Chapter 33: The Spirit Fish Enters the Dream (3)
Xu Suifeng didn’t find Mu Tingting and Gong Yuanzhi, who were severely injured, until dawn broke. Both were unconscious, and the exact events were only vaguely understood from the severity of the battle.
Su Xiaojing had gone missing.
By now, no one cared about Hong Chunfeng’s death anymore.
It was determined with certainty that it was the work of evil demons.
The next morning, before dawn, the people of Fuyu Mountain were in a state of panic, having been busy all night. The Fuyu Market was announced to be closed. From the branches of the giant locust tree, people could be seen carrying bundles and looking fearful.
— Evil demons.
What a distant and terrifying word.
Bai Chunsheng had no idea that the purpose he had been thinking about in recent days had been achieved in his sleep. When he woke up and finished washing, he had just changed his clothes when a Qi Refining cultivator, appearing to be in his thirties, arrived. The cultivator knocked on the door, and seeing that the room was unlit, spoke through the door, telling Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi to pack their things.
He knocked and called from outside, “There was a big incident last night. You two need to pack up and go with Immortal Xu and the others to Yusheng Sect.”
The cultivator continued, “You two have been wronged during this time and it has delayed you a lot.”
“Yusheng Sect should arrange compensation for you. Don’t worry, it will be satisfactory.” After saying this, he was about to leave, as there were many others waiting for him to inform them.
Bai Chunsheng then realized that he could no longer sense the shadow puppet demon he had created the previous afternoon. He initially thought it was the shadow puppet demon at work. “What happened?”
The cultivator spoke vaguely, “There really are evil demons in Fuyu Mountain.”
He was frightened, “Don’t ask. The big figures from Yusheng Sect will handle it. It has nothing to do with you, so don’t worry.”
When Bai Chunsheng heard this, he was stunned. How could the shadow puppet be mistaken for an evil demon?
The cultivation world and the demon world had countless deep-seated grudges, and it had only been a few hundred years since the last bloodshed to quell the demon world. People from the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm should be able to recognize an evil demon.
After the person left, Bai Chunsheng didn’t rush to pack up. He sat cross-legged on the bed, deciding to review the fragment of memory from the shadow puppet before it was destroyed. He quickly found the information he needed. The four-cornered, eight-armed demon appeared hazy in the shadow puppet’s memory, likely due to poor vision.
In the pitch-black night, only its outline was visible.
Its appearance was crooked and twisted, and it was indeed an evil demon.
“Evil demon?” Bai Chunsheng frowned. “It really is an evil demon.”
This evil demon likely had cultivation around the Foundation Establishment stage and was not very strong, but it was beyond the capability of Xu Suifeng and the others to handle.
Bai Chunsheng speculated, “Could this evil demon still be alive?”
This was problematic!
If that were the case, people from the Middle Realm would probably be on their way soon.
Bai Chunsheng asked, “Which sect is higher than the Yusheng Sect?”
Yan Yi, still thinking about how to speak to Bai Chunsheng, was unsure how to approach him. Even though Yan Yi knew Bai Chunsheng was his Dao companion, it felt odd to speak indirectly and make vague comments.
—It wouldn’t be appropriate. Everyone should maintain their dignity.
—Someone needs to break the ice, but Bai Chunsheng was so shy. Should he really sneak up every night to observe him?
—Sigh, this is difficult. There’s no doubt Bai Chunsheng has some affection for him, and he himself has a bit of interest in Bai Chunsheng too.
—But feelings should be handled cautiously. It’s still not appropriate to be too frivolous.
Fortunately, Yan Yi always had a serious expression when lost in thought, making him appear stern.
When Bai Chunsheng asked him, Yan Yi paused before saying, “It’s dead.”
“Dead? What’s dead?” Bai Chunsheng asked.
Yan Yi, still in a daze, replied, “It was too noisy. I already dealt with it. Don’t worry.”
“Oh… what?” Bai Chunsheng raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You didn’t sleep last night?!”
He remembered sneaking up to check on Yan Yi, but since Yan Yi had covered him up tightly, he hadn’t seen anything.
Damn it, Yan Yi must know he had gotten up last night and had sneakily “gazed” at him by his bedside.
Only a few hours had passed this morning. No wonder Yan Yi looked so out of sorts.
—Yan Yi wouldn’t think he was plotting to assassinate him, would he?
Bai Chunsheng tried to explain, “I… I was just… last night…” How could he have thought of killing Yan Yi? He wouldn’t have considered it now. After all, what would he do if Yan Yi were dead?
Yan Yi, feeling uneasy about the situation, turned his face away and said, “I don’t mind.”
Bai Chunsheng, busy explaining, barely heard him. “What? What did you say?”
Yan Yi, with a cold face, said firmly, “I’ll say it only once. You can think about it yourself.”
Bai Chunsheng carefully recalled and suddenly realized that Yan Yi was likely saying: don’t let it happen again.
Alright then.
Yan Yi probably did not misunderstand his intentions to assassinate him.
If Yan Yi had thought Bai Chunsheng harbored such intentions, he would likely have been beheaded by now.
With this thought, Bai Chunsheng felt more at ease.
He realized he had been sleeping too soundly and had missed several occasions when Yan Yi had left. This was a potentially fatal oversight. Had he become too relaxed about Yan Yi?
What if, when they returned to the Middle Realm, Yan Yi thought the Ten Thousand Demons Sect would pay a bounty for his head, and he wanted to collect it? What then?
Human hearts are hard to read, and change is difficult, but nature is hard to alter.
Yan Yi was still Yan Jingqiu; he should not think too highly of him.
Bai Chunsheng thought to himself, remaining vigilant.
The two of them dragged their feet, being among the last Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter the hall. Given the gravity of the demon situation, the Yusheng Sect used a small-scale teleportation array.
The Yusheng Sect’s mountain gate was located in the largest central city of the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm, the northern part of Tian Nan City.
Beyond Tian Nan City was the barren Flame Mountain Mines, a chain of interconnected mines stretching over several mountains. Despite being mined for thousands of years, resources continued to be produced in abundance. In this place, the poor remained impoverished, while the wealthy stayed affluent.
Tian Nan City no longer housed ordinary people; it was mostly inhabited by cultivators with some level of skill and lower-level loose cultivators.
Since this was Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi’s first visit to Tian Nan City, they needed to register at the city gate.
Their first challenge was when the Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge of the gate asked for their names.
Bai Chunsheng was silent for a long time before he finally managed to say, “Bai Chunqu.”
Yan Yi quickly added, “Yan Xiachen.”
Another person who also needed to register for the first time in Tian Nan City was Han Congzhou, whom they had met before. She was a bit surprised upon hearing their names. “Aren’t you two brothers?”
Forgot about that, a misstep.
Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi exchanged glances and said, “He takes his father’s surname, and I take my mother’s.”
“I see.” Han Congzhou looked at Bai Chunsheng’s changed appearance and then at Yan Yi, who wore a mask. She said, pretending to be naive, “You two seem quite similar. Which one of you is the older brother and which is the younger brother?”
Bai Chunsheng quickly pointed to himself and said, “Me, I’m the older brother.”
Since Yan Yi had amnesia, he naturally followed Bai Chunsheng’s lead and gently nodded in agreement.
If Bai Chunsheng wanted to be the older brother, so be it.
After the three registered and received their tokens with their basic information, they continued toward the Yusheng Sect. Along the way, they inevitably chatted.
Han Congzhou, young and beautiful, was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a good chance of breaking through the Foundation Establishment barrier and achieving Golden Core. Many people had previously tried to curry favor with her at Fuyu Mountain, sharing insider information.
She chatted happily with Bai Chunsheng and took the initiative to mention Mu Tingting of the Yusheng Sect. “I heard that Immortal Mu Hua is still in deep sleep. Her Golden Core is almost shattered, and her grandfather recently offered a large sum of money as a reward to buy a top-quality beast core.”
Han Congzhou lowered her voice and said, “…It’s said that the core is meant to replace her own.”
“That’s madness. Humans and demons are on different paths,” Bai Chunsheng couldn’t help but comment.
Han Congzhou smiled, “The doctors from the Divine Medicine Valley said this is the only way to save her. It might be because her cultivation method is unique.”
Speaking of Mu Tingting, Han Congzhou continued, “By the way, do you remember Su Xiaojing?”
“His whereabouts are unknown. He was probably eaten by the demons,” she sighed. “It’s a pity. He was the second son of the Su family’s second branch in Tian Nan City. It’s said that there was an unusual omen on the day he was born. His mother dreamt of a spiritual fish. Such omens are only seen with the reincarnation of great powers.”
“The Yusheng Sect attached great importance to this news. At just three years old, Su Xiaojing was taken into the Yusheng Sect. His reputation as a genius spread throughout Tian Nan City. Even when I was messing around at a small mountain gate, I knew about it.”
Han Congzhou said, “Who would have thought he was just a four-element root?”
“It’s strange. He didn’t even stand out in appearance. How did this rabbit manage to make Xu Suifeng, Mu Changzhou, and others so infatuated with him?”
“…Forget it, let’s not talk about it.” Han Congzhou tilted her head back and laughed lightly. “Instead, let’s think about what compensation the Yusheng Sect might give us. Perhaps they’ll give me a pill to help break through the bottleneck. Haha, but that’s unlikely; they probably don’t have enough for themselves.”
On the surface, Han Congzhou mentioned wanting a breakthrough pill, but in reality, she was thinking about whether the Yusheng Sect might offer her a position as an outer sect steward, given her years of cultivation and decent reputation among loose cultivators.
The speaker might not have meant much, but the listener took it to heart. Bai Chunsheng kept pondering the phrase Han Congzhou had mentioned: Su Xiaojing, the celestial omen, the spiritual fish entering dreams…
Han Congzhou had not been entirely wrong. In the world of cultivation, celestial omens and strange dreams were indeed recognized as signs of great beings reincarnating or undergoing tribulations.
But Su Xiaojing didn’t seem to fit the image of a reincarnated great being at all.
Bai Chunsheng suddenly asked Han Congzhou, “When was Su Xiaojing born?”
“Ah, I don’t remember exactly.” Han Congzhou thought for a moment and said, “It must have been about sixty-seven years ago. His cultivation speed was quite impressive compared to ordinary dual-root cultivators. I saw that he had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and if nothing unusual happened, he should be at Foundation Establishment level within a year.”
Bai Chunsheng was a bit stunned. Sixty-seven years ago?
Sixty-seven years ago, no great beings from the Middle Realm were known to have descended to undergo tribulations. The only major event was probably the sudden fire on the back mountain of the Yan family. Bai Chunsheng had taken some satisfaction in that, and had even considered writing a congratulatory letter to Yan Jingqiu.
However, considering the current situation, Bai Chunsheng sensibly abandoned that idea; the letter was only half-written.
He had initially thought of burning it if Yan Jingqiu had died.
Unfortunately.
Remembering this, Bai Chunsheng couldn’t help but look at Yan Yi.
Yan Yi also turned to look at Bai Chunsheng.
Yan Yi contemplated.
Yan Yi understood.
He walked over and took Bai Chunsheng’s hand.
Bai Chunsheng: “…”
What was Yan Jingqiu doing?
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
Lmao