This Villain Ch.72

Chapter 72: Flowers or No Flowers

In the new residence, Xiao Chuang brought in fresh vegetables for the day, along with a large bouquet of flowers.

Today’s flowers were water lilies.

Yu Shi removed the outer green sepals from the flower buds, filled the stems with water, and placed them in a vase to wait for them to bloom.

Feng Xuexiang looked at the flowers and suddenly said, “I don’t like water lilies.”

Yu Shi replied, “Then let’s put them in my room. I quite like them.”

When Yu Shi was at home, the flowers he bought most often were water lilies because, unusually, all his brothers liked them.

His second brother appreciated the regular and elegant shape of the flowers.

His third brother admired the water lilies’ work ethic, blooming in the morning and closing in the afternoon.

His fifth brother disliked bright, golden flowers, but he could tolerate purple water lilies.

As for his eldest brother, he had only two opinions about flowers: “This flower smells nice, not bad!” or “This flower looks good, very nice!”

Yu Shi carefully arranged the flower buds.

Feng Xuexiang said, “I don’t like them. Throw them away.”

Yu Shi responded, “No.”

Feng Xuexiang was rarely refused so bluntly by Yu Shi. Most of the time, even if Yu Shi didn’t agree, he would explain a bit, soothe him, or eventually agree after being asked a little more.

Standing in front of the vase of water lilies for a moment, Feng Xuexiang suddenly said to Yu Shi, who was tidying up the countertop, “Look, they’re withering. It’s time to throw them away.”

Yu Shi glanced at the flowers; the purple petals had just begun to unfold.

“No.”

“Yes.” Feng Xuexiang turned to Xiao Chuang, “Xiao Chuang, tell me, aren’t these flowers rotten?”

Xiao Chuang, who was already anxious because Ninth Master didn’t like the flowers she had chosen today, became even more worried as it seemed they were about to argue. Suddenly being called out, she looked up at the vase and was stunned.

The flowers that had been vibrant just moments ago now appeared to Xiao Chuang as wilted petals, with stems that had turned black and rotten, emitting a foul odor.

“Yes, the flowers have rotted,” she said.

“You see, she agrees,” Feng Xuexiang said as he reached for the vase, intending to throw it away along with the flowers. “They’re rotten; now we can throw them out.”

Yu Shi stopped him, moving his hand away from the vase. “I have eyes, and I can see for myself. Even if you both say so, these flowers are not rotten.”

Feng Xuexiang’s illusions were mostly ineffective on Yu Shi.

“Why? Why don’t you believe they’re rotten?” Feng Xuexiang asked, unwilling to give up.

“I handled these flowers myself, and I know they are fresh. It’s unreasonable for them to rot just because I looked away for a moment,” Yu Shi replied, his logic telling him that it was impossible.

Believing in oneself and refusing to be influenced prevented one from being deceived.

It sounded simple, but if there were cracks in one’s heart, doubt could lead to deception.

Yu Shi was difficult to “deceive.” It seemed that his understanding of the world came from within himself, not from others.

“It has to be reasonable for you to believe it,” Feng Xuexiang murmured softly.

Yu Shi took the vase upstairs and, as expected, placed the water lilies in his room.

When he came back downstairs, he told Feng Xuexiang, “I’ve put the water lilies in my room. You should rest in your own room today.”

Feng Xuexiang: “…”

Today, it was unusual that Feng Xuexiang didn’t follow Yu Shi around. Xiao Chuang noticed him alone in the living room, working on a puzzle, and grew a bit concerned for Yu Shi.

“Zhou Shi, is Ninth Master upset? What should we do now?”

“It’s fine; normal people get upset,” Yu Shi replied, continuing his work.

He had long been accustomed to the occasional friction of living with several brothers of similar age, and it was quite normal for someone to get angry.

Even he would get angry sometimes.

“But he! Ninth Master being angry is really scary!” Xiao Chuang said urgently and softly.

Yu Shi glanced at the living room. “It’s okay; he hasn’t thrown a tantrum.”

“Zhou Shi, should you go calm Ninth Master down? What if he ignores you?” Xiao Chuang was worried that Yu Shi might offend Ninth Master.

“It’s fine; let him be alone for a while,” Yu Shi said.

In his view, Ninth Master often acted like a child. He was throwing a tantrum now, but he would likely be fine after some time.

However, today Feng Xuexiang’s temper was quite high, and he hadn’t spoken to Yu Shi all morning.

He spent the entire morning fiddling with the puzzle, managing to complete just one corner, and the pattern was still mostly incorrect.

Yu Shi, rarely disturbed, sat and watched the programs he was interested in after finishing his work.

Only Xiao Chuang was anxiously pacing back and forth in between.

Suddenly, Feng Xuexiang stopped working on the puzzle and looked towards the door.

Through the glass, he saw someone walking in.

Yu Shi noticed a shadow falling in front of him and looked up in confusion to see Feng Xuexiang blocking his view with his back to him.

Xiao Chuang gasped, “It’s the head of the family! The head of the family has arrived!”

She almost whispered in a trembling voice, clearly nervous.

Yu Shi stood up, but Feng Xuexiang grabbed his hand and held him back. Yu Shi couldn’t see Feng Xuexiang’s expression, only that he was staring straight at the man walking in through the door.

Feng Houzhan was at the front, followed by Steward Sui and Feng Zaiyin.

He walked in, saw Feng Xuexiang, and smiled, “Little Ninth, your father just came out of seclusion. As soon as I heard you woke up, I came right over. You won’t blame me for being late, will you? Let me see, our Little Ninth looks to be in good shape.”

“Father,” Feng Xuexiang replied with a smile in his voice.

After waking up, he had asked many people “Who are you?” and even needed to recall who Steward Sui was after speaking with him. But he recognized his father immediately.

Yu Shi noticed this and, holding Feng Xuexiang’s hand, stood up from the sofa behind him. He then pressed his shoulder, making him sit back down on the sofa.

As soon as Yu Shi moved, Feng Houzhan’s gaze fell on him. He smiled and said, “You must be Zhou Shi. I’ve heard about you; you’ve taken good care of Little Ninth.”

He looked unusually young and charming, almost like he could be a brother to his grandson, yet he was Feng Xuexiang’s father.

Yu Shi was somewhat surprised and greeted him, “Old Master Feng.”

Since Feng Houzhan’s appearance had become increasingly youthful, no one called him Old Master Feng anymore.

Yu Shi not only greeted him but also went over to pour tea, inviting him to sit on another sofa.

“Old Master Feng, please have some water.”

Feng Zaiyin, standing behind Feng Houzhan, couldn’t help but glance at Yu Shi again.

In front of his grandfather, many people would be intimidated and hesitant to speak. Yu Shi seemed completely unaffected, even going so far as to ask:

“Old Master Feng, would you like me to discuss Ninth Master Feng’s situation?”

Feng Houzhan assessed him for a moment, then laughed heartily and said to Feng Xuexiang, “He’s a responsible person. No wonder you like him.”

Sitting opposite, Feng Xuexiang maintained a dignified posture and, like his father, had a faint smile on his face. “Yes.”

“Ashi, come over here.”

Yu Shi had more or less figured out the relationship between the father and son.

Aside from anything else, a father who came to visit his sick child without asking about their health or daily life was not a caring father.

He set the kettle down and walked over to Feng Xuexiang. As he approached, the glass in front of Feng Houzhan shattered, and the untouched water flowed across the coffee table, spilling onto the floor.

As Yu Shi moved, Feng Xuexiang instantly grabbed his hand, stopping his action.

No one in the room paid any attention to the dripping water.

Feng Zaiyin and Steward Sui, standing behind Feng Houzhan, both had grim expressions.

The head of the family was competing with Ninth Master, who had not shown any restraint. If Feng Houzhan had not been there to block the way like a mountain, they would have been injured.

“Ha ha ha, good!” Feng Houzhan said with a satisfied look. “Little Ninth has made progress. With you representing our Feng family in Chuncheng, I can rest assured.”

“This is Zaiyin, your nephew, whom you’ve met before. He will go to Chuncheng with you this time. As his uncle, make sure to guide him and broaden his horizons.”

“Don’t worry about other matters. Steward Sui and Steward Rong will handle everything.”

Feng Houzhan stood up and added, “By the way, don’t try such probing tricks again next time. They just hurt you and delay things, and as your father, it pains me to see that.”

With that, he left, and Feng Zaiyin followed after nodding and saluting to Feng Xuexiang.

After Feng Houzhan left, Feng Xuexiang remained seated, unmoving. Yu Shi heard Xiao Chuang in the corner let out an exaggerated sigh. At the same time, Feng Xuexiang opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood.

Yu Shi immediately supported him, but Feng Xuexiang coughed up another mouthful of blood, splattering onto Yu Shi’s hand.

“Ugh…” Feng Xuexiang continued to vomit, the glaring blood staining the carpet at his feet.

“Xiao Chuang! Go get a doctor!” Yu Shi shouted.

“Doctor? Oh, oh! Alright!” Xiao Chuang ran out.

Yu Shi, with his hands covered in blood, helped Feng Xuexiang, who was doubled over vomiting blood. Feng Xuexiang clung tightly to his hand, the thick, bloody liquid oozing between their fingers.

Xiao Chuang quickly returned, carrying a box with a red pill inside.

“This is the medicine sent by Steward Sui. He said, he said that Ninth Master should… be careful with his behavior and not offend the head of the family again.”

Xiao Chuang’s voice grew softer, and her hand trembled as she held out the pill.

Feng Xuexiang lowered his head, showing no reaction, and reached out with the hand he had been using to support himself on the sofa to take the pill and swallow it.

After a moment, he stopped vomiting blood and seemed to collapse, leaning weakly against Yu Shi.

The blood curse was the most powerful spell of control and restraint. Once cast, it could only be broken by the death of the caster.

The power of illusion was less effective on those closer in blood relation to the host.

Since Feng Houzhan was not only Feng Xuexiang’s biological father but also the caster of the blood curse, Feng Xuexiang’s illusions had no effect on him. Confronting Feng Houzhan would only trigger a backlash from the blood curse.

…………

That afternoon, Steward Sui came to take Feng Xuexiang to Chuncheng, and he also brought Yu Shi and Xiao Chuang along.

They left the glass villa and headed to the private airport within the Feng family’s estate to board a private plane.

Feng Zaiyin had already arrived with several people and was waiting for them.

He showed a mix of respect and trepidation towards his uncle Feng Xuexiang, following closely behind him throughout the journey.

Feng Xuexiang seemed to have returned to normal. After changing clothes and cleaning off the blood, he appeared to have forgotten the events of the morning and even his earlier quarrel with Yu Shi. He cheerfully asked if Yu Shi had ever been to Chuncheng.

“I haven’t been to Chuncheng,” Feng Xuexiang said, then shook his head. “Or rather, I might have been, but I don’t remember.”

“I haven’t been either. I’ve heard that it gets dark very late there,” Yu Shi said, looking at a Chuncheng travel brochure.

Feng Xuexiang leaned in next to him, pointing to a page. “There are many stores selling jade there. Do you like that?”

“Don’t buy it. Many of them are scams,” Yu Shi replied.

Feng Zaiyin, who was about to mention that the Feng family had a few jade shops in Chuncheng that Ninth Master might be interested in visiting, closed his mouth.

The plane landed in Chuncheng after three hours.

Chuncheng was now bustling with exorcists from all over the country, famous and unknown alike, gathered for the excitement.

The linked tomb was located on the outskirts of Chuncheng, surrounded by a perimeter, with officials from the Crisis Bureau stationed to guard it.

Exorcists who had come in response to the summons were generally housed in the city by the Crisis Bureau staff. However, the exorcists from the Southern families stayed at their own places.

“Ninth Uncle, as per your request, your accommodation has been arranged,” Feng Zaiyin personally escorted Feng Xuexiang to the entrance of a courtyard.

Before entering, Feng Xuexiang turned to Yu Shi and said, “The courtyard has a pond with water lilies. Do you smell the fragrance?”

Yu Shi was surprised. “Didn’t you say you didn’t like water lilies?”

Feng Xuexiang lowered his eyes and spoke softly, “I’m sorry for being angry with you this morning. Actually, it’s not that I dislike them. I’m just a bit scared…”

There was a faint, shining light in his dark eyes. “If I hold your hand, I won’t be afraid anymore.”

Yu Shi was momentarily taken aback.

Feng Xuexiang tentatively reached for Yu Shi’s fingers and carefully took his hand. Yu Shi moved his fingers slightly but didn’t pull away.

As they walked in, Yu Shi saw the small pond in the courtyard, with purple water lilies covering the surface. A faint fragrance lingered in the air.

“Do you like these water lilies?” Feng Xuexiang asked, closely watching Yu Shi’s expression and eyes.

“I like them. They’re beautiful,” Yu Shi replied.

Feng Xuexiang smiled, genuinely happy. Even after entering the house, he continued to smile, though the smile seemed a bit odd.

Yu Shi asked, “What are you smiling about?”

Feng Xuexiang shook his head.

He was smiling because he had finally deceived Yu Shi.

The courtyard did have a pond, but there were no water lilies in it.

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