Chapter 73: A Cane That Bleeds

After the white-haired old man finished consuming the three Blood Marrow Pills that Murong Qingyi had painstakingly refined, he slumped beside the stove with a look of utter contentment. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed in no hurry to leave, and Murong Qingyi felt an inexplicable sense of having invited trouble into her home. “Mother was right,” she thought, “I should never let strangers into the house so carelessly, or misfortune may follow!”

Suddenly, the old man’s body tensed; his veins bulged across his skin, and he convulsed in agony, curling up into a tight ball. The sight terrified Murong Qingyi—she feared that something had gone wrong with the pills she’d made. After all, this was her first attempt at refining Blood Marrow Pills; she had no experience whatsoever.

“Sir… sir, are you alright?” she called out anxiously.

But soon, his spasms ceased. To her astonishment, his gaunt frame seemed to have grown new, robust muscles; his figure appeared noticeably larger. When he lifted his head and looked at Murong Qingyi, she was struck by the fact that more than half of his once white hair had turned jet black.

“Little girl, do you realize you have unwittingly crafted the finest three Blood Marrow Pills in this world?” The wrinkles on his face were gradually smoothing out. “Having consumed your pills, I will be sure to repay you handsomely in the future. For now, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave!”

With that, he leaned on his cane and walked out of the kitchen, heading slowly toward the front gate. As Murong Qingyi watched him depart, she was startled to see blood dripping steadily from his person. On closer inspection, she realized it was his wooden cane that was bleeding—the blood was seeping from within the wood itself.

A wooden cane that bleeds?

Murong Qingyi shuddered from head to toe. This old man was eerily strange. Fortunately, he left in the end, though he left behind a strong, lingering scent of blood in the courtyard. Murong Qingyi hastily grabbed a cloth and, dampening it, wiped away all traces of blood from the floor.

…

Later that afternoon, in Yan City, Pear Blossom Alley in Yong’an Ward.

Pear Blossom Alley was the commoners’ district within Yong’an Ward, inhabited almost exclusively by the town’s lowest strata—those who eked out a living through hard labor. The houses in the alley were simple and crude, some even repurposed from old village dwellings from Qiu Yu Village, such as the one belonging to Song Ye.

The naming of Pear Blossom Alley was quite casual, inspired simply by the presence of a pear blossom tree in the alley. But the tree itself was now only a half-decayed trunk, never again to bloom—the result of the infamous “Whisper of the Wind God” unleashed years ago by the Bone Demon Lord.

Yet today, this humble alley welcomed extraordinary “noble guests.” Several luxurious two-horse carriages appeared at the entrance, attracting the attention of many passersby. In this town, carriage owners were invariably wealthy, and these carriages were drawn by pairs of tall, sturdy horses—a rare extravagance. Clearly, the passengers inside were not ordinary folk.

The curtain of one carriage was drawn aside, and out stepped a young woman in a blue dress. Passersby slowed, captivated by her beauty, marveling inwardly: could there truly be a woman in this world as lovely as a celestial maiden?

…

At the hour of You—five o’clock in the afternoon—Song Ye could finally leave the yamen. He had arranged in advance to share drinks with Zhao Zhigao in the little courtyard in Pear Blossom Alley after work. Thus, during his shift, Song Ye had sneakily completed his daily tasks of “Fishing” and “Sling-shot Bird Hunting,” and even finished a triggered random quest. With all three tasks completed, he earned his daily attribute point.

So after work, Song Ye was free to drink and talk late into the night with Zhao Zhigao. He had also bought a bag of hard candy for Song Yan; she could sit in the corner, contentedly munching for hours, leaving the two men undisturbed for their evening.

As for the dishes, Zhao Zhigao had gone out of his way to buy roast duck from Chen’s, peanuts and marinated beef from Wang’s. Song Ye himself had cooked a pot of lamb and steamed a carp in his kitchen.

At the hour of You—six o’clock in the evening—the sky was flushed with the colors of dusk, gentle sunlight bathing the little courtyard. The food was laid out on the table; fine Daughter’s Red wine had been uncorked, and Song Yan was already gnawing on a plump duck leg in the corner.

After a few cups, Zhao Zhigao said to Song Ye, “This world truly holds wonders beyond imagining. That princess looks exactly like your former fiancée!”

Song Ye felt it was time to reveal the truth and smiled, “Actually, they are one and the same. The woman who was once betrothed to me is now the daughter of Prince Xiang.”

Of course, this was not the whole truth. Song Ye could never tell Zhao Zhigao her true identity.

“What? They… they’re the same person?!” Zhao Zhigao exclaimed in disbelief.

So the princess had, back in Qiu Yu Village, secretly fallen in love with Song Ye, hiding it from Prince Xiang?

“Brother Song, it seems that waiting so long for her was worth it after all. She’s a princess, the daughter of Prince Xiang! You’re destined for great fortune!” Zhao Zhigao couldn’t help but envy Song Ye. He himself still had to spend money hiring matchmakers for blind dates, while Song Ye had women throwing themselves at him, promising marriage—all without spending a single coin. And what’s more, the woman was a princess!

At that moment, the courtyard gate sounded with sharp raps.

“Probably another neighbor borrowing salt. I’ll go have a look!” Song Ye rose to open the door.

The moment he opened it, he was stunned. Qin Xuanxi stood outside, dressed as always in her blue dress, barefoot as usual—she never seemed to like wearing shoes. She smiled gracefully, “Hello, I just moved in next door today. I knocked to borrow something from my neighbor.”

Song Ye couldn’t help but smile himself. He truly admired this Demon Lord of the Profound Abyss—such a person would stop at nothing to achieve her goals; she had even moved in next door.

“What would you like to borrow?” Song Ye asked.

“The sunlight in your courtyard,” Qin Xuanxi tilted her head with a mischievous smile, “Is that alright?”

Really, she just wanted to come inside.

“Of course!” Song Ye welcomed her in generously; after all, this was not her first visit to his little courtyard. He remembered how, a year and a half ago, Qin Xuanxi had displayed her astonishing culinary skills right here.