Chapter 73: Scaring Someone
The scenery of Chuncheng was quite pleasant; it was a moderately famous tourist city.
Even during the hottest days of summer, people would often visit. Outside the city, there were canyons, rafting spots, and large horse farms.
However, ever since the discovery of the chain tombs in Chuncheng, the Crisis Bureau had stationed personnel there, strictly limiting tourist access, especially near the chain tombs on the outskirts. The onlookers gathered there were all exorcists.
Exorcists nowadays were generally divided into three factions.
The official organization, the Crisis Bureau, was mainly based in the east. Most of the exorcists in the bureau were trained in specialized schools, with a small number recruited from the civilian population.
They were primarily responsible for overseeing the situation and providing rescue and emergency response.
In cases like this, where a dangerous tomb was unearthed that could potentially affect millions of people in several cities, they would mobilize personnel to handle it together.
To the north was the area humorously referred to as the gathering place for wandering exorcists.
The cities in that region had a high rate of population movement year-round, consisting mainly of small civilian organizations and some individual exorcists. Among them were some very famous and powerful figures.
Most of the time, they were free-spirited and scattered, coming together only when major events occurred; otherwise, they lived independently.
The greatest advantage of the northern faction was its inclusiveness; they did not care about beliefs or origins, which attracted many exorcists from the academic and family factions. Feng Kuo was one such exorcist.
The southern region was the most unique, with exorcists monopolized by several large and small families. The family-based system had continued for a thousand years, forming a stable yet decaying tradition of inheritance.
However, it was common for families to devour and replace each other. The current four major families had risen to prominence about a few hundred years ago and had withstood numerous challenges to remain unshaken.
Ordinarily, the four major families had their disputes and conflicts, but when faced with external threats, they would unite. Of course, both overt and covert rivalries were never lacking.
This time, the Feng family deployed their guardian spirit demon, which forced the other three families to carefully consider what the Feng family head was planning and how this matter would affect them.
Spirit demons held a special status, and in the past, only the Ming family, who were known for their cooperation with the Crisis Bureau, would have their spirit demon intervene. After all, the Ming family was famous for their kindness, always opting to exorcise demons they encountered.
But this time, the Feng family summoned their spirit demon.
Naturally, upon receiving news that the Feng family’s spirit demon was coming, the Crisis Bureau immediately requested the presence of the Ming family. As a result, the Ming family’s spirit demon, Ming Tang, arrived in Chuncheng almost at the same time as Feng Xuexiang’s plane.
The Xue family, which had been quiet up until then, also sent their spirit demon to Chuncheng after learning that Feng Xuexiang was on his way.
With the other three families having acted, the remaining Mei family couldn’t sit still. They quickly prepared to send their newly appointed young spirit demon to Chuncheng as well.
As a result, the four spirit demons of the four major southern families gathered in Chuncheng, bringing great joy to the leader of the Crisis Bureau responsible for Chuncheng’s affairs. He was so delighted that his eyebrows nearly lifted off his face.
Everyone knew that these powerful families possessed numerous hidden means and treasures, with their spirit demons being creations far beyond the limits of human capability.
With their presence, even if something truly monstrous were unearthed from the tomb, it wouldn’t be able to cause much trouble. He felt a significant burden lift from his shoulders.
…
At Feng Xuexiang’s residence, a special visitor arrived.
In the scorching summer heat, a thin layer of ice formed beneath her feet as she approached.
The Xue family’s spirit demon, Xue Xiu, appeared as a young girl who seemed quite youthful.
Yu Shi thought to himself that perhaps those who became spirit demons tended to look younger than their actual age, as Feng Xuexiang was the same way.
Dressed in a white gown, Xue Xiu looked particularly cold. Her elder sister, Xue Ruoyao, accompanied her, and Yu Shi also spotted a familiar face.
After being taken in by the Xue family, Jiang Mang hadn’t contacted anyone. Now, she was standing behind Xue Xiu.
Seeing him there, Jiang Mang’s eyes lit up, and she excitedly blinked at him.
Yu Shi smiled warmly and nodded to her.
Xue Xiu seemed to be the quiet type, so it was Xue Ruoyao who spoke.
She addressed Feng Xuexiang with great caution, barely containing her excitement as she carefully asked, “Do you remember us? I’m your cousin Ruoyao, and she’s your cousin Xiaoxiu.”
Feng Xuexiang looked at the two of them for a moment before suddenly asking, “Do you want me to remember, or forget?”
Xue Ruoyao’s expression stiffened. They were well aware of Feng Xuexiang’s condition—each time he awoke from his slumber, he would forget things. The more he liked someone or the happier a memory, the quicker he would forget it.
If he remembered them, it likely wasn’t a good sign.
Yu Shi approached, inviting them all to take a seat. He even added an extra cushion for Xue Xiu and asked her, “Would you like iced water or a hot drink?”
Xue Xiu hesitated for a moment. To conserve her strength, she usually kept herself encased in ice at home, only emerging when she needed to use her powers. When she did wake up, she would talk to her family from within the ice. She didn’t need to eat or drink.
The few times she had gone out, people were so fearful that they almost treated her like a deity, and no one had ever asked her something as ordinary as what she wanted to drink.
After a brief pause, she replied, “…Something hot.”
“Alright,” Yu Shi said, then turned to the others, “What about you two?”
Jiang Mang immediately raised her hand, “I want your iced lemon water!”
Yu Shi smiled, “Got it.”
Xue Ruoyao was still shocked by her sister’s sudden request for hot water and puzzled by her niece’s familiar tone.
At that moment, Feng Xuexiang spoke up, “I’ll have a cup of hot water, and also a glass of iced lemon water.”
Finally, it was Xue Ruoyao’s turn. She steadied herself and said, “I… I’m fine with anything. Thank you.”
She couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Who is this person? Why does Feng Xuexiang seem so close to him?’
She noticed that her cousin’s tone was different when he spoke to this young man.
Jiang Mang, who had been standing behind them for only a short while, couldn’t stay still. She quickly ran over to help Yu Shi and chat with him.
“Zhou Shi! It’s been so many days since we last saw each other. I feel like so much has happened, like it’s been ages!”
“Do you know? It turns out I’m actually a member of the Xue family! My mother is the eldest daughter of the Xue family, and those two on the sofa are my aunts! It’s unbelievable, like a dream. I’ve been an orphan all my life, thinking those big families had nothing to do with me.”
Yu Shi listened with a smile, thinking, ‘It’s more than that. In the world line provided by the system, as the female protagonist, you’ll develop feelings for the male protagonist, Feng Zaiyin, here in Chuncheng, and eventually become the lady of the Feng family.’
“I woke up in the Xue family’s home. My second aunt said I encountered danger, which triggered my bloodline’s power. She also said my talent is remarkable. These past days, my little aunt has been helping me manage the power that’s been overflowing. After that intense burst, I couldn’t even move my hands.”
“It was only a couple of days ago that I finally regained movement. I got in touch with everyone at the estate and was wondering how I could reach you. Then, I came here and saw you right away. How have you been?”
Jiang Mang seemed to have been holding everything in for a long time, speaking rapidly and with enthusiasm.
Yu Shi answered her questions and then asked about her health.
Jiang Mang proudly showed off her new ability. “Look, I guess I’m a low-level exorcist now. My aunt taught me how to use the power of ice.”
Yu Shi handed her the lemon water he had prepared and said with a smile, “Perfect timing. I won’t chill your drink; you can do it yourself with your ice power.”
They stood together by the tea station, quietly chatting and laughing, looking quite familiar with each other.
Feng Xuexiang sat on the sofa, watching the scene with a faint smile.
Meanwhile, Xue Ruoyao was saying, “Father suffered a loss at that Qianchao tomb up there. I’ve been wanting to come see you, but he didn’t agree until now. When he heard that you were coming, he finally allowed us to make the trip.”
“I heard you woke up this year. Father also asked me to check on you, to see how you’re doing, if your health is still good, or if anything happened.”
“Nothing happened,” Feng Xuexiang replied, his expression revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Xue Ruoyao then asked, “Why did you come to Chuncheng this time?”
Feng Xuexiang responded, “Father asked me to come, so I did.”
At the mention of the Feng family patriarch, Xue Ruoyao’s face darkened with displeasure. “That shameless old man!”
Feng Xuexiang’s reaction to her anger and disdain was indifferent, as if it didn’t concern him.
Xue Ruoyao continued talking, but soon realized that Feng Xuexiang’s gaze had been fixed on something behind her the entire time. She turned to look and saw the young man and Jiang Mang still deep in conversation.
Assuming Feng Xuexiang was watching Jiang Mang, she introduced her, “You’ve noticed her, haven’t you? She’s Jiang Mang, the daughter of our eldest sister, your niece. I heard she even took care of you before. It’s quite a coincidence.”
The girls of the Xue family seemed to be cursed; in every generation, those who didn’t become spirit demons almost always met tragic ends due to love.
Her eldest sister had fallen in love with a wandering exorcist and eloped with him, disappearing for years before dying young, leaving behind this lonely niece.
In the previous generation, her aunt had also fallen victim, deceived by that cunning old man Feng Houzhan of the Feng family. Despite the significant age difference, she married into the Feng family.
But Feng Houzhan was only after a few Xue demon spirit molts from their family.
A few years after giving birth to Feng Xuexiang, her aunt mysteriously passed away from an unexplained illness.
“You keep looking at your niece—do you think it’s because she resembles our aunt? I also think her eyes and brows look a lot like our aunt when she was young,” Xue Ruoyao remarked.
Feng Xuexiang responded, “Do you think I still remember what my mother looked like?”
Xue Ruoyao fell silent.
Just then, Yu Shi arrived, carrying tea for everyone. He placed a cup in front of each person and two cups in front of Feng Xuexiang.
Feng Xuexiang didn’t drink right away. Instead, he grasped Yu Shi’s clothing and, with a smile, asked, “What were you talking about just now?”
Yu Shi replied, “We were discussing how to freeze a delicious glass of lemon tea. The one you have is also frozen by her; you should give it a try.”
When Jiang Mang had taken care of Feng Xuexiang before, she never dared to look at him directly, as the psychological trauma from the illusions he created left her with a lingering fear of him.
When she noticed him looking at her, she forced a smile and greeted him, “Uncle.”
Feng Xuexiang let go of Yu Shi and beckoned to her, “I heard from cousin that you resemble my mother. Come closer so I can have a good look.”
Though his tone was gentle, Jiang Mang felt an inexplicable fear. Xue Ruoyao, standing behind her, gently pushed her forward, “Go ahead.”
As Jiang Mang approached Feng Xuexiang, she noticed how elegantly he sat. When he reached out to touch her face, she slightly turned her head, her neck stiff.
As his delicate hand brushed her cheek, tracing down to her chin, Jiang Mang’s hair stood on end.
When their eyes met, Jiang Mang suddenly felt her mind go blank, and by the time she regained her senses, she had already taken two steps back.
Feng Xuexiang glanced at his fingers, noticing a layer of frost covering them.
Embarrassed, Jiang Mang quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Uncle. I still can’t control it very well. I freeze things when I get nervous.”
Yu Shi held the kettle as he poured more hot water into Xue Xiu’s cup. The hot water she held in her hands had cooled down after a short while, so Yu Shi quietly refilled it with fresh hot water.
When he saw that Feng Xuexiang had been frozen by Jiang Mang, Yu Shi naturally walked over and took Feng Xuexiang’s hand to check it.
The thin layer of frost quickly melted in his warm palm.
“It’s alright, nothing serious,” Yu Shi said, releasing Feng Xuexiang’s hand and adding some hot water to his cup to warm his hands.
“Hold it to keep warm.”
Jiang Mang frowned as she wiped the frost off her hand.
She had hoped to come here daily to chat with Zhou Shi since no one else talked much, but her uncle seemed even more intimidating than before. Now, she didn’t dare to return.
