Chapter 34: Phoenix Tail Flower (IV)

“Jianzun, have you noticed where that power is coming from?”

Xie Changzhou shook his head and looked towards the void not far away. “It’s right here, but it’s also not here.”

Sui Ning became even more confused, wondering what Xie Changzhou meant by his vague words.

Xie Changzhou turned around and looked at her. “Ningning, do you remember the illusion that Qi niang created in the beginning? It was so real that even I didn’t realize it at first.”

Sui Ning furrowed her beautiful eyebrows, her voice turning colder. “Are you saying that this is an illusion?”

“No, this is not an illusion.” Xie Changzhou paused for a moment before continuing. “This is the real Yong’an City.”

“But, within this reality, there exists a space that is also real.”

Xie Changzhou’s shallow pupils were filled with solemnity and seriousness. Sui Ning digested his words for a moment before understanding them instantly.

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Sui Ning’s expression also did not look good upon hearing this, and she remained silent for a long time.

Xie Changzhou, a cultivator who had crossed the tribulation, was temporarily unable to detect it. It seemed that the situation was indeed a bit tricky.

Ah Yan, who had been ignored by the two for a long time, suddenly spoke up: “Master, Sui Ning, can’t we find a place to discuss things first?”

Ah Yan’s black and bright eyes looked at Sui Ning expectantly, with a childish and cute expression on his face.

He pouted his small mouth, rubbed his round belly with his white and tender little hand, and said a little aggrievedly, “I’m a little hungry. I want to eat the food made by Sui Ning.”

Sui Ning wanted to laugh a little. She looked around and found that the street lights had all gone out, and the silver moonlight was shining on the blue bricks, making the surroundings dim, quiet, and a bit eerie.

She looked at Xie Changzhou; their eyes met, and there was a smile in both of their eyes. “Jianzun, it looks like we’re going to be sleeping on the street tonight.”

Xie Changzhou looked at her with gentle eyes and a faint voice, but one could hear a hint of tenderness: “No problem, let’s find a place to settle for the night first.”

Since they entered the city, many people have been watching them, indicating that the city is wary of outsiders.

The vendors on both sides of the street had closed their shops even before the night watch hour, and even the inns that catered to travelers had turned off their lights and refused to operate.

What does the sound of the drum represent, or rather, what will happen here at night that could make these people so panicked?

The inn has also long been out of business, and they have nowhere to go now.

The three of them walked and stopped and finally found a place to stay temporarily after an hour.

Ah Yan looked at the desolate and dilapidated house in front of him, with a statue in the middle of the house. The person’s face was solemn and gentle, but the whole body was covered in dust.

There were only a few old and worn-out cushions on the floor, surrounded by thick dust and straw, and spider webs covered the ceiling.

This place used to be a temple a few years ago. Although it’s unknown who worshipped here, it’s certain that this abandoned temple has been deserted for at least a hundred years.

Ah Yan looked up at Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou and asked in a childish voice, “Master, Sui Ning, can people live here?”

Sui Ning smiled and gently rubbed his furry little head. “But we can’t find anywhere else now. Ah Yan, let’s just make do for one night.”

Ah Yan nodded sullenly and pulled Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou inside.

As soon as they entered, a burst of dust rushed towards them, and the air was filled with a musty and damp smell. Sui Ning and Ah Yan frowned unconsciously.

At this point, even Sui Ning was skeptical about whether people could live in this broken temple. A gust of wind blew outside, and the entire dilapidated temple shook as if it could collapse with another gust of wind.

Sui Ning looked a little embarrassed and looked at Xie Changzhou with uncertainty. “Jianzun, it seems like this place really isn’t suitable for living.”

Xie Changzhou laughed lightly, and his voice remained gentle. “It’s livable.”

He gently flicked his sleeves, and his powerful and pure spiritual energy swept away, lifting the dust and straw on the ground to the side. The ground suddenly became much cleaner.

Du Wang appeared and stood straight on the ground outside the house. The sword’s intent gathered into a barrier that enveloped the entire broken temple. The wind no longer poured in, and the inside of the temple instantly became much warmer. The temple also stopped shaking and making a dull creaking sound.

Sui Ning: “……”

She had forgotten that it could be like this. She had really not adapted to her identity as a cultivator.

Ah Yan was filled with excitement as he looked at his master with admiration. “Wow, Master is amazing!”

Sui Ning also came over and blinked her bright and shining eyes, saying, “Wow, Jianzun is amazing!”

As he saw the two clear and bright pairs of eyes staring at him, Xie Changzhou’s face turned red, and his ears started to feel hot. He looked a bit lost, and his lips moved, but he didn’t know what to say to ease his embarrassment.

Seeing his appearance, Sui Ning couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head helplessly.

Xie Changzhou was really too cute! He was in charge of the cultivation world as Jianzun, but he would get shy and blush at the slightest provocation.

Ah Yan didn’t know why Sui Ning was laughing, but he followed suit when she started to laugh. For a while, the temple was filled with laughter that sounded like silver bells, mixed with the laughter of children.

Xie Changzhou’s face grew even redder, and he stumbled over his words: “Ning, Ningning, Ah Yan is sleepy; no, Ah Yan is hungry.”

As soon as food was mentioned, Ah Yan’s spirits were lifted, and he looked at Sui Ning with a puffed-up expression and said, “Sui Ning, I’m hungry. You said you would make me something to eat.”

Sui Ning put away her smile and pinched his small and tender face, saying, “Okay, today I’ll make something different for you.”

Ah Yan’s eyes lit up. “What, what is it? What’s different about it?”

Sui Ning looked mischievous and pretended to be mysterious. “You’ll find out in a bit.”

She lifted the red bricks from the altar, took out an iron pot rack from her Qiankun pouch, and then laid out various ingredients.

Ah Yan ran over excitedly to watch her busily preparing the food. “Sui Ning, what is this? Is it delicious?”

“This is called hot pot. It’s delicious, and it’s a unique dish from my region.”

Ah Yan became more excited upon hearing this and ran around, helping Sui Ning clean up. 

Xie Changzhou paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then spoke slowly: “The food over at Sui Ning’s place is indeed unique.”

Sui Ning looked up at him with a smile and a cheerful voice filled with some pride. “My place is great. We have all kinds of food, and there are still many things that I can make. I’ll make plenty for Jianzun and Ah Yan in the future.”

Ah Yan forgot the words his master had scolded him with before and hugged Sui Ning tightly, rubbing against her, saying, “Thank you, Sui Ning. I love Sui Ning the most!”

Sui Ning also hugged him and rubbed his furry little head vigorously.

As she said, how could anyone not love the technology and ingenuity of the 21st century? It was not in vain that she had spent so much time preparing and buying ingredients herself.

The poison-tongue system came online: “[You’re not very useful in other areas; you can only rely on the culinary strategy to win over Xie Changzhou, but unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to like food very much.]”

Sui Ning was a bit indignant. “That’s because he hasn’t really tasted anything yet. I’ll definitely win him over with my cooking in the future!”

The system replied, ” [I hope so.]”

Sui Ning and Ah Yan busied themselves preparing the ingredients while Xie Changzhou stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching.

His expression was still gentle, but there was a hint of darkness in his clear eyes as he looked at Sui Ning with a probing gaze.

The dietary habits and moral values over at Sui Ning’s place seemed to be different from what he understood.

So what kind of place was it exactly, with such unique cuisine and particularly enlightened and advanced ideas?

Xie Changzhou had never heard of this place before. 

His warm gaze met Sui Ning’s. Sui Ning had a smile on her face, and her bright eyes were filled with joy. 

Xie Changzhou’s heart suddenly softened. 

But why did he need to care about these things? As long as Sui Ning was by his side, it didn’t matter where she came from. 

“Jianzun, come here, come here,” Sui Ning looked up and waved at him. 

Xie Changzhou took a deep breath and walked slowly towards her. 

On the red brick platform, there was an iron pot, and under the pot, Sui Ning was lighting a fire with firewood. There were all kinds of ingredients in the pot. 

Sui Ning had prepared everything, including the bowls, chopsticks, spoons, and knives, as well as chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, and vegetables. Nothing was missing. 

Xie Changzhou felt inexplicably amused. No wonder Ah Yan liked her. They both had a lot in common. 

As soon as she sat down, Sui Ning handed him a delicate little porcelain bowl. “Jianzun, I know you don’t like to eat, but please eat a little bit. The food from my place is really good.” 

Xie Changzhou took the bowl, and his voice became particularly soft. “Okay, thank you, Ningning.” 

He felt warm in his heart, and his lips unconsciously curled up as he looked at Sui Ning and Ah Yan with a particularly gentle gaze. 

Soon, the food in the pot floated up, and the ingredients rolled in the soup, making one’s appetite aroused. The steam rose from the pot. 

Sui Ning felt a little proud. She knew Xie Changzhou couldn’t eat spicy food, so she had specially made a mushroom soup base. She didn’t believe he wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

“Jianzun, try it.” Sui Ning leaned towards Xie Changzhou, with a look of expectation on her face. 

Xie Changzhou hesitated and stopped holding his chopsticks. He looked away from her eyes and slowly took a bite of the food. 

“How is it?” 

A familiar, sweet fragrance hit his nose, and he paused for a moment, just as he met Sui Ning’s bright eyes. 

Xie Changzhou looked at her with a hint of tenderness in his gaze, and his voice was soft and gentle. “It’s very good. Ningning’s cooking is naturally excellent.” 

Sui Ning sat back next to Ah Yan, satisfied. 

While serving Ah Yan some food, Sui Ning continued to talk with Xie Changzhou. “Jianzun, Phoenix Tail Flower, appeared in Yong’an City, where not only the evil spirits were attacking but also a mysterious and powerful force.” 

She paused, her beautiful brows furrowed, her face full of confusion. 

“So, is the appearance of the Phoenix Tail Flower related to them?” 

Xie Changzhou’s gaze lowered to the porcelain bowl in his hand. His black eyelashes hung slightly, and he did not answer Sui Ning’s question. 

“Shall we…”

With Sui Ning’s words falling, the hot air floating above the hot pot suddenly changed direction and came towards Xie Changzhou.

He immediately frowned. There was a protective barrier outside; how could there be wind here?

He suddenly thought of something and looked up at the statue of a person enshrined in the temple with a hint of coldness in his eyes.

Sui Ning noticed something was wrong with him and followed his gaze.

The statue in the temple was tall and muscular, with carved eyes gazing into the distance, holding a folding fan in one hand and the other hand behind his back. The black hair and long beard were lifelike.

But such a beautifully crafted statue was covered in dust, indicating years of neglect.

Xie Changzhou’s face remained calm and peaceful, and after gazing at the statue for a long time, he slowly spoke: “The Yougu Family, You Ruoming.”

Sui Ning was stunned and tried to call up information from her system in her mind.

The system had just gone offline to search for information and had not yet come back online. Xie Changzhou looked at Sui Ning and asked softly, “Do you know about the Yougu family?”

Sui Ning remained silent, pretending to try and remember: “The Yougu Family, I think I know…”

Her face was calm, but in her mind, she was desperately urging her system to search for information. “System, please hurry up and search. The Yougu family sounds very important. If I don’t know anything, Xie Changzhou will suspect me!” 

The system quickly came back online: “[Five hundred years ago, Yong’an City was divided into two parts, one half was under the control of the Yougu Family, and the other half was under the control of the Moling Family. But both of these families have long been extinct.]”

Sui Ning looked at Xie Changzhou and said softly, “The Yougu Family was once a prominent family in Yong’an City, but weren’t they already extinct?”

Her expression was a little confused, as if she had just thought of it, with a mixture of sincerity, innocence, and doubt.

System Praise: [Not bad, not bad; you are definitely a drama queen.]

Sui Ning didn’t pay attention to it and looked straight at Xie Changzhou. She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that his expression was still calm and that there was nothing unusual.

Xie Changzhou nodded lightly and said in a low voice, “This statue is of You Ruoming, the last generation head of the Yougu family. After his death, the entire Yougu family perished, and the Mo Ling family was also destroyed in that war.”

Sui Ning didn’t respond, and she waited quietly for Xie Changzhou to continue speaking.

Sure enough, Xie Changzhou turned his head to look at the statue, and his expression became a bit serious. “Five thousand years ago, when the Demon Realm broke out of the Soul Suppressing Tower, an ancient monster called Beast escaped.”

“The Beast created havoc everywhere, so more than 4,000 years ago, several major sects joined forces and fought hard. Several powerful people died in battle, and the beast was suppressed in the skyline, under the joint care of the Mo Ling and Yougu families.”

“But 500 years ago, the beast escaped from the skyline.”

Sui Ning and Ah Yan were both stunned and stopped their actions, focusing on Xie Changzhou.

Xie Changzhou spoke slowly, his clear voice carrying a hint of sadness. “The Mo Ling and You Valley families worked together, and all members of the sects fought to the death, killing the Beast.”

Sui Ning looked at the statue of You Ruoming in the temple, covered in dust, and the whole temple was desolate.

She was a little puzzled and asked, “Shouldn’t the statue of the late head of the Yougu family be carefully taken care of in Yong’an City? Why is this temple so dilapidated, and the statue of the late head of the Yougu family covered in dust?”

Xie Changzhou spoke slowly: “Ningning, it was also the Yougu family who released the beasts back then, which caused the deaths of many people in the city. The Mo Ling family came to the rescue, and even though the Yougu family later died in battle, many people still blamed them for the incident.”

“Why did the Yougu family release the Beasts?”

Xie Changzhou paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I wasn’t born at that time. According to my master, when they arrived, both families had already fought to the death, and the beasts had been destroyed. No one knew how the beasts were released.”

“Since then, the Yougu family has been insulted, while the Mo Ling Clan has been respected.”

“Although family clans were once equally strong, their treatment was completely different when they suffered tragic losses.”

Sui Ning lowered her head in thought. The Mo Ling Family—she felt like she had heard of them somewhere.

The Mo Ling Family…

The Mo Ling Family!

Suddenly, she thought of something and quickly called out to the system: “System, didn’t you say that the jade pendant hanging on Tang Tang’s body is called Yu and it’s the Mo Ling Family’s heirloom?”

The system recalled, and its tone became excited: “[Yes, it’s on Tang Tang. She said a Taoist priest gave it to her.]”

So does that mean Tang Tang is connected to the Mo Ling family?

But the Moling family perished five hundred years ago, and Tang Tang is only a little over a hundred years old.

“Ningning, what are you thinking about?”

A clear and gentle voice came, and Sui Ning quickly snapped out of her thoughts.

Xie Changzhou’s soft gaze looked at her, his face calm and gentle.

Sui Ning shook her head slightly and whispered, “It’s nothing, but Jianzun, is there a connection between the Phoenix Tail Flower and these two great families? Why did you suddenly mention the head of the Yougu family?”

Xie Changzhou stood up and walked slowly to the statue of You Ruoming. He looked up at the towering statue, his profile serene with a clear and sharp jawline.

After looking for a long time, he spoke each word slowly: “Because there is a rumor that the Phoenix Tail Flower was once a first birthday gift given by the head of the Yougu family to his daughter.”

Sui Ning was shocked. Could the Phoenix Tail Flower have such an origin?

Then why didn’t Xie Changzhou mention it earlier?

Just as her thoughts arose, Xie Changzhou turned to look at her, his azure-colored eyes filled with heaviness.

“Sui Ning, it’s just a rumor. The Phoenix Tail Flower disappeared a thousand years ago, and there are many records about its whereabouts, but most of them are just rumors.”

He lowered his gaze to Sui Ning and Ah Yan sitting on the cushion, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, “Initially, I thought it was just a rumor and didn’t pay much attention to it. It was only until just now that I confirmed everything.”

“When the Phoenix Tail Flower appeared, we came to Yong’an City, and the place where the aura of the Phoenix Tail Flower disappeared happened to be the area once governed by the Yougu family.”

“So the rumors about the Phoenix Tail Flower are true. It was a first birthday gift from the head of the Yougu family to his daughter, You Zhaozhao.”

“Am I right?” Xie Changzhou turned around, his gaze firm as he looked at the statue in front of him, and slowly spoke, “Head of the Yougu family, You Ruoming.”

Sui Ning was shocked and quickly gathered a barrier to protect herself and Ah Yan. Just as she formed the barrier, the statue began to crumble inch by inch, and the antique bronze tiles slowly shattered. The entire statue instantly turned into rubble.

A powerful spiritual energy wave emerged, and Xie Changzhou’s long black hair was lifted by the spiritual energy. His tall and straight figure firmly stood in front of Sui Ning and Ah Yan, his white robe fluttering, his expression cold.

A bright white figure flew in from outside the house, and Xie Changzhou held Du Wang in his hand, surrounded by pure and powerful spiritual energy.

The porcelain tiles of the statue fell to the ground, creating a cloud of dust that slowly dissipated, revealing a figure.

A slender figure with a big beard and a feather fan in his hand appeared—it was You Ruoming.

You Ruoming was the head of the Yougu family who died five hundred years ago.