Chapter 71: New Home
Yu Shi got up in the morning and, unsurprisingly, saw Feng Xuexiang lying on the carpet beside his bed.
He was there, fiddling with the long fibers of the carpet, with a row of small flowers he had picked from a vase neatly arranged beside him.
It was clear that he had been lying there, amusing himself, for quite some time before Yu Shi woke up.
After Yu Shi emphasized it several times, Feng Xuexiang finally stopped waking him up in the early hours of the morning but still came to his room to wait.
“I’m not disturbing you. I’m just lying on the floor,” Feng Xuexiang said pitifully, and Yu Shi had no choice but to agree to let him stay, reminding him to sit on the sofa instead of lying on the floor by the bed.
Yesterday morning, Yu Shi was so groggy that he almost stepped on Feng Xuexiang. But today, he was still lying by the bed.
On the fifth day of staying in the villa, Yu Shi urged Steward Sui to bring in someone else to help share the workload.
That Li Yan had only come for one day and never returned, reportedly because he ate something bad and ended up in the hospital.
Yu Shi had to take care of Feng Xuexiang’s three meals a day, clean such a large house and garden, and Feng Xuexiang, being a clingy employer, constantly needed company. Yu Shi felt overwhelmed.
“Hello, I’m new here. Just call me Xiao Chuang,” a young girl said quietly as she stood at the door.
She looked timid, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. If Yu Shi hadn’t been standing close with sharp ears, he wouldn’t have been able to hear what she was saying.
“Hello, I’m Zhou Shi. Are you the new person sent by Steward Sui to take care of Ninth Master?” Yu Shi smiled at her warmly.
Xiao Chuang immediately shook her head, almost fast enough to leave afterimages. “No, no, I’m here because Steward Sui sent me to do the cleaning.”
Steward Sui, who hadn’t originally planned to send anyone else over and didn’t have a suitable candidate, randomly assigned someone to appease Yu Shi after his urging.
Xiao Chuang had always been sweeping floors and cleaning windows for Steward Sui, not someone with a complex fate or anything like that. She was simply shy and timid.
Yu Shi noticed that she was the complete opposite of the last person who had come. She didn’t dare to look at Feng Xuexiang, much less get close to him.
However, Xiao Chuang was very diligent in her work, and from the moment she arrived, she took on a significant portion of Yu Shi’s tasks.
Seeing her constantly scrubbing and cleaning without a break, Yu Shi couldn’t help but call her over to rest, offering her some desserts he had made.
“There really isn’t that much to do. Just tidy up the first floor in the morning, and I’ll handle the second floor. We can take care of the garden together.”
“Ninth Master’s clothes and accessories will need your attention. I’ll take care of the kitchen. By the way, do you have any dietary restrictions? If there’s something you particularly like, feel free to let me know.”
…
Xiao Chuang sat uneasily on the sofa, staring at her knees, and murmured softly, “Okay, okay, I understand. I’m fine with anything.”
Yu Shi kept talking to her, and Feng Xuexiang also came over. It was no exaggeration—when Yu Shi saw Feng Xuexiang approach Xiao Chuang, her hairs stood on end.
Yu Shi pulled Feng Xuexiang aside and reminded him, “Xiao Chuang seems very timid, so don’t get too close to her, and don’t scare her.”
Steward Sui had expected Xiao Chuang, who was randomly sent over to stall for time, to run out in a panic, but she ended up staying in the villa for two days without any issues.
When she came out to fetch something, Steward Sui called her over to ask how things were going. Xiao Chuang stammered, “Ninth Master—I don’t dare to get close to him. Zhou Shi is very nice. The food he makes is delicious, and he even prepares desserts for me. The work is very easy…”
Steward Sui thought: Is that what I asked you?
Unable to get any specific information from Xiao Chuang, Steward Sui waved her off, and Xiao Chuang immediately left with the items she was holding.
She came to pick up the items Yu Shi had purchased, along with some fresh fruit and flowers.
It had rained the day before, and Yu Shi was outside cleaning the windows with a long brush. He was wearing sleeve protectors, standing under the sunlight, with beads of sweat forming on the tip of his nose.
When Xiao Chuang returned, she saw Ninth Master standing beside him, reaching out to take the brush from his hand.
Yu Shi handed it to him, teaching him how to clean, and then picked up another brush to clean alongside him.
Letting Ninth Master do any work was against the rules, but Xiao Chuang didn’t say anything.
She quickly ran back inside, hesitated for a moment, and then brought over some water, saying softly, “Drink some water, take a break.”
Yu Shi heard her, and since he was almost done with his work, he replied, “Alright, thank you, Xiao Chuang.”
After tidying up and returning inside, Yu Shi drank some water and began unwrapping the items he had purchased.
Among them was a watch, which was a gift for Feng Xuexiang.
“Put this on. If you’re unsure about the time, just check the watch,” Yu Shi said, fastening the watch onto Feng Xuexiang’s wrist.
This habit of his, not being aware of the time, might improve if he checked the watch more often.
Feng Xuexiang turned the watch on his wrist, smiling happily. “It’s a gift.”
Yu Shi replied, “Yes, a gift for you. Thank you for not disturbing my sleep at night.”
Xiao Chuang carefully passed by with an empty cup, and Yu Shi handed her a package. “Xiao Chuang, this is for you.”
Xiao Chuang was surprised and, avoiding Feng Xuexiang’s gaze, quietly thanked him and hurried back to her room.
When she opened it, she found a pair of soft slippers inside.
She was someone Steward Sui had randomly chosen, and no one expected her to stay here for long—not even herself.
So when she came, she only brought a small bag, and apart from the little leather shoes on her feet, she didn’t bring any other footwear.
Steward Sui had instructed her not to leave the premises without permission, so she didn’t dare go back to get anything, nor did she dare to make any requests.
She figured that Zhou Shi must have noticed her wearing leather shoes to get water at night and had specifically given her a pair of slippers.
The various necessities that were missing from her room had all been quietly provided by Zhou Shi.
There was even a vase of fresh flowers in her room, also a gift from Zhou Shi.
In just two days, Xiao Chuang understood why Ninth Master Feng liked to stick close to Zhou Shi—she also grew fond of Zhou Shi’s kindness.
…
While Yu Shi was unwrapping packages in the living room, he found one that wasn’t his, but the recipient’s name was written as his. When he opened it, he discovered a large jigsaw puzzle.
Inside, there was a handwritten card with bold, flowing script:
“A toy for Old Ninth. He loved puzzles when he was little. You can play with him.”
It was signed by Feng Kuo.
Yu Shi was quite interested and immediately began to unpack it to play with Feng Xuexiang. When Xiao Chuang came out, Yu Shi invited her to join them.
Xiao Chuang hesitated but eventually moved over and sat on the carpet.
“This piece should go here,” Yu Shi said, as he fit together a small section, but he couldn’t find the next piece no matter how hard he looked.
Seeing him search, Feng Xuexiang eagerly began to look as well.
But the puzzle’s design was a chaotic, colorful starry sky, with each piece looking very similar, making it hard to find the right one. Additionally, Feng Xuexiang’s perception of the world wasn’t quite the same as others.
To him, the colors and patterns sometimes seemed to move, with colors jumping, lines flowing, and occasionally, hallucinatory scenes would suddenly appear before his eyes.
Because of this, playing games like this was especially challenging and slow for him.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Chuang turned out to be an expert. Her sharp eyes quickly found several pieces.
After Yu Shi fit the pieces together, he smiled and said, “Xiao Chuang, you’re really good at this.”
Xiao Chuang smiled slightly but then suddenly met Feng Xuexiang’s gaze.
He was staring at her, both frustrated and anxious, with a hint of… disappointment?
In the two days since she arrived, Xiao Chuang had never dared to make eye contact with Ninth Master. The sudden encounter startled her. However, the thing she feared didn’t happen; Ninth Master simply looked at her and then continued searching.
Seeing that Ninth Master was almost lying flat on the floor, Xiao Chuang carefully picked out two pieces and pointed them out. Feng Xuexiang spotted them immediately and handed them to Yu Shi.
Yu Shi took the pieces and fit them in place. “Ninth Master is impressive too; you found the right pieces.”
He noticed the subtle interaction between the two but didn’t say anything, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Being praised, Feng Xuexiang relaxed considerably and continued to search through the chaotic puzzle pieces.
Before long, Xiao Chuang nudged another piece of the puzzle towards him.
As Feng Xuexiang held that piece, a scene suddenly appeared before his eyes.
It was just like now—three people huddled together, working on a puzzle.
“I can’t find it, and neither can Little Ninth! Ah! Dehuan, you can’t help him cheat! You can’t give him the pieces you find!”
“I didn’t give them to him, Little Ninth found them on his own!”
The faces of the two children speaking were blurry, their features seeming hollowed out by something. And in an instant, the scene vanished, leaving him unable to recall anything no matter how hard he tried.
Holding a puzzle piece, Feng Xuexiang was still trying to make out the pattern on it when, without warning, tears began to roll down his cheeks.
It felt as though he was suddenly enveloped in thick, sticky mud, with something screaming in his ears and the sound of blood gushing echoing in his head.
Suddenly, a tissue brushed against his cheek. Feng Xuexiang saw Yu Shi half-squatting in front of him, gently wiping away his tears with the tissue.
In a world that sometimes twisted and flickered unpredictably, Yu Shi’s face stood out with striking clarity and reality.
Without warning, Feng Xuexiang tightly embraced him, breathing deeply the scent of Yu Shi, which overpowered the persistent stench that seemed to come from nowhere and refused to dissipate.
Xiao Chuang was startled by Ninth Master’s sudden crying. Did he actually get upset and cry because he couldn’t find the puzzle pieces as quickly as she did? She felt a bit panicked, but fortunately, Ninth Master was quickly comforted.
After crying, Xiao Chuang noticed that Ninth Master seemed to be a bit kinder towards her. At least, when Yu Shi asked her what she’d like to eat at the dinner table, Ninth Master no longer stared at her with those dark, intense eyes.
In the past, Xiao Chuang had heard many rumors about Ninth Master, and she had even seen several bodies being moved out of the lake house—more than one.
One of the bodies had an expression of extreme terror, with eyes so wide that they had burst, turning a deep red. He had literally been scared to death.
She had heard Steward Sui’s angry outburst and learned that the man had harbored vile thoughts toward Ninth Master while caring for him, which led to his death at Ninth Master’s hands in the illusion.
The more you stared at Ninth Master and paid attention to him, the easier it was to be “captured” by him. That’s why Xiao Chuang didn’t dare to look at him.
Xiao Chuang couldn’t understand why Yu Shi wasn’t afraid at all, nor was he affected in any way.
This wasn’t just Xiao Chuang’s confusion; it was also Steward Sui’s.
*
On this day, the Feng family head, Feng Houzhan, finally completed his seclusion in the morning. Steward Sui immediately went to report on Feng Xuexiang’s condition.
Feng Houzhan looked a few years younger than before he went into seclusion.
Listening to Steward Sui’s report, he smiled and said, “It’s a good thing that he can be clear-headed. It means he can still do many things for the Feng family.”
“No matter why he prefers to rely on an ordinary person, it doesn’t matter—this is a good thing,” Feng Houzhan remarked. “If Little Ninth is still willing to like something, as his father, I must support him.”
After dismissing Steward Sui, another steward entered the room.
The Feng family was vast, and while Steward Sui primarily managed matters related to Feng Xuexiang and some affairs involving the younger generation, the newly arrived Steward Rong was responsible for the Feng family’s external relations.
Steward Rong, much younger than Steward Sui, first offered his congratulations to the Feng family head. Among the four major families in the southern region, only the Feng family head had reached the highest level of cultivation.
After some flattering words, Steward Rong brought up a recent major event.
In Chuncheng, a chain of ancient tombs had been unearthed.
The topmost tomb was a millennium-old tomb from the Qian Dynasty, and beneath it, they discovered another tomb, three thousand years old, from the Li Dynasty.
Tombs from such ancient times often foster dark and demonic energies. If these energies become tainted, they can give rise to demonic creatures.
The Li Dynasty, in particular, was notorious for its burial practices. One Li Dynasty monarch once buried an entire defeated nation of ten thousand people along with him, their deep-seated resentment breeding a great demon. In later years, tomb robbers unearthed it, leading to widespread devastation.
“Is this the same tomb that Xue Shanwei nearly got trapped in earlier?” Feng Houzhan inquired.
Had it not been for Xue Shanwei’s perilous encounter, which allowed Feng Houzhan to acquire the spiritual shed from the Xue family, his recent seclusion wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
Steward Rong nodded. “The Xue family head was indeed attacked near the Qian Dynasty tomb above, and now they’re about to dig into the one below.”
“That tomb lies on a dragon vein, and over time, it has corrupted the feng shui of the vein, affecting the fortunes of several nearby cities. Excavation is necessary.”
“But it’s a tricky situation. The authorities are cautious, not daring to act rashly. Just the other day, a summons was sent out from that region, and all the families, large and small, in the southern region received it.”
“The official organization is dispatching nearly all of their renowned exorcists. The northern factions, including the unaffiliated exorcists, have also received the summons. As for us in the south, the other families are gradually sending people. Whom does the family head intend to send this time?”
Feng Houzhan pondered for a moment. “Since Little Ninth has regained his clarity, let him go.”
“This grand occasion is an excellent opportunity to showcase the strength of the Feng family.”
