Chapter 88 Green Bridge
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Qiao Mucai stared blankly and asked, “But how could we go to Zhuihun Palace?”
Pei Jing took down the portrait that was one percent less handsome than himself and smiled slightly. “Let’s just ask someone and find out.”
Qiao Mucai’s eyes widened as he asked, “Who should we ask? The people in Tianyan City are not easy to deal with. They are cunning and treacherous.”
The beautiful woman in the snow-white attire tore the portrait into strips, blowing them into the air, and said lightly, “Isn’t there someone already available behind us?”
Qiao Mucai: “?”
There was a loud clang!
The man who had been following them was kicked into a secluded alley, knocking over a dilapidated bamboo basket. The alley was secluded and damp, with mice scurrying around.
The man had a scar on his face, making him look fierce and menacing. He was now in a state of panic. The lewd and wicked expression he had previously was replaced by deep fear. He covered his face, which was pierced by a bamboo tip, and stared straight at the person walking towards him against the light. His voice trembled.
“Please don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”
Pei Jing smiled and said, “Why would I kill you? I still had some questions to ask you.”
The scarred man was on the verge of tears, especially after hearing his voice. This wasn’t some otherworldly and peerless fairy. She was just a deranged man! “Spare me, Senior! Spare me! I was misguided! Please spare me! I won’t dare to do it again!”
Pei Jing laughed and said, “Want to make more noise?”
The scarred man held back his tears, keeping quiet.
Qiao Mucai’s eyes widened. He felt even more admiration for this exceptional Brother Zhang. Despite pretending to be a cold and aloof beauty, he emitted a feminine fragrance but still carried an air of authority. It was truly impressive! Qiao Mucai bounced excitedly and said, “Brother Zhang, can we really get any useful information from him?”
Pei Jing said, “How would we know if we don’t try?” He pointed the bamboo stick on the ground at the scarred man’s neck and asked, “Tell us, how do we enter Zhuihun Palace? Hurry up.”
The scarred man cried. Today, he had encountered such a disaster.
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you, spare me, Senior. Zhuihun Palace is located at the southernmost part of the outer city. Just go straight, and you will see a sea of blood-red peach blossoms. Pass through the peach blossom forest, and there’s a Green Bridge leading to Zhuihun Mountain. At the peak of the mountain is the main palace. They are currently recruiting disciples. As long as you cross the Green Bridge, you can enter the palace. Wuwuwu, I’ve told you everything I know.”
A bridge?
Pei Jing smiled and said, “How interesting.”
Qiao Mucai asked with wide eyes, “Are the sects in Tianyan City so casual in recruiting people, just crossing a bridge?”
The scarred man, facing life and death, muttered, “That Green Bridge is not easy to cross either.”
Qiao Mucai: “Why is it difficult? Does it open its mouth and devour people?”
The scarred man: “…I don’t know either! But it’s strange! Many people inexplicably fall off the bridge!”
Qiao Mucai raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is that so rare?”
The scarred man: “Yes, it is.”
Pei Jing pondered for a moment and then asked, “Is it called the Green Bridge because the bridge itself is green?”
“It doesn’t seem like it, but I’m not sure of its exact appearance.”
“Alright.”
However, he still knocked out the scarred man.
They headed towards the south of the city.
Qiao Mucai became a competent follower and asked, “Brother Zhang, when did you notice him?”
Pei Jing, pleased with his exaggerated praise, replied, “I noticed him from the beginning. This person doesn’t seem formidable at all, only daring to secretly follow us. I guess he’s just a pushover in Tianyan City. If we don’t choose him, then who else?”
Qiao Mucai exclaimed, “Brother Zhang, you’re so smart!”
Pei Jing proudly demurred, “Just average.”
The two of them walked towards the south of the city. As they proceeded, the street became narrower, and eventually, there was no one around, only a sinister black mist at the end. Qiao Mucai felt a bit scared and hid behind Pei Jing. The wind whispered eerily in this alley, as if the souls of the unjust were crying.
Qiao Mucai’s voice trembled as he asked, “Brother Zhang, could we have taken the wrong path?” Pei Jing himself had no sense of direction but had an inexplicable confidence in his luck. “Don’t worry.”
In fact, his luck was truly remarkable. They passed through the black mist and exited the alley, only to encounter a scene of dismembered bodies caused by poisonous creatures.
On the ground was a remarkable-looking female cultivator, currently clutching her own neck, writhing in pain and anguish. Surrounding her were venomous snakes, toads, scorpions, and centipedes, covering her body densely.
Standing beside her was someone whom both Pei Jing and Qiao Mucai had encountered before.
It was the Blood Spider Mother. The woman in purple stood beside her, with a golden and silver snake coiled around her waist. Half of her face was hideous and ugly, and the envy and hatred in her eyes only subsided after the other woman had turned completely into a pool of blood.
Qiao Mucai: “……”
He suppressed the frightened hiccup and took a step back.
Pei Jing: “……”
What was coiled around her waist?
The Blood Spider Mother glanced at Qiao Mucai and then shifted her gaze to Pei Jing’s face. The suppressed hatred and resentment suddenly resurfaced. However, having just killed someone, she didn’t want to exert any more effort or risk being ambushed. With clenched teeth, she turned and walked towards the Crimson Peach Blossom Forest.
At the entrance to the peach forest, several people had already arrived from various directions.
What surprised Pei Jing was that there were members of the Shigui Sect inside. They were all accompanied by corpse puppets, with a conspicuous black mark covering the back of their necks. It was especially noticeable, probably because they anticipated Qiao Mucai would hide and head to Zhuihun Palace, so they stationed people here to keep watch.
Seeing the large crowd, Qiao Mucai’s courage wavered, and he weakly said, “It’s so dangerous…”
However, before he could finish his sentence, Pei Jing turned around with a sly smile, grabbed his collar, and each word popped out from between his teeth, “Qiao Qiao, I want to see the peach blossoms. If you don’t accompany me, I’ll feed you to the snakes.”
Qiao Qiao: “…” Wuwuwu.
The Shigui Sect members didn’t dare to provoke Zhuihun Palace, so they could only guard this crucial path. They checked each person, as they had become more cautious. They could detect the scent, and they would tear a layer of skin off to expose a bit of blood. The queue was quite long. Pei Jing leaned forward to take a look, furrowing his brows.
Qiao Mucai remained in a state of despair, “Brother Zhang, aah…” He was immediately interrupted by Pei Jing, who stomped on his foot, prompting him to quickly change his tune and put on an affectionate expression, “Madam, I think the queue is too long. I’m afraid it will tire you. How about we go back for now?”
Pei Jing: “Afraid of tiring me? Qiao Qiao is so considerate. Then you stay in the queue while I go rest for a bit.”
With those words, he heartlessly left Qiao Mucai, who resembled a helpless little rabbit, among a group of villains.
Qiao Mucai: “???”
“Hey—!” Ahh, he wished he could bite off his own tongue.
Pei Jing leaned against a peach tree, contemplating ways to deceive them. In his mind, he thought about directly dealing with those Shigui Sect members and then breaking through. However, that would expose his true identity and bring a heap of trouble afterward. Moreover, the Three Shigui Elders would likely come looking for Zhuihun Palace—
So, how could he cleverly incapacitate them without alerting anyone?
Suddenly, a furious shout came from the side—
“You scoundrel! Are you the one responsible for causing my Junior Sister Wen Guang to fall into a coma?”
A fierce palm strike ensued.
Pei Jing caught a familiar scent and instantly had an idea, a faint smile forming on his face.
He quickly snapped off a peach blossom branch and held it horizontally in front of himself, blocking the person’s attack.
Behind this peach tree was another entrance, shrouded in dense black mist. Before the arrival of any person, the voice arrived first. It was a woman dressed in a green gown, with a crescent moon hanging from her forehead. Her figure was enchanting, and she was now filled with anger.
“Finally, I’ve found you, you wretch who harmed my Junior Sister Wen Guang. The fragrance on your body belongs exclusively to disciples of my Meixiang School. I’ve followed the scent all the way from the city gate to here. Now, where do you think you can escape?”
Pei Jing looked at her with a smile, gently placing the peach blossom from his hand into her hair. He approached her and whispered softly, “You, appearing at this moment, are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” His voice was low, crisp, and pleasing, carrying a gentle and captivating aura.
The woman in the green gown: “……”
Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat, and her mind went blank for a moment.
Her face turned red, and she burst into rage, “You wretch! How dare you insult me!”
She directly removed the flower from her hair and aimed its tip to strike Pei Jing’s face.
Pei Jing swiftly waved his sleeve, lifted his skirt, and ran toward the entrance of the peach blossom forest.
The woman in the green gown: “Where do you think you’re running to?!”
A slight smile appeared at the corner of Pei Jing’s lips. While running, he managed to create a little drama for himself. With a touch of sorrow, he said, “Why do you have to get so angry? Qiao Qiao and I are already engaged. Tianyan City doesn’t follow the traditional matchmaking customs. Once you enter the city, all external marital ties are severed. We are now deeply in love with each other. Your interference is like splitting up a pair of mandarin ducks. Don’t talk to me about who came first or who came later. We are not righteous individuals, so why should I be bound by your expectations?”
The crowd: “……”
Was this a scene of two women fighting over one man?
The woman in the green gown shouted, “What nonsense are you spouting?! Watch me tear your skin apart today!”
Trembling with anger, she threw the peach blossom tip from her finger directly at Pei Jing, intending to pierce his eyeballs.
Pei Jing pretended to be hit by the peach blossom, his face turning pale with fear. He then hurriedly forced a bitter smile and said, “Alright, I can’t beat you. You have the support of that Elder from the Meixiang School, while I have nothing. But I’m not someone to be bullied easily! If it comes to it, I’ll just leave that wretched Sect and find another place. I won’t give up on Qiao Qiao!”
The woman in the green gown was so infuriated by his rubbish words that she ground her teeth. She only caught the last part of what he said, “You must be insane! Ha, go ahead and run. Where do you think you can escape to?”
The breathtakingly beautiful woman in the snow-white attire smiled with a touch of desolation. “The outer city is vast Meixiang School cannot control everything!”
Then, his eyes turned sharp, and he dashed into the peach forest like a madwoman.
The members of the Shigui Sect guarding the entrance of the peach forest were dumbfounded.
Had the internal conflict of the Meixiang School reached even this place?
The woman in the green gown waved her hand. Crack, crack! Dry branches and cracked earth emerged from the ground, tangling around the legs of the snow-clad maiden. Then, she brought the woman closer, laughing triumphantly, “I told you, there’s nowhere for you to run.” Pei Jing had been waiting for this opportunity. Pretending to be overwhelmed, he struggled and used his sword to cut the green-gowned woman’s arm, causing blood to splatter and land on her hand.
Simultaneously, the dry branches snapped, and Pei Jing fell to the ground, cradling his injured arm, looking as if tears were about to fall.
“Ah, you wretch!”
The woman in the green gown was filled with rage!
Meanwhile, Pei Jing, in a sorry and pitiable state, ran towards the Golden Core disciples of the Shigui Sect, his face covered in tears like a pear blossom in the rain.
He took the hairpin from his hair and forcefully stabbed it into his own arm, causing blood to flow, creating a barrier before them.
“Let me go first! This lunatic wants to kill me! I’m begging you!”
The messengers showed little reaction.
The Shigui Sect disciples, after a moment of confusion, furrowed their brows. This was an internal matter of the Meixiang School and involved their own Elders? Tsk, such chaos in their sect.
They withdrew their hands, allowing the weaker maiden to escape as if her life depended on it.
The woman in the green gown shouted, “Where do you think you’re running!”
Having passed this test, Pei Jing no longer feared her intentions.
Within the Crimson Peach Blossom Forest, petals danced in the air. The snowy-white gown stained with blood, the beautiful woman’s expression turned cold and indifferent after her bitter act, a faint mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
At the end of the long procession, many people turned their heads, their gazes complex as they looked at Qiao Mucai.
A round-faced youth smiled and asked, “Are you the ‘Qiao Qiao’ the beauty mentioned?” Qiao Mucai: “…Yes.” The youth asked, “Is she your wifr?” Qiao Mucai swallowed the blood in his throat and replied, “Yes.”
Passing through the Crimson Peach Blossom Forest, amidst the misty white clouds, he finally caught sight of the Green Bridge. The bridge was not green in color, but rather made of frozen ice, transparent, with plant fluids flowing inside, appearing pure green when illuminated by the sunlight.
When he heard about the Green Bridge from the scar-faced man’s mouth, he felt a sense of familiarity.
Crossing the Green Bridge would lead him to places like Zhuihun Palace. A trial on the Green Bridge? Wasn’t it just a mimicry of the rules in his Yunxiao Sect?
Many people fell from above the bridge.
Why? Was it because there were illusions here too?
On the suspension bridge, there were chaotic scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, along with eerie creatures. It might frighten young cultivators without a Foundation Establishment stage, but for those with deeper qualifications, except for Ji Wuduan, it wouldn’t be a problem. So what could be on the Green Bridge? Pei Jing became somewhat interested.
He muttered to himself, “Bridges like this are usually related to inner demons.”
In Changtian Realm’s Chamber of Inner Demons, he had no pressure. But now, Pei Jing wasn’t as confident as before, not because he lacked confidence in passing through. It was because he doubted whether he had an inner demon or not.
The Green Bridge was actually quite beautiful. The floating clouds were ethereal, the ice bridge was magnificent, and the liquid flowing within it shimmered with a faint silvery light. Beyond the bridge lay a peach blossom forest as red as blood.
The bridge seemed to be quite long.
At least halfway across, he hadn’t encountered any inner demons or illusions. So Pei Jing decided to shift his attention to the liquid. He stopped and placed his fingers on the icy railing, thinking, “The green color resembles the sap of plants. Could it be related to the Jade Lotus? Should I tap it to find out?” He tended to act on his thoughts.
His fingers turned, revealing a thin blade that directly sliced into the surface of the bridge.
The ice crystal split open, revealing a long gash, and the green liquid inside emitted a captivating fragrance.
Pei Jing leaned closer to get a better look, and his black hair cascaded, almost touching the liquid oozing from the crack. Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind, bending down to help him pull it back. The touch felt cool, like the breath of snow.
The fingertip lightly brushed his cheek, leaving Pei Jing stunned.
The person’s voice remained familiar, filled with indifference.
“If you let a single drop of that liquid touch this bridge, you can forget about leaving here alive.”
After a long moment of bewilderment, Pei Jing smiled.
…So he also had an inner demon, after all.
The Green Bridge turned out just as he had expected.
If the inner demon was Chu Junyu, then it couldn’t have been better.
He half crouched on the bridge, then turned around. His hair cascaded as he tilted his head back and planted a kiss on the person leaning over him.
The person froze in place.
Pei Jing parted his lips.
It was wonderful. All those unspoken words they couldn’t say when they first met, now they could express them openly.
He gazed at that face.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke.
“I promised I would come to Tianyan City to find you, and now I’m here. It has been ten years, and I’ve missed you so much.”
Pei Jing’s voice was soft as he reached out his hand, intending to touch the person’s cold, icy gaze.
Then, his lips curled up, little by little.
“I’ve found you, Chu Junyu.”
However, his wrist was held in the air by someone.
Pei Jing: “???”
Chu Junyu didn’t expect Pei Jing to be so bold. At least, this reunion was not as he had imagined.
Pei Jing, disguised as a woman to avoid detection, stood on the icy bridge in a snow-colored dress. His features softened, reducing the sharpness and revealing a hint of innocence. There was a blood-red peach blossom adorning his shoulder, a remnant from passing through the Crimson Peach Blossom Forest.
His expression now appeared stunned, with evident stiffness in his eyes.
Chu Junyu lowered his gaze, suppressing the faint smile at the corner of his lips. With his slender fingers, he plucked the peach blossom from Pei Jing’s shoulder and inserted it into his temple. His tone, however, remained cold.
“Stop cross-dressing in the future. It really looks ugly.”
Pei Jing: “……???”
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