Chapter 28: A Horde of Demons in Wild Frenzy (21)

Shen Xiao had always been a person of composure and propriety, never servile nor overbearing, always courteous and measured. Being suddenly approached so intimately by a young woman left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

“If it cannot be vanquished, then so be it. There’s no use in preparing for what cannot be done,” he replied in a cold, hard tone.

Lady Xu Xiangyun smiled sweetly. “The fox spirit is vicious. If you cannot destroy it, Daoist, you may find yourself in danger as well. It would be wise to plan an escape route in advance, lest you fail to save anyone and lose your own life in vain. Wouldn’t that be a terrible loss?”

Shen Xiao’s face remained expressionless. “Whether it is a loss or not is of no consequence. If I lose my life, it would only prove my cultivation is lacking. No one else is to blame.”

“You truly are magnanimous, Daoist.” The smile in Xu Xiangyun’s eyes deepened. “But I do have a method to resolve this problem, one that would not require you to risk yourself. Would you care to hear it?”

Shen Xiao frowned. “What method?”

Xu Xiangyun covered her mouth as she laughed lightly. “Why not marry me, Daoist Shen? The fox spirit seeks only chaste maidens who have never been wed. If you marry me, I will no longer be in danger, and you need not risk your own life.”

Shen Xiao was visibly startled. Worldly as he was, he had never expected such forward words from a daughter of an official family!

Had the chaos wrought by demons truly driven people to abandon all sense of propriety?

“Why are you looking at me like that, Daoist Shen?” Xu Xiangyun’s smile did not falter. “Are you unaware? In Qingshan City, many young women have married imbeciles and old men just to survive. You are handsome and skilled in the mystic arts. My choosing you is only natural. What? Are you unwilling? I consider myself both talented and attractive, from a respectable family. We would be a good match.”

Shen Xiao could not help but laugh—a laugh born of exasperation.

“Those women who married fools and old men must have done so out of sheer desperation. But you, Miss Xu, are sheltered by your parents and brothers. Why resort to such measures? Besides—” he paused, fixing her with a cool gaze, “to you, my age is little different from that of an old man.”

“How could that be?” Xu Xiangyun was skeptical, studying Shen Xiao closely. “Are you... thirty-six? Thirty-eight? Surely not... already forty?”

With an unhurried flick of his sleeve, Shen Xiao clasped his hands behind his back and replied, “I am eighty-five this year.”

Xu Xiangyun’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re lying! That’s impossible!”

“There’s nothing impossible about it,” Shen Xiao said calmly. “Those who cultivate the mystical arts often appear younger than ordinary folk. Lady Xu herself is as youthful as a maiden of twenty. It is the same principle.”

She stared at him, dumbstruck, as though she had prepared for everything except this unexpected obstacle. Her face was a portrait of shock and defeat.

But Shen Xiao offered no comfort. Instead, he made a gesture of polite dismissal. “Miss Xu, please return. I need to rest.”

Xu Xiangyun turned away in a daze, taking slow, halting steps as she left...

...

While Shi Xianyu was bathing, she overheard the entire conversation between the two, and could not help but marvel.

She thought Miss Xu was truly an extraordinary woman—to have met Shen Xiao only once and already propose marriage. Such courage was admirable!

Ordinary young ladies would at least send a handkerchief or an embroidered sachet first, to ease into things. But she was direct and forceful, daring to speak of marriage to a Daoist at their first meeting. It was no surprise she was refused.

As Shi Xianyu mulled over this, her thoughts shifted from Miss Xu to Lady Xu. Lin Yuan had said Lady Xu bore no scent—had he ever checked Miss Xu? And what about the Xu family’s young master? They had returned with Xu Qingfeng’s boat and nothing had happened; Lin Yuan showed no reaction. Xu Qingfeng must be normal, then. So why is there something amiss with the mother, but not the children?

Ah, what’s going on? There were so many questions she hadn’t discussed with Shen Xiao. Why had she gone to bathe first?

Was now really the time for a bath?

Shi Xianyu scolded herself, realizing her priorities were not in order—she was too eager to satisfy her own needs and neglected the larger picture.

While silently chiding herself, she washed and dried her hair with care, changed into the clean clothes the servants brought, and prepared to seek out Shen Xiao next door to discuss the situation.

As she opened her door, it was almost like a secret signal. The moment her door creaked, Lin Yuan, who lived in the room to the left, also stepped out and fixed his gaze on her.

“Let’s go find Brother Shen,” Shi Xianyu said, gesturing to the right.

“What do you want with me?” Not two seconds later, Shen Xiao himself emerged from his room, looking resigned. “Having adjacent rooms is convenient. Whatever happens outside can be heard loud and clear. Well, what do you have to tell me?”

Shi Xianyu cautiously glanced around and lowered her voice. “Brother Shen, don’t you think Lady Xu is a bit suspicious?”

“Lady Xu? Suspicious?” Shen Xiao’s brows knit. “Why do you say that?”

Shi Xianyu began, “It’s like this. Just now, Lin Yuan told me—”

“Someone’s coming,” Lin Yuan interrupted suddenly.

Shi Xianyu paused, about to say that wasn’t what he had told her, when hurried footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor—

She turned and saw the prefect himself approaching.

Lord Xu jogged up, his double chin quivering, and stopped before the three, gasping for breath. “Forgive me for disturbing you, esteemed Daoists. There is a guest outside who insists on meeting you...”

He wiped sweat from his face with his sleeve and offered an apologetic smile. “Although I am the magistrate here, the visitor is of unusual status, and I could not refuse him. He is the nephew of the imperial consort, and has brought many alchemists and cultivators to the emperor. Now, having heard that powerful Daoists have arrived, he refuses to leave without meeting you.”

At this, Shen Xiao’s face darkened almost instantly.

So it had come to this—the very thing he dreaded. Princes and nobles, always seeking eternal youth or immortality, yet unwilling to dedicate themselves to true cultivation, never willing to relinquish their wealth, power, or pleasures!

In the past, Shen Xiao would have simply withdrawn from such situations. But now, residing in Lord Xu’s house, he could not bring trouble to his hosts. The fox spirit matter was unresolved as well—now was not the time to leave.

“I’ll go and see. You two stay here and don’t show yourselves,” Shen Xiao instructed Shi Xianyu and Lin Yuan. “I have some experience dealing with people like this. You rest for now; anything else can wait until I return.”

With that, he hurried off after Lord Xu.

Shi Xianyu watched Shen Xiao’s retreating figure and could only sigh helplessly, turning to Lin Yuan. “We’ll have to wait for Brother Shen to come back before we can discuss things.”

Lin Yuan did not respond.

Shi Xianyu tugged at his sleeve. “...What’s wrong?”

Lin Yuan’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared intently at a corner of the garden, and before Shi Xianyu could question him further, he sprang into action! As if he had spotted prey, he vaulted over the courtyard wall and vanished without a trace!

Shi Xianyu was left speechless.

Outside the wing, the garden was a riot of spring blossoms. A gentle breeze stirred the willow branches, and warm sunlight bathed everything in lively color.

And yet, an unnatural stillness slowly crept in, filling her with an inexplicable sense of dread.