Chapter 25: You’re Playing a Bit Too Rough

Mu Yuanshan’s timing was perfect. Mu Xian worried that continuing to refuse would offend Ling Tian, and Ling Tian was also too embarrassed to really get angry with Mu Xian. At that moment, both of them were quite awkward.

Upon hearing his father’s words, Mu Xian stopped refusing. He generously closed the jade box and put it inside his robe. With a big smile on his face, he said, “Uncle Ling, you’re the one who firmly refused it yourself. You can’t tell others I’m being stingy later.”

“You cheeky brat, you got the advantage and are still acting smug. Think I can’t take it back right now?” Seeing Mu Xian’s playful, grinning face, Ling Tian pretended to be annoyed and ruffled Mu Xian’s hair, speaking with mock seriousness.

Hearing this, Mu Xian took a step back, looking as if he was afraid Ling Tian would really change his mind.

Mu Xian’s funny antics made Ling Tian laugh heartily. The last bit of awkwardness in his heart immediately vanished.

“Xian’er, you still haven’t told us how your vein problem was solved!” Seeing the harmonious atmosphere in the room, with none of the earlier tension left, Mu Yuanshan continued to ask from the side.

“Father, isn’t the answer right here?” Mu Xian rolled his eyes, patted the jade box in his robe, and replied with a mischievous smile.

Mu Xian’s thinking was simple. The amount of Divine Blood Jade Marrow in this world could be counted on one hand, and people born with Inherently Blocked Veins were equally rare. So, even if he credited the Divine Blood Jade Marrow for solving his Inherently Blocked Veins problem, he didn’t have to worry about being exposed. It also saved him a lot of explaining.

Hearing Mu Xian’s answer, Mu Yuanshan opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. He was stunned for a moment.

Seeing Mu Yuanshan speechless, everyone else in the room wore teasing smiles. It was rare to see Mu Yuanshan in such an awkward state.

“Divine Blood Jade Marrow is an extremely rare treasure. Even a sect like the Xuanmen Palace wouldn’t have it. Back when I was at the Xuanmen Palace, I had never even heard of such a treasure. This shows just how precious and miraculous it is. I hope everyone present can keep this secret strictly. Do not leak the secret that Xian’er possesses the Divine Blood Jade Marrow. This piece of Divine Blood Jade Marrow is not only a great opportunity for Xian’er, but also a great opportunity for the rise of our Mu Family.” After a long silence, Mu Yuanshan spoke solemnly to everyone in the room.

Everyone sitting in the room was either close family or trusted confidants of the Mu Family. They naturally understood the seriousness of the matter. So, upon hearing Mu Yuanshan’s words, they all nodded, indicating they would absolutely not leak any information.

Just as Mu Xian had predicted, no one present, including Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo, had heard of Divine Blood Jade Marrow before. Naturally, they didn’t know its specific effects. So, Mu Xian easily fooled everyone in the room.

Learning that Divine Blood Jade Marrow also had the effect of solving Inherently Blocked Veins made it seem even more precious in everyone’s eyes. Ling Tian also felt relieved that he hadn’t accepted the Divine Blood Jade Marrow; otherwise, he would have felt uneasy.

After some more chatting, seeing that it was getting late and noticing the fatigue on Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo’s faces, everyone stood up to say their goodbyes. Even Mu Xian found an excuse and slipped back to his own East Courtyard.

“Qiluo, what did you gain after absorbing the Spiritual Power of the Divine Blood Jade Marrow?” When only Mu Yuanshan and Tang Qiluo were left in the room, Mu Yuanshan asked softly.

“I… I feel like my bloodline has mutated. It seems to have improved by a whole level. But this feeling is very mysterious and hard to grasp. I can’t be sure.” Tang Qiluo hesitated before answering uncertainly. Then she asked with concern, “Yuanshan, what about you? Seeing your face full of joy, you must have gained a lot, right?”

“You heard about my earlier fierce fight with the Withered Touch Beast horde. I was finally knocked down and trampled by the Withered Touch Beasts. Not only were the bones all over my body broken, but the veins inside me also shriveled after being hit by the Withered Green Poison sprayed by the Withered Touch Beasts. My vitality was also slowly draining away. Although Qian Tian Wang healed my injuries, he was helpless against the Withered Green Poison. He stated that within five years, I would become a waste, not only losing all my cultivation but also having veins that would become just like Inherently Blocked Veins.”

“But just now, after absorbing the Spiritual Power released by the Divine Blood Jade Marrow, I actually felt the Withered Green Poison inside my body being suppressed. The withered veins inside me also began to slowly recover. As for the lost vitality, it was completely replenished.”

Hearing that her husband was actually poisoned with Withered Green Poison and would lose all his cultivation within five years, becoming like someone with Inherently Blocked Veins, Tang Qiluo’s heart sank into an abyss, and her face turned pale. Only when Mu Yuanshan changed the topic and spoke about the various miraculous reactions after absorbing the Divine Blood Jade Marrow did a charming light return to Tang Qiluo’s beautiful eyes.

“Yuanshan, since the Divine Blood Jade Marrow is so important to you, I’ll go find Xian’er right now.” As soon as Mu Yuanshan finished speaking, Tang Qiluo stood up from her chair and hurried toward the door.

But after taking a few steps, Tang Qiluo stopped. She turned her head with a puzzled look on her face and looked at Mu Yuanshan.

Under Tang Qiluo’s surprised gaze, Mu Yuanshan smiled and shook the jade box in his hand. He chuckled softly and said, “Just before Xian’er left the room, he secretly hid this jade box on me. He thought he did it without anyone noticing, but I had already discovered it. I guess earlier, Xian’er was afraid of causing a misunderstanding with Ling Tian and didn’t plan to mention the Divine Blood Jade Marrow. But then, thinking that only this Divine Blood Jade Marrow could solve my problem, he had no choice but to bring it up…”

Remembering Mu Xian’s conflicted look when he first mentioned the Divine Blood Jade Marrow, and later his determined expression when he offered it to Ling Tian, Mu Yuanshan couldn’t help showing a satisfied smile on his face.

“You mean, Xian’er’s Inherently Blocked Veins problem wasn’t actually solved by the Divine Blood Jade Marrow? The Divine Blood Jade Marrow was just an excuse?” Catching the hidden meaning in her husband’s words, Tang Qiluo cried out in surprise.

“Not entirely. After all, none of us have heard of Divine Blood Jade Marrow, so we don’t know its specific effects. I also don’t know if the withered veins in my body are gradually recovering because the Withered Green Poison is being suppressed, or if it’s a direct result of the Spiritual Power of the Divine Blood Jade Marrow. I just noticed that when Xian’er talked about how his vein problem was solved, his eyes were shifting around, lacking focus. Also, his fists were unconsciously clenched. That’s his telltale sign of lying.” Mu Yuanshan shook his head, his eyes filled with a playful look.

“Ah… this child, why would he lie to us about something so important? No, I must get to the bottom of this later. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.” Tang Qiluo frowned and thought back, realizing that things were indeed as her husband had described. She immediately became anxious.

“You, always so hasty. Xian’er is fifteen years old already, almost an adult. It’s normal for him to have his own secrets. When Xian’er is willing to tell us, he will naturally do so. If he’s unwilling and we force him, it will only make him awkward and uncomfortable. I noticed everything Xian’er did after returning home this time was very measured. We don’t need to keep such a tight watch on him.” Seeing the look of deep concern on his wife’s face, Mu Yuanshan smiled and gently advised.

“Xian’er has grown up.” Upon hearing this, Tang Qiluo was taken aback. Various scenes of Mu Xian’s behavior since returning to the family instinctively flashed through her mind. After a long while, she finally sighed with a bitter expression.

“I thought the problem of Inherently Blocked Veins would trouble Xian’er for life and also make us run around and toil for life. I never expected Xian’er to have a great opportunity himself and directly solve the Inherently Blocked Veins problem.” Remembering all the difficulties and torments he and Tang Qiluo had endured over the years, Mu Yuanshan sighed deeply. He looked at his wife with affection and said softly, “Qiluo, from now on, you don’t need to blame yourself excessively anymore. You also don’t need to feel guilty toward Xian’er. I’ve always said that Heaven never seals off all exits. The offspring born from a union between the Human Race and the Demonic Race aren’t necessarily worthless.”

“You still say that! If it weren’t for you being so shameless back then, insisting that I have a child for you, how could I have suffered for so many years? And how could Xian’er have endured so many years of hardship!” Seeing Mu Yuanshan looking all knowing and foresighted, Tang Qiluo raised her willow-like eyebrows. With light steps, she walked over to Mu Yuanshan, pinched him hard, and playfully scolded him.

But Mu Yuanshan reached around and grabbed Tang Qiluo by the waist. Exerting a little force, he lifted her and sat her on his lap. With a mischievous grin, he said, “If I hadn’t been so persistent back then, how could I have married the Saintess of the North Ice Palace and brought her home? Probably in the entire Sheng Zhou Dynasty, only I have enjoyed such treatment.”

Seeing Mu Yuanshan getting more and more pleased with himself and speaking more and more explicitly, Tang Qiluo’s face blushed so red it seemed like it could drip water. She wished she could find something to seal Mu Yuanshan’s mouth. But when her eyes accidentally swept over the white hair at Mu Yuanshan’s temples on both sides of his face, her gaze immediately softened. A warm current surged in her heart. Over all these years, if it weren’t for her husband constantly finding joy amidst hardship to comfort and persuade her, she probably would have long collapsed under the pain of having a son with Inherently Blocked Veins.

In the East Courtyard, Mu Xian didn’t know that his lie had already been seen through by his father. At that moment, he was sitting in his study, holding a pen and scribbling and drawing on the desk, muttering to himself.

Half an incense stick’s time later, Mu Xian threw down the pen in his hand, and a playful smile appeared on his face.

“Tantai Yanjun, you seem to be playing a bit too rough. It’s one thing for you to have people deal with me, but you actually used despicable means to deal with my father. If I simply let this pass, wouldn’t I, Mu Xian, be unworthy of being a son?”

After saying this, Mu Xian crumpled the piece of paper he had just filled with drawings into a ball and casually threw it into a wastepaper basket nearby. Then he left the study and headed straight for his bedroom.

Not even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea after Mu Xian left, a patch of shadow in the corner of the study swayed slightly. The next moment, this patch of shadow transformed into a graceful girl’s figure. She looked puzzled in the direction Mu Xian had left, then walked to the wastepaper basket and picked up the paper full of drawings that Mu Xian had just thrown away.

When the girl clearly saw what was drawn on the paper, her eyes suddenly widened, and she almost cried out in surprise.