Chapter 66: Live Together
Yu Shi opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the wooden ceiling of the lake house.
Yu Shi felt something pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He looked down and saw a head resting on his chest.
Black hair flowed over his body, with the ends trapped under his arm.
Yu Shi lifted his hand. The head on his chest turned with it, revealing Feng Xuexiang’s face, bathed in sunlight.
“Were you too tired? You slept longer than I expected.”
“…Maybe.” Yu Shi still felt a bit groggy as he sat up, confirming this was the real world. “You managed to leave that place.”
“Yes, you really brought me out!” Feng Xuexiang’s joy was unrestrained.
Yu Shi often thought that Feng Xuexiang’s way of speaking and acting had a naive and straightforward quality. Because in the illusion, he could only see Yu Shi, he had developed a dependence on him, often seeking comfort by staying close. Yu Shi understood this.
As Feng Xuexiang became more aware and interacted with more people, this situation should gradually improve.
Yu Shi took in the chaotic scene in the room, as if a storm had passed through, and asked Feng Xuexiang, “When did you wake up? Did you see a girl in the room?”
Feng Xuexiang lowered his lashes, thinking, “I don’t remember. I often forget a lot of things.”
Yu Shi could only comfort him, “It’s okay, that’s normal. You’ve been lying down for too long; your memory will gradually recover over time.”
Jiang Mang wasn’t here. Perhaps she noticed something was wrong earlier and went out to find help.
“I’ll go ask Steward Sui about the next steps,” Yu Shi said as he got up, preparing to head outside.
“Alright,” Feng Xuexiang walked up to him, trying to hold his hand like before, “Let’s go.”
Yu Shi gently reassured him, “Why don’t you sit here and wait for me? I’ll be back soon.”
He was worried that Feng Xuexiang might not want to stay alone, but to his surprise, Feng Xuexiang readily agreed.
“Okay, I’ll wait here for you, but come back quickly,” Feng Xuexiang said.
Yu Shi was still unclear about what had happened, but outside the lake house, the entire Feng family was on edge because Ninth Master Feng had suddenly regained consciousness.
Feng Zaiyin, carrying the unconscious Jiang Mang, had left the lake house and informed the old steward about Feng Xuexiang’s awakening before fainting due to excessive blood loss.
Compared to the news of Ninth Master Feng waking up, the discovery that the attendant they had found, Jiang Mang, might be a descendant of the Xue family was now a minor issue, temporarily overlooked.
The exorcists of the Feng family, who knew about the direct bloodline, hadn’t yet arrived, leaving the overwhelmed old steward to first meet with Yu Shi.
“Steward Sui, is Jiang Mang alright?”
Seeing Yu Shi standing before him unharmed, the old steward was stunned, not expecting him to still be alive.
Earlier, Feng Zaiyin had only brought out Jiang Mang and hadn’t had the chance to explain Yu Shi’s situation, so the old steward naturally assumed he was already dead.
Ninth Master Feng was a colossal problem when he was lost in his mind, and even more troublesome once he regained consciousness.
His appearance was highly deceptive, but in reality, his personality was strange, his moods unpredictable, and his actions inconsistent. He frequently forgot what he had said or done.
In previous years, when he was conscious, the people assigned to care for him had to be replaced countless times each year. Just moments ago, the old steward had been stressing over where to find another Five Yin Fate to temporarily take over.
“Zhou Shi, I’m relieved that you’re alright. Jiang Mang has been sent to rest,” the old steward said as he snapped out of his thoughts and immediately asked, “You were in the lake house the entire time. Did you see Ninth Master Feng regain consciousness?”
“I did,” Yu Shi replied. “I wanted to ask you if Ninth Master Feng will continue to stay at the lake house to recuperate now that he’s awake. The floors, walls, and furniture inside have sustained some damage and may need professional repairs.”
If it was just minor damage, Yu Shi could try to fix it, but the extent of the damage was too large for him to restore everything on his own.
The old steward responded, “The damage isn’t the main concern. What’s most important is Ninth Master Feng himself. How is his condition? Was he angry, or did he do anything unusual?”
Yu Shi answered, “Ninth Master Feng’s mood was stable, and he appeared quite normal. He wanted to come out just now, but for the sake of his health, I asked him to wait inside.”
Yu Shi seemed perfectly normal—too normal, in fact, which made the old steward suspect that something was wrong.
Anyone who came into contact with Ninth Master Feng would inevitably be affected mentally, so someone as calm and composed as Yu Shi might already be under Ninth Master Feng’s control.
The old steward gave Yu Shi a long, penetrating look before suddenly raising two fingers to Yu Shi’s forehead and chanting in a low voice, “Break through the illusion!”
Before his withered fingers could touch Yu Shi, they met resistance halfway. Sensing something was wrong, the old steward quickly retreated, drawing blood from his fingertip and smearing it over his eyelids.
The scene before him tore open, revealing the true reality.
Just a few steps away, a figure stood silently, positioned between him and Yu Shi. Somehow, everyone had overlooked this person’s presence.
The figure had a face all too familiar to the old steward, as well as a familiar expression—it was none other than Ninth Master Feng, who should have been inside the lake house.
If the old steward hadn’t stopped himself just now, his fingers would have touched Feng Xuexiang’s face, and he would have suffered a severe backlash.
“What were you trying to do just now?” Feng Xuexiang asked curiously.
“I…” the old steward began, but then he saw Feng Xuexiang’s harmless face start to distort. He immediately summoned all his strength to resist the mental pollution and corruption.
“Why did you come out? Didn’t I ask you to wait inside?” Yu Shi asked, having just seen Feng Xuexiang walk over from behind and stand in front of him.
Feng Xuexiang shifted his gaze away from the old steward, smiled softly at Yu Shi, and said in a gentle tone, “But I waited for so long, and you didn’t come back, so I came to find you.”
Waited for so long? Yu Shi thought to himself that he had just stepped out and only exchanged a couple of sentences with the old steward.
“What’s wrong with Steward Sui? Is he sick?” Yu Shi asked as he glanced back at the old steward, startled by his condition.
He had never seen the old steward look so unwell. The man was drenched in sweat, his sharp eyes now clouded, as if he had suddenly fallen gravely ill.
“Steward Sui?” Feng Xuexiang said with surprise, “I remember now, he’s Steward Sui.”
He reached out to support the unsteady the old steward, smiling as he said, “It’s been a long time since I last saw you, hasn’t it?”
Steward Sui’s expression was stiff, but he forced a kind smile as he was helped up. “Ah, yes, it’s been several years.”
Feng Xuexiang then introduced him to Yu Shi, “This is Steward Sui; he took care of me when I was a child.”
“He’s the one who gave me that long, thin anklet and clasped it on my ankle himself.”
“He’s the one who told me I couldn’t leave the range of the chain and that I wasn’t allowed to run around.”
Feng Xuexiang’s tone became deranged and eerie as he tightened his grip around Steward Sui’s neck with one hand, twisting it forcefully.
The old steward struggled, raising his hand to his neck, when he suddenly heard, “What’s wrong with Steward Sui?”
He abruptly snapped back to reality, realizing that Feng Xuexiang was still calmly holding his arm and that the grip around his neck was merely an illusion.
Staring into his dark eyes, the old steward couldn’t tell if the previous events had been intentionally caused by him or if they were an unintentional part of the illusion.
“I, I’m fine, cough cough,” the old steward said, suddenly covering his neck and coughing.
Feng Xuexiang pinched the old steward’s sleeve and, with concern, wiped the sweat off his forehead, saying, “Steward Sui, are you still taking care of me?”
“I don’t want to stay there anymore. Please arrange another place for me.”
Steward Sui’s face twitched with wrinkles. “Well, would Ninth Master prefer to stay in the childhood home, Lotus Courtyard, or in the Six-Petal Courtyard left by the madam?”
“I want to stay with him,” Feng Xuexiang said, looking at Yu Shi with an expectant expression.
Steward Sui gave Yu Shi a long, scrutinizing look. His impression of this caretaker was that he was diligent and earnest, even somewhat rigid, but otherwise unremarkable.
“Ninth Master, the only other place available is a separate residence for external staff. It is quite basic and might not be suitable for you.”
Yu Shi: “…………”
The guest room where he and Jiang Mang stayed was equipped with all sorts of appliances, far more convenient than Feng Xuexiang’s lake house, which lacked even an air conditioner, dehumidifier, or kitchen facilities.
The lake house, while larger and built with expensive wood, was hardly suitable for living.
“I think it’s a good idea for Ninth Master to move. The lake house lacks many amenities and isn’t very convenient for daily living.”
Yu Shi first affirmed Feng Xuexiang’s wish and then agreed with Steward Sui.
“However, staying at my place might not be feasible either. It’s too small, and Ninth Master might not be comfortable there.”
He gently declined, but Feng Xuexiang showed a look of concern and, releasing the swaying old steward, came over to take his hand. “Your place is too small and inconvenient? Then we should move to a bigger place together.”
Yu Shi clarified, “That’s not what I meant; I’m quite used to living there.”
Feng Xuexiang replied, “Then I’ll be used to living there too.”
The last person who insisted on living with him was a child from his employer’s family, and his parents had to put a stop to it.
But here, clearly, no one could restrain Feng Xuexiang.
Moreover, Feng Xuexiang’s face was full of anxious worry about being rejected, like a clingy animal looking for a companion, making it hard to keep refusing.
Yu Shi hoped Steward Sui would say something, but Steward Sui seemed unable to hold on any longer. He suddenly collapsed on the ground with a thud, gasping for breath. Two pallid-faced Feng family members rushed to lift him up.
“Steward Sui’s condition seems quite serious; you should take him to the hospital,” Yu Shi suggested earnestly.
The two Feng family members, glancing nervously at Feng Xuexiang, nodded vigorously and stammered, “Y-yes!”
“Alright, since Steward Sui needs medical attention and can’t manage my situation, I’ll stay at your place for now,” Feng Xuexiang declared.
Yu Shi thought to himself: Fine, since he works here, he should listen to the employer’s wishes.
With no objections from anyone present, Feng Xuexiang walked alongside Yu Shi, crossing the newly erected fence by the lake and heading to the roadside.
“The Feng family estate is so large, and my place is a bit far from here. It would be faster to take one of these sightseeing cars.”
Yu Shi helped Feng Xuexiang into a sightseeing car parked at the roadside and then went to the driver’s seat to start the engine with practiced ease.
Yu Shi usually preferred walking or running for exercise, with Jiang Mang joining him most of the time and only occasionally taking the sightseeing car.
However, looking at Feng Xuexiang, Yu Shi felt he seemed fragile, like a delicate vase that could easily be damaged if he walked too far.
It was better to drive him.
As Feng Xuexiang moved away, Steward Sui’s chaotic illusions finally began to fade. He took a deep breath and spoke in a broken voice:
“Go, clear out all the idle people from the separate residence area. They must not disturb or provoke Ninth Master. Have the remaining demon exorcists on standby and go, go to Yun City to bring Seventh Master back…”
When Feng Xuexiang was not conscious, he unconsciously affected those around him. When he was awake, he would whimsically pull everything into his illusions. If left unchecked, it would surely cause trouble.
Now, the old steward hoped that the head of the family would come out soon to control Feng Xuexiang.
…
Feng Xuexiang stood in the sightseeing car, holding onto the back of Yu Shi’s seat, and stretched out a hand to catch the breeze, as if even the outside wind was a novelty to him.
The car entered a willow-lined avenue, with large willow trees, some twenty years old, swaying gently in the wind. The scenery was quite pleasant.
Feng Xuexiang stared intently at the hanging branches and didn’t notice them until they slapped him on the forehead.
Seeing the willow branches hit him, Yu Shi smiled and slowed down the car. “Why are you in a daze? The willow branches are hitting you; sit down properly.”
