(Book 1 Complete) To Devour the Crawling Gods [Eldritch Xianxia Progression]

"Well, it's better than assaulting the guest compound, I guess," the Senior begrudgingly relented. "For a moment there, I thought you were going to drag the entire Beheaded Phoenix Sect into a war against the Decaying Greyroots just to save one woman — their own Heiress, no less! Lady Ru would be swooning if she knew."

Feng scoffed. "Not likely. She would just call me an idiot. Frankly, I'm insulted that you think so little of me to believe I would do such a thing."

"Except that's literally the first thing you did prior to even knowing her!" Dai exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "It was how you two even met in the first place!"

Feng said nothing, unable to deny the accusation.

The Senior continued his tirade. "Four years ago, you somehow broke into the inner sanctuary of the Decaying Greyroots Sect when your father brought you along for his congratulatory visits to Patriarch Ru. Which, by the way, you still haven't told me the full story of how or why you did that!"

Well, Feng doubted Dai would believe him even if he told the truth. Patriarch Ru and the entourage of Elders that found them certainly didn't. Apparently, claiming that an imaginary woman told him to do so was not a justifiable excuse for nearly causing a massive diplomatic incident.

He was lucky his father had been there to defend him at the time. Were it not for that — and Yunjin's awakening as a cultivator — it was likely Feng would not be alive today.

Young Master or not, Patriarch Ru's temperament was not one to take insults lightly.

"You ventured all the way into the core of the Blighted Bog, discovered the Young Miss's prison, and then promptly orchestrated an escape with her out of the heart of that death swamp." Brother Dai took a breath before pointing accusingly at Feng. "Can you really blame me for doubting you would somehow do less for her after the intimate relationship you two built?! You had single-handedly caused the largest diplomatic incident the Sect had had for decades — all for a girl you barely knew! Dead Heaven's sake, the entire Beheaded Phoenix envoy thought you were kidnapped by Patriarch Ru for those three weeks you went missing!"

There was a moment of embarrassed silence. The Young Master coughed.

"I am wiser now than I was in my youth," Feng countered, though even his words held little conviction. "Give me a break, Senior Brother. I was fourteen years old at the time. Fourteen-year-olds do not think of the political ramifications behind their actions."

"Fourteen-year-olds don't break into hell swamps to save dying damsels," Dai shot back. "They certainly wouldn't be able to guide said dying damsel out of its depths so safely. And they definitely wouldn't have been able to help her achieve an impossible Spiritual awakening by completing her Goldworm Ritual — which, by all accounts, held enough Divine toxins to kill an Elder ten times over, let alone a mortal!"

"She did that herself," Feng sighed. "All I did was get into trouble and put her into a situation where she must awaken, lest we all die."

"So in the end, it was still all because of you," Dai scoffed, shaking his head. "The power of young love, I suppose… Though I worry greatly for you, considering your age at the time. The pair of you were alone and unsupervised for weeks in that swamp. Who knows what might have occurred…"

Feng did not like what Dai was insinuating.

"It's not love. It was survival instincts," Feng argued as a light blush returned to his cheeks. "We were children. We were going to die. We were stuck in a rot-infested swamp. Stop making it sound… weird. Nothing inappropriate happened."

"I should hope so." The Senior frowned. "Otherwise, I am going to have some strong words with the older Young Miss. You were far too young to be engaging in matters of Dual Cultivation with her, though I don't see how else she would have awakened without—"

"I was fighting an Av— I mean, a Plague Leech and losing!" Feng yelled, cutting him off with flaming cheeks. "The stress made her ascend! Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"If stress alone was enough, then I dare say the turmoils she suffered while in her prison should have sufficed," Dai pointed out. "No matter how one looks at it, it's obvious you were the catalyst to her ascension. Which… does not paint a good picture of what might have gone down when the two of you were alone…"

The Young Master had quite enough of this conversation.

"Just… just go deliver my message," Feng ordered as he rubbed his eyes. "And not a word about your wild theories to anyone! I have enough rumours plaguing my life already."

Dai said nothing, merely shuffled his feet.

With a sense of dread, the Young Master opened his eyes. "You are going to tell me something that will make me blow a vein and question my faith in common sense."

The Senior cleared his throat and hesitated for several heartbeats before finally reluctantly answering: "Word of your relationship with Lady Ru had already begun spreading the moment people saw you rushing to her guest estate. Given the rumours surrounding the incident with the Decaying Greyroots Sect four years ago — and how it had greatly affected the fate of Lady Ru — the nature of the rumours surrounding you two has already begun to take on a… less than flattering shape."

Feng stared in disbelief. "You must be joking. It has only been a few hours!"

"I think you are vastly underestimating how many people are interested in your present relationships," Dai stated flatly. "Or just how many foreigners are here in this Sect currently looking to take advantage of their cracks."

The Young Master glared. "But they are not here for me. Or for my wedding."

Dai grimaced. "Not primarily, no. Their interest is in the influence your Fiancée will one day carry. I know this point has been hammered into your head constantly, but it is difficult for someone of your age to truly appreciate how astronomically lucrative Lady Chen's present prospects are. That she will one day wield authority from within the Inner Provinces is almost a certainty."

"I am aware of the influence Lianshi carries," Feng affirmed irritably. "What of it?"

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"Then you should already know that more than a few vultures are looking to become involved in her life so that they may take advantage of her future status," the Senior Brother patiently elaborated. "For months, even years now, Clans and Cultivators have attempted to endear themselves to her, hoping to one day take a place by her side — your place even, if they can."

The Young Master was aware of the flood of proposals his Fiancée had received. Not just in marriage offers, but propositions of alliance, or even scores of Clans promising vast swathes of wealth if she would simply bear a child for their Heir.

None of it was well-received.

"However, that path is resoundingly barred," Dai continued, echoing Feng's thoughts. "The Lady has made it abundantly clear she only has eyes for you, and that no manner of superior wealth, political influence, or cultivation standing over her Fiancé will ever deviate her from her choice."

Faced with such absurdity, her suitors were thus left with only one avenue of recourse.

"They seek to remove me from the equation, then," Feng concluded for Dai. "But this is hardly a fresh observation. Jealousy over my good fortune is plain to see. That they come from cultivators with considerable power only makes it more annoying, not astonishing."

"Then you are misjudging their desperation," Dai insistently stressed. "Opportunities to treat with the Inner Provinces are fabulously lucrative and exceedingly rare — a volatile combination for the greed of any self-respecting cultivator. Lianshi is a golden ticket into a permanent dealing with the richer side of the Empire; a once-in-a-lifetime chance at securing untold fortunes. There are those who would commit all manner of transgression to seize that advantage."

The Young Master frowned. "They will find that neither I nor Lianshi would take such insults lightly. The remaining fools will fall in line once we deal with the first few."

"Except the both of you have been dealing with suitors for months now, and they. Are. Still. Coming," Dai hissed. "I never said they were smart — just that they would keep doing it. Whether out of desperation, arrogance, or sheer stupidity does not matter. This will not stop as long as they keep seeing an opportunity to exploit the chinks in your relationship — chinks that you made because you keep ignoring her and doing these stupid things!"

"That's because I—!" The Young Master cut himself off. A frustrated expression took over.

There was no way Feng could explain it. How could he? The affliction of his Heart and the nightmares she inflicted on his mind were not a matter that could be adequately elucidated without raising suspicions about his cognitive health. Dai was a trusted senior and one of his closest aides, but even then…

He did not want to discuss it. The only people who ever knew the full truth were Yunjin and a few others.

Seeing as the Young Master had no other words, the Senior sighed.

"If you do not do something, then the situation is going to worsen. Both for you, the Sect, and your Fiancée. You speak of fixing Lady Ru Yunjin's woes with such passion, but what about Lady Chen Lianshi?"

The Young Master breathed out.

"What about her?" Feng mumbled miserably. "Lianshi can handle her problems herself."

Dai stared at him.

For the next several heartbeats, the room was utterly silent.

Then, Dai flashed out of his vision.

Feng barely had time to raise a guard before Dai's uppercut slammed into his chest and launched him skywards.

The Young Master's head and upper torso smashed straight through the ceiling before halting. With his mind disoriented and his body partly wedged into the roof, Feng was unable to put up a proper resistance when he felt hands grab his feet and drag him downwards.

Dai wielded the Young Master like a club and brought Feng slamming down in an overhead swing. The entire building shook, servants screamed, and the couch Feng had been sitting on exploded as his body-turned-maul obliterated the furniture.

"God's breath, you are not this obtuse or cruel!" Dai yelled. "Go assuage your wife-to-be that you are not out committing infidelity before the marriage even starts!"

Feng coughed, spitting out the couch stuffing that fell into his mouth. "Lianshi… understands. She knows I'm not—!"

"It's the principle of the matter," the senior interrupted harshly. "I really shouldn't need to explain this to you, but your actions are completely unacceptable."

"Is that your stance as a Disciple of the Beheaded Phoenix Sect?" Feng dryly asked.

"My stance is that of a friend — not just yours, but hers as well," Dai stated plainly. "The affairs of the Sect are a responsibility, it's true, but more than fulfilling my duty to the Clans or something as banal as that, I am someone who is insulted on behalf of Lianshi, who has done nothing but love you! What crime has she committed to deserve this treatment from you? Do you want this marriage to fall apart?!"

Feng said nothing.

Cold realisation and dread entered Dai's eyes. "Feng? You don't, right?"

The Young Master closed his eyes.

"I don't know."

It was an admission he had withheld for years, made increasingly unbearable as the time until his marriage shrank from years, then to months, and now to mere weeks. Feng wanted Lianshi to be happy, and he knew this without a doubt.

But she could never be happy with him as a husband. His Heart simply would not beat for her.

"Even now, you are still plagued with indecision? How can you be this callous?!" Dai demanded. "Your wedding is literally weeks away. This is not the time to hesitate! You had more than enough time to accept this!"

Feng sighed tiredly. "I'm not an idiot, Dai, despite all evidence to the contrary."

"So what is the problem? Is there another woman?" The senior seemed utterly baffled. "Is it Lady Ru? You can't possibly be choosing her over Lianshi!"

"It's not Yunjin," Feng automatically said before wincing at his accidental slip.

Dai's eyes narrowed. "So there is someone else."

"We are done talking about this," the Young Master declared. He stood up, uncaring of the couch debris that clung to his robes. "I will perform the duty expected of me. Neither you, nor Lianshi, nor the entire Sect can ask for more."

He moved to leave the building, but Dai's next words stopped him short.

"She cries at night, you know." The Senior's words reached Feng, freezing him as he reached the doorway. "Shao told me. Absurdly strong as she might be, Lady Chen is still young. The rumours affect her more than she shows, especially when your behaviour plants the seeds of truth in them."

Feng gripped the doorway, his fingers shattering the wood. "They will cease once the marriage is past."

"You still don't understand. Have you not wondered why your influence has seen little deterioration despite your abhorrent behaviour this past month?" Dai's tone was harsh. "She spends her days countering the rumours surrounding you — sacrificing her own reputation to protect yours — and spreading the tales of a supposed inferiority in her worth. She does this — for you — so that in the event you choose to break off the marriage now, the consequence would fall on her instead."

The senior bleakly laughed. "The vultures come to her, mocking her. They insinuated that you would soon leave her for another and offered to salvage her afterwards, despite her status as 'used' product."

… Ah. So that's where the line was.

Fires snapped at Feng's fingers. His blood boiled until the air around him hissed. For some inexplicable reason, he heard the voice in his head again.

"Finally. I was wondering what it would take for you to snap. A Dragon should not kindly take to others stealing its treasures."

It appeared he had found the limits of his patience.

"I'll be borrowing this," the Young Master said before grabbing Dai's glaive, which hung near the doorway. He stalked out the door.

"Where are you going?" Dai called out from within the house.

"Where else?!" Feng all but snarled back. "To perform fits of violent stupidity!"