CH 26

*Heaven’s Secret/Fate

Ye Yunlan looked down at the small cakes. After a long time, he took a piece and put it in his mouth.

The fragrance of apricot blossoms and the sweetness of mung beans melted into his mouth. It was a taste that he had not tasted for many years. Coming across it after many years made him stop for a while.

“Master?” Shen Shu next to him looked at him doubtfully, “Mung bean cake, is it delicious?”

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but the young man’s slightly hoarse and low voice was vaguely similar to the person in his memory.

He actually seemed to be bewitched.

That person who was born in the Demon Abyss was a natural Demon, the respected Demon Lord. He had no blood relatives, had no mentor or disciple. He couldn’t have any similarities or involvement with Shen Shu.

Ye Yunlan slowly swallowed the mung bean cake in his mouth, and whispered: “…It’s not bad.”

Shen Shu didn’t think much: “If Master likes it, I can make it for Master after we return.”

Ye Yunlan lightly let out an “En”. Holding the oil paper bag, he picked up the mung bean cake one by one and ate them.

Shen Shu noticed that he was slightly different from usual. His master ate very slowly, almost chewing it like a little girl.

It seemed to be difficult to swallow, like he was reluctant to finish eating it.

He couldn’t help but wonder why his Master was eating so slowly? Does it taste delicious or not?

The meaning of “not bad” is… delicious, right?

Seeing that Ye Yunlan finally finished eating the mung bean cake, Shen Shu habitually took out a handkerchief from his storage ring and handed it to Ye Yunlan, “Master.”

Over the years, Ye Yunlan had his food and daily living stuff taken care of by him. Many subtle details were arranged delicately by him.

Ye Yunlan nodded. He took the handkerchief, lowered his head and slowly wiped his five fingers carefully, then handed the handkerchief back.

The hand shimmered like white jade in the sun. Like a lotus flower, it was really beautiful.

Shen Shu stared for a moment before he took the handkerchief back, but inadvertently touched the other’s fingertips.

A little coldness spread over, causing his heart to tremble slightly. He subconsciously wanted to hold the other party’s hand, wanting to warm the other party’s cold fingertips.

His knuckles tightened slightly, but he didn’t move.

Ye Yunlan: “You have been living on Qingyun Mountain since you arrived at Sky Sect. You have never been to the secular world. Today, you can take this opportunity to take a walk and take a look. There are many different things in the world. The more you see, the more it will benefit your cultivation in the future.”

Shen Shu: “Yes, Master.”

The master and disciple walked slowly on the noisy street.

Shen Shu paid attention to the flow of people, and walked a little bit in front of Ye Yunlan to clear the way to prevent others from colliding into his master.

Although it was winter, cultivators had their spiritual power to protect themselves, so most of them were not afraid of the cold. Most ordinary mortals on the street wore cotton-padded jackets. Thus, the snow-white fox fur wearing Ye Yunlan, who also had a veiled hat, was somewhat eye-catching.

The wind blew and the white tulle rose slightly. The hazy outline behind the tulle was faintly visible.

Shen Shu saw several young female cultivators who had gathered together stop by the roadside. They cast their curious eyes over, as if wanting to catch a glimpse of the true face of his master.

Such gazes were not uncommon along the way.

Shen Shu knew that it wasn’t just the clothes.

Ye Yunlan was tall and slender. Even if one couldn’t see his face clearly, there was an ethereal image. It was as if he was walking through these years alone, far away from the turbid world. Everything in the world could no longer reach his eyes. Standing there, it was like a bright moon in the sky, causing people to yearn for it.

Shen Shu’s expression was slightly gloomy. He turned sideways slightly, blocking the sight of the female cultivators.

However, a large group of people gathered not far away.

“Master, there are a lot of people ahead,” Shen Shu said, “What are they looking at?”

Ye Yunlan raised his eyes and glanced at the crowd.

He saw a lake with clear water in front. A small bridge stretched out from the shore of the lake. At the end of the bridge was an exquisite white jade pavilion standing in the emerald green lake, showing the imposing aura of an immortal family. People gathered from the shore to the pavilion.

Almost instantly, Ye Yunlan recognized what it was and couldn’t help frowning.

If possible, he would never want to meet that person again for the rest of his life.

It’s just that the other party’s power was huge. When he was in Qingyun Mountain in the East Continent, he could still be out of sight. However, this place was in the Central Continent and there were some things that he could not avoid even if he tried to hide.

“That is Xuanji Pavilion.” Ye Yunlan said.

Shen Shu: “Xuanji Pavilion?”

“Have you ever heard of the Northern Territory’s Tianji Pavilion?” Ye Yunlan looked cold when talking about the Tianji Pavilion. “Tianji Pavilion has set up Xuanji Pavilions everywhere in the world, and placed Tianji stones in the pavilions. Every month, they publish the Tianji ranking list on the Heavenly Mystery Stone, and all cultivators in the world can take a look.”

Shen Shu: “Tianji ranking list…what is it?”

Ye Yunlan indifferently: “Tianji ranking list is Tianji pavilion’s ranking for the world’s strength, artifact and appearance.”

Shen Shu blinked with some suspicion, “Why set up such a list?”

“The people in the Tianji Pavilion are good at astrology, divination, and deduction. The patriarch of Tianji Pavilion once said that to calculate the world’s fate, the common people are important. By setting up a list of rankings including the world’s cultivators, it would predict disasters and chaos in the world, stabilizing the order of the cultivation world. This is the purpose of the Tianji Pavilion.”

At this point, Ye Yunlan’s expression showed a trace of sarcasm, hidden underneath the veiled hat. Shen Shu couldn’t see it.

“It sounds very powerful,” Shen Shu said. “It’s just, I can understand the strength and artifact ranking of cultivators, but beauty… why should that be included in the ranking?”

Ye Yunlan was silent.

He had asked Chen Weiyuan this question in his previous life.

At that time, Chen Weiyuan half embraced him. He held his hand, kissed his fingertips, chuckled and asked, “Yunlan, do you think that in this world beauty is useless?”

He was seated by the other party on the high chair in the Tianji Pavilion. The other party was writing the list of rankings in front of him. The golden energy was flowing and within reach, but he did not reach out to touch it. He only whispered: “Someone once told me that appearance for a cultivator is the most useless thing ever, it can even cause disasters.”

“Who said this to you? It seems like they are harboring some motives.” Chen Weiyuan shook his head and smiled. “Although I have never valued one’s appearance, I do not agree that someone’s appearance is a useless thing. Sometimes, it is even sharper than an immortal’s weapon.” He paused, “An immortal’s weapon can pierce physical items, but one’s appearance can pierce the human heart.”

“But it is true for what the person said about someone’s appearance being able to cause disasters. An overly outstanding appearance will bring chaos and disaster not only to oneself, but also to others, even the whole world of cultivation.”

“When the Patriarch built the pavilion, the two most outstanding cultivators in the Immortal Sect fought for the first beauty in the cultivation world at that time. Later, they were expelled out of the sect. One entered the demonic dao and the other into the ghost dao. The cultivation world was in chaos. It even disrupted the dao energy. From then on, our ancestors listed out a ranking on appearance, strength, and artifacts.”

As Chen Weiyuan spoke, he sighed slightly: “If someone can keep their beauties hidden, hide their immortal artifacts, and hide their strength from the world, there should be a lot less disturbances.” After saying that, he leaned down again. Thin lips touched the tips of his ears. His voice was gentle and affectionate, “At that time, Yunlan, I may also be able to let go of my responsibilities, hold hands with you, and enter paradise.”

Ye Yunlan closed his eyes.

The so-called holding hands and entering paradise… were all lies.

He said coldly: “Probably because they were bored.”

Shen Shu was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed.

The young man’s voice was slightly husky, but when he laughed, it was a little low and sultry. “Master is right, they must be really bored… It’s just a boring list and just the words of the Tianji Pavilion family. Why would there be so many people wanting to look at it treating it as if it was true?”

He thought for a while, then asked again, “Besides, was there really no one against this ranking list that’s so controversial?”

“Yes, but they were all suppressed.” Ye Yunlan said.

“The six sects of Dao, Tianji Pavilion is only one of them. Do they really have such great ability?” Shen Shu was puzzled.

Ye Yunlan: “Tianji Pavilion alone is naturally not so capable. But behind the Tianji Pavilion is the Chen family.”

Shen Shu has followed Ye Yunlan in cultivation over the years and was influenced by it. He had also read a lot of ancient books, so he knew that there were ancient families in the cultivation world.

Different from the six dao sects, the traces of the ancient families were a secret, but they were extremely powerful. Many sects and dynasties in the cultivation world had the shadow of these aristocratic families. But he did not expect that the Tianji Pavilion, one of the six sects, was actually supported by one such family.

So he was a little curious, “What kind of existence is the Chen family…?”

“The Chen family is a family of fate cultivation. The techniques of spying and manipulating fate is extremely tricky. Not many people in the cultivation world know about the Chen family. But if they know, they would not dare to mess with them.”

Ye Yunlan said calmly.

He didn’t know much about the Chen family. In his previous life, he had been in the Chen family for decades, but he still couldn’t get a glimpse of the whole picture.

The Chen family’s rules were strict. Even if Chen Weiyuan became a dao companion with him, the places he could go to were limited.

The time he remembered the most was when he inadvertently broke into the hall where Chen Weiyuan usually cultivated and seeing him sitting on a huge astrolabe.

The place he was in was clearly in the main hall, but on the dome was an endless starry sky. The astrolabe that Chen Weiyuan sat on was depicted with the five elements of heaven and the earth. There were countless lines that were so complicated that it was a headache just looking at them.

He had never forgotten anything he had seen, but he was shocked when he saw the lines at first glance. He almost vomited a mouthful of blood from the shaking of his mind it caused. Then he saw Chen Weiyuan open his eyes and look at him.

The distance between them was not far, but the other person’s glance seemed to be looking at him through the endless galaxy. The usual tenderness and affection seemed to disappear in this vast and magnificent sea of stars.

Even though Chen Weiyuan soon got up and walked towards him, caring for him tenderly, and feeding him medicine to heal his injuries, he heard the other side’s indirect criticizing words. Since then, he has never disturbed the other party while he was practicing.

Shen Shu: “If Tianji Pavilion is so powerful, then why didn’t I hear about Tianji Pavillion’s reputation in the Eastern Continent?”

Ye Yunlan: “Because of Qiyun Jun.”

Shen Shu: “Sect Master?” He frowned. At that time, that man came and went in his Master’s room like a ghost. His impression of him was not good.

“Qiyun Jun is the only cultivator in the Transcendence Realm in the Eastern Continent, and he does not allow anyone to peep in his territory. Therefore, Tianji Pavilion’s power in the Eastern continent is the weakest among the five continents.”

This is why in this life, he chose to stay in Qingyun Mountain.

It’s just, why did he meet Chen Weiyuan under the three thousand long steps of the Sect gates back then? Why did the young pavilion master of the dignified Tianji Pavilion travel all the way to the Eastern Continent at that time? Now that he thought of it, the fact seemed a little off.

But Ye Yunlan was reluctant to think more.

He didn’t have the energy to think about Chen Weiyuan, nor did he want to spend time thinking about it.

Between words, he and Shen Shu had already slowly approached the emerald lake, vaguely hearing the sound of complicated discussions.

Someone said, “A new issue of the Tianji Ranking List is out again. Tsk, sure enough, nothing has changed this time–”

Another person continued: “On the top of the Heavenly Ranking List, there is still only Qiyun Jun, the soul-eater ancestor, and Yang and the three daoists. So many years, yet no one is able to touch any of those masters on the rankings?”

“Do you think it’s thats easy to reach the immortal stage? If that’s the case, Sky Sect would not have monopolized the leading Dao Sect spot for so many years.”

“It’s fine with the Heaven list. But, it has been almost ten years, yet the number one beauty is still Xu Qingyue of the Northern Tanqing Sect. I really want to catch a glimpse of this so-called beauty of the cultivation world. How beautiful could this first beauty be?” Someone sighed.

“I heard from a fellow daoist that he saw Xu Qingyue on Tianchi Mountain a few days ago.”

“Really? Xu Qingyue also came to Tianchi Mountain to participate in the Dao conference?”

Ye Yunlan’s expression moved slightly after hearing Xu Qingyue’s name.

When he was with Chen Weiyuan, he had heard Xu Qingyue’s name many times. He seemed to be the best friend of the other party, but died because of saving Chen Weiyuan.

Every year on his death date, Chen Weiyuan would pay homage to this close friend by himself and would only come back after disappearing for a few days.

Ye Yunlan hadn’t ever seen Chen Weiyuan’s best friend and what they looked like.

When he was concentrating on this, there was a sudden commotion in the distance.

“Look, there are two disciples of TanQing Sect in Xunxian Pavilion. The person walking in front seems to be Xu Qingyue–” People moved after hearing the sound and began to rush in one direction.

Soon, there were only two of them left in that place.

Shen Shu stopped moving, seeming to be in a daze. When Ye Yunlan noticed his situation, he turned his head and said indifferently: “Shen Shu, are you also interested in Xu Qingyue?”

The young would admire the beautiful. Ye Yunlan remembered that Shen Shu seemed to be at that age too.

Shen Shu returned to his senses. He blinked, “It is enough for me to look at Master. What number one beauty in the cultivation world? In my heart, they are not as good as Master.”

In the past few years, it wasn’t the case that Ye Yunlan hasn’t been praised by others for his appearance, but he has always felt that appearances were like clouds passing by and he has always taught Shen Shu in this way.

But when he was staring at the young man who had such serious eyes, he felt a little uncomfortable. Even worse, since the other party was so young.

He wanted to rub Shen Shu’s head, but the young man’s figure was now not much different than his own. If he wanted to touch it, he would have to raise his hand to touch it.

Ye Yunlan had to withdraw his hand and reprimanded him softly, “Nonsense.”

——Xunxian Pavilion.

Three-story private room.

Chen Weiyuan was making tea with a tea set, while Chen Xianyu sat tremblingly. He raised his hand from time to time to wipe the cold sweat on his head.

“What are you so nervous about?” Chen Weiyuan suddenly asked, “Could it be that you are afraid of your brother?”

“No, it’s not… I just thought about seeing Senior Brother Xu later, and felt a little nervous.” Chen XianYu hurriedly said, “After all, I haven’t seen Senior Brother Xu for many years, so I don’t know if he remembers me.”

“Qingyue has always had a good memory. In the past few years, he has always cared about your condition.” Chen Weiyuan said lightly. “You have been away from home for a few years, so you can forget the family’s teachings, but when you see Qingyue later, don’t forget your basic manners.”

“No, I will remember. Brother, don’t worry.” Chen Xianyu quickly responded.

Then they heard a very pleasing voice coming from outside the private room, “Senior Brother Chen, I’m here with Junior Brother.”

“Please come in.”

The door was pushed open. A tall beauty in white clothes walked in. The beauty was carrying a sword behind his back, their temperament was pure and noble. Their appearance was so pure and delicate, it was as if the sun, moon and stars were all overshadowed. Within this beauty, there was a hint of softness. At first glance, they were like the bright moon in the world.

Behind him was a young boy who was born very adorable, but his expression seemed a little introverted and gloomy.

Xu Qingyue smiled and looked at Chen Weiyuan, “Senior Brother Chen.” He turned his head and looked at Chen Xianyu, “There is also Junior Brother Tianxuan. We have not been seen each other for many years. You look… the same as before.”

Chen Xianyu looked at Xu Qingyue’s eyes. He was startled, but he recovered in a moment. He scratched his head, “It’s been a long time, Senior Brother Xu. Last time on your birthday, I asked someone to bring back the Spring Mountain Condensation Dew, did Senior Brother Xu like it?”

“Naturally I liked it very much.” Xu Qingyue smiled, “But who told you that I wanted to try the Spring Mountain Condensation Dew of Qingyun Mountain? I assume it must be Senior Brother Chen.”

Chen Weiyuan smiled lightly: “Yes, it was me Qingyue. In this world, is there anyone who knows your mind like I do? Today I also brought some spring mountain condensation dew and I’m planning to make it for you to drink.”

Xu Qingyue clapped his hands together, “Senior Brother’s tea-making craftsmanship is naturally the best. This time, Junior Brother Yin will also have the chance to try it.” He waved the young man behind him over, “Hurry up and greet Senior Brother Chen.”

The Northern Territory’s Tianji Pavilion and Tan Qing Sect have always had a good relationship between one another. It is because the two families, Chen and Xu, were both one of the famed bloodlines passed down during the ancient times. Xu Qingyue, Chen Weiyuan, and Chen Xianyu have known each other since childhood. Even though they belonged to different sects, they were used to calling each other Senior, Junior Brother.

The young man surnamed Yin greeted: “Hello Senior Brother Chen.”

The few people sat down and chatted slowly. Chen Weiyuan brewed the tea with his hands, his appearance indifferent and gentle. He occasionally glanced at Xu Qingyue. When Xu Qingyue sensed this, he would look at Chen Weiyuan and his rosy lips would lift into a smile.

He had a pure appearance, but this smile had a seductive sense to it.

Some waves passed through Chen Weiyuan’s eyes.

Suddenly he heard Chen Xianyu approach him and excitedly say in his ear: “Brother, look at the man on the street. It’s the one I told you before, the beauty that I can hardly depict with all my painting skills.”

Chen Weiyuan’s tea movements paused, then he turned his head to look down at the long street.