Chapter 817: Ancestor, Farewell

Shu Wanjuan circled the willow grove several times, shaking his head at Bloodfang Monster. "I really can't tell which willow tree is the entrance," he said.

Bloodfang Monster took out her compact and adjusted her makeup. Though she tried her best to smile, she couldn't help but complain, "It's been days, Old Shu. Have you been searching diligently?"

Shu Wanjuan sighed. "You've seen how many willow trees are in this garden. Each one needs to be tested individually. It's certainly not an easy task."

"You knew it wouldn't be easy, yet you still let Old Dan do it?" Bloodfang Monster retorted. "What did you tell him back then? You said Old Dan should find a calculation cultivator to assist him, and with half a day's work, he'd definitely find this place! Now, Old Dan and Xiao Ji have both lost their lives here."

Shu Wanjuan was displeased. "Dan Chengjun was killed by Li Qi. Can you blame that on me?"

Bloodfang Monster really pressed the issue. "If you ask me, yes, it *is* your fault. It was your disciple's descendant who made the mechanism. Why didn't you come to break it, and instead sent Dan Chengjun?"

Shu Wanjuan scoffed. "Then if Dan Chengjun went to retrieve the body of a 'Scholar of Great Wisdom,' could he have gotten it?"

Bloodfang Monster was also about to bring this up. "I just don't understand, what's the use of taking the Scholar of Great Wisdom's body? Did Qiao Yi say he wanted him? If the four of us came together to get the deed, could Li Qi really take us all down?"

Shu Wanjuan shook his head. "There are some things you don't understand. I can't explain them to you."

Bloodfang Monster put away her compact. She eyed Shu Wanjuan sideways. "Yes, I'm stupid, I don't understand anything. I bet you've already found the entrance, and you just don't want to tell me. There's nothing I can do about you!"

Shu Wanjuan flicked his sleeves and glared at Bloodfang Monster. "Are you being reasonable?"

Bloodfang Monster put her hands on her hips, shaking her head and chuckling. "Oh, the Cultivator Ancestor is angry. Shall I apologize to you? Shall I kowtow to you? Shall I fetch a ruler and let you hit me?"

Shu Wanjuan didn't want to deal with Bloodfang Monster. Seeing that dusk was approaching, he simply left the willow garden.

Bloodfang Monster muttered behind him, "Where are you going? Isn't night the best time to do business? Why do you leave as soon as it gets dark?"

Shu Wanjuan didn't look back. "I'm not good at night battles."

"I am good at it! I'm the best at night battles. If you don't believe me, let's find a place later, pull the covers over us, and I'll fight you to the end!"

Shu Wanjuan looked disgusted and quickened his pace. When he reached the street, he heard the sound of gongs and drums and suddenly stopped.

On the street stood a red sandalwood stage. A row of flickering candles lined its edge. The curtain opened, and a long-bearded "old scholar" puppet, suspended by threads, appeared on stage first.

Two zither players plucked strings and beat instruments behind the stage. The troupe leader stepped on five-tone clappers, and with a *pat*, the red stage's background transformed into a lush green mountain.

The "old scholar" puppet, suspended by threads, began to sing: "The brush draws dragons and snakes, battle formations unfold, thousands of soldiers fall, leaving no remains!"

*Clang! Screech!*

Another "martial scholar" puppet, wearing a long costume and holding a long saber, descended onto the stage, fiercely challenging with a shout: "Long saber pierces countless books, horizontal blade severs the head from your neck!"

*Clang! Clang!*

The fight began on stage.

Shu Wanjuan watched intently. Bloodfang Monster couldn't help but ask, "What's so good about this? Isn't it just string puppetry?"

It was indeed string puppet theater: a three-foot-tall red stage in front, with two zither players and a troupe leader behind. All the blowing, string-pulling, plucking, singing, and acting relied on these three people.

Some people specifically enjoyed string puppetry, while others simply loved watching plays but were reluctant to go to proper theaters, settling for the puppets on the street to satisfy their craving.

Bloodfang Monster utterly disdained this kind of entertainment and didn't understand why Shu Wanjuan was so captivated. Was there something special about this troupe, or perhaps something about the audience?

Actually, she didn't know that this play, titled "Scholarly and Martial Strife," depicted a fierce, life-or-death battle between Shu Wanjuan and Dan Chengjun from years ago, a story that had been passed down to this day. Although the protagonists in the play now had different names, and the plot differed greatly from the actual events of that time, Shu Wanjuan still liked it; he was not only engrossed but also occasionally threw a couple of reward coins onto the stage.

Next to the stage was a teahouse. Bloodfang Monster glanced at the second floor, then wiped her lips with a handkerchief, leaving rouge on it.

A man, with two streaks of snot running down his face, nodded at Bloodfang Monster. This snot-nosed man was Qi Wujian, the Glue Cultivator Ancestor. He clearly saw every move Bloodfang Monster made. He squeezed a stream of snot from his nose, put it into a teapot, shook it with the tea water, and prepared to throw the contents downstairs.

If this pot of water were truly thrown, the three people in the string puppet troupe, plus those watching the play on the street, would all be stuck in place. Regardless of success, he would have to leave the teahouse immediately. This action would certainly offend Shu Wanjuan, and he knew he was no match for him.

But he was thinking too far ahead.

Just as Qi Wujian was about to throw the tea, the teapot handle suddenly became scorching hot. Wisps of green smoke rose from his palm, burning through the glue and reaching his flesh. He quickly put the teapot back on the table and first looked at his palm. The flesh on his palm was charred black. Qi Wujian could vaguely discern the character "Zhuo" (灼, 'burnt') on the blackened skin. This was a Literary Cultivator's technique.

Qi Wujian glanced downstairs at the teahouse. Shu Wanjuan was still watching the string puppetry, seemingly without having moved from his spot. Did he make a move just now? Qi Wujian felt he hadn't shown any flaws. How did Shu Wanjuan discover him?

Scanning the second floor of the teahouse, Qi Wujian saw no familiar faces. He quickly went downstairs and paid his bill. A shop assistant came to clear the table when a man, biting on a pipe, stopped him. "Young man, I'm buying this teapot. Don't touch it."

The assistant was startled. "Are you going to—"

"If you can't decide, then ask your manager for a price. I'm taking this teapot." With that, Boss Lu covered the teapot with one hand. It was he who had just written the character "Zhuo," scalding Qi Wujian's hand.

When Qi Wujian walked out of the teahouse, he suddenly saw Shu Wanjuan glance at him. Qi Wujian dared not speak. He hurried away with his head down, the burning pain in his palm growing more intense.

Shu Wanjuan continued watching the play, paying no mind to Qi Wujian, as he knew the man was from the Ink Fragrance Shop.

Bloodfang Monster poked Shu Wanjuan from behind. "If you want to watch a play, let's go to the theater. Can't you afford a ticket or something? Go back and rest."

At the inn, Bloodfang Monster ordered a table of food and drinks, intending to share a couple of drinks with Shu Wanjuan first and then help him warm up. Unexpectedly, Shu Wanjuan quickly ate some food, returned to his room, and went to bed early.

The next day, at dawn, Shu Wanjuan bought a newspaper in front of the inn. After reading it, he was furious. The newspaper's headline news was: "Literary Ancestor Takes Action, Glue Ancestor Heavily Wounded: Two Tigers Fight, Who Will Prevail?"

It was *Ink Fragrance Weekly* again, Shao Yingzhen's newspaper. Shu Wanjuan took the newspaper into Bloodfang Monster's room.

Bloodfang Monster yawned. "Coming to find me so early? Are you uncomfortable because you just woke up feeling bloated?"

Shu Wanjuan placed the newspaper in front of Bloodfang Monster. Bloodfang Monster looked at the news and said with a troubled expression, "I can't read all these characters. Does it say you fought the Glue Cultivator Ancestor?"

Shu Wanjuan demanded, "Why would Shao Yingzhen know about this? How dare he publish something like this in the newspaper?"

Bloodfang Monster looked at Shu Wanjuan. "You ask me, who should I ask? I don't even know when you fought the Glue Cultivator Ancestor!"

"He and I simply—" Shu Wanjuan wanted to say he hadn't fought Qi Wujian, but he stopped himself.

Bloodfang Monster sneered. "Are you hiding something else from me? You tell me nothing, then you take your anger out on me when something happens. Is that fair? Shao Yingzhen put out this newspaper. If you have a problem, tell him. Use your strength against him. If you dare kill him, I'll consider you a real man!"

"Fine!" Shu Wanjuan gritted his teeth. "I'll go find him."

Leaving the inn, Shu Wanjuan didn't go to the newspaper office. He wandered aimlessly on the street, not knowing where he should go. Today's snow fell even heavier than before. He couldn't see the road ahead and even forgot which street he was on.

He had indeed not fought Qi Wujian yesterday; he had only glanced at him from downstairs in the teahouse. What happened yesterday was in the newspaper today. Did Qi Wujian himself tell Shao Yingzhen? What benefit would that bring Qi Wujian? The newspaper stated that Qi Wujian was defeated by Shu Wanjuan. Would Qi Wujian lie and humiliate himself? Why would he do that? Perhaps Shao Yingzhen didn't report truthfully and fabricated stories? Was he tired of living? For one piece of news, he dared to offend two Daoist Ancestors? If Qi Wujian didn't tell Shao Yingzhen, then who could it be?

The snow grew heavier, and Shu Wanjuan's vision became increasingly blurred. Couldn't he see clearly? Could he really not see clearly? Shu Wanjuan waved his sleeve, and a row of "umbrella" characters appeared, blocking the wind and snow ahead of him. It wasn't actually difficult to see clearly; it was just that sometimes he blinded himself. Even if he didn't blind himself, it was no use. If he saw too clearly, he feared he wouldn't survive!

Those present yesterday, besides him and Qi Wujian, also included Bloodfang Monster. Bloodfang Monster pretended not to see Qi Wujian. Could she really not see him? She pretended to know nothing, but in fact, she knew many things. She knew that Dan Chengjun died at Li Qi's hands, which was why it was in the newspaper! She knew that heroes from all walks of life came to the Ink Fragrance Shop, and that too was in the newspaper! Why did everything Bloodfang Monster knew always end up in the newspaper?

A character like Shao Yingzhen couldn't possibly be associated with Qiao Yi. The one truly associated with Qiao Yi was Bloodfang Monster; she was Qiao Yi's subordinate, a person of the court! The one truly directing Shao Yingzhen from behind the scenes was Bloodfang Monster! She was manipulating heroes from all walks of life behind the scenes, including Shu Wanjuan and Dan Chengjun. She knew about Shu Wanjuan and Dan Chengjun's conspiracy regarding He Jiaqing's thirteen territories. She knew about Shu Wanjuan and He Jiaqing's private collusion. She knew about Shu Wanjuan and Dan Chengjun's desire to become kings. Going further back, she knew many things about Shu Wanjuan and Dan Chengjun. Her knowing meant Qiao Yi knew. Qiao Yi knew everything, yet said nothing. What would be Shu Wanjuan's fate from now on?

A gust of wind and snow dispersed the characters in the air. Shu Wanjuan's vision became completely blurred.

In the evening, disheveled and drunk, Shu Wanjuan stumbled, three steps to a sway, to the willow garden. He didn't go into the garden. He just wanted to watch another string puppet show next to the garden.

After waiting for over an hour, the troupe pushed their stage to the side of the willow garden. After watching the play, Shu Wanjuan was ready to leave the Ink Fragrance Shop, but he didn't know where he should go. He certainly couldn't return to Shang Kingdom; Qiao Yi would definitely kill him. He couldn't stay in Proluo Prefecture either; the Peddler wouldn't spare him. Where else could he go? To another prefecture? To Wansheng Prefecture?

*Screech!* The three-foot red stage's curtain opened, and the string puppet show began. Shu Wanjuan wrote the character "Yin" (隐, 'hide') on himself, disappearing into the crowd. The snow was heavy today, so there were few people watching the play. Shu Wanjuan didn't want to be seen; he just wanted to calmly finish watching the play. The gongs and drums gradually became more intricate as the Literary Ancestor and Martial Ancestor were about to have their first confrontation.

Shu Wanjuan was engrossed in the play when he vaguely felt a surge of Yin energy approaching. He slowly loosened the stiff brush tip in his sleeve, dripped ink onto the snow, and wrote the character "Yan" (眼, 'eye'). This "eye" glided along the snow, moving in all directions, and quickly spotted Chang Jiuhai's figure. The Yin energy he had sensed earlier was indeed emanating from him. What was he doing here? Chang Jiuhai was here, were others also coming?

Shu Wanjuan wrote a dozen "eye" characters consecutively, and before long, he also discovered Qi Wujian's figure. What did these two want to do? Shu Wanjuan could actually deduce it. According to Bloodfang Monster's speculation, this troupe must be unusual, and these two Ancestors wanted to capture them alive, likely silencing all other spectators. Fine! They're attacking me directly!

Shu Wanjuan gritted his teeth and carefully observed Chang Jiuhai and Qi Wujian's actions. These two went straight for the stage, with no others to support them nearby, proving they hadn't discovered Shu Wanjuan yet. If Shu Wanjuan acted now, he was confident he could take care of these two. But could he act now? They should all be obeying Bloodfang Monster, and Bloodfang Monster obeys the imperial court. If he acted now, it would be equivalent to turning against the court. Given his current situation, had he not already turned against the court? Was there really no room for reconciliation?

While he hesitated, dozens of ghost servants around Chang Jiuhai had already approached the stage. Shu Wanjuan clenched his fists, suddenly feeling someone approaching from behind the stage. This person was unusual; their scent was very strong. Based on years of experience, Shu Wanjuan quickly moved away from the stage. He saw a young boy carrying a bucket, rushing to the front of the stage, snatching up a long ladle, and splashing a golden liquid onto the ghost servants.

The ghost servants were covered in golden liquid. They stood still for a moment, then scattered in a panic. The spectators couldn't see the ghost servants, but they could see the golden liquid and smell its odor. Everyone covered their noses and ran madly, faster than the ghost servants.

The string puppet show on the red stage stopped. The troupe leader said with a look of horror, "Young man, what are you doing?"

Xiao Genzi roared, "Get away!"

The troupe leader knew this boy was no ordinary person. They tried to push their cart away, but the wheels were stuck to the axles and couldn't turn.

"Where are you going?" Qi Wujian appeared, smiling slightly at Xiao Genzi.

Chang Jiuhai didn't appear. Genzi could only hear his voice: "Boy, are you tired of living?"

Qi Wujian laughed. "Having cultivated such a disgusting Daoist sect, you must be tired of living."

Chang Jiuhai said, "If you're tired of living, jump into a cesspit and drown yourself. Why come here to be disgusting?"

Xiao Genzi was fearless. He pointed his spoon at Qi Wujian. "Who's disgusting? Wipe your snot first before you speak!"

"Are you greedy? This bit of snot is just for you!" Qi Wujian wiped a handful of snot and flung it at Genzi.

Genzi had saved a spoonful of golden liquid from the bucket and was about to block, but found that the spoon wouldn't come out. Qi Wujian was an Ancestor after all. He not only used this snot but also other methods, gluing Genzi's spoon to the bucket. This snot was about to fly onto his face. If it really stuck, it could tear off the flesh from Genzi's face.

Genzi was not fast enough and couldn't dodge. Just as the snot was inches away, a patch of snow rose from the ground and enveloped it. The snot rolled around, seemingly ready to break through the snow at any moment. The snow flew, gathering in mid-air to form a character: "Bing" (冰, 'ice').

*Plop!* The snot froze into an ice clump and fell to the ground.

"What a powerful Literary Cultivation technique!" Qi Wujian exclaimed. "Old Shu, is that you?"

Shu Wanjuan did not respond; this was indeed not his technique. From the willow grove emerged a man, not tall and slender, with a buzz cut and a mustache. He held a pipe in his hand and smiled at Qi Wujian.

Qi Wujian frowned. "Zhou Badou? You attack without greeting an elder? You're getting more and more unruly!"

Boss Lu did not respond. He took a deep puff, burning all the tobacco in his pipe, and exhaled a cloud of smoke, mixed with snow, which enveloped Qi Wujian.

Qi Wujian laughed. "Zhou Badou, have you changed your Daoist sect? Are you a Smoke Cultivator or a Cold Cultivator?"

He inhaled a cold gust of wind and sneezed. The saliva he sprayed glued the surrounding snow together and fell to the ground. Though the snow fell, the smoke didn't; it swirled around Qi Wujian, forming the character "Du" (毒, 'poison'), and the highly toxic smoke immediately rushed towards Qi Wujian's mouth and nose.

This was hard to dodge. Qi Wujian sprayed snot, sealing his mouth and nose, while Chang Jiuhai sent out two ghost servants, who each took a breath and absorbed the toxic smoke. These two ghost servants were true Smoke Cultivators; their ability to control smoke was naturally exceptional. Qi Wujian glared at Chang Jiuhai, blaming him for acting too late. That was Chang Jiuhai's nature; unless he clarified his opponent's identity, he wouldn't act rashly. Xiao Genzi was just a common Gold Cultivator, so Chang Jiuhai didn't take him seriously. However, Zhou Badou was not an easy opponent, so Chang Jiuhai needed to observe him a bit. He only sent out the ghost servants and still didn't show himself. According to his calculations, with Qi Wujian charging ahead and his ghost servants following behind, it would be enough to defeat Zhou Badou, and he himself didn't need to take risks.

Qi Wujian didn't bother arguing with Chang Jiuhai. He rubbed two balls of glue and was about to charge at Zhou Wencheng when a figure flashed past him. A dull thud came from the snowy ground. Qi Wujian stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Chang Jiuhai was startled. Only then did he realize that besides Zhou Badou and the young boy, there was actually someone else present. Why did Qi Wujian stop moving? Chang Jiuhai couldn't figure out the reason. Since he hadn't revealed himself yet, he decided to use his ghost servants to stall for a while longer. This was a way to buy time for Qi Wujian. If Qi Wujian could recover, it was his luck; if he couldn't, Chang Jiuhai wouldn't be blamed for abandoning him.

Chang Jiuhai released over twenty ghost servants, who surrounded Boss Lu. Boss Lu parried with the ghost servants. He casually unrolled a bamboo scroll with twenty-five strips. From each strip, an armored soldier leaped out, wielding a long sword, and charged at Chang Jiuhai. Chang Jiuhai hastily retreated, not expecting Zhou Badou to be able to see him. But these twenty-five armored soldiers were incredibly fast and skilled, constantly adjusting their formation and blocking his escape routes based on his movements, giving him no chance to get away.

Chang Jiuhai was puzzled now. His invisibility technique was excellent, so Zhou Badou being able to see him might have been deduced from the movements of the ghost servants. But why could these armored soldiers also see him? Weren't these just ink figures created by Literary Cultivation techniques? How could these ink figures possess such high intelligence and methods?

After parrying for a moment, Chang Jiuhai stumbled and suddenly fell to the ground. As he tried to get up, he realized what the problem was. He was glowing. Although the faint halos of light were not obvious, they were enough for those around him to clearly see his position. Was this "Torchlight Night Walk" from Tou Youlu? In Chang Jiuhai's impression, "Torchlight Night Walk" was very obscure, and he had never heard of any Traveling Cultivators from the clouds learning this technique. Could Tou Youlu himself have come?

*Thud!* While he pondered, Chang Jiuhai stumbled again. He struggled to get up, then immediately fell back to the ground. Now he was in a dire situation. He would fall down immediately every time he tried to get up, trying over a dozen times but unable to stand. Not only were the twenty-five armored soldiers hard to fend off, but Genzi came forward and gave him a scoop, which he couldn't block and was directly poured over his head.

Chang Jiuhai had brought over five hundred ghost servants. How could he suffer such a loss? He left two hundred ghost servants to deal with the armored soldiers. The remaining three hundred ghost servants swarmed forward, intending to kill Zhou Badou first. The ghost servants pounced, only to end up covered in ink. This Zhou Badou was not his real body.

If they couldn't kill Zhou Badou, then they would kill the Gold Cultivator first. The ghost servants reassembled and pounced on Genzi again. A figure flashed past Chang Jiuhai, whose body convulsed, then with two *bangs*, he exploded twice, immediately losing control of his ghost servants. The out-of-control ghost servants were unwilling to approach Genzi and all froze in place.

Chang Jiuhai realized he had been hit by "Passing Glimpse," but he didn't understand why he had exploded twice. Could Tou Youlu have really come? In an instant, the ink on the ghost servants gathered together, forming the character "Sha" (殺, 'kill'), which then smashed onto Chang Jiuhai's body. Chang Jiuhai didn't even moan. He shattered into a mess of blood and flesh on the ground.

Li Banfeng stood under the willow tree, lit a cigarette, and shed tears. The Demonic Cultivator Ancestor was just gone, like that. Li Banfeng used to wonder why these Ancestors, holding such great resentment towards the Peddler, didn't fight back for their honor instead of choosing to live in seclusion. Now Li Banfeng understood. It wasn't that they didn't want to fight; it was that there were differences between Ancestors. Chang Jiuhai's combat power was clearly inferior to Song Qianhun and Gui Jianchou. Whether he could defeat Yuan Youshang remained to be seen. He had lived in seclusion for too long and forgotten his own capabilities. No matter how many chips Neizhou offered him, the business at Ink Fragrance Shop was not something he could get involved in.

After he cried, a shower of dust fell from the sky. The originally out-of-control ghost servants were now bewildered and didn't know where to go. Boss Lu unrolled a blank scroll, and after a moment of rubbing on its pages, he absorbed all five hundred-plus ghost servants into the book. Only after the area was cleaned up did Qi Wujian break free from the "Self-Imprisonment" technique.

Boss Lu pointed to the book in his hand. "Will you come in yourself, or shall I collect you?"

Qi Wujian shouted, "Zhou Badou, you're not worthy to speak to me! Call your master out! You're not even of my generation!" As his words fell, Qi Wujian flung out a sticky sweat, which glued the book in Boss Lu's hand.

It must be said that compared to Chang Jiuhai, Qi Wujian's combat power was significantly higher; he could contend with Zhou Wencheng for a few rounds. As the two were entangled in battle, Qi Wujian's body suddenly split open. Boss Lu didn't know what technique he was hit by; he only saw Qi Wujian's left hand pull left and his right hand pull right, literally tearing himself apart. Two new rooms were added to the Traveling Residence: one from "Disregard for Others" and the other from "Five Horses Tearing the Body Apart." "Five Horses Splitting the Body" originated from "Shapeless Shadow Hanging." Even without using shadows, Li Banfeng could forcibly tear them apart. Now, combined with the "Running East, Rushing West" technique, which forces the opponent to actively cooperate in splitting, this technique was finally complete.

Li Banfeng shed tears again, and as the dust settled, he glanced in Shu Wanjuan's direction. Shu Wanjuan had not made a move; he just stood silently in the snow. It wasn't impossible to fight. Shu Wanjuan knew he had no chance of winning, but he could buy time until Bloodfang Monster brought reinforcements, and the situation might turn around. But what was the use? Could his situation truly turn around?

Li Banfeng leaned against the willow tree, silently smoking. Boss Lu put tobacco in his pipe and struck a match. After the two finished smoking, they left one after another. Genzi, carrying his bucket, also left.

Shu Wanjuan bent down and picked up the long-bearded scholar puppet from the ground. He tugged on the threads, and the puppet's limbs moved. He took the puppet, walked behind the red stage, and returned it to the troupe leader. The troupe leader was scared out of his wits and dared not take it. Shu Wanjuan placed the puppet next to the stage and then walked into the wind and snow, hurrying along.