Nan Xi returned to his residence alone.
As he had planned previously, he did not give the Elders any extra assignments, nor did he bring any new guiding plans to Tianquan Peak.
After all, even if Nan Xi did nothing, Tianquan Peak would find its own way toward destruction.
Well, there was one exception.
Poor Elder Huiyan had been demoted from a Second-Level Elder to a Third-Level Elder.
The reason given was that he had “cultivated his brain into mush” and lost touch with reality, so Nan Xi sent him to the front lines to get more experience.
His new job was to serve as a sandbag for the Recruitment Trial.
Specifically, he was required to suppress his cultivation to the early Golden Core Stage and fight the cultivators who came to apply as a test of the newcomers’ strength.
Nan Xi could only hope that Elder Huiyan would not encounter any overly fierce recruits.
Aside from that, there was one other matter that Nan Xi found quite concerning.
“Can someone come and tell me who exactly bought this pile of books?”
Nan Xi looked at his front door with a helpless expression.
Stacks of picture books, both large and small, were piled up beside the door. They formed a small mountain that was exceptionally conspicuous even from a distance.
Obviously, no one was there to answer Nan Xi’s question. He could only move them inside first.
Nan Xi raised his hand and pinched a spell. Driven by his spiritual energy, the books flew across the small courtyard and into the inner room one by one.
Once the last book had been moved, Nan Xi casually picked one up, intending to flip through it.
According to Granny Ji’s explanation, these picture books and materials were supposed to help him understand the history of Tianquan Peak…
???
Three question marks practically popped up over Nan Xi’s head.
What on earth was Abusive Love: You Are the Last Star in My Boundless Sky River?
He picked up another one.
‘I’ve been reborn. I was reborn as the fake young lady of the Tianhe Sect Master’s family. In this life, when the real young lady was found, I didn’t choose to cause trouble again…’
Then another.
‘Sect Leader Bai never left the Tianhe Sect for his entire life, because he could never forget Elder White Crane’s melancholic eyes…’
The main point was that these stories were not just text; they had been turned into illustrated collections and published. They were even in full color!
Only one thought occupied Nan Xi’s mind at that moment: ‘Official history might not be accurate, but unofficial history is certainly wild.’
However…
He did not need a brain for this; he loved looking at pretty things!
So, Nan Xi simply sat on the floor to properly savor the romantic unofficial history of the Tianhe Sect Master, also known as Sect Leader Bai.
To be fair, these picture books were not just randomly drawn.
The relationship between Sect Leader Bai and Elder White Crane was portrayed as very complex and delicate.
Elder White Crane, who should have been the leading lady, had a career drive that outweighed her romantic feelings, and she devoted herself entirely to the cause of the Tianhe Sect.
Meanwhile, Sect Leader Bai, the leading man, only wanted to be with her forever…
But fate was sometimes dramatic. The devoted Sect Leader Bai became the Sect Master, while Elder White Crane unfortunately lost the position.
Facing various setbacks, Elder White Crane ultimately chose to leave the Tianhe Sect.
Little did anyone know that Elder White Crane was already pregnant when she left…
‘Holy crap, it even has the “pregnant wife on the run” trope. What a tragic and moving love story!’
Nan Xi’s eyes welled up with tears, especially when he read the final line: “For the rest of our lives, we shall never see each other again.”
‘Wait… there’s more plot?’
Nan Xi flipped to the final pages and opened the next section—Sect Leader Bai had adopted a young girl and looked after her as if she were his own daughter to express the guilt he felt toward his wife.
‘My god, a fake young lady!?’
It turned out the context was connected.
Nan Xi’s eyes lit up. He reached out toward the pile, wanting to grab the Reborn Fake Young Lady book he had seen earlier to continue reading.
But his hand met empty air.
The copy of Fake Young Lady, which had been sitting on top of the pile just a moment ago, had mysteriously vanished.
Had he accidentally knocked it over?
That did not seem right. After searching repeatedly, Nan Xi was certain that Fake Young Lady had not fallen into the stack.
Was it possible the book was never there to begin with, and he was hallucinating?
That made no sense. Before Nan Xi had started reading Sect Leader Bai’s romantic history, he was sure he had glanced at the other book.
Now… wait!?
Nan Xi suddenly whipped his head around.
The romantic history of Sect Leader Bai, which had just been sitting by his feet, had also vanished without a trace.
Something was wrong. There was definitely something wrong.
Nan Xi’s gaze sharpened, and he quickly counted the remaining books in the pile.
According to the list, 100 volumes of the picture book series should have been delivered to him. Currently remaining on the floor were…
Exactly ninety-eight volumes!
In other words, Fake Young Lady and the Romantic Unofficial History had indeed disappeared.
Could it be that he knew too much, and Sect Leader Bai had sent someone to silence him and destroy the evidence!?
In all honesty, Nan Xi had absolutely no intention of mocking Sect Leader Bai’s love story.
Rustle—
A faint sound suddenly reached Nan Xi’s ears. The sound was not loud, and on a winter night, it could easily be masked by the wind outside the window.
But Nan Xi heard it. He heard it with absolute precision.
Rustle—
The sound rang out again.
There was no mistake; it was the sound of pages turning. Someone was flipping through a picture book.
Nan Xi held his breath. A pitch-black ring quietly surfaced on his right hand; in just one second, he would be able to draw his sword.
Spiritual energy gradually shifted to his feet, ensuring that he would not make the slightest sound.
The other party was right behind the curtain at the corner.
They were close—within arm’s reach.
If the opponent launched a sneak attack, Nan Xi could counter immediately.
He just needed to turn a bit more…
Turn…
…
The expected sneak attack did not happen.
What appeared before Nan Xi’s eyes was not Sect Leader Bai’s assassin, nor was it some thief of unofficial histories.
Instead, it was a splash of beautiful water-blue.
On the Arhat Bed carved from thousand-year-old redwood, a girl in a water-colored dress was lying on her stomach at the head of the bed, leisurely flipping through a picture book.
Gravity caused the long dress to cling to her soft waist, revealing her enticing curves.
Not to mention her slender calves wrapped in white silk, which would sway gently whenever she reached an exciting part of the story.
She seemed to sense Nan Xi’s presence.
The girl’s watery eyes paused, and her swan-like, slender white neck turned slightly—
Ding-ling…
A crisp, ethereal bell sound echoed through the small house on this winter night, its tone pleasant to the ear.
A certain water-blue girl had once told Nan Xi that if he called out “Lord Tiansi” three times, she would appear by his side.
However, Nan Xi had not called her title even once yet.
And yet, this Lord Tiansi had appeared of her own accord.
Furthermore…
Judging by the illustrated collection she was currently reading with great interest, combined with the procurement list specifically sent to his door…
Nan Xi seemed to have guessed who it was that had purchased 100 volumes of the unofficial history series in his name on his first day in office.
Lord Tiansi.
‘She really is a connoisseur!’