After The Death Escape and Ascension, The Male Protagonist of Long Aotian Went Crazy - Chapter 11

This development at Bixu Palace was not in the storybook.

Faced with sudden changes, Wei Shizhou’s inner alarm was already blaring.

Although coming to Bixu Palace wasn’t Shi Hua’s idea, whenever a plot involved him, Shi Hua—the villainess—would always scheme against him.

Could this be some hidden plotline the storybook never mentioned?

Without a god’s-eye perspective, Wei Shizhou couldn’t predict what Shi Hua might do. Luckily, before leaving he had packed himself full of protective talismans. He should at least be able to stay alive.

“Immortal Venerable, Immortal Lord, please take your seats.”

In Jingan City, gold was held in highest regard. The palace exemplified this to the extreme, glittering with golden carvings. The dazzling radiance was enough to blind the eyes.

It was proof of the palace’s immense wealth.

Wei Shizhou and Xie An had both grown up wealthy. They had seen countless treasures, so the palace’s grandeur left them unmoved.

As for Qin Xiyan and Xie Wanmian, they were the sort who cared little for fame or fortune. Even less moved, then.

But strangely—if this was a palace banquet, why was the king nowhere to be seen?

Shi Hua scanned her surroundings.

The servants present all looked to be people from Bixu Palace.

“The Palace Master arrives—”

Shi Hua looked up.

The master of Bixu Palace entered, her figure graceful and alluring.

Dressed no differently from the other attendants—save for the fine purple gauze gown that shimmered faintly, golden bracelets at her wrists, and a pair of phoenix eyes glimmering with allure above her veil.

Hua Jinning’s gaze swept the hall.

Servants rushed forward to pour wine.

“Immortal Venerable Shuyu, Immortal Lord Qingxuan.”

Her eyes scanned the seats, but not finding Chi Qingxuan’s figure, her nose gave a cold snort.

The woman sprawled lazily across a gilded chair, raising her cup in greeting.

This palace was no longer her home.

Hua Jinning was already several hundred years old; her royal father and kin long since gone. Jingan City had few native cultivators; most disciples were drawn from elsewhere.

Shi Hua studied the languid woman.

“Immortal Venerable Yun Yao has been well, I trust?”

Yun Yao and Shi Hua were old acquaintances, their connection stretching back a thousand years.

Hua Jinning sipped wine carelessly. “My master’s health is sound. She entered closed-door cultivation not long ago, and she instructed me to treat Immortal Venerable with the utmost courtesy.”

Shi Hua nodded. “It seems we are fated not to meet.”

Indeed, she had not seen Yun Yao in over a hundred years.

Hua Jinning only smiled faintly, her gaze sweeping across the young disciples below. With a sigh, she remarked, “Your sect has recruited many exceptionally talented disciples this year. To even contend against a flood dragon… I can only imagine what brilliance they’ll show three years from now at the sect tournament.”

Her tone was ambiguous, her eyes curved with a smile—but her intentions were anything but pure.

Shi Hua did not reply, only glanced sideways at the opposite seats.

So, she couldn’t resist probing after all.

The matter of heavenly spirit bones and immortal bones was no secret. Other sects were bound to test the waters. What surprised her was that the first to probe was Bixu Palace, an old rival of Xuan Yin Immortal Sect.

Qingxuan wore an air of indifference, as if none of this concerned him.

“Palace Master flatters us,” Qin Xiyan bowed. “Our cultivation is shallow. We only survived thanks to Immortal Venerable’s protection.”

Hua Jinning smiled. “Indeed, Immortal Venerable Shuyu’s skills are renowned throughout the cultivation world. And I must thank you for avenging my disciple.”

Shi Hua took a sip of wine. “Palace Master overpraises.”

The polite back-and-forth was nothing but empty formality.

Wei Shizhou did his best to shrink into the background.

Only now did he truly feel the crushing weight of temptation that his heavenly spirit bone aroused in others.

On the way into the palace, he had felt the attendants’ eyes on him—curiosity, greed, malice.

An innocent man gets killed for carrying jade.

Wei Shizhou had no way of knowing what awaited him in Bixu Palace.

The storybook hadn’t described much of the benefits of a heavenly spirit bone. It had only focused on his cultivation talent—Chi Qingxuan had forced him to train constantly, leaving him no time to study old texts. But tonight’s encounter reminded him: he had to understand his spirit bone as soon as possible.

“This must be the one born with a heavenly spirit bone?”

Hua Jinning narrowed her eyes slightly.

She had already sent people to investigate. Wei Shizhou’s portrait had long since circulated among the sects. With such extraordinary talent, how could he be left to Xuan Yin Immortal Sect?

That sect already towered above all others. The other sects were long dissatisfied. With a heavenly spirit bone in their hands, the next leader of the cultivation world need not belong to Xuan Yin.

Wei Shizhou immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Shi Hua gave him a sidelong glance, lips curling. “Palace Master guesses correctly. Though born with the spirit bone, he’s been lazy so far. Even my junior brother has had no small trouble teaching him.”

Wei Shizhou twitched his lips.

Slandering him to his face—well, that was new.

But since she was covering for him, he’d swallow the insult!

“Is that so?”

Hua Jinning was half-convinced. Perhaps he had grown arrogant because of his spirit bone. Still, it mattered little—what she wanted was not the boy himself.

Her thoughts spun as she drained her cup, wiping her red lips with a finger before smiling faintly. “It’s getting late. I shall have quarters prepared for our honored guests.”

Thus, the banquet ended.

Servants led them away to their respective rooms.

Though the palace occupied a third of Jingan City, its inhabitants were surprisingly few. The sandstorms outside were much gentler within its walls.

Shi Hua gauged the hour, then sat cross-legged on the bed in meditation.

At the hour of the Tiger, a soft knock came at the door.

Then someone quietly pushed it open.

Shi Hua opened her eyes slowly, gaze calm, as though she had already expected the visitor.

“Immortal Venerable.”

Hua Jinning bowed deeply. “This bow is on behalf of my disciple, who died unjustly. The Immortal Venerable’s favor to me goes beyond words.”

Shi Hua did not move.

Hua Jinning bowed again. “This bow is for saving me five hundred years ago. Without Immortal Venerable, there would be no Jinning today.”

“Rise.”

Shi Hua’s eyes lingered on her veil, her gaze shifting. “Your face has not healed yet?”

Hua Jinning’s hand moved instinctively to her cheek, her smile faintly bitter. “It was my own mistake. I deserve the punishment.”

“Enough.” Shi Hua did not wish to revisit the past. “Why has Yun Yao secluded herself this time? Her cultivation cannot break through so soon—she should know that better than I.”

Blind seclusion could only lead to inner demons.

But Hua Jinning truly did not know. She shook her head. “Master said nothing before entering seclusion.”

“And this city and palace—what happened here?”

Five hundred years ago, the rumors had been true—Jingan City had been breathtakingly beautiful, second only to one other place in the cultivation world. Yet after just five centuries, it had become like this?

Hua Jinning hesitated, then chose to conceal the truth. “It was my fault. It ties back to what happened five hundred years ago.”

“…”

Shi Hua’s brows finally drew tight at the mention of that old affair.

“The evil arts you practiced back then—have they been fully purged?”

Hua Jinning suddenly lifted her gaze to meet hers. It was like a reproach, yet also a statement. “With Immortal Venerable and Master both intervening, how could any remnants remain?”

Then she dropped her eyes quickly, as if that flash of resentment had been an illusion.

“You still harbor resentment.”

“Why should I not?” Hua Jinning’s voice rose, hatred spilling into her eyes. “If not for Chi Qingxuan killing my elder sister back then, how would I have ever—”

Her words broke off.

A wave of weariness washed over her. What more was there to say? The dead could not return.

Before Shi Hua stood a woman who looked young, yet her eyes were exhausted, her face steeped in despair.

Shi Hua sighed softly. “Take me to see her.”

Hua Jinning nodded, faint tears shimmering in her eyes.

Five hundred years had passed. If she could have let go, she would have long ago.

Her smile was bitter.

For Wei Shizhou, trapped in an unknown part of the story, sleep was impossible.

Clutching his sword, he sat on the bed, nerves on edge.

The darker the night grew, the heavier his drowsiness.

Slap!

Wei Shizhou smacked himself hard.

He couldn’t sleep!

Until he understood what was happening here, how could he dare?

His life was at stake!

But his eyelids grew unbearably heavy.

Like a pecking chick, he nodded off—until his gaze caught a dark figure outside the window. Cold shock jolted him awake.

He fumbled for his sword and barked, “Who’s there?!”

The shadow spun around and fled.

Wei Shizhou, desperate for alertness, leapt after it without hesitation.

Across rooftops he chased it, nearly running across the entire palace. Strangely, not a single patrolling guard appeared.

Clang!

A flash of sword light shot at him.

Wei Shizhou ducked just in time, glimpsing a familiar blue hem. He threw up his hands and shouted, “Senior Sister, it’s me! Wei Shizhou!”

“Wei Shidi…”

Qin Xiyan withdrew her sword, frowning. “What are you doing racing across rooftops at this hour?”

Panting, Wei Shizhou said, “A shadow came to my room. I chased it out. Why are you here, Senior Sister?”

Qin Xiyan’s face was complicated. “…I was chasing the same shadow.”

In an instant, they both realized: they’d been deliberately lured here.

But for what purpose?

“We’ve been tricked!”

A glowing teleportation array flared beneath their feet.

Before they could react, they were whisked away.

The night sky emptied of their figures.

No matter how cautious he had been, Wei Shizhou was still caught.

His body fell weightless, vision spinning—

Until he landed with a painful thud, pain shooting up his tailbone.

“Hiss—!”

Wei Shizhou grimaced, teeth bared.

Qin Xiyan fared better, steadying herself mid-air before landing.

“It seems we’ve been sent underground.”

Dim light flickered from candles on the walls. The air was dank, heavy with the smell of earth.

Wei Shizhou rubbed his backside and followed her gaze. Indeed, they were underground.

“Are we still in Jingan City?”

“This array didn’t last long. We should still be within the city.”

So—beneath Jingan City.

To dig out such a cavern under the city… what were they planning?

The two were baffled, but pressed forward.

As they walked, light grew ahead.

Their hearts lifted—until the sound of armored footsteps reached their ears.

They ducked into the shadows.

A patrol passed—armed guards, marked with the insignia of the palace.

Why were all the palace guards here, and not above?

The two exchanged baffled glances.

Once the guards left, they crept out.

“Senior Sister, do we keep going?”

Though they didn’t know why the guards were down here, Wei Shizhou had a bad feeling. If they went further, something unpredictable awaited.

Qin Xiyan countered, “Do we have a choice?”

“….”

No choice.

Behind them was no way out. Ahead—only uncertainty.

Wei Shizhou felt like fainting.

But he had no choice but to go on.

He expected danger ahead—but instead, the path was strangely smooth.

And the easier it was, the more uneasy he became.

There were too many who wanted to harm him.

After some time, they reached a cavern.

Cold seeped out, chilling them to the bone.

A cultivator’s body should feel no natural cold—this was no ordinary chill.

As they suspected, at the center lay a block of dark crystal jade, radiating icy energy.

Upon it lay a woman, eyes closed, still as death.

Qin Xiyan stepped closer.

It was indeed a woman.

Her face was flawless, her hair piled high.

Judging by her purple gauze attire, she was someone from Bixu Palace.

Wei Shizhou cautiously tested for breath.

“She’s dead.”