Chapter 29
Seeing Princess Shangyang being led away, Yu Sui continued eating with her head down.
The perception transmitted back by Strange Fire told her there were still three people in the adjacent food storage room.
They should be here to steal food from the dining hall. Since they still hadn't alerted anyone in the dining hall, they probably had some skills.
At the next table, Xue Mushi finished his focused eating session. Not a single grain of rice remained in his bowl—he ate everything clean before leaving.
Wei Ren had stopped eating long ago and just sat across watching Xue Mushi eat. Seeing him finally put down his bowl and chopsticks, he asked: "The Xue family is also considered a major clan in Taiyuan. They shouldn't be too poor to feed you or let you go hungry, right?"
Xue Mushi shook his head, stood up, and bid farewell.
Yu Sui finished eating and drinking, went to pay the bill, then left with Li Jin Shuang. Just after leaving the dining hall, she glimpsed three people using Wind-Riding Techniques to leave from behind. She saw clearly it was Mei Liangyu carrying a food box, and couldn't help but smile.
Mei Liangyu and his two companions went to eat dinner at the entrance of the Ghost Way Saint Hall.
Learning that the other two had just immobilized him because they feared he'd strike Nangong Sui, Zhongli Shan was even more confused: "Why would I hit her?"
"According to Shangyang's words, doesn't Nangong Sui have a bad relationship with your sister?" Xing Chun said while eating.
"It's not really like what Princess Shangyang said. Our family and the Nangong family do have a bad relationship, but those two girls privately get along well. They just don't show it openly because of the family conflicts."
Zhongli Shan explained: "I also have a good relationship with the Second Prince of the Nangong family. He didn't come to Taiyi but stayed at Qingyang's Military Zhongtai. I even asked him to help keep an eye on my sister."
Xing Chun suddenly understood: "So that's how it is. Then it's not like what Shangyang said, and Nangong Sui didn't abandon your sister as a friend."
Zhongli Shan shook his head, smiling somewhat helplessly: "When we were still at the National Academy, my sister would constantly talk about Nangong Sui, but she'd only tell me. Later, as the families' relationship worsened, everyone said Nangong Sui wouldn't play with her anymore. I was worried she'd be hurt, but they still played well together privately."
Xing Chun shook his head and sighed: "You people have to hide even making friends."
Zhongli Shan also sighed: "Indeed."
Mei Liangyu ate his meal with focus.
……
Yu Sui returned to the residence, flopped on her bed, and rolled around twice. Feeling restless and unable to sleep, she picked up her Wind-Listening Ruler.
Zhongli Que had sent her messages earlier, saying she went to the palace hunting grounds with her father and others today, where she encountered someone.
"His name is Gu Jun, a squad leader from Tiger Roar Camp. He came to the capital this time to receive honors and became a member of the Golden Armor Army."
"Watching them compete in mounted archery at the hunting grounds, he seemed very skilled, even outperforming Second Brother Su."
"When my cousin and I went to play in the back forest, we saw some snow flying squirrels—very cute, fluffy and round, and they can fly."
"But Qiao Xiu and the others used the snow flying squirrels for competitions and killed them all."
"When I was leaving, he gave me the snow flying squirrel he had saved."
Yu Sui rarely saw Zhongli Que talk to her at such length about other people, especially a man.
After reading, she replied: "Does this person know you?"
After a while, Zhongli Que responded: "He doesn't seem to know who I am."
Yu Sui: "Why aren't you resting yet?"
Zhongli Que: "I'm still playing with the snow flying squirrel. Sui Sui, it can fly!"
Yu Sui smiled as she read this.
Zhongli Que held the fluffy snow flying squirrel in both hands, seeing its snow-white body with only a streak of black on its forehead—very distinctive-looking. Its thin black whiskers tickled her palm, making Zhongli Que feel slightly itchy.
The snow flying squirrel flew from her palm to a tree outside the window, looking back at Zhongli Que from the high branches.
"Come back," Zhongli Que called softly. "Your injury isn't healed yet. Wait until you're better before leaving, okay?"
The snow flying squirrel seemed to understand. It circled the tree twice before flying back, caught by Zhongli Que's outstretched hand.
"It's so cute, I really wish you could see it too," Zhongli Que said happily. "How have you been at the academy these days?"
Yu Sui told her about sealing the Breath Soil and being able to learn Nine Schools Arts. Zhongli Que was even happier: "That's wonderful! You can finally use Nine Schools Arts to improve your realm. Does Second Brother Su know?"
"I haven't told him yet." Yu Sui also mentioned the trial at the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field, just not her speculation about Strange Fire.
After reading this, Zhongli Que pressed her palms together, closed her eyes in concentration. In the depths of her dark consciousness, golden threads flashed rapidly—appearing intermittently, each time briefly, yet forming circles during each flicker.
After the golden threads connected head to tail, Zhongli Que told Yu Sui what she had seen:
"That person holding the scorpion handed over the spider in his hand."
This seemed like a scene without Yu Sui appearing, but since she was divining prophecies related to Yu Sui, anything she saw must be connected to Yu Sui.
……
Zhongli Que had been trying to actively control that mysterious prophetic power for years.
Divination was something all Nine Schools knew a bit about, as it was the foundation of Nine Schools Arts.
Only the Technical Arts School specialized exclusively in divination.
Yu Sui privately obtained knowledge about Technical Arts School divination through various channels for Zhongli Que, but both children were blank slates regarding Nine Schools Arts. What they knew was limited, and some books were written so obscurely they seemed like hieroglyphics.
This continued until Yu Sui's second brother Su Feng joined them.
Su Feng had been close to Zhongli Shan since childhood. Zhongli Shan often brought his sister along to play, so Su Feng frequently met Zhongli Que and gradually became familiar with her.
All the noble children in the capital knew how protective Zhongli Shan was of his sister.
Years ago, when Zhongli Shan's friends came to play at their house and competed in mounted archery, Zhongli Que helped retrieve arrows. At the time, only the archery ground children were present, with everyone else being trusted Zhongli family retainers.
But one of these friends somehow deliberately leaked news of Zhongli Que retrieving arrows to the palace.
After Zhongli Shan discovered who it was, he beat the person severely. As fellow Military School disciples, this person later avoided all Zhongli family members and left the capital within two years.
After this incident, Zhongli Shan became very wary of his friends, maintaining vigilance.
This friend had taught him a lesson.
Su Feng was the only friend Zhongli Shan could trust.
Su Feng had helped identify the informant and was first to corner and beat the betrayer.
When Zhongli Shan went to Taiyi Academy, it was also Su Feng who stayed in the capital to help care for Zhongli Que.
Learning that Yu Sui and Zhongli Que had a good relationship, Su Feng would buy two copies whenever he bought things for his sister, sending one to Zhongli Que.
At that time, eldest brother Han Bing and third brother Sheng Hao were both away from the capital. Only Su Feng, after finishing his duties at the Military Zhongtai, would take Yu Sui and Zhongli Que out to play.
This continued until Yu Sui's sixteenth year, when Nangong Ming said to Su Feng: "You have a good relationship with the Zhongli children. Zhongli Ci sent his son to Taiyi to find a way to break my Asura Eyes."
By then, Su Feng had shed his childhood naivety. Though he had most admired Nangong Ming as a child, as he grew older, encountered more people and experiences, his views gradually changed.
The once cheerful and spirited child became increasingly steady with age.
Su Feng stood straight in Nangong Ming's room. The candlelight rendered his refined features somewhat gentle, yet his dark eyes remained utterly calm.
"Since you have such a good relationship with Zhongli Ci's daughter, often taking her and Sui Sui out together, Zhongli Ci's daughter probably considers you her brother too," Nangong Ming spoke unhurriedly, his gaze fixed intently on Su Feng.
Even standing outside the door, Yu Sui could feel the oppressive aura emanating from Nangong Ming.
"Having you find some trouble from Zhongli Ci's daughter shouldn't be difficult, should it, Su Feng?"
Nangong Ming calling him by his full name showed his displeasure.
Su Feng lowered his eyes, saying in a deep voice: "I cannot do it."
"Hmm?" Nangong Ming chuckled softly. "Is this difficult for you?"
Su Feng said: "The conflict between School of Names and Military School can use many honorable methods, not this kind of despicable, underhanded approach."
Nangong Ming sat down in his chair, gently stroking his chin: "Are you saying I'm despicable and underhanded? In conflicts between School of Names and Military School, if you can only think of winning through honorable means, you're being rather naive. Besides, do you think Military School has never used any underhanded methods?"
"Have you forgotten the targeting you faced at Military Zhongtai, the lessons from nearly being killed several times?"
"Were those what you call honorable methods?"
Su Feng said: "If we're counting that, I'm also a Military School person."
Nangong Ming said decisively: "Ridiculous. You are my son, Nangong Ming's son, not some Military School person."
Su Feng said calmly: "That was still conflict between Nine Schools practitioners."
"Are you pretending to be naive, or do you truly not want to harm that little girl from the Zhongli family?" Nangong Ming smiled slightly, his gaze locked on the person before him, seemingly calm but with increasingly fierce momentum.
Su Feng slowly raised his eyes to meet Nangong Ming's gaze, the youth's clear eyes firm: "I will not harm her."
Nangong Ming's hand swept out in a slap. The blow was vicious—Yu Sui outside could hear it and touched her own face.
Su Feng's head was knocked aside by the blow, blood appearing at the corner of his mouth, yet he still maintained his straight posture, unwilling to submit.
"Worthless thing." Nangong Ming knew this son's temperament—when he refused, even crushing his hands and feet wouldn't make him yield.
"Get out." Nangong Ming's expression was cold, his tone ominous.
Su Feng bowed his head slightly, seeming to express regret to his father. As he opened the door to leave, seeing Yu Sui waiting outside, he raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled while wiping the blood from his mouth.
A triumphant smile of successful resistance.
After Su Feng left, it was Yu Sui's turn to be called in for a lecture.
Nangong Ming spent a long time telling her about Su Feng's rebellion, making her witness Su Feng's fate, finally demanding she cut ties with Zhongli Que and stop associating with the Zhongli family.
Yu Sui agreed.
Nangong Ming didn't ask Yu Sui to frame Zhongli Que or find fault with her, because he knew that since Su Feng had refused this proposal, he wouldn't let such things happen to Zhongli Que.
Su Feng would find every way to prevent it.
This matter would only become more troublesome, possibly even providing weapons for others.
Nangong Ming asked: "You don't also like that girl from the Zhongli family like your second brother, do you?"
Yu Sui answered: "Not that much yet."
Nangong Ming narrowed his eyes with satisfaction: "Choose your friends wisely. Besides Zhongli Que, don't you have any other friends?"
"Yes, but not many," Yu Sui said honestly.
Nangong Ming rubbed his brow bone, sighing softly: "Making unsuitable friends will only harm yourself. Never mind, you'll have many new friends soon."
Yu Sui left Nangong Ming's room and returned to her courtyard, where the mute woman informed her Su Feng was waiting outside her room.
Su Feng rarely visited her courtyard.
Yu Sui dismissed the mute woman and others, leaving only the siblings in the small courtyard.
The gardenia flowers in the courtyard bloomed in full clusters, their rich fragrance spreading through the night.
Su Feng stood by the flower bushes, looking at her: "It's Father's order. I know this will be difficult for you. Even if you break with Zhongli Que tomorrow, I won't say anything. Take care of yourself first."
Yu Sui also looked back at her brother: "Second Brother, if she's a friend I truly care for, she may not exist in my words, but she will live in my heart."
It was from this day that Su Feng began to gradually encounter his sister's true nature.
And Yu Sui also learned Su Feng's secret.
Many people knew Su Feng liked Zhongli Que, because they all thought he treated Zhongli Que like a sister.
Few people knew Su Feng liked Zhongli Que, because only Yu Sui knew what lengths he would go to for Zhongli Que.
But Su Feng never made it explicit, so Yu Sui pretended not to know.
Sometimes not having something was best—as long as you didn't obtain it, it would always remain in your heart, breeding ineffable desire and longing.
With Su Feng's help providing Technical Arts School divination materials, Zhongli Que finally could actively control that mysterious power. However, actively obtained information differed greatly from passively received information.
Passively obtained knowledge could show scenes the subject would personally experience in the future.
But what she actively prophesied only showed parts related to the subject, and the flickering images were brief, requiring her complete concentration to observe.
To date, most of Zhongli Que's passive prophetic visions were related to Yu Sui.
Whenever Yu Sui wanted to sneak out to do something, she would ask Zhongli Que to help see if she could avoid the manor's hidden guards and succeed.
At this moment, seeing Zhongli Que's prophetic message, Yu Sui's fingertip lightly rubbed the Wind-Listening Ruler's edge, her eyes reflecting words like scorpion and spider.
Wei Ren, perhaps?
She recalled what Wei Ren had said before:
"I grew up hearing your name since childhood."
Agricultural School disciple.
He definitely knew that the Agricultural School treasure Breath Soil was in her body.