Chapter Forty-Five: The Burial Grounds of the Colossal Titans

At this moment, Yun Yi closed her eyes, savoring the unprecedented pleasure coursing through her body. At home, she was accustomed only to spirit teas or medicinal brews—drinks that only served to advance her cultivation, utterly devoid of flavor, often so bitter as to be nearly undrinkable.

But this time, thanks to her brother’s wedding, she’d managed to slip away and indulge herself. Along this journey, she’d sampled nearly every delicacy the entire food market had to offer.

Shen Wan stared, dumbfounded, at the woman beside him who was still lost in bliss. In his cup, apart from the faint crimson lip print on the rim, not a single drop of cola remained.

“Aaah—”

At last, after a long pause, the woman exhaled deeply. When she looked at Shen Wan again, her gaze sparkled with animation.

“May I ask… from where does such a marvelous drink come?”

Yun Yi was worried she might have missed some shop that offered this beverage, so she hoped he would tell her.

But Shen Wan had no intention of revealing that he’d made it himself. The ingredients alone, not to mention the cost of wasted materials, had already cost several spirit stones—all paid by Lin Bufan, of course.

“Ah… We brought it ourselves,” Shen Wan replied nonchalantly. He intended to reclaim his cup, but upon noticing the vivid red imprint on the rim, his hand hovered awkwardly in midair before he withdrew it.

Yun Yi, thoughtful, turned her head and immediately spotted the small jar beside Lin Bufan.

“Is all of it… in there?”

Her question was tentative. Shen Wan raised an eyebrow, turned away from the jar, and addressed Lin Bufan in a casual tone, “Brother Lin, you’d best put that away. Once it loses its fizz, it just won’t taste right.”

Lin Bufan instantly caught his meaning. He nodded and slipped the small jar back into his storage pouch with practiced ease. Their coordination was seamless, leaving Yun Yi staring in stunned disbelief.

“Really, now? All I did was ask a simple question. Are you so stingy?” Her expression soured, but as the princess of Cloudy Serenity City, this minor slight was hardly enough to truly anger her.

“Tch, if you don’t want to say, then don’t. As if I’m desperate for another taste.”

With that, she called out to the girl at her side, “Xiao’e, let’s go.”

The young maid quickly helped her up, shot a sidelong glance at Shen Wan, and followed Yun Yi as she melted into the throng.

Shen Wan watched this, feeling a bit indignant.

“Well, I’ll be damned! Even a hairdresser’s maid has this much attitude?”

“Maid? What maid?” Lin Bufan looked at him, puzzled.

Shen Wan was momentarily stunned, then asked in disbelief, “Didn’t you notice? Those two girls—master and servant?”

“Girls? Weren’t they two young gentlemen?” Lin Bufan frowned, searching the crowd for the pair, hoping to catch another glimpse.

Shen Wan could only sigh. Those two girls wore simple, loose robes and had their hair tied up high. Aside from a single jade ornament at the waist, there were no accessories to be seen. It was the classic disguise for a woman passing as a man.

He glanced at Lin Bufan, still searching for the pair, and muttered to himself, “Looks like those TV directors weren’t exaggerating—some people really do judge gender solely by clothing!”

Watching Lin Bufan continue his clueless search, Shen Wan almost wanted to kick him.

He rose from the stone platform, grabbed Lin Bufan, and led him toward another lively street.

As the saying goes, when full and content, one’s mind turns to other pursuits. Along the way, Shen Wan didn’t bother visiting any of the shops, instead contenting himself with admiring the beauties.

As dusk fell, the two finally returned to the inn, still reluctant to end their outing. Were it not for Lin Bufan’s good memory, Shen Wan might have wandered clear out of the city.

Zhu Qianqing and Han Yuechan entered the inn with laughter, nearly at the same time as Shen Wan and Lin Bufan.

A quick glance revealed both girls had completely transformed—decked out in gold and silver jewelry, rouge and powder, their skirts and robes all newly changed. Their storage pouches must have been crammed with the spoils of today’s shopping spree.

Shen Wan smacked his lips in amusement. In this respect, women were always the same, no matter where you went.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they each went to their own rooms.

Night had fallen completely by the time Wei Zhen and the group of elders returned to the inn. Without so much as pausing for breath, he summoned all the disciples to the room.

There weren’t many seats in the guestroom. The elders, by virtue of their seniority, took their places; the others found a spot to stand as best they could.

“Is everyone here?” Wei Zhen took his seat at the head and glanced at the other elders—Zhang Qi, Hanshanzi, Lian Qiuhan, and Ye Ping—all of whom nodded slightly.

Satisfied, Wei Zhen withdrew his gaze and produced a stack of jade tokens.

“As you all know, the young sect master of Valley of Shadows is soon to be wed. As a gesture of gratitude to honored guests, they will open an ancient ruin to outsiders for a grand celebration.”

With that, Wei Zhen handed the stack of tokens to Yu Yan, who bowed and began distributing them.

Shen Wan stared at the tokens being handed around, only to find that his own hands were empty.

Of course, Wei Zhen offered no explanation and continued, “Inject your spiritual sense into these tokens. They are your credentials for entering the ancient ruins. All disciples at or below the Foundation Establishment stage are eligible to participate.”

Aside from the elders, the most advanced among them was Lin Bufan’s senior brother, Wu Xi. While Shen Wan couldn’t judge cultivation, Lin Bufan had mentioned that Wu Xi was half a step into the Golden Core stage and had achieved the peak of Foundation Establishment.

As long as he hadn’t crossed into Golden Core, Wu Xi was eligible to enter as well.

As the disciples examined their tokens, Wei Zhen coughed lightly to draw their attention.

“These ruins are the burial grounds of the Giant God Clan—fraught with both peril and opportunity. The head of the Yun family, Yun Shengqian, made his name here by slaying a Nether God Beast, and thus founded the Valley of Shadows.”

Wei Zhen spoke with conviction, but many disciples below looked anxious, their brows furrowed in worry.

Seeing this, Wei Zhen smiled reassuringly, “I know what concerns you. There’s no need to fret. Valley of Shadows has partitioned the ruins. If you stray into a high-level zone, your token will alert you and warn you to turn back at once.”

At this, the disciples finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, the chance to enter ancient ruins was precious, but to throw one’s life away heedlessly would be far too great a price.

Wei Zhen waved his hand, prompting the disciples to begin injecting their spiritual sense into the tokens.

Standing at the front, Shen Wan couldn’t help but feel a bit superfluous.

“Senior brother, what about mine?” Shen Wan pointed to himself, looking at his senior brother with anticipation.

Wei Zhen thought to himself, “You don’t have a shred of cultivation—why would you want to get involved?” Yet he answered gently, “As an elder, you’ll stay by my side and cheer the disciples on.”

Shut out with a single phrase, Shen Wan was left out in the cold.

Of course, he understood the reason and didn’t press further. After all, he could always slip in unnoticed when his senior brother wasn’t looking. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d disappeared without a trace.

If Wei Zhen could read Shen Wan’s mind, he’d probably die of apoplexy on the spot.

Wei Zhen then went on to explain countless precautions about the ruins, and even gave a brief history of the Giant God Clan.

After all, forewarned is forearmed—the more they knew, the better their chances of finding fortune and avoiding disaster.

Time flew by; in the blink of an eye, four or five hours had passed.

Wei Zhen had shared all he knew and all he could say. The disciples’ eyes shone, anxious not to miss a single important detail.

Meanwhile, Shen Wan stood in the crowd like an idiot, his legs numb long ago.

Watching his senior brother continue his endless lecture, Shen Wan gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

“You’ve already said it doesn’t concern me—couldn’t you just let me go lie down for a bit? I paid for that big bed, and it’s just sitting there going to waste! Damn it, I’m an elder, you know. You really are heartless... (Three thousand words of silent complaint omitted here.)”

As Wei Zhen continued to drone on, Shen Wan finally decided to rebel.

Just as he was about to interrupt, Wei Zhen announced, “That’s all for today. Go and reflect carefully on what I’ve told you. The chance to enter the ancient ruins is priceless—I hope you all gain something from it.”

Shen Wan was nearly struck dumb, but at least the old man had finally stopped talking.

After a few final instructions, Wei Zhen dismissed the group.

One by one, everyone left, silent and preoccupied, each returning to their own rooms.

Only Shen Wan was kept behind.

Wei Zhen looked at his junior, patted the seat beside him, and motioned for him to sit.

Shen Wan didn’t move—but tears welled up in his eyes.

“Senior brother, my legs are numb…”

Wei Zhen couldn’t help but laugh. He’d spoken so much, he’d forgotten Shen Wan had no cultivation at all.

He quickly pulled Shen Wan down into the chair.

A thousand invisible ants seemed to be crawling over Shen Wan’s legs. Only after a wave of tingling and discomfort did feeling slowly return to his limbs.

Seeing Shen Wan grimace, Wei Zhen’s gentle gaze was tinged with helplessness.

“Junior brother, while this ancient ruin is a rare opportunity, it won’t be the greatest of your life. What you need now is to cultivate diligently and enter the path. In the future, I will seek out even greater and rarer opportunities for you!”

Clearly, Wei Zhen feared Shen Wan would regret missing this chance, which could hinder his cultivation.

But letting a mortal with no cultivation enter the ruins was not an opportunity—it was sending him to his death.

So, while he felt regret, he knew he was protecting his junior brother. Even if Shen Wan resented him, Wei Zhen would not change his mind.

“Junior brother…”

Wei Zhen opened his mouth, but didn’t know how to comfort him.

Yet Shen Wan only looked at him in confusion.

He had no idea his senior brother had been agonizing over him for five thousand years in his heart.

“No need to say more, senior brother. I understand.”

Indeed, the moment Wei Zhen instructed the disciples to inject their spiritual sense into the tokens, Shen Wan knew it was no longer his business.

Seeing his junior so obedient, Wei Zhen felt a wave of relief.

After a bit more reassurance, he finally sent him out of the room.

Watching his junior’s unconcerned, swaggering departure, Wei Zhen suddenly wondered—

Had all his worry gone straight to waste?