Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

Chapter 67: Contents of the Box

It was rare for Lin Rufei to feel that Gu Xuandu would reveal such a vulnerable look. Although he didn’t know what was going on, Lin Rufei chose to trust him unconditionally. He quietly stood in place and allowed Gu Xuandu to lean his body weight on his own body.

He Jitian’s action was very fast and efficient. Soon, he dug out most of the Xuyu tree’s roots. When the He family saw this, their heart ached, but still, no one dared to go forward to stop him. They could only watch as He Jitian dug out the Xuyu tree little by little. However, when the Xuyu tree was mostly dug out, the iron-gold walnuts on the tree suddenly turned into golden dots of star fire and they slowly fell off the tree. The crowd was shocked to see such a spectacle, but what surprised them the most had still yet to come. This spectacular scene of star fires looked like they had life. They gathered in one direction and finally landed next to a certain someone, who was present at the scene. That person was the noble guest……Lin Rufei, who arrived at the He family yesterday.

Lin Rufei was also stunned by this scene. More than a hundred iron-gold walnuts, all turned into star fires and fell onto his head and shoulders. Before he could react, it quickly merged into his body. He reached out to grab one and the star fire reverted to its walnut-like form in his hand. Lin Rufei looked at the walnut in his hand and his heart suddenly felt a trace of uneasiness. He raised his eyes to look, indeed, the He family members were all staring at him. However, these gazes carried amazement, doubts, and also a little bit of ill-intent.  

He Jitian, who was still holding the shovel, actually showed some surprise, however, he very quickly recovered his calmness. He continued to wield the shovel without regard for others and continued to dig up the soil. Soon, he dug out the Xuyu tree by its roots and the Xuyu tree, which was originally not considered big, fell to the ground with a thump. It was accompanied by low sobbing sounds coming from the He family crowd. Some of the He family’s youngsters watched as their family’s most precious treasure tree was dug up by the roots and they were unable to accept this fact for quite a while.

He Jitian naturally also heard, however, he remained unmoved. He continued to dig down harder and harder and the solid layer gradually lessened. A blood-red box was soon revealed at the bottom and when He Jitian finally saw this red box, he let out an obvious long sigh of relief. He dropped the shovel in his hand and carefully took the red box out.

“Father, what is this?” He Xieyi was still considered calm and was not surprised by the strangeness present. He opened his mouth to ask after seeing the red box being unveiled from the Earth.

After taking out the red box, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the dirt off the box in great focus. Everyone thought his next move would be to open the red box, but who knew that he didn’t have any intention of opening it. Instead, he held it and walked towards Lin Rufei.

Currently, Lin Rufei was covered in star fire glow and at a glance, he looked like a glowing golden man. When he saw He Jitian’s action, he was slightly stunned and sputtered, “He family head?”

He Jitian smiled and said, “Lin gongzi, take it.”

Lin Rufei said, “But……”

“This is originally yours.” He Jitian said, “Although I don’t know who you are, according to the ancestral teachings, this should be yours.”

This was a very strange statement. Lin Rufei was clearly standing here, but He Jitian said he didn’t know who he was. Lin Rufei slightly hesitated, but He Jitian’s eyes were very resolute, as if he would not leave unless Lin Rufei took the box. Thus, in the end, Lin Rufei had to stretch out his hand and take the red box. The red box was extremely heavy in his hands and he didn’t know exactly what it contained. Lin Rufei whispered a “thank you” to He Jitian, but He Jitian waved his hand. He said that these were the rules of the ancestral teaching and it was what their family should do, so Lin Rufei did not need to thank him.

“It’s getting late, let’s all disperse.” After all this, He Jitian seemed to be a bit tired. He asked the He family to disperse and instructed He Xieyi to send Lin Rufei back to his room. 

Lin Rufei wanted to politely refuse, but He Xieyi reached out and wrapped his arms around his neck, smiling, “It’s already this time, so don’t be polite, Lin gongzi.” He lowered his voice, “You’ve seen the eyes of these people, it’s safer for me to send you.” The He family’s eyes revealed that they were itching to eat Lin Rufei alive, although they tried their best to suppress it because of He Jitian, it was already very obvious.

Lin Rufei also noticed this so he did not persist further.

He Xieyi sent Lin Rufei to the door and only after watching him enter the room did he turned to leave. After he left, he saw He Jitian standing not far away. He still had the shovel in his hand and was just watching from afar with an obscure expression.

“Father.” He Xieyi walked up to He Jitian and called out, “What exactly is Lin gongzi’s origin?”

He Jitian gave He Xieyi a deep look, “Do you know where the Heavenly Ruler ended up back then?”

“Didn’t the Heavenly Ruler step through the void and left?” He Xieyi frowned, “What does father mean by this?”

He Jitian shook his head: “This matter is extremely secretive, only a few people know about it. The ancestors of our He family were close friends of the Heavenly Ruler, so they know a little bit as well.”

He Xieyi stared with wide eyes. He felt that his father’s words had touched on some unspeakable truth.

“The Heavenly Ruler indeed stepped through the void.” He Jitian said, “Only he didn’t leave.”

“Then where is he now?!” He Xieyi asked excitedly.

“I don’t know.” He Jitian said, “This is the biggest secret in the world. Even the family head doesn’t know, he only knew that the Heavenly Ruler hasn’t left, but he doesn’t know exactly where he is.”

He Xieyi showed a look of confusion. 

“But the thing buried under the Xuyu tree should be related to the Heavenly Ruler.” He Jitian said.

“So this Lin gongzi, is also related to the Heavenly Ruler?” He Xieyi caught the hidden meaning in He Jitian’s words.

He Jitian nodded his head.

He Xieyi revealed a deep and thoughtful look.

When Lin Rufei entered the room, he put down the red box in his hand. Gu Xuandu sat down next to the red box and stretched out his fingers. He gently touched the red box for a moment and Lin Rufei asked, “Is it your stuff in the box?”

Gu Xuandu nodded his head.

Lin Rufei said, “Should I open it now?”

Gu Xuandu said, “Mnn.”

For some reason, Lin Rufei was inexplicably a little nervous. The red box was not locked and there was only a metal buckle. With a lift of the hand, it could easily be opened. But for some reason, Lin Rufei felt that what was inside the box was heavier than he had imagined. He pursed his lips slightly and revealed a tense look. However, he hesitated to start.

When Gu Xuandu saw this, he smiled. He gently embraced Lin Rufei from behind and held his hand, “Xiao Jiu, there is nothing to fear. I am here.” 

Gu Xuandu’s body heat transmitted to Lin Rufei’s body through his thin clothes. He calmed his mind and gave a hum in agreement. He didn’t seem to be as panicked as he was a while ago so he gingerly reached out his hand and lifted the clasp on the red box. The red box opened with a soft click and when Lin Rufei saw clearly what was inside, his whole body froze in place.

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In the red box, there laid a broken skeleton. On the very top, there was a tragic white skull. The skull was scarred with many wounds and there was even a wound that ran through the entire top of the skull, almost as if it wanted to split the head in half. The other bones cushioned below the skull were also broken and he could not even find a completely intact bone. Lin Rufei stared at the skeleton fragments and his nose suddenly felt sour[1]. Tears fell down and he was a little confused. It took him a moment to realize that he was crying.

Gu Xuandu, who was behind him, raised his hand to wipe away his tears. His tone was a bit helpless: “What is Xiao Jiu crying about?”

Lin Rufei answered: “I……I don’t know……I just wanted to cry,” His heart was suffering an unbearable pain that even his words took on a choking taste, “It must’ve been very painful.”

“It really doesn’t hurt.” Gu Xuandu used his chin to rub against the top of Lin Rufei’s head. It was like he was trying to soothe Lin Rufei’s sad emotions, “Really, I’m not lying to you.”

Lin Rufei choked out, “Don’t say any more.”

Gu Xuandu wanted to say more, but Lin Rufei interrupted him roughly, “Don’t say any more! How can it not hurt?!” He pointed to the wound on the skeleton, “It’s already wounded like this, how can it not hurt?!”

Gu Xuandu simply kept quiet.

“What exactly happened to you and what does it have to do with me?” Lin Rufei asked, “Senior, when will you be willing to tell me?”

Gu Xuandu continued to remain silent.

Lin Rufei suddenly withdrew his strength. He covered his face and stopped talking altogether. He really couldn’t do anything about Gu Xuandu, who refused to cooperate. However, Gu Xuandu simply smiled. He turned his head and gently touched Lin Rufei’s ear with his lips and said in a warm voice, “Xiao Jiu’s helpless look is really nostalgic, ah.” 

After he finished speaking, he touched the bones in the red box with his fingertips. The bones that were touched by Gu Xuandu turned into a golden light that lingered around his whole body. He closed his eyes, exhaled a heavy breath and his expression seemed to be relieved.

Lin Rufei watched from the sidelines. Gu Xuandu’s red outfit became more vivid and he looked more spirited. It was like adding a few more brushstrokes to a faded painting.

After all this, Gu Xuandu yawned and asked Lin Rufei if he was sleepy.

Lin Rufei said, “No.”

Gu Xuandu asked, “Is Xiao Jiu angry with me?”

Lin Rufei’s face was cold and he didn’t say anything.

Gu Xuandu comforted, “Don’t be angry anymore.”

Lin Rufei said, “I said I’m not angry.”

Gu Xuandu, however, laughed and he began to laugh louder and louder. Lin Rufei frowned at him before he finally stopped, “No, no, no. Xiao Jiu is obviously angry, how can I laugh?” The laugh in his eyes still could not be concealed despite these words.

Lin Rufei had a sense of powerlessness, one that he could not do anything about the matter. This Gu Xuandu seemed to be good at talking, but in fact, he was also very stubborn to his bones. Usually, he would agree happily but in reality, he still did what he wanted. 

It was indeed getting a little late and Lin Rufei also felt tired. He did a simple wash-up and then headed off to bed. However, he tossed and turned around for quite a while and simply could not fall asleep. His mind was full of that skeletal appearance from inside that box. He knew that if he asked Gu Xuandu, Gu Xuandu would not tell him, so a thought came to his mind and he drifted off to sleep.

The next day, it was still a hot sunny day. Lin Rufei got up early and listlessly ate the breakfast brought by Fu Hua.

When Fu Hua saw that Lin Rufei was not in good spirits, she asked him if he was not feeling well.

Lin Rufei shook his head: “Maybe it’s too hot.”

Fu Hua replied, “The weather is indeed a bit hot. Should I ask the He family for some ice to make some mung bean soup for young master to drink?”

Lin Rufei said, “I don’t have much appetite.”

“You have to eat even if you don’t have an appetite.” Fu Hua was a bit anxious, “Young master is already in poor health, how can he not eat anything?”

Lin Rufei responded perfunctorily, and when Fu Hua saw this, she could only sigh in response.

After eating, Lin Rufei went to find He Jitian. On his entire way there, the He family member’s eyes all fell upon him. Most of these gazes were very complicated: there was some curiosity and some hostility, which was normal, and Lin Rufei also did not take it to heart. When Lin Rufei finally found He Jitian, he was still eating breakfast. The He family’s breakfast was quite unusual, it was a large bowl of braised noodles[2]. It looked very good, but the portion size was quite substantial. When He Jitian saw Lin Rufei coming, he greeted him warmly and told him to have a seat. Lin Rufei hesitated for a moment and said, “He family head, I have some things I want to talk to you about in private.”

“Oh, okay.” He Jitian waved his hand and the servants and family members beside him all left in an understanding manner.

Lin Rufei brought up, “The red box you left me last night, I wonder if the He family head knows whose stuff it was?

He Jitian said, “What’s wrong? There wasn’t anything bad in the box, right?” 

Lin Rufei shook his head.

“Oh.” He Jitian said, “Although it’s not written on the top of the ancestral teachings, I guess that the red box should be left by the Heavenly Ruler.”

“What? The Heavenly Ruler left it behind?” Lin Rufei wondered.

He Jitian replied, “It’s just my personal guess because the Xuyu tree was a gift from the Heavenly Ruler to the He family. Since that’s the case, then what’s buried under the Xuyu tree should also be from the Heavenly Ruler himself.” 

Lin Rufei frowned.

He Jitian asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Rufei suddenly remembered the countless statues of the Heavenly Ruler, dressed in red, within the country of Dajing. The thought did cross his mind at the time but it felt too ridiculous so he had left it behind. Who knew that when he arrived at the He family and encountered this situation, this thought came back to his mind again. Although it was a bit unbelievable, he always felt that this was the true answer.

“Nothing.” Lin Rufei finally answered hesitantly, “Does the family head know where exactly the Heavenly Ruler went back then?”

He Jitian shook his head and answered that he didn’t know.

Lin Rufei could only give up. The whereabouts of the Heavenly Ruler were indeed a mystery. The most common claim was that he had left the earthly world and ascended so He Jitian not knowing was normal. Lin Rufei remembered the broken skeleton and asked: “Has the Heavenly Ruler……ever been injured?”

“Injured? How could the Heavenly Ruler be injured?” When He Jitian heard Lin Rufei’s question, he laughed out loud, “The Heavenly Ruler already has a cultivation at the tenth level, no one in the world could beat him. He once entered Bu’e alone and beheaded the King of All Demons. Such a person, who in the world could hurt him?”

Indeed, He Jitian’s description was not exaggerated. The might of the Heavenly Ruler was heard all over the world and there were traces of him everywhere in the world. This was true of Dajing and also of the He family, and almost every top cultivator family would be inextricably linked to the Heavenly Ruler.

He Jitian’s words were indeed true, but if Lin Rufei’s guess was right, then why was the skeleton so broken? Lin Rufei was deep in thought.

Seeing that Lin Rufei hadn’t said anything back in response, He Jitian did not urge him and continued to eat his braised noodles happily. His appetite was very good and the way he ate the noodles inexplicably made people feel very appetized. Lin Rufei was watching from the side, but He Jitian was a little embarrassed from his gaze. He wiped off his mouth and asked: “Lin gongzi, do you want to have a bowl too?”

Lin Rufei replied, “No need, I’ve just eaten.”

“It’s okay. Just have a small bowl for a taste.” He Jitian said, “This is my wife’s cooking, it tastes very good.”

Lin Rufei hesitated, “Then……just a small bowl?”

He Jitian smiled and beckoned his wife over to give Lin Rufei a small bowl.

Thus, the two of them started to eat the noodles together.

He Jitian asked Lin Rufei why he suddenly brought up the Heavenly Ruler, what was in that box, and was it related to the Heavenly Ruler. Lin Rufei, however, answered all the questions vaguely, saying that he didn’t know if it was related, and asked He Jitian why he had remembered to give the box to him.

He Jitian said that it was an ancestral teaching. The ancestor of the He family said that if someone could induce the Xuyu tree to give birth to a hundred iron-gold walnuts, then he had to dig out the thing under the Xuyu tree and give it to that person. He just didn’t think that that person would be Lin Rufei.

In Lin Rufei’s heart, he also thought that the person may not be himself, and Gu Xuandu, who was invisible to everyone……. 

But the taste of these braised noodles was really good. The texture of the noodles was al dente and the soup base was rich. Compared to the noodles Lin Rufei had eaten before, it was very different. Lin Rufei, carried along the flow by He Jitian, also had a few more bites. Just as he was planning to learn more from He Jitian about some other things, a noisy noise came from outside the door.

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He Jitian’s expression changed drastically. He was about to stand up and bail out with his bowl when the door was knocked open and someone, whom Lin Rufei had met yesterday, barged in. He grabbed He Jitian, who had wanted to run but didn’t, and panted out, “He family head, you’re finally willing to see me!!!” This was the same person who had wanted to see He Jitian yesterday but was stopped by the servant. He didn’t expect him to come again today and actually barge in.

He Jitian gave the servant an unkind look and the servant muttered nervously, “I……didn’t think he would dare to rush inside.”

“He family head, what do you mean by this?!” The man yelled angrily, “Do you not want to care about us anymore? That demon is still continuing to eat people!”

He Jitian said, “Who said I didn’t care anymore, didn’t I send people there? The injured disciples of the He family are still lying in bed, do you want me to take you to see them?”

The man continued, “They were injured because they are not good at learning the art. You can’t just leave us alone because of this, right?!!”

He Jitian said, “Can’t manage it, can’t manage it.” He waved his hand, “This demon is too powerful, who can beat it?” He was pretending to be afraid but anyone could hear the mockery in his tone.

The man’s face stiffened and he said hatefully, “He family head, you’re being unkind, that demon has eaten so many innocent passersby……”

“Innocent passersby?” He Jitian snorted, “I say, Daoist Priest Chen, other people don’t know, you think I still don’t know? It did eat people, but it did not eat a few innocent passersby.”

The visitor, who was called Daoist Priest Chen by He Jitian, looked slightly stiff.

“You deliberately put out the news, wasn’t it just to create panic?” He Jitian waved his hand in boredom, “Our He family is not yours to use as you wish. I did not see you these days because I wanted to give you some face, don’t be shameless.”

“You……you!!!” Daoist Priest Chen’s expression turned livid. It seemed that he didn’t expect He Jitian would suddenly tear his face[3].

“But if you want us to help you, it’s not impossible.” Just when Daoist Priest Chen thought that there was no more turnaround in this matter, He Jitian turned his words around again.

“What do you want?” Daoist Priest Chen asked.

“Don’t you know what I want?” He Jitian replied, “Naturally, it’s that thing that makes the demons refuse to leave.”

Daoist Priest Chen sputtered out, “I don’t know what you’re talking about……”

He Jitian waved his hand very ruthlessly, “Pu Tuan, send the guest away.”

The servant called Pu Tuan immediately rushed in. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to escort this Daoist Priest Chen out. Daoist Priest Chen was startled by Pu Tuan’s aura and hurriedly said, “Hey, hey, hey, family head, family head. Don’t be so hasty, we can still negotiate, ah!”

“There is nothing to negotiate, either hand over the stuff or leave immediately.” He Jitian said coldly.

“Hand……Handing it over is possible.” Daoist Priest Chen clenched his teeth, “Only, you have to promise to extinguish that thing.”

He Jitian answered, “That’s natural.”

Chen Daoist said, “Then I will bring the thing here this afternoon! You have to keep your word!”

He Jitian said, “Our He family have always kept our word.”

Daoist Priest Chen let out a “hmph,” turned around, and left. He Jitian stared at the Daoist Priest Chen’s wretched back as he disappeared before spitting viciously towards the ground: “What a sh*tty Daoist Priest. Is that thing something you can eat? Are you not afraid of shattering your teeth!?”

After saying that, he suddenly remembered that Lin Rufei was still next to him and his face quickly piled with a kind smile: ‘Nephew Lin was not frightened, right?’

“No, no.” Lin Rufei waved his hand, indicating that he was not that vulnerable, and asked what had happened.

“Sigh, it’s a long story.” He Jitian said, “It’s all because these stupid Daoist Priests were too greedy and caused trouble that they shouldn’t have.” He briefly described the situation and only then did Lin Rufei know exactly what had happened.

It turned out that a group of Daoist Priests had stolen a few things belonging to the demon from somewhere and pissed off the demons. The demon could not enter the Daoist temple where the Daoist Priests live, so they blocked off the road that they must take to go out. At first, Daoist Priest Chen came to the He family for help and the He family did not think much of anything. When they heard them say that the demon only had a cultivation at the third level, they casually sent a few disciples over. Who knew that the few disciples were actually seriously injured after returning, although it did not cost their lives, they still needed to recuperate for a long time. After this incident, He Jitian also noticed that there was something wrong with this matter and proceeded to do check it out, after careful investigation, he found that he was pitted by this group of bull-nosed[4] Daoist Priests. To put it bluntly, they took all the benefits but the He family had to clean up their mess.

Although He Jitian was a brutal person, he was not a brainless person. After inquiring around, he determined that the group of demons would only attack the Daoist Priests, so he simply hung them out to dry for a while and watched them worry anxiously. The Daoist Priests, in order to force the He family to take action as soon as possible, began to spread rumors of demon attacks on passersby, so that people who didn’t know of the situation, wouldn’t dare to take that road again.

In He Jitian’s eyes, he was not the least bit anxious. Anyway, their He family lived on Stone Edge Mountain, so who the f*ck cared about what they said under the mountain? They stood firm on their decision.  

After Lin Rufei listened, he also felt that this group of Daoist Priests were a little too much. But this group of demons was also very bold. This was the Yaoguang continent’s central region and there were countless powerful cultivators. Even if the He family didn’t take action, sooner or later, the situation would be cleaned up.

“But what exactly did the Daoist Priests take,” Lin Rufei asked curiously, “To be able to make this group of demons so crazy?”

“I don’t know, but it must be something good.” He Jitian responded, “If Lin gongzi has nothing to do, come and join in on the fun.”

Lin Rufei smiled and said yes. Growing this big, he had never seen a demon with his own eyes before. 

The group of Daoist Priests did not know how long they had been blocked, and indeed, they seemed to have become very anxious. As soon as the noon hour passed, they hurriedly rushed up from the bottom of the mountain, just in time to meet them at lunch. This He Jitian made an evil move. He did not greet them to eat and let them stand to the side to watch until the crowd was almost finished. Then, he called him in. Daoist Priest Chen was furious but did not dare to offend He Jitian. He could only grind his teeth and say: ‘Has the He family head eaten enough? Do you want to take two more bites?’ 

He Jitian patted his own head and said, ‘You are right, I really did not eat enough. I will go in right now to take two more bites.’ After saying that, he turned around and left. This made Daoist Priest Chen so angry that his eyes widened. 

Lin Rufei was watching the show from the side and felt that it was really funny. He Jitian’s bullying appearance was really too funny. But it was no wonder he didn’t want to give Daoist Priest Chen a good expression, those few seriously injured He family disciples were still lying in bed and could not get up. 

Although Daoist Priest Chen was angry and about to vomit blood, he had to get help no matter what. So once again, he stood under the hard sun for a while. Just when Lin Rufei thought he was about to faint, He Jitian called him in. He also seemingly kindly let the servant bring a bowl of mung bean soup and said it was for our Daoist Priest Chen to eliminate the heat. 

How could Daoist Priest Chen have the nerve to drink? He held his breath and fling the thing He Jitian asked for onto the table: “Take it! I hope you do what you said you would do and get rid of those things as soon as possible!”

He Jitian took what Daoist Priest Chen flung out. He opened the cloth bag and took a look and his expression suddenly changed drastically: “How did you get this stuff?!”

“I bought it.” Daoist Priest Chen answered, “Someone was selling it, so we bought it!”

“How can someone sell this?!” He Jitian’s expression was ugly, “Do you know what this is??”

Daoist Priest Chen said, “Isn’t it just a some demon’s egg? Has the He family head not even seen this before?”

“Yes, they are indeed demon’s eggs.” He Jitian gritted his teeth, “But do you know that this is a king-level egg?”

Daoist Priest Chen froze in place and didn’t even respond for a while, “A king-level egg? What do you mean?”

He Jitian laughed in anger, “Do you know about the Seventh King of Bu’e?”

Daoist Priest Chen nodded, “Yes, I do.”

Back then, after the King of All Demons was killed, the forces of the Bu’e Continent were divided, and after that, the Seventh King was formed.  

He Jitian said, “Hmph, the son of the Seventh King is in your hands!”

Daoist Priest Chen’s hand shook and his face was ashen: “He, He family head, don’t joke about such a stuff with me.” 

“Joke?” He Jitian said, “Do you think this joke is funny?”

Daoist Priest Chen cried in fear on the spot, “I, I also didn’t know, ah. Someone really sold it to me……”

********

The author has something to say:

Lin Rufei: If you hide anything from me again, I’ll break your bones!

Gu Xuandu: Guess how these bones in the box broke? 

Lin Rufei: ……………….

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[1] Describe sadness and grief. 

[2] Braised Noodles. 

[3] Have no consideration for someone’s feelings. 

[4] Daoist (facetious)(old).