Chapter 65: May I Ask the Immortals in the Heavens...

Every Lantern Festival, the Prefecture of the Capital bustling with extraordinary liveliness.

This year was no exception.

The festive lanterns hung by every household illuminated the streets and alleys of the Capital Prefecture in a warm, glowing red when lit at night.

The Marquis of Wu'an's estate was as lively as usual.

However, because Marquis Chen Taiping and the two young masters were absent, that liveliness felt somewhat superficial.

After a brief celebration, everyone dispersed early.

In a slightly secluded small courtyard in the backyard, Dowager Chen had summoned a few individuals.

They included the second master of the Marquis's estate, Chen Lixin; the third master, Chen Lide; the second young master, Chen Taihang; and dozens of men dressed in short, black martial attire.

"Mother, has Taiping sent any word?" Chen Lide cast a glance at the men in black and nodded inwardly.

Though these men were not members of the Chen family, every single one of them was an elite warrior from the Wu'an Army.

Not only had their cultivation reached the fifth rank of the Core-Forming Realm, but they were also skilled in reconnaissance and tracking, serving as the elite scouts of the military.

"Taiping asked me to pass a message to you," Dowager Chen said, looking aged yet wearing a serene expression as she twirled her prayer beads. "Investigate the Marquis of Jingye."

"The Marquis of Jingye?"

"Zhou Tiance?"

Chen Lixin and Chen Lide could not help but look startled. After exchanging a glance, they continued, "Mother, are you saying Taiping suspects that the old Marquis of Jingye is the one who made a move against the children?"

Dowager Chen raised her eyelids and swept her gaze over them.

"My only duty is to pass on the message; whether you choose to heed it or not is up to you."

"But—"

Chen Lixin was about to ask further when Chen Lide pulled him back by the sleeve.

"Mother, since Taiping has said so, I will lead these men to investigate the Marquis of Jingye's estate first."

With that, Chen Lide glanced at Chen Taihang, who still looked somewhat surprised, and said, "Taihang, command them."

"Later I will inform you how to probe the Marquis of Jingye's estate. Since this involves the old Marquis, not the slightest negligence can be tolerated."

Chen Taihang acknowledged the order, then hesitated and asked, "Third Uncle, what should we do if we discover that the person behind the scenes really is him?"

"Hmph, if it truly is him, naturally my Chen family will demand an explanation!"

"That's right, even if we have to take the matter up to the Emperor, I will make him pay the price!"

While the members of the Chen family were discussing the matter, the dozens of scouts nearby remained silent, their gazes resolute.

"Then act as Taiping said, and go investigate!"

...

Compared to the festive atmosphere at the Marquis of Wu'an's estate, the Marquis of Jingye's residence was noticeably much more desolate and quiet.

There were no lanterns outside the gates, nor any sign of human activity within the courtyards, making it resemble an abandoned mansion.

Creak.

Accompanied by the opening of a wooden door with slightly peeling lacquer, Zhou Tiance walked out of the ancestral shrine, coughing.

Chen Ke holding a translucent white lantern, took the initiative to step forward and support him.

"My Lord, let me take you back."

Zhou Tiance glanced at him, walking forward with a hunched back on his own accord.

Chen Ke did not mind and carefully followed at his side.

"As you wished, the operation at the Taixu Taoist Sect failed."

"It even cost us the life of a 'Hidden Dragon Seed,' cough, cough. Are you satisfied now?"

Chen Ke's expression remained unchanged; he did not speak.

He knew that if Zhou Tiance were truly furious, he would not voice such complaints.

"In your heart, do you also think that I've grown senile and lost my mind?!"

"Chen Ke would never, nor would he dare to think such a thing," Chen Ke hurriedly said, bowing respectfully.

"Hmph," Zhou Tiance snorted. "When you returned to the Capital Prefecture that day and immediately moved to clean up the aftermath, you certainly acted promptly."

"What? Afraid that the Marquis of Wu'an would discover it was my doing, and that you would be implicated?"

"My Lord, Chen Ke has no such intention whatsoever! Chen Ke only cares for your safety and safeguarding the peace of the Marquis's estate."

"Hah," Zhou Tiance sneered and said no more.

It wasn't until the two of them had crossed the empty martial arts hall and the middle courtyard, reaching the backyard, that he continued:

"No matter what plans you harbor, nothing must go wrong with Yuan'er!"

"Since you are unwilling to strike at those two little beasts, we will simply wait until Yuan'er finishes his studies and descends the mountain."

At this, a glint of vitality appeared on Zhou Tiance's pale, ashen face, and his turbid eyes grew somewhat sharp.

"By then, the 'Hidden Dragon' force shall be handed over to him to command!"

Chen Ke bowed once more, seemingly accepting this outcome with grace.

"As for you," Zhou Tiance remained unmoved, snorting coldly, "cooperate well with Qiu Long and the others from now on."

"In three years' time, when Chen Taiping returns, I want to see a combat-ready Jingye Army!"

"Chen Ke understands!"

"I hope you truly understand."

With that, Zhou Tiance turned and walked toward the silent, dark backyard, his voice trailing back with a cough.

"From now on, lie low."

After Zhou Tiance had walked away, Chen Ke stood straight.

After waiting for a long time, he finally spoke in a cold tone.

"Pass down the order. Have all our people enter a state of complete silence."

After a moment of thought, he added, "Everyone!"

As soon as his voice fell, a rustling acknowledgment came from a corner, followed by the faint sound of figures darting away into the distance.

Having done all this, Chen Ke sighed softly, turned leisurely, and left.

Such an outcome was already the best possible one.

He only hoped that by doing this, the Lord, the young miss, and Young Master Yuan could live in peace and safety.

...

Far away at the Taixu Taoist Sect, Chen Yi was unaware of what had transpired in the Capital Prefecture.

He spent the entire day playing and spending time with Lin Xueru and the others.

Aside from the little girl, Du Yanqing and his sister, Wei Letian and his sister, and Wang Yongian—whom he had not seen for a long time—had all asked leave from their masters and come to Sword Peak Mountain.

Seeing them having so much fun, Hua Youxiang felt tempted and sent word to the Fairy of Flowers and Hua Yourong, asking them to come over from Dan Peak Mountain.

It was worth mentioning that even Xiao Xuanzhen, out of curiosity about what the Lantern Festival was like, had followed Ning Xue and Lin Xueru here.

As the daughter of the sect master, she had lived on the mountain since childhood. Not only had she never celebrated the Lantern Festival, but she also had no concept of any other major or minor festivals.

Most of the time, what she knew came either from books or from the oral accounts of others.

After all, in the Taixu Taoist Sect, where martial arts cultivation was paramount, very few people would waste time celebrating holidays.

Of course, there had been exceptions in the past.

But much like Chen Yi and his companions, they had been small gatherings among a few fellow villagers reminiscing about their days down the mountain.

The next day, they would simply plunge back into martial arts cultivation.

After a day filled with various small activities, Xiao Xuanzhen's peach-blossom eyes were shining brightly.

Although she still found Chen Yi somewhat disagreeable, it did not prevent her from playing and having fun with Lin Xueru, the Fairy of Flowers, and the others.

She actively participated in lantern riddles, hand-rolling glutinous rice dumplings, and more.

Even in the final ritual of writing down wishes and releasing the "Flying Immortals" lanterns, Xiao Xuanzhen copied Chen Yi and the others by writing a wish of her own.

As she wrote, she cast a meaningful smile toward Chen Yi.

Without even guessing, Chen Yi knew her wish had to do with him.

It was probably something along the lines of defeating him, crippling him, or beating him to death.

Little did he know, the content of Xiao Xuanzhen's wish was indeed related to him, but it was far more thorough than he imagined.

"My first wish is to defeat Chen Yi, so he'll see if he ever dares to ignore me again!"

"My second wish is to make Junior Sister Lin stay away from him. How can such a wonderful little girl be tied to a betrothal?"

"My third wish is for the immortal who reads this wish—no matter what kind of immortal you are, I advise you to make it come true for me as soon as possible, otherwise..."

If Chen Yi had seen that these were her wishes, far from getting angry, he would have burst into hearty laughter.

It was the first time he had ever seen someone making a wish by using threats to force an "immortal" to grant it.

When the "Flying Immortal" drifted far away and could no longer be seen, Lin Xueru blinked her large eyes and asked,

"Brother Yi, why didn't you ask what my wish was this time?"

Following her lead, Chen Yi smiled and asked, "Then what was your wish?"

"I won't tell you~"

With that, the little girl scampered off toward the Fairy of Flowers and the others.

As she ran, she kept turning back to giggle at Chen Yi, her small figure dancing joyfully like a butterfly.

"..."

Chen Yi was left speechless.

However, seeing those girls chattering animatedly among themselves, he did not go over to disturb their high spirits.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, they should just be as happy as they pleased.

As for the wish Chen Yi had written tonight—

He raised his head to look at the star-studded night sky and the bright moon, smiling slightly.

"I, Chen Yi, dare to ask the immortals in the heavens..."