart, even after all this time. Lin Xiao couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

Huangfu Jiquan sneaked a peek at Lin Xiao, then answered Yu Weiwei with a “no.”

“All right.” Yu Weiwei hung her head in disappointment. Then she twitched her face, saying, “I still have errands. Please go first.”

“Yes, good,” Huangfu Jiquan replied.

Yu Weiwei’s figure gradually disappeared from their sight.

“Yu Weiwei has liked Ling Luo for a long time.” Huangfu Jiquan didn’t ordinarily pay much to attention to Yu Weiwei, but she was so obvious about her feelings, even a fool could see…

Just that Ling Luo was an idiot…

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes at both Yu Weiwei and Ling Luo. Yu Weiwei will join Ling Luo’s harem eventually, and that will be that. Thinking of Ling Luo’s bevy of women in the previous life, Lin Xiao inexplicably felt melancholy.

“Yes, she has,” Lin Xiao agreed with Huangfu Jiquan, “But Ling Luo is still oblivious right now.”

Huangfu Jiquan shrugged, not particularly caring, saying: “Let’s go. Go to the place I talked about before.”

“Yes, good.” Lin Xiao assented

And they continued to travel towards Huangfu Jiquan’s chosen destination.

Finally, after another day, Lin Xiao and Huangfu Jiquan came to the bordering forest between the refining country and Xuan Huang country.

“There are a lot of grasses in this forest,” Huangfu Jiquan told Lin Xiao, pointing at the trees, “Hopefully, there will be heaven spirit grass also. Let’s go and find it…”

“Are there high-level creatures in there?” Lin Xiao, looking a little askance at some dark and dense foliage.

Huangfu Jiquan reassured Lin Xiao. “We’ll keep to the periphery, where such animals are rarely seen.”

“Good, good.” Lin Xiao walked into the woods with Huangfu Jiquan.

The light was dim, filtering through branches, as they explored. After a few days, they hadn’t found the heaven spirit grass, but they had come upon many other spirit grasses.

Huangfu Jiquan’s mood was good. Just being with Lin Xiao for a few days, and he’d harvested a lot of good spirit grass.

But one day, Huangfu Jiquan suddenly stopped his search. He told Lin Xiao, “I’m sorry. My family is calling me back right now. I can’t accompany you to find the heaven spirit grass anymore.”

Lin Xiao had no idea how Huangfu Jiquan had gotten his summons, but still…Lin Xiao understood. “Since it’s your family, you go back first.”

Huangfu Jiquan smiled apologetically at Lin Xiao. Then he launched away, vanishing into the forest at a rapid pace.

Lin Xiao had long known Huangfu Jiquan’s cultivation was strong. But Lin Xiao couldn’t stop being shocked every time he saw it.

Lin Xiao shrugged. His instincts tell him he’ll definitely find heaven spirt grass in this forest! Along with that assurance, however, Lin Xiao couldn’t shake a feeling of uneasiness.

All along, he had wondered…what was going to happen when he did find the heaven spirit grass.

No…He must be thinking too much. Lin Xiao frowned, and ignoring his own disquiet, bowed his head and continued his search.