Chapter 60: Temporary Suppression
Mu Lichuan had been glaring fiercely at this ink-wash landscape painting exuding faint traces of "evil energy" for who knows how long. He had thought he had gotten rid of a hot potato, but never expected that in just a few hours, the young master's mind would change so quickly.
[烫手山芋 (tàng shǒu shān yù): lit. a hot potato; fig. a troublesome situation or responsibility that is difficult to handle.]
"Young Master Mu." The person delivering the painting wore an awkward smile. His own young master was waiting for the boy's response. He thought, the sight of the painting had clearly delighted him, otherwise he would not stare at it for so long. Such admiration meant deep affection.
Mu Lichuan snapped back to reality. His eyes felt sore, and his heart grew wary. This painting was indeed filled with "evil energy." He had tried to discern its secrets but nearly had his mind ensnared. Fortunately, he had been called back in time.
"Did your young master really say this painting was a gift for me?" Mu Lichuan wanted to confirm again. Could it be that the young master already knew the painting's secret and was trying to pass it off?
"Yes, Young Master Mu. My young master emphasized that it must be delivered directly into your hands." The servant smiled obsequiously.
Mu Lichuan found his smile inexplicable. Under the white lighting, it even seemed somewhat eerie. "Alright, you can go back now." He didn't feel hatred, but he certainly wasn't grateful either.
The servant was taken aback. "Young Master Mu, I... I’m leaving?" He shuffled his feet hesitantly, seeking confirmation.
"Yes. It's late, be careful on your way back." Mu Lichuan replied with a faint smile.
The servant left, dejected. When he returned and recounted the exchange to his young master, just as he had feared, the young master's face darkened.
"He didn’t say anything else?" Mi Shen asked coldly. He had reluctantly parted with that ink-wash painting - something he treasured, only for the recipient’s reaction to be so baffling.
"No, Young Master." The servant kept his head bowed, not daring to meet his master's gaze.
"Dismissed." After what felt like an eternity, the servant finally heard those words and exhaled in relief before hastily retreating.
Mi Shen wasn’t angry. Instead, he pondered the boy’s earlier words. Clearly, he suspected the painting was problematic.
"Heh…" Mi Shen chuckled in his study, though his eyes were filled with sorrow. He hoped his suspicions were wrong, but memories of the past left him uneasy.
Mu Xiaoran didn’t dare approach the painting. Even standing three or four meters away made him feel suffocated, likely because he was a cultivator.
"Lichuan." Mu Xiaoran watched as his grandson affixed several talismans to the wrapped painting, then pricked his finger to draw a complex seal. Moments later, the boy collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. The evil energy Mu Xiaoran had sensed earlier had completely vanished.
"Grandfather…" Mu Lichuan called weakly, his face pale from overexertion.
His own power was insufficient to deal with the "evil painting," so he had used his soul energy, talismans, and the power in his blood to temporarily seal the "evil energy" inside. He would have to find another solution later.
"Temporary" meant the evil energy would eventually break free. Once it did, his seal would be useless. Since this disaster had been brought by the young master, the solution likely lay with him.
Life had been peaceful until now. Who would have thought the young master’s actions would alter his fate so drastically? If the evil energy grew stronger, his life would be in danger. He also wondered why the elders hadn’t detected the painting. Then again, Mi Shen was a staunch advocate of science, and as the "young master," his residence was strictly guarded—no "charlatans" allowed.
Mu Xiaoran hurried to his great-grandson’s side and helped him up. "Lichuan, how are you feeling?" His voice was laced with concern.
Though cultivators were supposed to be detached, he had grown fond of Lichuan and didn’t want anything to happen to him.
"Grandfather, please ask for leave on my behalf. I need to meditate in seclusion." Mu Lichuan forced a weak smile. "As for the painting, place it in my room." In his view, no place in the villa was safer.
Xiao Mo had once advised him, and he had set up protective barriers. If the evil energy broke free while he was away, the barriers would at least hold it off for a while.
"You…" Mu Xiaoran wanted to ask who had sent the painting, but as an old man with no cultivation left, he was powerless to help, he might even make things worse.
With his great-grandfather’s support, Mu Lichuan made his way to the rooftop to meditate, where recovery would be faster.
Three days passed, but the boy on the villa’s rooftop showed no signs of movement. Mi Shen, who had been secretly observing, grew anxious.
Five days later, the boy remained in meditation. Unable to wait any longer, Mi Shen visited in person. He Chen, however, was turned away by Mu Xiaoran and had to wait at home for news.
Mu Xiaoran studied the young man before him - sharp features, thin lips, and slightly upturned eyes exuded an icy aura. This was not an easy person to deal with.
"May I help you?" Mu Xiaoran asked coldly. His great-grandson had few friends, and the young man’s subtle expressions suggested he knew about Lichuan’s condition.
"Respected Elder, I am Lichuan’s friend." Mi Shen tried to soften his expression, but his rare attempts at smiling came off as strained.
Mu Xiaoran replied indifferently, "Lichuan is unavailable. He is not receiving guests." He wasn’t being deliberately rude, he suspected this young man was connected to his great-grandson's current state.
Mi Shen understood immediately. The elder likely knew what had happened. Cutting the formalities, he asked directly, "What’s wrong with Lichuan? He’s been sitting on the rooftop for days." Even cultivators needed to eat, didn’t they?
"Was it you who sent that painting?" Mu Xiaoran hadn’t seen the painting’s contents, by the time he saw it, it was already rolled up and sealed.
"Yes." Mi Shen’s lips pressed into a tighter line, his aura turning even colder.
Mu Xiaoran sneered. "You knew it was an evil object, yet you gave it to my grandson? What were you thinking?" Normally, as an old monster who had lived for centuries, he could control his emotions. But the thought of his fifteen-year-old great-grandson suffering like this made his anger uncontrollable.
The Mu family had only this one descendant left. If anything happened to him, even his own soul’s destruction wouldn’t atone for the sin.
In his eyes, the Mu family’s downfall had been caused by Mu Xiaolin. As a cultivator, he had failed to detect the demonic energy in the boy, bringing disaster upon the family.
"An evil object? But didn’t Lichuan ask for this painting?" Mi Shen frowned, unable to comprehend the elder’s words.
"Lichuan asked for it? Impossible! Look at the state he’s in, why would he want such a thing?" Mu Xiaoran refused to believe it.
Though Mi Shen didn’t believe in "superstitions," he knew some things defied scientific explanation. "How is he now…?" What was done couldn’t be undone, but he hoped to make amends.
"I don’t know." Mu Xiaoran answered truthfully. "I don’t care who you are, but don’t bring disaster upon my grandson. An ordinary cultivator would have died from such an evil object." His tone was severe, his eyes filled with deep disgust.
He knew many in the capital dismissed the supernatural, the rulers wouldn’t permit such beliefs to spread, as they caused panic and destabilized control.
Mi Shen had prepared many words, but now they all felt hollow. "Then… what can I do? Should I take the painting back?" When the painting had hung in his villa, he’d only felt mild discomfort. Was it because of his age?
"What can you do? What can you possibly do? Get out! And never come near my grandson again!" Mu Xiaoran was furious. These spoiled rich kids, sending dangerous objects without a care, what vile intentions did they harbor?
Mi Shen stood his ground. "I’ll wait for Lichuan to come down."
"You’ll wait? What if he takes a year or more? Will you wait that long?" Mu Xiaoran’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
He had seen enough of these wealthy youths’ fleeting enthusiasms.
"Can you go without food for a year?" Before Mi Shen could respond, the elder added sharply.
Mi Shen fell silent, unsure how to console the old man. "When he wakes, I’ll compensate him however I can." He didn’t understand what was needed, but materially, he could provide.
"Compensate? He’s lost vital energy. Can you compensate for that?" Mu Xiaoran laughed bitterly.
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