Chapter 7: The White Skeleton
At this moment, Ying Xuan had already regained his composure. He turned around and looked at Ying Tong and Ying Xuechen, a trace of apology flashing in his eyes.
“Venerable Yunhuang, Brother Chen, about this matter, I…”
Now that things had come to this, Ying Xuan understood that although Zhangsun Ya was involved, the root of the problem lay more with him.
Now that the guests had already arrived, no matter how this situation was handled, the Ying family would inevitably lose face.
Ying Xuechen noticed Ying Xuan’s thoughts at that moment. He took a few steps forward, patted his shoulder, and comforted him, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of everything.”
Hearing this, Ying Xuan looked up at Ying Xuechen in surprise. “Already prepared? What do you mean?”
Ying Xuechen glanced at Ying Tong and explained, “It was the Venerable Yunhuang who foresaw that you would face a romantic tribulation and gave us a warning. So Father and I made preparations well in advance.”
The engagement banquet proceeded as scheduled. The Ying family had many offspring, and Ying Xuan was not their only young master.
Zhangsun Ya had given up the Ying family for the sake of her love, but that didn’t mean everyone else was equally blind.
Upon hearing this, Ying Xuan looked at Ying Tong. “Venerable Yunhuang?”
At that moment, Ying Xuan seemed to suddenly understand. No wonder the Venerable Yunhuang had unexpectedly accepted his invitation to attend the engagement banquet—was this the reason?
Ying Xuan solemnly bowed to Ying Tong. “Junior is deeply grateful to the Venerable Yunhuang.”
Seeing this, Ying Tong smiled calmly and said, “This tribulation was destined for you. Now that you’ve passed it, your future path of cultivation will surely be bright.”
Ying Xuan responded sincerely, “Yes, after going through this, I’ve come to understand many things.”
“You…” Ying Xuechen looked at the scene in surprise.
From the beginning, Ying Xuan’s reactions had continuously exceeded Ying Xuechen’s expectations.
Given Ying Xuan’s past obsession with Zhangsun Ya, even if he had discovered her betrayal, it would have been impossible for him to recover so quickly, let alone appear so rational.
To be honest, Ying Xuechen had already prepared himself for the possibility that if Ying Xuan stubbornly refused to let go, he would have to knock some sense into him.
At that moment, Ying Xuechen suddenly looked at Ying Tong beside him and noticed a faint scent lingering in the air.
Following the scent, he quickly located its source: small white flowers growing in the crevices of the rock formations.
The Ying family’s gardens were regularly maintained, and the rock formations had been carefully selected, so the appearance of such flowers was highly unlikely. The only possible explanation was…
Because Ying Xuan had just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, Ying Tong suggested that he rest for a while. Once he had calmed down, he was to meet her at the forbidden area in the back mountains.
After Ying Xuan left, Ying Xuechen voiced his suspicions. “Venerable, what are these white flowers?”
Ying Tong glanced in the direction Ying Xuechen had pointed. With a casual wave of her hand, the small white flowers growing in the cracks instantly vanished, and the scent in the air disappeared along with them.
“White Skeleton, the Flower of Reason.”
Those simple six words made Ying Xuechen’s eyes widen in shock.
“White Skeleton? Isn’t that… isn’t that a deadly poison?”
Seeing Ying Xuechen’s horrified expression, Ying Tong gave him a disdainful look. “As the future head of the Ying family, how can you be so timid? It’s just White Skeleton.”
Ying Xuechen was on the verge of kneeling before her. “But it’s White Skeleton! It’s ranked fifth among the most toxic substances—how is that just White Skeleton?”
Seeing Ying Xuechen’s hesitant expression, Ying Tong spoke casually, “Alright, if I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t have taken it out. White Skeleton may be toxic, but it isn’t lethal. On the contrary, its scent can actually assist cultivators in their practice, helping them remain rational and free from emotional disturbances.”
“Really?” Ying Xuechen’s eyes widened in disbelief. Could White Skeleton really have such a miraculous effect?
“No, it’s not,” Ying Tong rolled her eyes at him.
The toxin of the White Skeleton flower indeed wasn’t fatal, but if someone accidentally consumed it, they would turn into a bloodthirsty monster, ultimately destroying themselves in endless slaughter.
Everyone believed it to be a curse of the White Skeleton flower, as wherever large quantities of the flower appeared, a bloodthirsty monster would soon emerge.
However, through Ying Tong’s research, she discovered that the White Skeleton flower had no curse. It was simply a poison—but different from other poisons that target the body, meridians, or even the soul. The poison of the White Skeleton flower affected emotions.
Everyone has emotions and desires. In fact, only someone with emotions and desires can be considered a complete person.
The poison of the White Skeleton flower could swiftly erase all of a person’s emotions and desires, leaving behind only rationality and the urge to kill.
Imagine a person who has only rationality and the desire to kill. Every decision they make would be in their self-interest, and anyone standing in their way would be killed.
In the end, when even their rationality fades, this person would be led to their own destruction.
Almost no one who consumed the White Skeleton flower was killed by someone else; they all ended up killing themselves.
In comparison, the effect of the flower’s fragrance was much weaker, but for Ying Xuan, it was enough.
The fragrance of the White Skeleton flower would gradually dull Ying Xuan’s feelings for Zhangsun Ya, allowing his rationality to take control. This explained why Ying Xuan had acted so unusually calm in front of her.
*
Meanwhile, at the banquet…
Zhangsun Ya’s father, Zhangsun Qi, was mingling in the crowd like an octopus, effortlessly navigating the social scene. Many people disapproved of his behavior, but out of respect for the Ying family, they had no choice but to play along. After all, he had a daughter who had earned the favor of such a powerful family.
Ying Xuan’s devotion to Zhangsun Ya had been evident to everyone for years.
“Congratulations, congratulations! The Zhangsun family head truly has a wonderful daughter,” someone remarked.
Zhangsun Qi smiled outwardly, but the comment left him feeling uncomfortable. A “wonderful daughter”? The way they said it made it sound like his family was selling her off.
As the appointed time arrived, the room fell into silence, and everyone waited for the main event.
The soft sound of footsteps echoed, and Ying Xuechen, as the future head of the Ying family, was the first to step forward. Behind him followed two people.
The young man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his dark red robe exuding both a calm maturity and youthful energy. The young woman had delicate features, bright eyes, and pearly white teeth, wearing a dress in a matching color to the young man’s robe. Their fingers were interlocked, and the way they gazed at each other was filled with affection.
Anyone who saw them couldn’t help but admire how perfectly matched they seemed.
But the issue was that this pair wasn’t Ying Xuan and Zhangsun Ya. Instead, it was another member of the Ying family—Ying Feng—and his betrothed, Qing Wan.
Amidst the crowd’s astonishment, Ying Xuechen calmly spoke, “Thank you all for attending today’s engagement banquet of my younger brother, Feng, and Qing Wan.”
