On the peak of Guniu Gang, the architecture was meticulously designed, with strict hierarchies, elaborate rules, and intricate formalities. For example, the rear courtyard, where the main branch of the family resided, was small yet complete with all necessary elements. Facing it stood a banquet hall painted in vermilion hues, adorned with fine lacquer and carved sandalwood beams, upon which soared mythical ridge beasts. A grand plaque hung on the hall wall, inscribed with the four characters “Hutian Yongdong” (Eternal Winter in the Immortal Realm). Before it lay a courtyard with a skywell, and behind it a garden. On both eastern and western sides, two-storied wing rooms stood tall. In the skywell stood a half-man-high Colored Glaze vat glazed in vibrant colors, holding thousands of jin of water, where eight or nine lotus blossoms stood elegantly, their roots clearly visible. Dozens of plump red carp swam leisurely among them.
It was early autumn. Between the red walls and green glazed tiles, yellowing leaves blanketed the bluestone tiles beneath the eaves, left undisturbed and exuding a cold, desolate stillness. A noblewoman, dressed in resplendent courtly attire, stood before the Colored Glaze fish vat, holding a small porcelain bowl. She scattered fish feed into the vat, drawing the red carp into joyous swirls. Her demeanor was graceful, her expression languid. A tall, robust man in luxurious garments strode directly into the courtyard. A servant girl beside the noblewoman quickly lowered her gaze, afraid to look him in the eye.
The middle-aged man rested his hands on the edges of his red carnelian belt, exuding an habitual air of arrogant superiority. Even upon entering this courtyard and standing before the woman he should address as “sister-in-law,” he showed no restraint. He raised one hand and waved dismissively. The servant girl, eyes fixed on the ground, somehow sensed his motion and fled gratefully toward the gate. As she passed the man, his hand suddenly slapped her rounded bottom, leaving her pale with terror.
The coldly beautiful woman remained indifferent, continuing to feed the fish. The middle-aged man approached the Colored Glaze vat, running two fingers along its smooth surface, and smiled: “Sister-in-law, now that we’re alone, shall we do something more interesting?”
The woman gazed at the carefree red carp, her voice icy: “Xuan Yuan Jingxuan, are you not afraid that swallowing this dumpling will scald not only your tongue but your heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys all together?”
Unfazed by her direct address, the man replied, “Sister-in-law, secluded as you are, you must not know that the Ancestor has decided to bestow the family leadership upon me after his recent emergence from retreat. And you, sister-in-law, haven’t shared cultivation with the Ancestor for quite some time, have you?”
He pressed his palm against the Colored Glaze vat, suddenly unleashing force. The dozen or so carp and lotus roots were pulled toward the vat wall, stuck fast and unable to move. Leaning down to observe the struggling fish, he smiled: “My desire for you, sister-in-law, has long been no secret in Huishan. Once I officially take over Guniu Gang, the Ancestor won’t care about an old, worn-out cauldron. My bookish elder brother worships you like a celestial being, thinking you untouched by worldly matters. He knows nothing of a woman’s heart. All those Confucian classics he reads are wasted. A woman at thirty is like a wolf, and at forty like a tiger. Once she’s tasted the joy of long-awaited relief, how can she endure loneliness? Don’t you agree, sister-in-law?”
Though insulted by such words, the woman remained unmoved, only watching the near-asphyxiated fish with a calm, mocking smile: “Xuan Yuan Jingxuan, why the rush? Wait until you become the head of the Xuan Yuan family before venting your frustrations. By the way, do you remember six years ago when you went to the Southern Frontier? I happened to meet your supposedly devoted wife on the bed in Guniu Jiang. She was quite the fox enchantress. When she first arrived in Huishan, she cursed me daily as a fallen woman. These past years, haven’t you wondered why she stopped? Let me tell you plainly: I pitied her loneliness. I thought it a waste of energy for her to curse me when she could better spend her efforts serving someone in bed. Out of compassion, I asked the Ancestor to grant her equal attention.”
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan’s face darkened. After a pause, he removed his hand from the vat wall. The lotus stems snapped, and the fish, their scales bleeding, floated lifelessly on the surface. He muttered three “good”s, then sneered: “My elder brother, Xuan Yuan Jingcheng, couldn’t utter a word even if struck with three sticks. Yet it turns out you, sister-in-law, have such cunning to retaliate. Perfect. Today I’ll carry you back with me and see who among the main branch dares match your courage. Or perhaps Xuan Yuan Jingcheng would prefer to indulge here with his wife? I’ve heard you pined for a portrait so much you fell ill. Later, I won’t mind hanging it by the bed for added excitement. Sister-in-law, don’t you think I’m far more romantic and refined than my elder brother?”
The woman gazed calmly at the bloodied fish vat, smiling: “Comparing yourself to Xuan Yuan Jingcheng, you flatter him too much.”
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan asked, “Now, sister-in-law, don’t forget to give your all when we’re in bed. A woman skilled in all eighteen martial arts.”
“Xuan Yuan Jingxuan, you’re worse than a beast!”
A furious shout erupted from the entrance.
Hearing the familiar voice, Xuan Yuan Jingxuan did not bother to turn, laughing arrogantly: “Qingfeng, I heard that the bastard Yuan you favored is already half-dead. So today’s fate of your mother will be yours in a few years. Uncle has the patience to wait. In fact, I’m curious—when I reach old age, will Qingfeng already have a young daughter? I never understood the meaning of the words ‘Enjoying Solitary Earthly Bliss’ on that stone tablet before. Now I realize such bliss is truly fit for immortals.”
Xuan Yuan Qingfeng stood at the entrance, her fingernails digging into her palms.
Seeing her daughter, the woman’s eyes finally flickered with alarm, her voice cold: “Qingfeng, leave here!”
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan clicked his tongue: “What a touching mother-daughter bond.”
An untimely cough gently echoed.
Startled, Xuan Yuan Jingxuan slowly turned. Seeing the figure at the entrance, he instinctively felt a flicker of fear, then laughed at his own apprehension. Standing beside the Colored Glaze vat, he laughed heartily. His surprise stemmed from knowing that anyone could enter this main courtyard—except the man at the entrance. And that man was precisely the husband of the woman behind him. What an absurd truth! Once, when his wife was in her prime, she preferred cultivating with the Ancestor, reducing the eldest branch to ridicule. For twenty years, she gazed at a yellowed portrait, never sparing a glance for her husband. It was unbelievable.
Nearly laughing to tears, Xuan Yuan Jingxuan wiped his eyes, his gaze sinister. He recalled the three brothers standing on the viewing platform of the Wending Pavilion in their childhood, all leaning over the railing on tiptoe. He clearly remembered his elder brother declaring he would become a renowned statesman, the second brother vowing to restore the family’s glory, surpassing even the Wujia Sword Tombs, while Xuan Yuan Jingxuan himself had boasted of becoming a martial artist like Wang Xianzhi, smashing even the True Men of Longhu Mountain into pulp. Back then, the brothers were inseparable. But as they grew, their paths diverged. The second brother, Xuan Yuan Jingyi, became a charismatic leader, gathering formidable forces from the martial world. Xuan Yuan Jingxuan himself advanced rapidly in martial cultivation, now on the verge of reaching the Grandmaster realm, destined to surpass even their father, Xuan Yuan Guoqi. But what of the eldest brother? Despite the Ancestor’s high hopes and abundant resources, he remained an irredeemable failure. He spoke only hesitantly, retreated in disputes, and in the martial-centric Xuan Yuan family, how could Xuan Yuan Jingxuan respect an elder brother who never touched weapons, only books?
After the coughing subsided, the middle-aged scholar still had not entered the courtyard, covering his mouth and mumbling: “Jingxuan, you should have waited a little longer. Unfortunately, you’ve always lacked patience. That’s not good.”
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan laughed as if hearing a great joke, barely able to stop before laughing again. Hands on his carnelian belt, he stared at the frail, sickly elder brother, Xuan Yuan Jingcheng: “Elder brother, what should I wait for? For you to become head of the family with your moral lectures? For my niece to become a pitiful cauldron for yin-yang cultivation in Guniu Jiang? Or for Father to support the eldest branch again once his patience runs out? Elder brother, remember, even if I teased your wife before, you are still my elder. As the eldest, you are like a father to me. Besides, we’re all of the Jing generation.”
Xuan Yuan Jingcheng lowered his hand and nodded: “Go on.”
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan chuckled: “I’ve endured for years, but I can’t wait any longer. Elder brother, do you know what realm I’ve reached after the Ancestor’s guidance and medicinal enhancement?”
The middle-aged scholar replied calmly: “Skipping the King Kong realm, entering the First Steps into the Profound Mysteries.”
Xuan Yuan Qingfeng’s expression changed drastically.
The scholar, perpetually pale, continued: “But you know this artificially accelerated realm is like a tree without roots—harmful to long-term martial cultivation.”
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan rubbed his stomach, scoffing: “Coming from you, these words are truly sincere, enlightening me like a sudden awakening. My stomach hurts from laughing.”
Xuan Yuan Jingcheng turned toward the Daxue Ping of Guniu Jiang, murmuring softly: “In winter, when the snow falls, Huishan will be clean again. Our family has become too dirty.”
Xuan Yuan Qingfeng extended her hand, signaling her mother to leave the courtyard, away from the uncle who had reached the Mystic Revelation realm.
But the woman did not move.
She never approached that man willingly.
The middle-aged scholar gazed at her deeply, smiling with an indescribable serenity.
He, who had never set foot in this courtyard, now crossed the threshold for the first time.
Both she and Xuan Yuan Qingfeng were stunned.
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan still wore his arrogant sneer: “Elder brother, are you going to hit me with your books?”
Xuan Yuan Jingcheng shook his head: “Huishan cannot be rebuilt without destruction. Our ancestor Xuan Yuan Dapan has led Huishan astray for too long. Today, I will set it right.”
“If we speak of martial talent, even you and Xuan Yuan Jingyi combined cannot match me.”
“You have reached Mystic Revelation? Then I will kill you with Mystic Revelation.”
The middle-aged scholar spoke calmly, his wide Azure robe sleeves fluttering. Mother and daughter watched as this man, who had lived peacefully all his life, walked directly toward Xuan Yuan Jingxuan.
Though seemingly slow, he reached Xuan Yuan Jingxuan in an instant.
The Mystic Revelation realm Xuan Yuan Jingxuan widened his eyes in shock.
The scholar seized his neck with one hand, moving swiftly, passing through the Colored Glaze vat. At the rear courtyard gate, the scholar stopped, throwing Xuan Yuan Jingxuan into the room.
Xuan Yuan Jingxuan’s body exploded mid-air.
Blood trickled from his seven orifices. The middle-aged scholar turned, as if wanting to reach for his wife but ultimately lacking the courage. Passing the courtyard gate beside his daughter, he softly said: “Qingfeng, from now on, you must take care of your mother.”
The woman suddenly shouted: “Xuan Yuan Jingcheng, where are you going!”
The scholar continued forward, smiling gently: “To the Daxue Ping of Guniu Jiang.”
“To sweep this family clean, and then you will truly be free.”
“The sages say, ‘One who cannot sweep a single room cannot sweep the world.’ Unfortunately, Xuan Yuan Jingcheng can only do this much in his lifetime.”
“I do not regret marrying you.”
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