Chapter 238 - 238 236 The Night is Deep People are Gone

Words : 1414 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

238: Chapter 236: The Night is Deep, People are Gone 238: Chapter 236: The Night is Deep, People are Gone Baili An watched the elderly scholar who was dozing off and whispered, “This old gentleman is advanced in years and can’t withstand hunger; disturbing him like this might not be good.” The old man, who just moments before had looked drowsy, suddenly opened his eyes wide. He smiled at Baili An, “My body is still strong despite my age, young master. Lord Tianxi himself honored my humble bookshop with his presence. How could I possibly think of closing the doors?” Baili An was somewhat surprised and glanced into the old man’s eyes, then also smiled slightly, saying, “Then I shall impose upon you.” He took out a Luminous Pearl as compensation. Ji Ting looked at the glowing Luminous Pearl, his eyes widening involuntarily, and glanced between Baili An and Fang Geyu. After a moment of struggle in his eyes, he pushed the pearl back, insisting not to accept it. “The favor you did in saving the life of my young sister is already a tremendous act of grace. These are just a few storybooks—how could I dare to accept such a valuable item? For today, the rent will be deducted from my monthly salary.” Baili An did not insist, put away the Luminous Pearl, and also moved a small stool to sit behind Yun Rong, beginning to read. Fang Geyu, who claimed to have no interest, found herself bored waiting for the other two and flipped through a book as well, squatting behind Baili An to read. As she read, she frowned and criticized, “The Prime Minister’s daughter actually falls for a poor and weak scholar who is destitute and bullied, capable of nothing but reciting a few sentimental verses—is there no decent man left in the world?” “Goodness, for a man she met just once, she betrays her family, throwing tantrums, making scenes and attempting suicide. Better to just drag her out, hang her with a rope, and be done with it. Such a rebellious child is pointless to raise!” Baili An pursed his lips, glanced at Fang Geyu, who was viewing with contempt while reading, and remained silent. Ji Ting, eager to please, came forward, “Benefactor, do you really like the story of Lord Xuan Shui?” Baili An nodded. Ji Ting winked, implying something all men understand, “Actually, many people are unaware that the ‘Elegant Collection’ is not complete. The essence of it was extracted by my master into something else. It was originally ordered by my master to be burnt, but such treasures seemed such a waste to destroy, so I secretly kept them. This is the uncut edition’s benefit, only for those dedicated fans to view. Normally, I would charge eighty silver bars for a copy to sell to others, but if you would like to read it, Benefactor, Ji Ting would give it to you for free.” “The uncut edition’s benefit? What’s that?” Baili An looked puzzled. Fang Geyu’s expression darkened. Yun Rong was still immersed in her own world. Ji Ting said animatedly, “Why, those are illustrated booklets of course, the content is very…” The longsword resting beside Fang Geyu clanked heavily against the ground, cracking it with a long fissure that extended across to the other side of the alley. Her cold eyes stared at the trembling Ji Ting, “The content is very what?” Ji Ting turned pale and dared not speak further. Good heavens, this must be some kind of deity. Fang Geyu grabbed the back collar of Baili An’s shirt, pulling his head down to her lap, and whispered sternly in his ear, “If you’re going to read, just read. I give you pocket money, not for you to learn bad habits from these strange people, understand!” Baili An nodded vigorously, holding the book, and mimicked her tone, “I’ll just read this one, is that okay?” Fang Geyu’s expression softened slightly, and she patted his head, “Just behave. If you like to read, come tomorrow and I’ll buy Xuan Shui to write books for you. As for those little booklets—never look at them.” Ji Ting was dumbfounded. To… to buy Lord Xuan Shui, just to write books for a man?! What grandiose claims from this young lady. In the following days, Yun Rong didn’t hurry to catch her Heart Demon anymore. She adhered to the idea of waiting patiently like one guarding a tree stump for a rabbit to emerge, naturally moved into the inn where Baili An was staying, and naturally dragged him to the bookshop at dawn to discuss Sword Dao. She really was utterly obsessed… After a while, Baili An had almost fully grasped the Sword Intent mentioned in the books. Lord Xuan Shui has been writing books for eighty-eight years. In that time, every year he had sent a set of storybooks to this bookshop, surely a venerable old man by now. Short of divine intervention, even Yun Rong, despite her monstrous talents, couldn’t easily grasp his works. But that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm for the ‘Elegant Collection’ one bit. Over those days, Baili An read the stories in the books, occasionally chatting with the old shopkeeper, and gradually became familiar with him. The old man who could recognize Yun Rong at a glance was certainly no ordinary elder. The elder was named Meng Chengzhi, a scholar from the White Wood Academy in the Inner City. Although he came from the Inner City, he lived within the border city of Bashu. Except for the times when he had lectures or exams to attend to in the Inner City, he mostly lived like any ordinary old man in the Outer City, managing his quaint little bookshop. Sipping some aged tea, occasionally taking a few disciples from poor families on the street under his wing to teach them how to read and write. And Ji Ting, was one of these poor disciples, and in particular, a favorite of the old man. It seemed like several meaningless days of life. But Baili An vaguely sensed a storm brewing. Perhaps, what seems like a trivial affair right now had already become an important part of the City Lord’s selection process. He did not know how to break the status quo of ordinary life, nor did he intend to do so deliberately. Because he was well aware, since the trial had already begun, the test would surely present itself before him. After all, his trip to the Inner City was because someone guided him to this long street. Ghost-nurturing noodles from Bashu. Food fit for a corpse demon to eat. The missing chefs from Central Netherworld. And… Lord Tianxi’s fourth sword. In the end, what broke the equilibrium was the fifth day Baili An and Yun Rong were reading together. Ji Ting, who had been punctual to the bookshop every day, did not show up that day… The bookshop elder, however, sat as usual in a wicker chair, sipping his two mouthfuls of aged tea, teasing the parrot, and watering the plants. He did not inquire about the disappearance of Ji Ting, as if this person had never existed from the start. His demeanor remained serene. It’s just… today, the ordinarily docile bird became particularly irritable when played with. Baili An watched the old man playing with the parrot and sadness flickered in his eyes. The old man, who was hurt by his own pet parrot’s peck, also showed an expression of sadness and helplessness. Baili An visited Ji Ting’s home at night, only to find the door tightly closed, devoid of any signs of life or light. The next day, as Yun Rong returned to the bookshop once more, the old man was still the same. But the parrot he had doted on and teased the day before was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only an empty cage and some scattered feathers. With no bird to amuse, the old man, with nothing else to do today, resorted to watering the flowers and trimming the branches, appearing to be in a good mood, humming a tune. Baili An noticed that the old man was wearing the same cloth coat as the day before, which hadn’t been changed and was not as clean as it had been. Its color had darkened slightly as if it had been stained with something unclean. Like blood…

Chapter 238 - 238 236 The Night is Deep People are Gone

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