Chapter Thirty-Four: Turmoil at the Family Banquet

In the main residence's Hall of Gathering Clouds, the family meal was being set. Grandmother Yu, Lady Ning, sat at a table with her granddaughters; the eldest and seventh masters shared a table with the young men of the two branches; the first and seventh madams sat with their daughters-in-law at another. When Ninth Master Ning entered with Mo Fei and his wife, Madam Yu, the seventh master’s wife, was the first to darken her face, glaring furiously at Yu Youwei. “This is utterly unruly!”

Grandmother Yu, gentle as ever, interjected, “Don’t frighten the child. Mo Fei, come here to Grandmother. Yuluan, quickly take your new sister-in-law to change her clothes.”

A young maiden in violet rose from her seat, graceful and demure. She approached with a soft smile at Yu Youwei and said quietly, “Sister-in-law, please come with me.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Yuluan,” Yu Youwei replied with composure, following her out. In Ning Yuluan’s chamber, she changed into a fresh scarlet gown, tidied her hair and dress, and returned. By then, the eldest master and Ning Mo Fei had already left, and the hall had grown gravely tense.

“Youwei, come sit by Grandmother,” the old lady beckoned. Once Yu Youwei had taken the seat Mo Fei had occupied, she was first presented with a blood-jade bracelet before Grandmother said, “White Hero’s tribulation caused chaos in the household this morning; you and Mo Fei have suffered. But our family of cultivators is not bound by the strict rituals of the mundane world—there’s no need for things like the tea ceremony. Let us simply enjoy a lively family meal together.”

“Your granddaughter-in-law feels no grievance. It was a great honor to witness Third Brother’s tribulation,” Yu Youwei replied, caressing the blood-jade and inwardly marveling at the old lady’s generosity. Blood-jade, also called Soul-jade, nourishes spiritual power. This bracelet’s color was rich and pure, the texture fine and veined—an exquisite piece, worth tens of thousands of spirit stones, and yet rarer than price.

“You are truly eloquent,” the old lady smiled, then composed herself and asked, “How did you discover someone intended to harm Mo Fei, and that it was related to those books?”

Yu Youwei answered honestly, “It was a guess. Mo Fei is pure-hearted and unlikely to make enemies. There aren’t many reasons for family to harm him.”

The seventh master’s wife, Madam Yu, could not restrain herself, scolding, “Utter nonsense! How could you dare show such disrespect to your second uncle publicly on a mere guess?”

The second son of the seventh branch, Ning Zhongwu, could neither inherit the family business like his elder brother nor outshine his third brother, and he was less favored than even the simple-minded fourth brother. His wife, Mrs. Li, long embittered, seized the chance to add, “Sister-in-law, don’t blame Mother for being upset. Since you know Fourth Brother is so guileless, you shouldn’t have taken him out and about. We’re lucky Ninth Uncle arrived in time and nothing serious happened. If anything had befallen him, the whole family would have been worried sick!”

Ning Zhongwu, impatient, barked, “With all this food, can’t you find something better to do than run your mouth?”

The three young madams of the main branch all exchanged knowing smiles, while the eldest young madam of the seventh branch sat with downcast eyes, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

“Zhongwu, be quiet! Your wife speaks sense!” Madam Yu snapped, eyeing Yu Youwei with growing distaste, convinced she was a troublemaker.

Yu Youwei could no longer play deaf; she replied, without much sincerity, “Yes, Mother, I’ll remember. But today was unusual—Mo Fei, out of brotherly affection, wanted to plant an entire courtyard of flowers for Third Brother before he woke. We only went to fetch some seeds from the family shop. I never imagined anyone would seek his life—that was my failing.”

With her mother-in-law’s backing, Mrs. Li ignored her husband’s warning glance and pressed, “Sister-in-law, you mustn’t say such things again, lest you upset Mother. Are you saying Third Brother will be unconscious so long it takes to fill a whole courtyard with flowers? If Fourth Brother didn’t think of it, you should have reminded him.”

Yu Youwei took out all the seeds Mo Fei had given her and laid them on the table. Selecting one, she pinched it between her fingers. With a faint snap, the seed cracked open, revealing a tender sprout. The shoot rapidly grew, stretching out branches, which filled with purple buds that soon bloomed in succession.

The hall fell silent, everyone astonished as they watched Yu Youwei transform seeds into blossoming branches.

“How long would it take to fill a courtyard with flowers?” Yu Youwei set down the final branch, serene in bearing, though her spiritual power was nearly spent—she simply forced herself not to show her fatigue.

Across the table, Ning Guodong raised his wine cup and said, “Youwei, I drink to you. I must thank you for understanding Mo Fei. No one knows their son like a father—Mo Fei cares most deeply for his third brother. While his brother lies unconscious, doing even a small thing for him, symbolic or not, holds special meaning. White Hero, too, will be pleased when he wakes.”

“I dare not accept such praise,” Yu Youwei replied quickly, rising to her feet.

Madam Yu, catching her husband’s intent, suddenly understood and her eyes reddened.

Ning Zhongwu joked, “Father, both sides of the hand are flesh—next time I’m injured and unconscious, you must remind Fourth Brother to plant me a courtyard of flowers too.” He received a sharp rap on the head from his father and protested, “Why is it always me—neither loved by father nor mother?”

The old lady laughed, “You ungrateful brat! Every time you got into trouble, your mother would shield you from your father, even drawing blades for your sake. Which of your brothers has ever worried her more than you?”

With a hearty laugh, Ning Zhongwu turned to his wife, “Hear that, dear? Even if Father doesn’t dote on me, Mother is the one who loves me most. So don’t ever say again that your husband is unloved by all.”

Mrs. Li blushed so fiercely her face seemed to bleed.

Yu Youwei couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her and changed the subject. “Father, Mo Fei’s been gone so long—do you think something’s really happened?”

“Checking the library takes time—it depends what books were borrowed,” Ning Guodong frowned.

“When we left the study earlier, we took the Illustrated Compendium of Spiritual Plants and the Illustrated Bestiary, and left them in Yongqing Hall, in Mo Fei’s old room. I don’t know if he remembered to mention that.”

“You went into the study?” Ning Guodong was startled, his expression turning grave.

“Yes. The Ancestor said Mo Fei was tired and brought him there to rest. The technique I just used to grow the seeds came from a jade slip in the study, though it was only a fragmentary technique.”

Ning Guodong was at a loss for words.

It was Grandmother who, surprised and curious, asked, “A fragmentary seed-growing technique—Dong’er, didn’t you also try practicing that years ago, before you married? You secluded yourself for three months, but in vain.”

“Mother, your memory needn’t be so sharp,” Ning Guodong protested, embarrassed.

“I remember too—Seventh Brother said back then it was a trickster’s technique,” Ninth Master Ning said, laughing.

“For a thousand years, countless Ning family children have practiced that method, but none succeeded. Now only my fourth daughter-in-law has managed it—jealous, aren’t you?”

“It’s just that the other daughters-in-law never had the chance. Otherwise, they’d all be growing herbs, the sons would be making pills, and our Ning family would surely prosper.”