He never had a plan, he just went with the flow

Chapter Seventeen

"So, how do I look?"

Once Jiang Cheng settled in the guest room, he asked his Shishu. He struggled to keep contact as his non-existent heart pounded in his chest. Xiao Xingchen looked closely at his chest before tilting his head, "Is it bad?!"

"No, it's- how to describe it... It's like a broken vase that's been pieced back together." Wei Ying blinked as he waited for him to elaborate. "There's enough for you for our task, but you know when a vase shatters, there are pieces you can find easily and a few micro pieces that are difficult to find or nearly invisible."

"So, I'm still missing a few pieces?"

"Yeah, they might have been pieces that were so small you didn't notice they were gone." Xiao Xingchen straightens up. "But, like I said. They are tiny cracks. So small that you should be fine when we cleanse the Burial Mounds."

Wei Ying's shoulders dropped as he let out a sigh. "Thanks good, so no more need for delays?"

"Yes, we can continue with the rest of our plan."

"Perfect!" He's been sending Xiao Xingchen with the seahorses to deal with small resentment pools. He stretched his body as he felt his energy level out again. He felt better than before, not that he was in pain the whole time. The gap in his soul was just so noticeable; now, it's practically nonexistent. And now that he's searching for it, he could feel an area that's missing a few fragments. It was near the center of his soul. There was also something inside; it was warm and waiting. For what? He isn't sure.

"Then should we move to the next phase?"

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"How long does it take to make a Yin Tiger Amulet?! Wei Wuxian did it in less than an hour!" Jin Guanyao gritted his teeth as he used his years' worth of acting to prevent him from attacking this fool. "Wei Wuxian was a genius with very powerful Yin Iron."

"Then just find more Yin Iron." Jin Guanshan covered his face with a fan. "Should have known trusting such delicate tasks to a bastard would be a bad idea." Jin Guanshan let out a shriek as he plunged the dagger into his throat. Blood splatters everywhere as he drags the blade through his neck, his head dangling by a thread. He viciously smiles down upon him as the light slowly fades from his eyes.

"Speaking of bastards, what came about of the one I sent you to retrieve a while ago?" He internally raised a brow. Since when did he care about his bastards?

"While A-Yu hasn't taken to cultivating as well as we would like. He is excelling in scholarly subjects and has taken to talismans well." He wasn't bowing deeply because he wanted to see his face. The way his lips twitched into a smirk, and his eyes gleamed, he knew it. "As I expected, such a delicate and dainty boy couldn't take the physical strain of cultivation well."

His nails were digging into his skin as he heard his words. "Well, find a use for him before I run out of patience and find one for him."

"As you wish," He bowed deeply before quietly sneaking out of the side entrance. What a mess this is turning into, that man's greed holds no bounds. Walking down the halls until he reached a specific door, pushing it open, he found three children inside. A-Yu was painting a swan as A-Ling and A-Song leaned against him. He could see a few dashes and hand-shaped paint covering the three.

He was surprised he managed to get them settled down like that. Since they met, they've been extraordinarily energetic and attached to the hip. He and a-Su have been at their wit's end trying to wrangle the two, especially when the storm got worse, and they were forced indoors.