The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

Upon hearing this, Granny Feng remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing her options, before finally nodding.

"Sure. As long as he doesn't die and it doesn't affect his work, it's up to you."

She glanced at Xie Yutang.

"If Young Master Yutang has nothing to do, you may come with me to the inner courtyard. Miss may wish to see you."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yutang's expression shifted, and he stood up, giving Granny Feng a slight nod.

"Thank you for leading the way, Granny Feng."

Granny Feng ignored everyone else and prepared to leave with Xie Yutang.

"Grandma Wind!"

Someone else couldn't help but speak up; it was the young man in the golden robe, his face filled with urgency.

"We came here today specifically to pay a visit to Master Liu, but we wonder if Master Liu is currently well..."

Grandma Feng seemed to have just remembered the purpose of this group's gathering. Without stopping or turning her head, she casually dismissed them.

"Miss has important business to attend to and is unable to receive guests today. Gentlemen, please leave."

After saying that, she and Xie Yutang left the hall, leaving behind a room full of young people with different expressions and complicated feelings.

The group looked at each other, their faces filled with disappointment and resentment.

"What kind of mess is this?!"

"Not only did that thug escape, but we didn't even get to see Lady Liu!"

"It's all Jiang Xuan's fault! If it weren't for him, this wouldn't have happened!"

The sons of powerful families complained and blamed Jiang Xuan for their anger.

Seeing this, Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and the other young men from Yanxia City knew that it was not advisable to stay here any longer, lest they be caught up in the wrath of these powerful young men. They quickly got up, made an excuse, and hurriedly took their leave.

As they left Cuiming Pavilion, the group was still shaken. The events of the day had been far too numerous to count; they needed to return as soon as possible to report to their clan elders. The Huang family member had been crippled, Granny Feng had protected Jiang Xuan, and the delicate relationship between the Forbidden City's powerful clans and the local forces of Yanxia City… all of this meant that their families, caught in the middle, would likely have to choose sides.

……

Jiang Xuan did not return to his residence directly, but went to the Spirit Pattern Master Commune first.

Chu Feng had been anxiously waiting in the commune for a long time. When he saw Jiang Xuan return safely, his tense nerves finally relaxed, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Brother Jiang Xuan! You're finally back! You scared me to death!"

Chu Feng hurriedly stepped forward, pulled Jiang Xuan up and down to look him over, and only when he saw that he was indeed unharmed did he feel completely relieved. Then he couldn't wait to lower his voice and ask more questions.

"So? What did Granny Feng want with you? She didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

Jiang Xuan smiled and said.

"Brother Chu Feng, rest assured, the matter has been resolved. Granny Feng invited me over to repair a rather unique musical instrument, and coincidentally, my master and I have some knowledge of it and are capable of doing so."

"A unique instrument?"

A thoughtful look flashed in Chu Feng's eyes as he speculated.

"An instrument that would require the great spirit of Granny Feng and the expertise of a master craftsman to repair... could its owner be an artist?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. After all, the temporary occupant of this place was of noble status, and it was perfectly normal for him to have close relationships with renowned artists.

Jiang Xuan nodded, making no attempt to hide anything.

"The owner of the item is none other than Liu Qingyan, the Liu family."

"Liu...Master Liu?!"

Chu Feng's eyes widened suddenly, his voice rising several decibels with excitement, and an incredulous look of exhilaration instantly spread across his face! "It really is Master Liu?! The one who is famous throughout the empire, the one whose 'Dance of the Rainbow Skirt and the Startling Swan' caused the entire Forbidden City to be deserted?!"

He seemed to remember something, his eyes became hazy and worshipful, and he murmured.

"I was fortunate enough to hear Master Liu perform once in the Forbidden City... Her ethereal voice and exquisite dance were truly heavenly; how often can one hear such music on earth! I still remember it vividly! I never expected... I never expected that Master Liu would actually come to Yanxia City! And I never expected that you, my brother, would actually meet Master Liu! And even speak with her?!"

Seeing Chu Feng's almost frenzied and enthusiastic appearance, Jiang Xuan felt somewhat helpless and simply explained the matter of repairing the Ancient Law Spirit Ocarina.

Chu Feng's eyes lit up as he listened, and he was so envious that he almost drooled.

"Master Liu personally poured you tea? And even asked you to restore her family's ancient musical instruments? My goodness! Brother, what an honor this is for you! Do you know how many people throughout the empire dream of gaining Master Liu's favor?"

He suddenly grabbed Jiang Xuan's arm, his face pleading.

"Brother! Good brother! Next time... next time you go to see Lady Liu, could you... could you take me with you? Even just to catch a glimpse of her from afar, to hear her say a word, would be great!"

Jiang Xuan rolled his eyes at his almost obsessive appearance and shook off his hand in annoyance.

"Brother Chu Feng, calm down. Master Liu has a special status; how can you and I just see her whenever we want? This is also because of the matter of repairing musical instruments."

He thought to himself, "Chu Feng is quite a figure in Yanxia City, but I didn't expect him to lose his composure so easily in the face of Liu Qingyan's charm."

If he was like this, one can imagine the extent to which the truly important figures in the empire admired Liu Qingyan; it would probably not be an exaggeration to call it fanaticism.

After dealing with the agitated Chu Feng, Jiang Xuan was finally able to escape and return to his courtyard.

Back home, he went straight to Xue Jin, who was still lying in a rocking chair, holding a wine jar, looking completely drunk.

Jiang Xuan took out two jars of spirit wine, brewed using special methods and with liquid resembling dancing blue flames, from his storage ring and placed them on the stone table next to Xue Jin.

Xue Jin glanced at the two jars of wine, her nose twitched slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"'Soul-burning wine'? Kid, did the sun rise in the west today? You actually knew to bring me wine?"

Jiang Xuan sat down on the stone bench opposite him and said calmly.

"I am grateful for your help at Cuimingxuan earlier, senior."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jin was taken aback at first, then chuckled and did not deny it. He reached out and broke the mud seal on a jar of wine, and the rich aroma of the wine mixed with the scorching spiritual energy instantly filled the air.

He tilted his head back and took a big gulp, exhaling a breath of hot air with flames, before lazily saying...

"You're quite clever, kid. How did you know I was here?"

"Guess."

Jiang Xuan said calmly.

“Although you may seem to be indifferent, if I were to die there, it would be difficult for you to save face, and you would have trouble explaining it when you return. Besides, you are counting on me to forge spirit-patterned battle armor for you in the future.”

Xue Jin chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, and took another swig of wine.

Jiang Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"I've crippled Huang Jianxiong's cultivation, and I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble afterward."

Xue Jin gave him a disdainful look. "Now you're scared? Weren't you quite decisive when you made your move?"

Jiang Xuan shook his head and said frankly.

"It wasn't that I was afraid. It's just that with you in the shadows at the time, I knew I wouldn't die no matter what, so I couldn't be bothered to endure it."

Moreover, for those aristocratic scions who treat human life like dirt and are quick to kill, crippling their cultivation and letting them experience the pain of falling from grace is far more painful than simply killing them.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xue Jin's eyes. He put down the wine jar and looked at Jiang Xuan with great interest.

"You're quite something, kid. You took a hit from the God-Slaying Blood Crossbow, and you didn't even think of killing him to vent your anger. Instead, you just crippled his cultivation? Aren't you afraid of messing things up? If that kid from the Xie family hadn't stopped you, would you have dared to kill him?"

Jiang Xuan met his gaze and asked in return.

"If I were to actually kill him, would you stand by and do nothing, senior?"

Xue Jin was taken aback by the question, then laughed and scolded in an annoyed tone.

"You little brat! So you even tricked me!"

He picked up the wine jar again, his eyes becoming somewhat profound as he looked at Jiang Xuan, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Utilize all available resources, assess the situation, be ruthless when necessary, and be able to quickly calm down and strive for maximum benefit when necessary... Jiang Xuan, you are indeed different from those idiots who only know how to cultivate and fight."

I'm getting more and more curious about how far you'll go in the future. But one thing's for sure: a guy like you, as long as you don't die, your future is definitely... heh, unpredictable, but also incredibly difficult to kill."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, during which Jiang Xuan told her about repairing the Ancient Law Spirit Ocarina and how he took the opportunity to ask Granny Feng for an exorbitant amount of spiritual materials and a reward of 10,000 gold coins.

After hearing this, Xue Jin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into a hearty laugh, laughing so hard that she almost fell off the rocking chair!
"Hahaha! Good! Well done! That old madwoman, who always thinks she's so high and mighty, has finally met her match! You little fox have ripped her off, and she has no choice but to swallow her pride and accept it! It's so satisfying! It's fucking satisfying! Hahaha!"

After laughing, Jiang Xuan suddenly remembered something, looked at Xue Jin, and asked seriously.

"Senior Xuejin, do you... know that Granny Feng?"

Xue Jin's laughter stopped abruptly. His expression turned strange as he glanced at Jiang Xuan and snorted.

"You little rascal, waiting for me here? Trying to trick me into talking?"

He took a swig of wine, smacked his lips, and then mumbled something indistinctly.

"That old madwoman, everyone calls her 'madwoman,' is a very troublesome character. As for her specific background, knowing it won't help; it will only cause more trouble. You just need to know that her main responsibility now is to protect that girl from the Liu family."

He paused, his tone tinged with schadenfreude.

"But you can rest assured, kid. Even if that old crazy woman doesn't like you, as long as the Liu family girl still needs you to repair that Xun, she will absolutely not dare to lay a finger on you."

Of course, if she can't help herself and takes action... then I can't help her and can only stand by and watch.

Being entangled with that old madwoman, tsk tsk, it's like having the worst luck in the world. I don't want to get myself into trouble.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan felt far from at ease; instead, a sense of foreboding crept into his heart. Even someone as formidable as Xue Jin was so wary of Granny Feng, calling her "troublesome" and a "madwoman." Had he offended her too much today?
He secretly regretted not having been more restrained. But then he thought, what's done is done, and regret is useless now. He could only hope that these truly wise people were broad-minded and wouldn't hold a grudge against a junior like himself... although he himself felt that this thought was a bit naive.

Xue Jin watched the subtle changes in Jiang Xuan's expression, chuckled teasingly, and shook the wine jar in her hand.

"Kid, good luck to you."

That old madwoman is notoriously petty and vengeful.

These words sent a chill down Jiang Xuan's spine.

Xue Jin changed the subject and started talking about serious business.

"However, the fact that you crippled the Huang family boy's cultivation is not a huge deal, given that old madwoman's intervention."

Within powerful clans, power struggles and fratricide are far more brutal and bloody than this.

Huang Jianxiong is only the seventh son in the Huang family, and a collateral branch born out of wedlock. Even if you really kill him, as long as you pay a sufficient price, the Huang family may not necessarily fight to the death.

He took a swig of wine, his tone carrying a hint of insight.

"But the problem is that you are a poor kid with no connections."

Having their cultivation crippled by someone they considered a "peasant," the high and mighty patriarchs of the Huang family found it hard to swallow this insult.

This concerns the reputation and prestige of powerful clans.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Xuan's eyes, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Face? Prestige? If they think face is more important than life, they can keep coming to me. I don't mind if the Huang family has a few more good-for-nothings like Huang Jianxiong."

Xue Jin gave him an appreciative look.

"That's ruthless! I love your ruthlessness!"

Jiang Xuan's tone changed, and he regained his composure.

"However, before the ancient law spirit flute is fully repaired, with Granny Feng as a shield, it won't be so easy for them to touch me."

This is enough time for me to get a lot done.

Xue Jin asked curiously.

"How long are you planning to take to fix that thing? Don't let it drag on for three or five years."

Jiang Xuan shrugged, looking completely innocent.

"That's hard to say. The ancient Xun is a remnant of ancient times, and its restoration is extremely complex. The time required depends entirely on inspiration and one's state of mind. It might take three to five months, or it might take one or two years. Who can say for sure?"

Xue Jin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening, pointed at Jiang Xuan, and burst into thunderous laughter again.

"Hahaha! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! You little brat! Not only did you use that old madwoman's influence to save your life, but you're also planning to turn the tables on her and make her your long-term protector?! Hahaha! That guts, that guts! I'm impressed!"

Jiang Xuan looked completely bewildered.

"Why do you say that, senior? I am simply stating the facts."

"Keep pretending! Keep pretending!"

Xue Jin laughed and scolded.

"You think you can hide your little schemes from me? I bet you can fix that broken xun before the provincial exam! Then you can just pack your bags and leave, and that old madwoman won't even be able to find you to settle scores! Right?"

Jiang Xuan smiled without saying a word, neither admitting nor denying.

Xue Jin scoffed and said disdainfully.

"I could guess your little scheme with my toes! Alright, go do your thing and don't bother me while I'm drinking."

Jiang Xuan shook his head helplessly and stood up.

"vulgar."

He then turned and went back to his room, closing the door behind him. (End of Chapter)