Chapter Thirty-Eight: Admiration

It was just as Chu Youcai, Dou Xu, and the others had barely returned from the ghostly realm to the mortal world when they were instantly suppressed by a terrifying murderous aura.

It was deep in the night, and the surroundings were silent without a sound, but that murderous air made the darkness all the more chilling and dreadful.

Dou Xu's face turned deathly pale with fright; his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

But then, as he caught sight of what was before him, his body went rigid and he could hardly believe his eyes.

They were in a manor outside the west city. By the moonlight, not far ahead, a great snake coiled and seethed, emanating that dreadful aura—yet it was only about ten feet long.

Almost at the same moment, Dou Xu heard a faint wailing at his ear, a constant hum—not the cry of any human. Looking closer, he saw a flurry of bees and flying insects buzzing about them.

Dou Xu was stunned. Could it be that all the people he had seen in the Gui Estate earlier were actually these bees and insects? And for them, a thousand-foot-long python was nothing more than this ten-foot-long serpent before his eyes?

A deep sense of shame for his own cowardice washed over him, mingled with a flush of anger. Drawing his sword, he lunged at the great snake.

Yet, as he brought his blade down, he found the serpent unmoving, while his sword snapped cleanly in two.

What kind of snake was this?

Suddenly, the snake flicked its tongue, raised its head high, and with a rush of flying sand and swirling stones, its dark eyes flashed with a sudden crimson glow, blazing like fire as it lunged toward Dou Xu.

His courage shattered; he never expected that this was a demon serpent. A coldness swept through him, leaving him unsteady on his feet, nearly collapsing in terror.

At that critical moment, Chu Youcai beside him sprang into action.

A shadow flickered, forming a formless brilliance, and with astonishing speed, darted through the night’s uncanny stillness to pierce straight through the serpent's neck.

The snake tried to struggle, but to no avail—its head was split open, and blood poured forth in torrents.

With a single strike, the monstrous serpent that had filled Dou Xu with dread perished beneath Chu Youcai’s fish-scale blade.

Shangguan Wanru's gaze narrowed in astonishment. Hadn't Chu Youcai only just obtained the fish-scale blade? How could he wield it with such mastery, drawing out all its power to the fullest?

It was as if the fish-scale blade were an extension of his very being, honed through countless battles, the man and the weapon fused as one.

If she didn’t know that the blade had long been in Lei Yinyang’s possession, Shangguan Wanru would have suspected that Chu Youcai was its original owner.

What secrets did this man before her still conceal?

Once again, she was amazed by Chu Youcai’s mysterious prowess.

Chu Youcai sheathed his blade, feeling a slight relief. It seemed that the year of training within the Dragon Alligator Mountain River Pearl’s inner world had borne fruit—his blade skill had reached a modest success.

Ensuring the serpent was truly dead, he finally felt at ease. Noticing the hour was near midnight, a longing to return home welled up in him.

He knew that Yun Cuixian must be deeply anxious after waiting so long for him and Hongyu to return—he had caused her enough worry.

He cupped his hands to Dou Xu and said, “Brother Dou, meeting you at the Gui Estate is a kind of fate. I hope we may have the chance to converse more in the future. But I have been away too long; my wife at home must be greatly concerned. I must take my leave.”

Dou Xu, coming back to his senses, returned the salute. “Thank you, Brother Chu, for your help. Your guidance today was a revelation; I look forward to learning from you again another day.” His face showed a trace of shame as he spoke.

Thus they parted. Dou Xu picked up his broken sword and found the patterns on it shattered and fragmented. A chill crept through him—this demon serpent that could slay tens of thousands of bees was no ordinary snake. With his own strength, he had been as futile as an ant trying to stop a chariot.

He slipped away into the night, and before long arrived at a lakeside cabin on the outskirts of the west city. Lighting a candle, grinding ink, he wrote the character “quiet” three times in a row, finally regaining his composure and peace of mind.

He was a renowned scholar, yet his differing views from other scholars led to his gradual exclusion. Eventually, disillusioned, he had chosen seclusion and stayed here for some time.

The tumult of this night had shaken him deeply. Chu Youcai had bested him in poetry with astonishing speed, a sign of quick wit. The Lotus Princess was as ethereal as a celestial maiden, and while he had lost all composure, Chu Youcai was untouched by her beauty. When offered a royal marriage, he refused without hesitation, which made Dou Xu feel all the more ashamed.

Later, when threatened by the king, Chu Youcai spoke calmly, expounding the way of the sages, and even asserted that “all things are equal, and so are men and women”—a declaration that left Dou Xu in awe.

After so many moments of wonder, Chu Youcai had shown his extraordinary abilities once more, displaying the valor of a true knight, slaying the demon serpent with a blade as swift as wind.

Moreover, Chu Youcai’s devotion to his wife was evident, entirely at odds with rumors of him being a dissolute wastrel. The two women by his side were also strikingly beautiful, always obedient to his word.

Such a man was nearly flawless—how could the storytellers have so maligned him?

Dou Xu could not understand it.

He knew that the storyteller yesterday was none other than Zhu Yuzheng, son of Zhu Huiweng, the famed orthodox Confucian. Every scholar in Yanzhou revered Zhu Huiweng as a sage. Moreover, Zhu Huiweng was known for upholding justice and the law, earning universal respect. Yet his son Zhu Yuzheng had never passed the examinations and frequently indulged in debauchery at brothels, squandering the family fortune and driving his father to illness.

Zhu Yuzheng had long haunted the pleasure quarters. When his debts overwhelmed him, he disappeared for a time, but recently reemerged as a storyteller in a wine shop. Though a lowly profession, earning his own living was secretly admired; people thought him a prodigal son returned to virtue. Since he came from a family of learning and maintained an orthodox reputation, many scholars of Yanzhou came to hear him, believing he had no other vices.

But now, seeing Chu Youcai’s demeanor—so dignified, so unlike the wicked, debauched gambler or the heartless libertine Zhu Yuzheng had described—could it be that Zhu Yuzheng was misled by hearsay?

At this, Dou Xu could no longer restrain himself. He suspected Zhu Yuzheng had again fallen into the old error of judging by appearances. Having received Chu Youcai’s sage advice, Dou Xu felt he must repay the favor and put an end to Zhu Yuzheng’s slander.

Resolving himself, he did not rest but turned to the Book of Rites, reading through the night. As soon as dawn broke, he would hurry to the wine shop to vindicate Chu Youcai’s name.

Meanwhile, on Chu Youcai’s way home, Shangguan Wanru and Hongyu were embroiled in a heated quarrel.