Chapter 141
For Xu Zirong, it was his obsession to get Xu Ziyan, and the backlash was also based on this obsession.
If his obsession no longer existed one day, then it would lose its purpose of existence, and the backlash would no longer be there either.
It can be said that Xu Zirong was really lucky. People who’re stubborn naturally have unfulfilled wishes, but in his case, his ultimate wish got fulfilled. Although he still had doubts for his brother more or less, it would become less and less obvious along with time, and it’d disappear one day as well. Eventually, he’d believe that his brother entirely belonged to him, and that would be the moment when the backlash of the Blood Sea Heart Sutra disappeared.
After telling his brother what he had just learned, Xu Ziyan felt like laughing. It’s already ridiculous that he’d become Xu Zirong’s obsession, but he’s even related to its backlash.
After thinking about it, Xu Ziyan realized that he’d got big “responsibilities”…he couldn’t let himself leave Xu Zirong, unless he could tolerate seeing him becoming a manic completely controlled by this backlash.
_(:3∠)_Damn it, and that’s all because he’s too soft!
Xu Ziyan got depressed for a while, but he was optimistic by nature and quickly put the matter aside. Anyway, he had already decided to be with Zirong, and he’d leave Zirong unless he got betrayed.
Xu Ziyan didn’t find it too heavy after taking this responsibility. All in all, even if Xu Zirong didn’t fall in love with him, he wouldn’t stop worrying about Zirong, and he knew very well that one’s character decides his fate.
“Let’s go.” Xu Ziyan rubbed Zirong’s head and told him to catch up with Jiang Ying and Fang Tianrui. Those depressed feelings were already gone, as he’d already vented anyway.
It’s already beyond his limit to be pressed under Xu Zirong, a gorgeous and slender man, and he even fainted during the process, he really couldn’t bear with it anymore!
It’s about the dignity of a man, so he had to lecture Zirong a bit!
However, as a real man, he had to learn to forgive as well, after all, this is something that Zirong didn’t ask for, so let’s forgive him!
The four of them started chatting and laughing again, Jiang Ying and Fang Tianrui breathed a sigh of relief.
They knew that Xu Zirong wasn’t an easy-going guy. Although he seemed to impose no pressure when acting coyly in front of his brother, he’s always very cold to the others, and people are afraid of talking to him.
Although Jiang Ying and Fang Tianrui weren’t treated that badly, they also felt big pressure when Xu Zirong was in a bad mood.
“Yeah, beauty, how come it feels like we’ve met before? Have we seen each other in our dreams?” A light voice came from Jiang Ying’s back, scaring him suddenly.
He was just trying to see who would dare to tease his master. Unexpectedly, when he raised his head, he saw someone in black clothes and laughing.
Jiang Ying, Fang Tianrui: =口=
“Get lost!” Xu Zirong sounded like he wanted to kill someone, but that guy only kept blinking at Xu Zirong.
Xu Ziyan looked at the guy in front of him. Although he’d got good looks too, that person was apparently more gorgeous than him. So…when he’s called a “beauty”, he really found it weird.
Also, the guy in front of him kept winking, and he really wanted to scream to the sky.
Handsome guy, you called the wrong person! Now, the person next to me is the real beauty!
What he said was true. Although the appearance of the man in front of him was slightly inferior to Zirong’s, he was definitely worthy of being called a handsome man. Different from Zirong’s cold and beautiful nature, or Bai Hua’s elegance, there’s an inexplicable temperament on this man in black clothes.
His eyebrows looked long and narrow, his nose was thin and the lips were high, his light brown eyes looked romantic and passionate. However…he didn’t look like a good person!
Xu Ziyan was expressionless, and he didn’t say a word in front of the guy in black clothes.
Just now, he felt that the man was indeed a bit familiar. After trying to remember something, he realized that he’s the demon cultivator that he’d met with Zirong in the Green Spiritual Secret Realm!
At that time, he said something before he left, which Xu Ziyan curse in his heart that he’s a pervert. Who’d have expected that he’s actually calling Xu Ziyan at that time…
Xu Ziyan felt hopeless for this malicious world! How come he only encountered gay men in this world! Does God want to force him also?!
“Hey beauty, I really seemed to have seen you somewhere.” The man in black clothes, and that’s Duan Muning, held his chin and looked up and down Xu Ziyan, and the real beauty next to Xu Ziyan.
Although it would be the best excuse to say that they’d met each other in the dreams, Duan Muning indeed felt like he’d met these two people somewhere before.
“Get away!” Xu Zirong directly showed his territory, and Duan Muning had to retreat.
Duan Muning looked slightly surprised. The exquisite young man in front of him looked a few years younger than himself. Although one couldn’t infer anyone’s age from his appearance in the world of cultivation, with his “eyes of wisdom”, he could always tell how old a person was.
With the spiritual roots of Duan Muning and his unlimited supply of spiritual stones, he’d reached the middle stage of Qi condensation. This speed was already amazing among the young generation of demon cultivators, but how come there’s such someone even more powerful, and who’s younger than himself?
At a young age, Xu Zirong managed to be at the same level as him, and even vaguely suppressed him in terms of spiritual energy. In other words, Xu Zirong had already reached the later stage of Qi condensation, and he might even break through anytime soon.
Duan Muning thought quickly, but his face still had that cynical smile, “hey, little brother, although you fit my requirement as a beauty, you would easily have wrinkles if you get pissed off so easily.”
Xu Zirong couldn’t help twitching his eyes. Even though he knew in his past life that Duan Muning was just an unreliable and filthy pervert, wouldn’t it look too ridiculous to treat Xu Zirong like he would to those female cultivators?
Back then, the demon cultivation of Duan Muning also had a fight, it’s only that those who’d participated were all male disciples who were jealous, and none of them managed to attract Duan Muning. In the end, it was a righteous cultivator who stole his heart.
It’s actually funny. Duan Muning spent all his life being a guy who started a relationship everywhere, but in the end, he fell in love with a righteous cultivator.
Moreover, this righteous cultivator wasn’t attracted by Duan Muning’s sweet words at all, but he ended up with Duan Muning anyway. No one knew how they ended up, but according to Xu Zirong’s news, it wasn’t a happy ending.
However…
What does it have to do with him?
What does it have to do with him about how Duan Muning ended up?
Wait, no, if Duan Muning continued teasing his brother, then there’s simply no future for him.
Xu Zirong’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a trace of impatience flashed between his eyebrows. It’s really inappropriate to take action in the Day Devouring City, or he would have gotten rid of this bastard already.
“Cough…Zirong, just go, there’s no need to talk to him.” Xu Ziyan didn’t have bad feelings towards Duan Muning, he’d already known that he’s being teased, that’s why he’d taken off the disgusting “pedophile” label off him.
Although what Duan Muning had said was flirting, Xu Ziyan didn’t feel the same, he just thought that Duan Muning was kidding.
But even if it’s a joke, he had no intention to know Duan Muning better. Although Duan Muning hadn’t taken any real action, Xu Ziyan didn’t like the kind of look in his eyes.
Perhaps many men find it acceptable to flirt a little as long as there’s no real action, Xu Ziyan just didn’t find it appropriate to play with relationships, no matter it’s a woman or a man.
If you don’t treat people with your heart, you will be abandoned sooner or later.
Just by Duan Muning’s appearance, Xu Ziyan already knew that he’s not someone who’s serious in a relationship. And he didn’t want his baby brother to be badly influenced.
“Hey, beauty, don’t go! My name is Duan Muning, haven’t we really met somewhere before?” Xu Ziyan took a big step and Duan Muning’s eyes flashed. He blocked Xu Ziyan’s way.
“I haven’t seen you before! It’d be best that we never meet again!” Xu Ziyan didn’t even raise his head. He pulled Xu Zirong and got aside. In the streets of Day Devouring City, how dared he move slowly?
“Eh? Don’t be so ruthless, we seem to have really met before!” Duan Muning followed Xu Ziyan with interest. He thought that he had a good memory, and he’s sure that they’d met before, it’s just that he couldn’t recall it at that moment. He was sure that he hadn’t seen Xu Ziyan that often, or perhaps just once. However, the nonchalant attitude of Xu Ziyan aroused his interest.
Xu Ziyan was speechless. Why did Duan Muning still insist after he had already rejected? As a man, it’s really a matter of losing face. Also, Duan Muning looked really good, so it shouldn’t be a problem to find a partner for double cultivation. Why did he have to follow Xu Ziyan then?
Xu Ziyan felt speechless, while Xu Zirong felt deeply disgusted. He looked at Duan Muning and he was really proud. Xu Zirong thought, “although you know how to sweet talk, so what? In my brother’s eyes, you’re nothing.”
Xu Zirong’s anger disappeared at this moment, as he had quickly spotted the change of attitude of his brother.
He had once spoilt Xu Zirong as a family member, and now it’s added with protection as a lover.
His elder brother might not have noticed it yet, but he had already learnt how to stay a certain distance away from the others, especially people who had bad intentions.
And it’s a great feeling for Xu Zirong…
Xu Zirong smiled, as he knew that his brother took him seriously.
Xu Zirong felt that there was a sweet smell in his heart spreading gradually, and his brother’s thoughtfulness showed vividly at this moment.
His eyes gleamed, he approached his brother, reached out to take his arm, and gave Duan Muning a threatening glance.
Duan Muning, who had been planning to continue bothering him, suddenly stopped and looked at these two unusually “close” brothers, who understood everything at that moment.
“Tsk tsk, how come all beauties are taken?” Duan Muning shook his head with sorrow and abandoned the thought of chasing Xu Ziyan. Although Xu Ziyan really suited him, his bottom line told him that he must never pursue someone who’s taken.
Moreover, in the process of chasing just now, he finally remembered where he’d seen these two people.
The glimpse before leaving the Green Spiritual Secret Realm didn’t leave him a deep impression. Xu Ziyan looked handsome back then, but he wasn’t as mature-looking as now.
Licking his lips lightly, Duan Muning’s face showed a trace of regret. Indeed, mature men are the most attractive, it’s a pity that he never got his chance.
But…he rolled his eyes and there’s a sudden thought in his mind: although most demon cultivators are attractive, he still hasn’t found a suitable target to exchange primordial yang. However, the righteous cultivator that he’d seen just now made him think differently.
Although he had always thought that all righteous cultivators were fake, the righteous look on him indeed caught his attention.
He really wanted to know what would happen if he could put such a man under him and do whatever he wanted…how hot that scene would be?
Duan Muning’s heart moved, and he immediately made up his mind to head to the territories controlled by righteous cultivators!
Xu Ziyan didn’t know that such a small action of his had already changed someone’s fate…
The four of them came to the auction house of Qilian family. Xu Ziyan showed the steward a few pieces of associated ores of five-element prismatic crystal, and the steward immediately assigned them to a private room on the second floor.
As there wasn’t a big auction that day, their associated ores were easily placed into the queue for auction. Xu Ziyan gave all the associated ores except the three spiritual crystals of water, wood and fire attributes.
None of the four of them were proficient in refining Qi, so it was useless to keep those materials. Xu Ziyan just kept the three spiritual crystals separately.
Such top-quality materials could be served as the main material of the magic weapon of life, and of course they must be reserved for their own people.
Seeing that the ores were sold out, and there were more and more spiritual stones in their pockets, Xu Ziyan suddenly felt like he’d gotten rich overnight.
The bag of associated ores were sold for a total of 623 high-level spiritual stones. It was a huge difference when comparing to the 20 middle-level spiritual stones a month ago.
“Huh, I didn’t expect to sell these for such a huge amount of money.” Xu Ziyan imagined the scene when they would collect the spiritual stones and he couldn’t stop smiling.
Jiang Ying and Fang Tianrui seemed calm on the surface, but the shock in their eyes was obvious.
In Wuti City, both the Jiang and Fang families were considered as small families, even for the candidate of patriarch like Fang Tianrui, he was already considered rich by having five to six middle-level spiritual stones in the pocket.
“This time, I really made a fortune.” Jiang Ying whispered to himself. At some point, the evil Jiang Ying came up. After hearing the prices of the ores in the hall, there seemed to be symbols of spiritual stones in his eyes…
Fang Tianrui smiled slightly. He was already tied to Xu Ziyan and the others. Based on his understanding of these two people, if Xu Ziyan got some benefits, he and Jiang Ying would be benefited too.
“Brother, let’s go back.” Seeing that all the associated ores had been sold out, Xu Zirong planned to return to the inn.
But Xu Ziyan didn’t mean to leave yet. Instead, he watched the auction below with attention.
In addition to the big auction at the end of each month and the inherent things, the Qilian family sometimes added extra stuff. Just like the ores being added that time, if they got the news sooner, then the price might get even higher. However, Xu Ziyan didn’t want to attract others’ attention, so he didn’t have the idea of bringing these associated ores for the auction at the end of the month.
He thought that someone might notice something among these associated ores, and to play safe in the territories of demon cultivators, he’d rather play it safe.
“The next item should be familiar to everyone.” The girl on the stage smiled, and there’s a little helplessness in her tone.
The cultivators in the hall couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and they all seemed to know what was going to be shown next.
There was even a cultivator who blamed the girl, “you’ve been trying to sell it for a month and it still hasn’t been sold. Why bother to ask each time? It’s a waste of everyone’s time.”
The girl smiled helplessly, “as you all know, the rules of our auction house have always been the same. If no one cares about it within a month, it is then completely unsold. Today is the 29th day, and it will be considered as unsold after one more day. Besides…perhaps there’d be someone with wisdom who appreciates this item today.”
“Come on.” The cultivator complained in a low voice, “it’s just a broken cloth with messed up symbols. Even if I’m not someone with wisdom, I know that it’s just a child’s painting.”
The girl didn’t get angry when she heard this. In fact, this item for auction had been in her hands for almost a month. For her, it was indeed a bit irritating to auction this item so often. But she would certainly not speak like that cultivator, as she had to take care of the reputation of the auction house.
She just smiled, then took out a piece of cloth from the counter in front of her.
Yes, it’s a real broken cloth!
No matter how you look at it, it’s just a broken cloth with messed up symbols.
The girl raised her voice and said, “according to the owner of this item, this item originated from ‘Return to Nothingness’, and he obtained it by sheer luck. This cloth cannot be destroyed by water or fire and cannot be invaded by divine consciousness. However, aside from the grimace on this cloth, he still hasn’t discovered its secret.”
When the girl mentioned about the cloth, her mouth twitched a bit. However, out of professionalism, she soon resumed normal and showed that cheerful smile again.
“This piece of cloth costs 1000 middle-level spiritual stones, and the auction will start now.” Afterwards, the girl lifted the broken cloth and showed it to everyone in the hall.
At the same time, she used a magic trick to release some fire to burn the cloth, then took a basin of clean water and put the cloth in, using facts to prove that the cloth was indeed not influenced by water nor fire.
More than half of the guests in the hall went frequently to the auction house, and they had already understood everything about this cloth. The girl tried to sell the cloth with hard effort, but the old customers completely ignored her, and even used this opportunity to build relationships among themselves.
As for the new customers, they had already known about this broken cloth through the others. Only a few people used their divine consciousness to test whether it could really be blocked by it. Then, they stopped considering about it.
After all, although it’d be a great item to have, it’s just a small piece of cloth, and 1000 spiritual stones of middle-level was a high price. People were not convinced by it.
“Let me ask, Qingling, can’t you charge lower for this thing? If it’s cheaper, I might buy it and study it well.” An old man with grey hair stroked his beard and complained.
The girl called Qingning smiled helplessly, “the price is decided by its owner, and we can’t change it.”
The old man could only sigh lightly and shake his head. Those who owned a thousand middle-grade spiritual stones could buy a better magic weapon to isolate divine consciousness, why bother to buy such a broken cloth?
The girl also looked helpless. If it was her who decided the price, then she would think that even 10 middle-level spiritual stones would be the highest, and it’s only because it could isolate divine consciousness.