Chapter 1342 - 1018: Truth and Falsehood

"The Khan?"

Young Master Jia scrutinized Ashina Zhuxie up and down, half puzzled, and said, "Are you Ashina Tong?... No, he’s not this tall."

Upon hearing Ashina Tong’s name, Ashina Zhuxie’s eyes revealed a hint of sharp coldness, yet he spoke calmly, "Do you take this Khan for only that yellow-haired lad hiding under a woman’s skirt?"

Hearing this, Young Master Jia immediately understood something, still looking at him doubtfully, "Ashina Shali isn’t as young as you."

Ashina Zhuxie’s gaze grew sharper, "Father Khan has passed away."

Young Master Jia widened his eyes slightly.

After a moment, he sighed deeply and said, "So that’s how it is."

Ashina Zhuxie kept his gaze intense on him, about to say something, when Young Master Jia suddenly said, "If you wish to enter, do come in, provided you don’t mind my humble hut’s simplicity cannot accommodate many."

Saying this, he released his hand and turned back into the house.

His sudden change in attitude surprised Ashina Zhuxie. Moreover, from Young Master Jia’s previous tone, he seemed familiar with the Eastern and Western Turks, yet knew nothing of the succession in Western Turkic authority, which was curious; and though aware of Ashina Zhuxie’s identity as the Western Turkic Khan, he showed neither interest nor fear, merely allowing him to enter, which was quite unusual.

Nonetheless, being able to stay and enter the house was a good thing for Ashina Zhuxie. However, it was impossible to let everyone in, as the house couldn’t accommodate all. He only gave Wang Shaoqiu a look, then turned to issue orders, and the Turkic soldiers immediately began setting up camp atop the mountain adeptly. The accompanying guards of Shang Ruyi realized they wouldn’t be leaving tonight and also began settling in.

Ashina Zhuxie and Wang Shaoqiu entered the house together.

The house wasn’t large initially, spacious enough for a non-desiring cultivator, but just having several people enter already made it crowded. And with these two tall men inside, the small wooden house seemed even more cramped and narrow.

Wang Shaoqiu immediately frowned, as the rich aroma of Jiangzhen Fragrance hit his nose. He took out a handkerchief to gently wipe his nose, then carefully surveyed the house.

Ashina Zhuxie did not say or do anything immediately but stood in the hall silently, looking around, and also glanced at Shang Ruyi, who lay unconscious on the bed. He then turned to Young Master Jia, who returned to the east room, knelt on the prayer mat, and prepared to resume chanting scriptures, "What is your name?"

Young Master Jia ignored him, simply picked up the wooden fish and began tapping gently.

Lei Yu said, "This young master’s surname is Jia."

"Jia?"

Upon hearing this surname, Ashina Zhuxie showed no reaction. Wang Shaoqiu withdrew his gaze from Shang Ruyi on the bed and Lu Xiao beside it, glanced at Young Master Jia, and said with a faint smile, "Is it the ’fake’ Jia, or just the surname Jia?"

Ashina Zhuxie seemed to understand something, his gaze intensified towards the already closed-eye Young Master Jia, familiarly chanting scriptures.

Now, no one responded to that remark, nor did anyone pay attention to them.

Wang Shaoqiu remained calm, but Ashina Zhuxie grew intolerant of the disregard. He walked to the east room, observed the bare walls, and then looked at the unfamiliar shrine covered with a black cloth, not knowing what deity it was meant for.

He didn’t care, of course.

After surveying everything, Ashina Zhuxie said, "Do you know Zuo Chen An?"

The room was cramped with seven people, each harboring different thoughts, breaths erratic. Yet upon hearing Zuo Chen An’s name mentioned directly, everyone held their breath momentarily.

Only the sound of the wooden fish continued, unhurriedly.

Ashina Zhuxie paced forward step by step until he stood behind Young Master Jia, who still calmly tapped the wooden fish, as if hearing nothing. Ashina Zhuxie continued, "I’ve heard he has placed fake burial sites in several places in the Central Plains, but only one place is real."

"..."

"And that place, seems to be at Skytop Mountain."

"..."

"You’ve been here for many years, do you know where he’s buried?"

Young Master Jia continued tapping the wooden fish, his deep voice replied slowly, "The dead rest in peace, why disturb them?"

"It seems you know."

"I don’t know."

"Then why not let us disturb him? What is your relationship with him?"

"Only heard of him."

"Is that all?"

Young Master Jia briefly paused his hand tapping the wooden fish, turned his face to glance at him, and said indifferently, "If you don’t believe, stop asking."

His voice still carried a rasp, but it wasn’t the deliberately suppressed rasp from before, rather the kind of rasp from not speaking for long and then suddenly speaking too much, causing the throat discomfort. After speaking, he even coughed lightly twice, yet these few brief words seemed to carry unspeakable dominance.

Ashina Zhuxie gazed into those eyes concealed within dense facial hair and quieted down.

Meanwhile, Wang Shaoqiu came over, leaned towards him and whispered softly. Since entering the room, aside from the remark meant to sting, he had been silently observing the surroundings, seemingly searching for something, yet hadn’t found it. Now he whispered something to Ashina Zhuxie that made the two reach some understanding.

Wang Shaoqiu said, "Is this how Young Master Jia receives guests?"

Young Master Jia replied, "You are not guests I invited."

"..."

"The house is only this big, you’ve come in, feel free. I don’t have the leisure to entertain you."

Hearing him speak thus, everyone silently breathed a sigh of relief inside. Actually, since entering this modest house, everyone knew it wasn’t a place for proper rest. Standing for a while, only upon hearing these words did each find a place to sit.

Ashina Zhuxie held Lei Yu’s sleeve and led her to sit at the bed’s foot, saying, "Rest easy and sleep, I’m here."

"..."

Lei Yu lowered her gaze, avoiding his, and merely nodded slightly.

Young Master Jia remained kneeling before the prayer mat, tapping his wooden fish.

The sound of the wooden fish, monotonous yet isolated, in such a quiet night, was particularly lulling to sleep. Before long, Lei Yu felt her eyelids growing heavy, and amidst the mixed breaths of others, she finally drifted to sleep.

The night passed in such eerie calm.

Not knowing how much time passed, her stiff neck suddenly sent a sharp pain, jolting Lei Yu awake from her daze.

"What are you doing!?"