Unseen Immortal of Three Hundred Years - Chap 74

Chapter 74

In the western part of the Night City, there was a mansion that stood out from its surroundings. Firstly, the mansion was not very large compared to those ostentatious demon dwellings, appearing as if it were built by someone who had just arrived in Night City, as if it had already decided that it would not stay here for long, serving as a temporary resting place.

Other demon dwellings often had dungeons or rivers, used to keep things that were not suitable for outsiders. Otherwise, there would be a large garden to bury leftovers.

However, this mansion had nothing but a small courtyard surrounded by a few houses. Secondly, the people of Night City liked deep colors. Everywhere you looked, there were shades of brown, black, and red, initially to conceal bloodstains, but later becoming the preference and habit of most demons. However, this mansion was mainly blue and white. The blue was a jade-like color, and the white was not pure white, but with a hint of lotus powder.

When this mansion first appeared, passing demons did not know the reason behind it and even ridiculed it, saying, “What’s this? Which scholar is coming here to establish an academy? There’s even a ‘ritual’ character hanging on the door.”

“Who knows? Maybe it’s some young lady who’s tired of the insipid and insincere days and has decided to join Night City.”

“I doubt it. This building, and these jade-carved guardian beasts at the door. Look, there’s even a bit of cinnabar on the character, so disgusting and affected.”

Swallowing curses, the demon said, “It looks like the style of those immortal sects.”

“Too suspicious. Which immortal sect’s gone mad and settled in Night City?”

“Speaking of immortal sects…”

“Hmm, could it be that… the new city lord?”

Not long after, they discovered that their new city lord, Feng Xueli, was indeed the one who built this mansion.

For a long time afterward, those demons dared not pass by this mansion directly, fearing being dragged in for an account.

The demons of Night City always had a bit of fear towards the city lord, but the nature of this fear was different. It was like when Wu Xingxue was around, not a single bird would land within several miles. When Feng Xueli became the city lord, they just avoided him slightly.

It was because, in the eyes of many, Feng Xueli’s position as city lord was not very convincing, nor was his hold on it very stable.

When Feng Xueli first arrived in Night City, it was in a state of chaos. Less than a month had passed since the destruction of the Immortal Capital. Under the collapse, the dense immortal energy poured from the heavens to the earth, and unfortunately, because Night City was a gathering place for demons, it was like a huge live target, and the immortal energy naturally flowed here.

These demons could fight against earthly immortal sects and hold their own against individual minor immortals. But when the entire Immortal Capital’s immortal energy surged over, it was beyond what they could bear.

As a result, the demons of Night City suffered for a while, almost thinking they were going to die cleanly and disappear completely. Fortunately, there was a slight turn of events later, which saved their lives.

At that time, the demons of Night City either hid in dungeons to cultivate or were greatly weakened, unable to cause mischief.

Feng Xueli appeared at that time, neither too early nor too late, just right.

It was said that when he came to Night City, he was empty-handed, only bringing a follower. At first, he was reluctant to build a mansion and just randomly found an inn in Night City, where he stayed for a long time.

What kind of place could an inn in Night City be?

If you didn’t have any skills, you might disappear without a sound while staying there.

When Feng Xueli first moved into the inn, news about him quietly spread throughout Night City.

They all said that a strange man had come to the city, who could easily be mistaken for a refined lady. He dressed like an immortal sect member, walked, spoke, and behaved like one, very proper. Walking on the street, there were people who believed he was a scholar out for a spring outing. The only slightly demonic thing about him was the tattoo that extended from his neck to the side of his face.

The demons of Night City never accepted earthly silver for food, lodging, gambling, or entertainment, as gold, silver, and jewels were useless to them and not as valuable as spiritual tools for cultivation. When Feng Xueli stayed in the inn, he paid for his lodging with spirit stones and spiritual tools, also a quirk of immortal sect members.

It is said that his followers would pull out spirit stones by the handful, and his brocade bag was like a bottomless pit. This was not the usual extravagance of an ordinary immortal sect.

Later, the demonic people of Night City quietly inquired and learned that he was from the Feng family. Feng Juyan, the current head of the Feng family, was his sister, and Feng Feishi, an elder, was his brother. He was the youngest of his generation. However, this youngest rarely appeared in the past, leaving almost no impression, so he was almost unknown.

The demonic beings of Night City often dealt with immortal sects, and the larger the sect, the deeper the hatred, such as the Hua and Feng families, who were old enemies.

Just based on this, how could they possibly look favorably upon Feng Xueli? So when Feng Xueli stayed in an inn, he was almost attacked every night.

Every demonic being in Night City who could move “paid him a visit,” originally intending to give him some trouble and make him suffer. However, none of those who went came back unscathed.

So Feng Xueli stayed in the inn for a year. He himself was unharmed, but the people of Night City all suffered a bit.

In places with many demonic beings, there is only one rule: the strong make the decisions, and the powerful become the city lord.

But for Feng Xueli, although everyone had suffered under him, they were all somewhat dissatisfied. Because in the eyes of these demonic beings, they were not at their peak when they were affected by the spiritual energy of the immortal sects. It was just that Feng Xueli happened to take advantage of the situation.

To prove that Feng Xueli had taken advantage, some demonic beings would occasionally pick a fight with him.

They didn’t like fighting and would run away if they couldn’t gain the upper hand. After this back and forth for nearly half a year, they still couldn’t harm Feng Xueli in the slightest.

It was only half a month later that they finally learned that Feng Xueli had been injured.

But he wasn’t injured by someone; it was the unattainable ban of the Que Bu Luo.

It was also from that time onwards that everyone in Night City knew that the reason Feng Xueli had been staying in an inn and not renovating his mansion was because he wanted to take over Que Bu Luo.

All the attention of the demonic beings was drawn to Que Bu Luo, and they were all trying to figure out what was so special about it that made Feng Xueli so obsessed. As a result, there were fewer people looking for trouble with Feng Xueli.

Since then, Feng Xueli had been in seclusion in the inn, healing his hand that had been cut off by the Que Bu Luo.

When everyone heard news of him again, it was in that “exquisitely carved” temporary mansion.

The mansion was actually very small, barely enough to accommodate a few people. But for Feng Xueli, who was a strange person, it was enough.

Later, many people in Night City followed him, but no one could stay in his mansion for long. The only one who stayed with him was the follower who had come out of the Feng family with him.

That follower was famous for his unwavering smile, now known as “Xiao Hu.”

At this moment, this master and servant from the Feng family were in the open room of the “Li” mansion.

Those who had been to the “Li” mansion knew that there was indeed a room there without doors or windows, with only a screen. Inside, there were neatly arranged tables and cushions, resembling a human academy at first glance.

However, if someone from the immortal sects saw it, they would find that the layout was more like a disciple hall in the sect.

At this moment, the tables in the “disciple hall” were not empty. Behind each table sat a young person.

These young people looked about ten or so, with the kind of body that young people have when they are growing rapidly. Their hair was tied up high, and they all held a pen, with long scrolls spread out in front of them.

They sat there restlessly, some with one leg up, looking a bit wild. Some, although sitting still with their legs crossed, kept swaying back and forth, not holding the pen properly, like secretly practicing swordsmanship.

At a glance, they were young people who had no patience for books but were obsessed with swordsmanship.

Xiao Hu stood aside, glanced at those young people, and immediately looked away.

At times like this, he never dared to look more, because all those young people had no faces at all.

It was a very strange scene, with seven or eight young people. He took over all the desks in the “Disciple Hall,” every move vivid as if they were living beings. But they weren’t living beings, they all had no faces.

The first time encountering such a scene, even Laughing Fox was startled.

He then asked Feng Xueli, “Young Master, what are these?”

Feng Xueli glanced at the youths and replied, “The arrangement of the Disciple Hall.”

Hearing this answer, Laughing Fox felt a bit creepy. It was understandable if vases, pen holders, and screens were considered arrangements, but calling those youths part of the arrangement was truly bizarre.

Laughing Fox then asked, “Why do none of them have faces?”

Feng Xueli said, “It’s better this way.”

After that, Feng Xueli talked about other things, and Laughing Fox didn’t ask further.

It wasn’t until one day, when Laughing Fox passed through those youths, he lowered his head and took a closer look. Suddenly, he noticed that although the youths were all doing different things—some buried in books, some holding pens drawing, and some shaping paper into balls—they all seemed to look exactly the same.

Although they had no faces, from their hands, hair whorls, and body shapes, it seemed they were all the same person.

With this thought, the scene in the Disciple Hall became even more eerie.

During that time, Laughing Fox looked at Feng Xueli and vaguely felt that he had a kind of madness about him.

But how could that be?

Laughing Fox couldn’t quite understand it.

He had grown up with Feng Xueli. The Feng Xueli from before was clearly not like this.

He was brought back to the Feng family when he was about ten years old, begging on the streets. It was said that the Feng family often took in abandoned children, even the current family head, Feng Shulan, was not the biological daughter of the old family head, but an adopted daughter later on.

When Laughing Fox first entered the Feng family, Feng Shulan had already been the family head for many years.

At that time, Laughing Fox had heard some unverified rumors, saying that the Feng family, for some unknown reason, either had a different physique or was cursed by evil spirits, always finding it difficult to have legitimate offspring. But Feng Shulan broke this rumor. It was widely known that she had three children.

The eldest was named Feng Feishi. Perhaps he was born with a bit of the rumored “curse.” He was born with a poor constitution, his spiritual soul was unstable, and no matter what he cultivated, there was always a limit. However, despite his young age, he was exceptionally intelligent, socially adept, well-read, and therefore, loved by the disciples of the Feng family.

The second child was a daughter, slightly younger than Feng Feishi, named Feng Juyan. It was said that she could already wield a spiritual sword when she was very young, with extraordinary root bones, making her an excellent candidate for cultivation. However, her personality was stubborn and tough, completely opposite to her elder brother.

The youngest, Feng Xueli, was much younger than them. When Feng Feishi was eighteen, Feng Xueli had just been born.

It was said that there was something strange about Feng Xueli’s birth. Other children would often cry and fuss, crying when hungry, crying when tired, crying when uncomfortable, crying when they couldn’t see people. But Feng Xueli was extremely quiet. Most of the time during the day, he was asleep, always curled up with his eyes closed, motionless. His breathing was so faint that at first glance, it was even difficult to tell if he was still alive.

His appearance has scared many people.

The Feng family thought he would improve as he grew older, but he didn’t.

Even at three or four years old, he was extremely quiet, rarely speaking. No matter what you said or asked him, he just nodded or shook his head. Sometimes, he would stare blankly, like an empty shell.

He often squatted alone under the trees in the courtyard, staring at the soil underneath, lost in thought for a long time. It was unclear whether he was watching the line of ants passing by or something else.

He disliked fire, the smell of burning things, and the sound of swords clashing. Sometimes, when he saw disciples passing by with swords, he would stand up from under the tree, run into the house, but couldn’t help peeking at the backs of those disciples.

Such a temperament and habit should not have been born in an immortal sect.

Fortunately, Feng Shulan did not despise this youngest son because of this, even spoiling him. He didn’t like fire, so fire was not allowed around him. He didn’t like swords, so he wasn’t made to practice swordsmanship. Could such a large sect not even raise someone who didn’t understand magical techniques?

However, Feng Xueli seemed to really like his older siblings. In his early years, he would often sit on the steps of the disciples’ hall, his eyes shifting.

He stared at Feng Feishi and Feng Juyan, watching them practice body techniques. But as soon as it came to sword practice, he ran off without a word. Feng Feishi and Feng Juyan were often horrified and terrified by the little one’s staring one moment, and then amused by his fleeing figure the next. However, with the age gap, Feng Feishi and Feng Juyan were always diligent, leaving little time to play with their youngest brother. Over time, they grew somewhat unfamiliar with him.

After Feng Xueli turned eight, he stopped visiting his siblings at the disciples’ hall. He spent his days in his own courtyard, rarely venturing out. Feng Shulan worried he would become too isolated and sought someone to accompany him.

Xiaohu entered the Feng family at that time. His sole duty upon entering was to accompany Feng Xueli.

Xiaohu was often criticized for being too straightforward in his youth, which made him unlikeable. But this trait became an advantage in front of Feng Xueli.

Because of his straightforwardness, he agreed to “accompany Feng Xueli” and never left his side, almost always together day and night.

After years of being together, even the most introverted person would change.

So, in front of Xiaohu, Feng Xueli began to speak more and more every day, from simply nodding or shaking his head to responding, occasionally joining the conversation, even chatting actively and smiling.

In Xiaohu’s eyes, for a long time, Feng Xueli had always been that somewhat refined young master.

So, he had never imagined that one day he would join Feng Xueli in leaving the Feng family and come to the city known as the “Demon’s Lair,” and even become the new lord of the city.

Feng Xueli’s transformation, he couldn’t remember when it started.

He only knew that Feng Xueli had always been prone to daydreaming since he was young, often staring blankly at something for half a day without moving, his eyes unfocused, unblinking.

Usually, Xiaohu wouldn’t disturb him during these times, only standing by. But there was one exception.

That time, someone came to the courtyard, and Xiaohu patted Feng Xueli to bring him back to reality. At that moment, Feng Xueli stiffened, blinked, and when he turned to look at him, his eyes were very strange.

It was a calm and waveless look, as if a stranger was looking at him through those eyes.

At that moment, Xiaohu had a strange thought in his heart. This person didn’t seem to be Feng Xueli.

But soon he dismissed this thought because in the next instant, Feng Xueli returned to his most familiar appearance, as if the previous strangeness was an illusion.

After that, this situation occurred more frequently.

Once Xiaohu couldn’t help but ask him, “Young master, are you really the young master?”

Feng Xueli was stunned for a moment, saying, “That’s a strange question.”

Xiaohu asked again, “Then why were you looking at me like that just now?”

Feng Xueli thought for a moment and said, “I was just thinking about something randomly and didn’t react when called back to reality. Did my gaze just now make you uncomfortable?”

Xiaohu said, “No. You can look however you want.”

After that time, Xiaohu never asked again.

He has a straightforward personality. When he was taken into the Feng family, he promised to accompany Feng Xueli, and he has been doing so ever since, seemingly indifferent to everything.

However, it seems that since then, Feng Xueli’s personality has become more and more strange. Sometimes he is gentle and shy, and he can be amused by trivial matters, but other times he exudes a calm and profound aura, making him appear somewhat fragmented and eerie.

Although he is not very close to others, over time, this strangeness is eventually noticed. He has always had a peculiar personality since childhood, so as he grows older, people just think he’s becoming even stranger, which makes them somewhat afraid of him and deliberately avoid him.

Feng Xueli didn’t touch swords when he was young, but he suddenly became good at it later on. Therefore, he hasn’t fallen behind in swordsmanship and techniques. Occasionally, there are flashes of inspiration, and his swordsmanship still carries the demeanor of a master.

So when Feng became the head of the family, he initially intended to let this younger brother assist him.

In the disciple hall, both she and Feng Fei began to notice Feng Xueli’s peculiar temperament, perhaps out of concern or simply because they didn’t like it. Slowly, they changed their minds.

As time passed, anyone with eyes in the Feng family could see that Feng Juyan and Feng Fei were united, while Feng Xueli was detached.

In Xiao Hu’s view, it seemed destined that Feng Xueli would drift apart from his siblings, but he never expected it to be such a complete departure, with no turning back. He couldn’t even trace it back to a breaking point.

Twenty-five years ago, when Xian Du collapsed, chaos ensued among the mortal and immortal realms alike, including the Feng family. However, that chaos did not reach Feng Xueli’s courtyard. He slept as usual but suddenly woke in the middle of the night.

At that moment, that profound and unfathomable feeling was particularly strong.

Xiao Hu remembered him standing by the window, listening to the footsteps of Feng family disciples outside the courtyard, and suddenly saying, “I’m going somewhere, you don’t have to come.”

At that moment, Xiao Hu actually felt a little uncomfortable.

He didn’t respond but took his usual curved blade and walked up to Feng Xueli, saying in a deep voice, “Wherever Young Master goes, I go.”

It wasn’t until he had defeated a group of Feng family disciples, broken through the Feng family’s barrier, and traveled with the wind, unknowingly breaking through many places and stirring up many immortal gates, that Xiao Hu realized something was wrong.

But he had said that no matter what Feng Xueli became, no matter where he went, he would follow and never break his word.

So, one day later.

The Feng family lost its youngest son, and Night City gained a demon.

It was from that day on that the refined and gentle young master never appeared again. Day and night, Xiao Hu only saw the calm and unfathomable Feng Xueli.

Since arriving in Night City, Feng Xueli had become less and less like his former self, with a strange calmness hinting at a hidden madness.

For example, the “Disciple Hall” in front of him.

In Laughing Fox’s memory, Feng Xueli’s swordsmanship was practiced in his own courtyard, hardly ever going to the Disciple Hall. Why, upon arriving in Zhao Ye City, did he set up a Disciple Hall in his own residence?

And the youths in the “Disciple Hall” all look exactly alike.

At first glance, it seems like a reminiscence of something.

For a moment, Laughing Fox felt that this Feng Xueli in front of him was not the one he had been with day in and day out for decades. It was like another stranger, staring at Feng Xueli’s body, looking at him calmly with Feng Xueli’s eyes.

“Why are you staring at me?” Feng Xueli suddenly spoke calmly, looking up.

Laughing Fox suddenly came to his senses.

He shook off the strange thoughts in his mind and asked Feng Xueli, “Young Master, you previously asked me to closely monitor the movements of Que Bu Luo. Now that Wu Xingxue has returned, why haven’t you instructed me to do the same again?”

Feng Xueli walked to one of the youths, patted the youth’s wrist, and said, “When thrusting the sword out, do not tilt it downward, raise it higher.”

The tone in which he spoke seemed as if the youth was still alive.

At that moment, the madness in Laughing Fox became most apparent.

His expression changed slightly, then he restrained it and lowered his eyes, waiting for a response.

After Feng Xueli finished correcting the youth’s movements, he stood up straight and said to Laughing Fox, “No need to go.”

Laughing Fox was puzzled. “Why? If we are always one step behind in knowing the movements of Que Bu Luo…”

Feng Xueli interrupted, “We won’t be.”

He paused, and seeing the youth making the same mistake again, he patted him once more. Correcting the youth’s movements patiently, he explained to Laughing Fox, “Someone else is keeping watch over there.”

Laughing Fox looked confused.

Who else would help Feng Xueli keep watch?

At the same time, Nightwas falling over Que Bu Luo.

Fang Chu, who was quietly guarding outside the bedroom, suddenly moved, glancing toward the direction of the bedroom. Perhaps due to the backlight, his expression was somewhat blurred, as if he had furrowed his brows slightly and quickly relaxed them.

The movement was so fast that it was almost indistinguishable.

But Wu Xingxue looked into his eyes, gently rubbing his bruised fingers, slowly retracting the coldness.

His attention was all on the expression of “Fang Chu” at that moment, without noticing the person behind him, who had been in a trance for a long time, suddenly moved, as if his spiritual consciousness had finally returned to his body.

Just as the white frost on his fingertips was about to melt, he felt his fingers being held, and Xiao Fuxuan’s voice sounded deep, “Still cold, indeed.”