After Escaping From Death, He Went Even Crazier By Criticizing Black Lotus Chapter 27
byChapter 27: Moon Ember Secret Realm
Perhaps, he should make a trip to the Ji family.
Xiao Jianming suddenly stood up, wanting to pull back the flower curtain and clearly see if the person upstairs was the one from his memory. However, the beautiful youth slowly walked out from behind the bamboo curtain. In the flickering candlelight, his eyes were cold and clear, and his voice was even colder:
“Does anyone wish to bid?”
Dark brows and snowy eyes, white hair like a waterfall, a fiery red lotus blooming on his forehead, with a thin red line trailing from the base of the lotus, like a drop of blood falling into his glabella. Compared to the past, his features had lost some of their youthful innocence, making him even more strikingly beautiful.
Xiao Jianming’s heart rate accelerated uncontrollably. He clearly saw the face that haunted his dreams; it had shed its youthful tenderness and was now stunningly beautiful, even more exquisite than before.
However, the coldness in the youth’s eyes was utterly unfamiliar, and the malice surrounding him was faint and thin, unlike the intense hatred from back then—
When they first met, Brother Buhuan, like himself, harbored the deepest hatred in the world within his heart.
A chill involuntarily rose within him, causing him to abruptly fall back into his seat.
*
Su Huan thoroughly absorbed all the knowledge into his Sea of Consciousness, only reluctantly emerging from his meditative state. When he suddenly met Xiao Jianming’s stunned expression, he couldn’t help but shiver.
Hmm, what a strange expression.
It was as if his first love had died. Not sure, let me look again.
Yes, it looks even more like it now.
At the same time, discussions from the floor reached his ears. The cultivators, having been repeatedly oppressed by the aristocratic families, were finally showing some anger, even if they were just common folk:
“Ha, with Ji Buhuan shouting that, who dares to bid again?”
“If the City Lord of Jile City wasn’t an unattached immortal with a background, the heavenly treasures eyed by these aristocratic families would have been snatched away long ago. Why bother coming here to compete with us low-class people!”
“Exactly, exactly… this is too much bullying.”
…
Ji Buhuan was clearly not deaf. He rested his right hand on the railing, lowered his gaze, and slightly curled his lips: “If anyone present has a higher bid, I will naturally yield.”
Everyone’s faces immediately became frustrated and ugly. That was ten million spirit stones!
One would have to completely excavate an entire small spirit vein to gather that amount. Besides the Four Great Aristocratic Families, who had deep spirit vein reserves, who else could produce an entire spirit vein’s worth?
Even if they could, who would be willing to deplete an entire spirit vein for a single heavenly treasure?
The resources of a small spirit vein, if properly mined and nurtured, could continuously generate spirit stone resources, allowing a small family to grow into a mid-tier power.
Su Huan clicked his tongue in amazement, his inner self nodding in agreement. He lamented that the phrase from the original novel, “A hundred families across the Seven Continents and Four Seas, once you enter the immortal gates, your golden bones wither,” perfectly described this aristocratic oppression.
No matter where, the dominance of aristocratic families always brought hardship to the common people.
As more and more discussions reached his ears, Su Huan couldn’t help but look up at the Black Lotus, then at the white-haired youth.
He thought, no wonder his expression is so strange; he must have seen his savior.
In the original novel, the Black Lotus was imprisoned in the dungeon by the Changqing Sect elder for over a year. It wasn’t until a banquet hosted by the Changqing Sect that a youth mistakenly wandered into the apricot grove in the Back Mountain, accidentally breaking the maze within the grove. This exposed the Changqing Sect’s dirty business of privately selling cultivation cauldrons, bringing light back to the young men and women in the black prison.
The youth who rescued everyone from the black prison was the young Ji Buhuan.
The Black Lotus, throughout his life, was hypocritical, ruthless, and cold-hearted, yet he deeply cherished this single act of kindness. The rare flicker of goodness allowed him to grant Ji Buhuan preferential treatment without limits. However, Ji Buhuan chose to follow his family’s orders, turning around to betray the Black Lotus, nearly causing his death at the hands of the Hundred Immortal Sects, ultimately leading to his complete blackening and the slaughter of the aristocratic families.
Now that the Black Lotus had prematurely witnessed the negative side of his savior—using power to oppress others—Su Huan wondered what he was thinking.
As Su Huan was musing, Xiao Jianming noticed his darting glances. He turned and saw that Su Huan looked at the white-haired youth leaning on the railing on the top floor with no sign of unfamiliarity in his eyes. Xiao Jianming’s dark eyes suddenly darkened, and he asked: “Do you know him?”
Su Huan was startled. He searched the original owner’s memory and confirmed he had never met the person. Just as he was about to shake his head in denial, the information that the original owner’s Su family was the maternal family of Ji Buhuan’s birth mother suddenly popped into his mind. He finally nodded hesitantly: “…I suppose so?”
A relative he had never met but was related to by blood… that should count as knowing him, right?
Thinking this, Su Huan gave an embarrassed, forced smile. If it weren’t for the original owner’s memory, he would never have guessed that the original owner, a cannon fodder villain, had this connection with a major villain.
He had to admit, it was truly a family affair among villains, big and small.
However, ever since Madam Su went mad, placed a soul curse on her son Ji Buhuan, and then committed suicide, the two families had ceased all contact.
Xiao Jianming’s expression instantly changed: “What is your relationship with him?”
Su Huan thought for a moment: “His mother is my father’s cousin. He is technically my cousin, but we have never interacted.”
Xiao Jianming was suddenly speechless. He asked in a low voice: “…Then do you know if he has an identical twin brother?”
Su Huan shook his head in confusion: “He is the Ji Family Head’s only son.”
Xiao Jianming stopped asking, turning to stare fixedly at Ji Buhuan, his expression unreadable.
He had gone to the Soul Guiding Hall of the Xuanji Sect, but among the millions of soul lamps, he couldn’t find one named “Buhuan”…
Perhaps, he should make a trip to the Ji family.
At that moment, Lu Wu’s voice came from outside the curtain:
“Ten million spirit stones, going once. Are there any other guests who wish to increase the bid?”
Xiao Jianming abruptly snapped back to reality. The immediate priority was still retrieving his mother’s remnant horn.
His mother had carved out the entire Lingxi clan territory and hidden it within the divine artifact, the All-Heavens Jade, sending it away with him from the Sea of No Delusion, causing the Demon Race of that year to return empty-handed. As for spirit veins, he had plenty in the Sea of No Delusion, especially in the heartland of his clan.
A few tens of millions of spirit stones were merely a drop in the ocean for him.
So he spoke: “Fifteen million spirit stones.”
“Fifteen million.”
Two voices collided, coincidentally shouting the same price.
The bustling auction house instantly fell silent.
Su Huan heard the Black Lotus suddenly speak, and the next second, he was stunned by the price, his eyes widening. Another satisfying plot point from the original novel suddenly popped into his mind—the Black Lotus was a secretly super, super rich second generation, even richer than the Nangong family.
He instantly felt like crying. Wuwuwu… it turned out he was the only truly poor person…
As for the owner of the other voice, Su Huan looked up at the room draped with red plum blossoms. The thought that this future friend was also wealthy made his heart even more desolate. His inner self couldn’t help but jump up and flip the table.
Ahhhhh! Could the Moon Ember Secret Realm open two days earlier? He was already impatient to get rich overnight! He wanted to be rich!
Here, Ji Buhuan glanced up at the red plum blossom room, snorted coldly, and then turned and left.
A burst of laughter erupted from the golden chrysanthemum room. Yue Changming shouted: “You have this day coming, you surnamed Ji!”
Behind the red plum blossom curtain, Nangong Yi spoke, asking: “May I ask, fellow Daoist, what you intend to use this spirit horn for?”
Xiao Jianming quietly watched Ji Buhuan’s disappearing figure, suppressing the urgent desire to chase after him. Hearing the question, he frowned and replied: “None of your business.”
Before his voice faded, the entire auction house erupted in an uproar. How dare someone be so rude to the young master of the head of the aristocratic families? What an arrogant young man!
Nangong Yi, however, was not angry. He simply said: “If fellow Daoist can guarantee me that you will not damage this spirit horn in the slightest, I can withdraw my bid.”
Everyone was astonished. What?! Buying a spirit horn for over ten million but not being allowed to touch it? Was he buying an ancestor to take home?
Xiao Jianming raised an eyebrow: “Agreed.”
The entire hall was in an uproar.
Nangong Yi breathed a sigh of relief and explained: “Thank you, fellow Daoist. I once received help from a remnant spirit of the Lingxi clan. I truly cannot bear to see the remains of their kin damaged. As for the fellow Daoist’s loss, I will compensate you later.”
Only then did everyone realize the situation, praising him as worthy of being the Silver Fragrance Lord, a unique clear stream among the aristocratic families.
Su Huan was also quite moved, thinking that a gentleman’s sword was exactly this way. Nangong Yi was worthy of his reputation.
Xiao Jianming scoffed, thinking he was quite the actor.
“No need, I don’t wish to show my face.”
After this commotion, the subsequent auction items were mostly overlooked by the aristocratic young masters, and the atmosphere remained calm for a while.
Su Huan sat boredly on the side, unable to stop himself from yawning.
The other cultivators, however, felt that the items tonight were of good quality and eagerly took out their savings to compete, making the auction house lively and bustling.
After Lu Wu finalized a bid and sent out the item, she did not rush to bring out the next one. Instead, she smiled and said: “As you all know, the final item is always the most precious thing at the auction. Today’s item is even more extraordinary; it is the most valuable item our establishment has ever traded.”
“However, regrettably, when the owner entrusted this item for sale ten years ago, there was a stipulation: the reserve price is only five spirit stones, but it can only be taken by a fated person. If there is no fate, no matter how high the price, it will not be sold.”
After Lu Wu finished speaking, she flipped her palm, holding up a golden box. With a gentle wave of her delicate hand, the lid easily opened, revealing a burst of brilliant golden light.
Su Huan opened his eyes and saw that it was an immortal sword.
The sword was entirely snow-white, with only three crystal-clear spirit beads, sequentially sized, inlaid on the hilt. It radiated pure immortal energy, and the flowing pattern on the blade was engraved with the characters “Hao Xue,” which was the sword’s name.
Su Huan was unconsciously drawn to it, marveling at what a beautiful sword it was.
Xiao Jianming saw this from the side and beckoned to him. When Su Huan turned his head, Xiao Jianming smiled and asked in his ear: “What does Senior Brother think of this sword?”
Su Huan praised it: “It is naturally a good sword.”
This was an immortal sword. Looking at its beautiful yet sharp appearance, if he had money, he would definitely buy it and wear it on his waist every day, letting everyone know he possessed such a beautiful sword.
Unfortunately, he was very poor and couldn’t take his immortal sword wife home, wuwuwu.
Xiao Jianming’s lips slightly curved: “Since Senior Brother likes it, I shall gift it to Senior Brother.”
Su Huan widened his eyes in disbelief, instinctively leaning back. When had the Black Lotus become so kind? There must be a catch.
However, Xiao Jianming seemed oblivious to his resistance. He held Su Huan’s head, which was constantly retreating, raised his index finger, and tapped his glabella. Su Huan immediately felt a refreshing breeze sweep across his spiritual platform, making it clear as a mirror, and his spiritual power surged.
Su Huan’s eyes widened, watching the Black Lotus’s face suddenly magnify, his pupils contracting.
Suddenly, he heard a faint sword chime from outside, followed by a burst of surprise—
“Look quickly, the immortal sword is moving!”
The next second, a dazzling golden light flashed before his eyes.
Su Huan tilted his head slightly and saw the immortal sword hovering in front of him.
Yue Changming’s voice came from outside the curtain: “Bah! This young master is actually not the fated owner of the Hao Xue Sword!”
Nangong Yi also sighed: “It is a pity to have no fate with this sword.”
Su Huan was momentarily stunned.
He didn’t react until he walked out of the auction house, clutching the sword.
He asked Xiao Jianming blankly: “Is this sword truly mine?”
Xiao Jianming chuckled: “Of course.”
The sword he crafted with his mother was naturally his to give to whomever he pleased.
Su Huan was overjoyed: “This sword is mine!”
*
Su Huan, delighted with his sword, happily held it and left the city with Xiao Jianming.
Although he had the sword, he couldn’t sustain the spiritual power needed for long-term sword flight travel. Along the way, he still rode on the same sword as Xiao Jianming.
When they landed at Moon Ember Mountain, the cultivators who had rushed there to await the Secret Realm’s opening couldn’t help but glance at them.
One woman showed a look of disgust and said: “Why are these stinking homosexuals everywhere?”
Su Huan was startled. Just as he was about to explain that they were not Dao companions, he noticed two people nearby whose clothing was very similar to the woman’s. They seemed to be from the same sect but were excluded by the others, like two lone geese, huddled under a pine tree with a fire lit. The slightly shorter youth met his gaze, smiled awkwardly, and turned his head away.
A seemingly older man beside the woman quickly reprimanded her, telling her not to speak carelessly. He then cupped his hands in apology toward Su Huan and Xiao Jianming: “Fellow Daoists, please forgive us. My junior sister was once married to a man as Dao companions, but unexpectedly, that man had a preference for men and developed feelings for his own junior brother over time, then decisively divorced her. Since then, my junior sister has been very averse to same-sex Dao companions. Please forgive the two of us.”
Su Huan understood, realizing she was suffering from heartbreak. He waved his hand dismissively and found an empty spot to rest.
After sitting down, he saw Xiao Jianming still staring at the woman and couldn’t help but ask: “What are you looking at?”
Xiao Jianming’s eyes were cold: “Nothing.”
Just then, the ground trembled, and the Secret Realm opened.
A massive crack, flashing with white light, appeared halfway up the mountain, and dense spiritual energy rushed out from within.
Xiao Jianming grabbed the back of Su Huan’s neck and flew, charging into the Secret Realm first, startling Su Huan so much he nearly screamed.
Upon landing, Su Huan almost stumbled. He looked closely and saw they had landed on a boundless grassland.
A few heavy thuds sounded behind them. Turning back, he saw, coincidentally, the woman and the pair of Dao companions.
When the Dao companions suddenly faced the woman, the taller man among them froze and immediately stepped in front of the other, looking at the woman warily.
Su Huan’s eyes instantly lit up, ready to enjoy the drama unfolding before him.
Xiao Jianming gave the woman a cold look, grabbed Su Huan, and was about to leave, but the woman called out: “Hey, stop! What was that look for!”
Xiao Jianming did not stop. The woman’s exasperated voice came from behind: “I told you to stop, didn’t you hear me!”
Xiao Jianming paused his steps, turned around, and smiled: “I’ve suddenly changed my mind.”
The woman was taken aback.
Su Huan looked at him in confusion, but the next second, he heard the Black Lotus say: “I won’t leave. You leave.”
The woman was about to erupt in anger, but she saw Xiao Jianming draw his sword. A silver light flashed, and a three-foot-wide sword trench instantly appeared in the flat grassland. Cold air permeated the pit, and the scattered, broken grass immediately froze solid.
The woman couldn’t help but retreat. Finally, she muttered under her breath, unconvinced: “Fine, I’ll leave. I didn’t want to face you stinking homosexuals anyway.”
Xiao Jianming slightly rotated the tip of his sword. The woman shivered all over and quickly flew away on her sword.
Seeing this, Su Huan leaned closer and whispered: “Are you just going to drive her away like that? She’s alone. What if she runs into danger?”
“Indeed,” Xiao Jianming replied casually.
He glanced at Su Huan and said: “Those who bring trouble upon themselves will naturally die.”
Su Huan gasped.
The Black Lotus was truly terrifying.