Chapter Thirty-Five: As Your Brother, I Shall Keep Your Secret

Inside the Hall of Deliberation of the Arrears Immortal Sect.

Aside from Shen Wan, the other nine disciples who had originally been cultivating at Listening Cloud Ravine had been sent away. Now, only the elders of the sect remained in the hall.

No, there were three others as well.

Shen Wan scrutinized the trio for quite some time, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

Zhao Lei’s face was so swollen it resembled an eggplant left to soak for half a year. If not for the blood bubbles still oozing from his nostrils, one could hardly recognize him as a living being. Tilting his head, Zhao Lei peered through narrow slits, barely able to make out Shen Wan’s general outline. Though he couldn’t see the face clearly, he immediately recognized who this sorry figure was.

Zhao Lei trembled with excitement, trying to lift a hand to point at Shen Wan, but with every bone in his body shattered, he couldn’t feel his arm at all. The surge of excitement caused his half-healed wounds to burst open once more, streaks of blood spurting wildly from them.

Shen Wan was dumbfounded.

A human fountain, and a multi-holed one at that.

Wei Zhen quickly flicked his sleeve, sealing Zhao Lei’s meridians from a distance, finally halting the bleeding.

The two lackeys at Zhao Lei’s side, seeing the state of their leader, drew sharp breaths and forcibly suppressed their own restlessness, not daring to utter a single sound.

Shen Wan glanced at Zhao Lei and then at his senior brother, thinking silently:

“What kind of grudge is this, to have beaten him so severely?”

Wei Zhen caught Shen Wan’s look, shrugged, and gave an innocent glance that seemed to say:

“Blame me? Wasn’t it all because of you?”

…

Watching the silent exchange between the two brothers, Qu Fanghua shook her head helplessly, then smiled and said:

“These three are envoys sent by the Valley of Shadows Sect. In a few days, the young sect master of the Valley of Shadows will be holding a dual cultivation ceremony. We are all to attend in celebration.”

“Valley of Shadows? What’s that? Is it powerful?” Shen Wan asked with innocent curiosity. Suddenly, with a muffled pop, Zhao Lei’s wounds burst open again.

Qu Fanghua covered her face and quickly ordered someone to carry Zhao Lei and his two companions away to a guest room for proper care.

She truly feared that if these three stayed any longer, they might simply drop dead on the spot.

Now that only their own people remained in the hall, Wei Zhen finally allowed himself a hint of anger, rapping Shen Wan on the head:

“You rascal, always causing trouble for me!”

Shen Wan did not retort; he felt the reprimand was justified. He had only just joined the sect and already seemed to have brought much mischief.

Elder Yu Yan took a step forward, scrutinizing Shen Wan closely.

“Little junior brother, you have yet to enter the Dao. How did you manage to injure three Foundation Establishment cultivators?”

The question struck at the heart of everyone present.

“Yes, how did you do it?” Zhang Qi hurried to chime in after Yu Yan, fearing Lian Qiuhan would steal the spotlight.

Lian Qiuhan shot a fierce glare at the smug Zhang Qi, cursing the old man’s shamelessness in his heart.

Of course, their rivalry was of no interest to the others, for everyone awaited Shen Wan’s explanation.

Shen Wan blinked his large eyes, looking at everyone with an innocent gaze.

He silently drew the black blade from his back and said simply, “I used this.”

A hush fell over the room. But at that moment, Wei Zhen’s mind suddenly sparkled with realization.

“This Ten Thousand Demons Black Blade was given by Master. Is little brother trying to tell me that it was the treasure Master left him that injured those three?”

It all made sense now. Even he, with his Golden Core cultivation, could not harm his little brother in the least. How could three mere Foundation Establishment cultivators fare better?

“All right, all right, let’s not worry about the Nine Elders’ affairs for now. When the time is right, I’ll explain everything to you all,” Wei Zhen said, gently herding the curious elders back. He turned to Shen Wan with a reassuring smile and a look that said: “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret.”

Shen Wan was bewildered. “You don’t know anything, so what are you going to tell them later?”

Wei Zhen, however, remained utterly confident.

Since the Grand Elder had spoken, the others did not press further. Clearly, there was a reason for everything. The elders returned to their seats one by one.

It was time to discuss the details of the Valley of Shadows’ young master’s dual cultivation ceremony.

As the sun set in the west, dusk slowly enveloped the sky.

Shen Wan walked back toward his residence. The training grounds still bustled with disciples, and all who saw him offered respectful salutes. Shen Wan, preoccupied with his own thoughts, walked past them without a word, head bowed.

“Why has no one mentioned what happened at Listening Cloud Lake?”

He recalled that after the elders had discussed the upcoming event at the Valley of Shadows, they had simply dispersed. Despite the calamity at Listening Cloud Lake, not a word had been uttered.

A sense of unease gnawed at him. He glanced at his right palm. He knew the collapse of Listening Cloud Lake stemmed from him.

“If something so major can be erased as though it never happened, then…”

His brother’s face suddenly flashed through his mind. Of course, his brother must have taken care of it for him again.

Gratitude welled up in Shen Wan’s heart, and suddenly everything became clear.

But what he didn’t know was that, at that very moment in Listening Cloud Ravine, the elders had gathered again after their meeting. Wei Zhen hovered in the air, gazing solemnly at the enormous crater where Listening Cloud Lake had been, lost in thought.

This was too bizarre an event. No one dared to draw conclusions until the truth was uncovered.

So in fact, Shen Wan was overthinking it.

Returning to his residence, he found the fat dumpling—Big Bun—snoring atop the spirit stone hill. He had thought he would be away for many days, yet here he was, back after only one.

Collapsing onto his bed, he realized that despite the day’s ordeal, he felt no fatigue whatsoever.

He vaguely remembered the shadow in his dream saying he had opened a celestial meridian. Could this be the reason?

Shen Wan raised his hand, finally able to examine what changes had occurred.

There was no trace of the crystal mushroom’s entry in his right palm, no scar at all. He turned his hand over, but nothing seemed different.

Wait. “Why does my hand feel… softer?”

He sat up at once and leaned closer to the crystal wall lamp, examining his hand under the light.

Indeed, his hand had become smoother and more delicate. Now, his hands resembled a woman’s—long, slender, and dewy.

He pinched his fingers together; they were remarkably elastic.

“Well, looks like I’ve become a fine young lady after all.”

He remembered how, years ago, when his parents took him to piano lessons, the teacher had said his fingers were too short for that path.

Now, he wanted nothing more than to show that teacher his hands—preferably right in their face.

Feeling something damp at his trouser leg, he looked down to find Big Bun awake, affectionately licking his pant leg with its large tongue.

“This silly creature, doesn’t even realize its master nearly didn’t make it home today.”

He picked Big Bun up, holding it carefully away from his face as its tongue flailed about, full of joy.

“Hey, have you gotten heavier?”

He hefted the beast with effort. It hadn’t been so heavy a few days ago; now, he could feel the strain in his wrist.

Big Bun, wiggling its plump backside, seemed to take this as a compliment, wagging its head in delight.

Watching the rivulets of drool, Shen Wan threw it to the floor in disgust and leapt onto the bed.

Big Bun rolled twice, then bounded over to the bed, but after several attempts, failed to jump up, and lay at the foot of the bed, whimpering in grievance.

Of course, Shen Wan had no intention of indulging it—he did not want to spend every day washing his bedding.

The night passed quietly. At dawn, Shen Wan stretched lazily, feeling wonderfully refreshed. Although he had been full of energy the night before, he fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes—such a state was almost too good.

He strolled into the courtyard to wash up, Big Bun trotting behind, its drool dripping onto the ground and wiped away by its own fat belly.

There were no wells in the Immortal Realm. Shen Wan took a porcelain jar, scooped a ladle of clear water from the courtyard spring, and began to rinse his mouth.

Suddenly, an earth-shattering boom resounded from outside, so loud that Shen Wan reflexively swallowed the mouthful of water he’d just rinsed.

“What the—?! What’s going on?!”

Stunned, Shen Wan stood frozen, his eyes darting around in panic, utterly at a loss.

Big Bun, equally terrified, clung to Shen Wan’s leg, trembling.

After a long, silent pause, no further sound came. Shen Wan let out a shaky sigh of relief.

The courtyards here were extremely soundproof; if that explosion was real, something huge must have happened within the sect.

He rushed inside to dress, slung the Giant Demon Black Blade across his back, and, as if preparing for battle, crept stealthily to his courtyard gate.

He gently drew back the latch and cracked the door open.

At once, a cacophony of noise rushed in.

Outside Shen Wan’s residence, a crowd had already gathered.