Chapter 21: Why Is That Little Bastard Here Too?

Chapter 21: Why Is the Little Bastard Here Too?

"You recognize this soul banner?" Xue Youtan asked.

Recognize it? I know it all too well. When the plague wiped out nearly the entire village and he was cast out of the desolate hamlet, this banner was half the reason.

This thing didn't attract wealth—it summoned malevolent spirits.

But hadn't he destroyed all the banners? Why were they showing up here again?

A gust of wind swept in with a chill, and Xue Youtan hunched his shoulders against the cold. He casually glanced down and happened to catch Yuan Yingdi easing the door open a crack, poking her head out.

As if sensing his gaze, Yuan Yingdi, who had been looking left, suddenly snapped her gaze up and stared straight at Xue Youtan.

Her face seemed paler than before, her eyes slightly bulging, and her pupils moved with an unnatural stiffness. A few seconds later, she suddenly grinned. "Are you another girl that Changsheng brought back? You're prettier than the others."

Girl?

Xue Youtan turned to look behind him, but there was no one else besides Pei Zhi. So the "girl" Yuan Yingdi was talking about was Pei Zhi?

While Xue Youtan was still puzzled, Yuan Yingdi spoke to him again, "Being pretty won't help. Changsheng doesn't truly like you—he only likes me."

Wait... so the "girl" was him?!

Lady, are you okay? With Yuan Changsheng's looks, he'd have to be blind to be into him.

Wait, no—he's a guy. Blind or not, he wouldn't be interested.

Though absurd, Xue Youtan zeroed in on a key detail in her words. "Aren't you two siblings?"

Yuan Yingdi seemed to have trouble following the conversation. She tilted her head, thinking for a few seconds, before saying, "Yes, I'm his sister. Changsheng always calls me that."

Her eyes were almost entirely black pupils, like she was wearing contacts, with barely any white showing. And with her movements, the marionette lines around her mouth became more pronounced.

She was looking more and more unnatural.

Xue Youtan felt something was off. Ignoring Pei Zhi, he jumped down from the roof himself and was about to step closer to examine Yuan Yingdi's face, but the moment he took a step forward, her expression shifted.

The smile on Yuan Yingdi's face morphed into terror. She hunched her shoulders in fear, spun around, and ducked back inside.

Xue Youtan was still puzzling over her reaction when he heard Yuan Changsheng's voice behind him. "Heavenly Master, who are you talking to?"

Yuan Changsheng came around the corner, holding a cloak.

Yuan Yingdi was scared of her own brother?!

"Nothing, just taking in the view." Xue Youtan instinctively kept quiet about seeing Yuan Yingdi, and instead said, "Have your people take down all those banners."

"Take them down? Why? What's the reason?" Yuan Changsheng paused, then it seemed to click. "Is the banner messing with your demon-subduing, Master?"

"Nah, not really." Even if the soul-summoning banner boosted the dungeon boss and made it harder to subdue, with his level of cultivation, he could still one-shot it.

A man's gotta have confidence in himself.

But Pei Zhi didn't seem to like the thing, so it was better to take it down.

With that thought, Xue Youtan glanced at Pei Zhi and saw that his gaze had shifted from the soul-summoning banner to Yuan Changsheng.

"These banners—when and where did you get them from?"

Pei Zhi's tone was cold and sharp, which startled Yuan Changsheng into instinctively replying, "Little Nineteen brought them back two months ago. Said hanging them at night would attract wealth. They seemed to work, so I kept them up."

After answering, Yuan Changsheng seemed to snap out of it and shouted at Pei Zhi, hands on his hips, "I only answered you out of respect for the Heavenly Master. You're just a rude little brat. From now on, address me as 'Master Yuan,' got it?"

Pei Zhi ignored him and leapt straight off the roof. "I want to meet this Little Nineteen you mentioned."

The leap and stride were fluid and seamless—nothing like the frail, unsteady figure who'd begged Xue Youtan to carry him up just moments ago.

Well, well. After a quick look at the scenery from the roof, his leg was healed and his body was pain-free.

Just what kind of goddess sculpted this male lead's body? It's inhuman.

"You can't. He's dead. Little Nineteen was the third person that evil spirit killed."

The trail went cold, and Pei Zhi fell silent again.

Yuan Changsheng edged closer to Xue Youtan. "Heavenly Master, is there something wrong with these banners?"

"Yeah, looking at the runes, they're not for attracting wealth—they're for summoning souls."

"Soul-summoning!!!" Yuan Changsheng let out an exaggerated cry, stomping his foot in feigned anger. "That bitch Nineteen brought this cursed stuff into my house and lied to me. Good thing she died early—if she were still alive, I'd chop her up!"

As he spoke, Yuan Changsheng's gaze flicked to the cloak in his hand, and some of the ferocity in his eyes softened. He pointed to Yuan Yingdi's room. "It's getting cold. I'll take this cloak to my sister first, then have the steward remove all those banners."

"Oh, right," Yuan Changsheng turned back at the doorway. "Your two disciples got hooked on my wine and passed out drunk by the wine pool. Want to check on them?"

His words were vague, but Xue Youtan caught the subtext—Yuan Changsheng didn't want him near Yuan Yingdi's room.

Fine. He was here to subdue demons, not meddle in family affairs. Xue Youtan nodded and led Pei Zhi toward where Yuan Changsheng had indicated. Knowing Pei Zhi was fine, Xue Youtan didn't adjust his pace and walked quickly. Pei Zhi trailed behind, and when he realized he couldn't keep up, he slowed to a leisurely stroll, falling further back.

By the time they arrived, Xue Youtan was already crouched by the edge of the wine pool, scooping up a handful of clear liquor and bringing it to his lips.

The wine spilled through his slender fingers, dripping onto his prominent Adam's apple. Droplets rolled down as it bobbed, finally falling and vanishing into the snow-white inner robe.

Pei Zhi's gaze inexplicably locked onto Xue Youtan, unable to look away, his heartbeat quickening uncontrollably.

It wasn't until a splash of wine hit his face that Pei Zhi snapped back to his senses, turning to glare at the one who'd splashed him.

"Why's this little bastard here too? Scram, get lost—don't stink up the wine." Under the influence of alcohol, Xiao Yiheng's mouth ran even more recklessly, his words harsh.

The entire pool was filled with top-grade Fengzhou Qingbai, worth dozens of taels per measure on the market—comparable to Maotai back home. Xue Youtan had actually wanted a sip given its pedigree, but Xiao Yiheng's words killed the mood entirely.

So what if the male lead had a pair of beast ears more than normal people? They were adorable. How was that "bastard"?

Besides, since becoming his disciple, Pei Zhi had learned to hide his ears and looked no different from anyone else. Calling him a bastard now was just plain rude.

Xiao Yiheng, if you don't stop courting death, even a programmer transmigrating won't save you. In the *Emperor's Legacy* plot, you get carved into a human jar, you know—a human jar!!