Chapter 74: Outside Lumen City Lies the Deer Platform (12)
The two retraced their path out of the ruins. The towering peaks of Changliu Mountain pierced the clouds, shrouded in thick mist, blending seamlessly with the dim skies in the distance. While inside the ruins, Bai Chunsheng hadn’t given much thought to what the current Bibo Spirit Realm looked like—now that he was out, he was startled.
The once endless blue sea was now filled with rampaging purple lightning, with barely any stable ground to step on. At a glance, there seemed to be no living creatures left.
There were many theories about the mutation of the Bibo Spirit Realm. Some claimed it was due to a spiritual energy upheaval; others said the sea had lost a treasured item that once suppressed thunderous energy. The truth remained unclear.
Bai Chunsheng’s expression turned grim. “How are we supposed to get back?”
Seeing the state of things, it was no wonder that Tianqing Sect had designated this place as a backup base. Any teleportation arrays capable of reaching here had likely been corrupted by the violent spiritual energy and rendered useless. If they truly had a way to calm this chaotic energy, this place would indeed be safer than the Southern Region.
Yan Yi took out the jade slip that the steward had stuffed into his arms at the beginning. He had already completed the mission written on it when he went to find Bai Chunsheng. Once he smeared fresh blood from the single-horned Jade Fu Dragon onto the slip, the words originally inscribed with spiritual energy began to disappear. Then, a complex and unfamiliar array emerged, spreading along with the blood.
From his storage pouch, Bai Chunsheng pulled out two masks they hadn’t used before and put them on. Then, with a scowl, he picked the ugliest red mask he could find and shoved it onto Yan Yi’s face.
—That brat better keep his face well hidden.
Yan Yi placed a hand on the array and grabbed Bai Chunsheng with the other. This time, no one was going to snatch Bai Chunsheng from under his nose.
When Bai Chunsheng opened his eyes again, the two of them were holding hands in the back hall of the Tianqing Sect’s Hall of Affairs. Bai Chunsheng quickly pulled his hand away and was the first to hop down from the high platform.
The Hall of Affairs was now much more crowded. Disciples in gray outer robes bustled about. In just a few days, it seemed many more disciples had returned to Tianqing Sect. Everyone wore masks, so Bai Chunsheng couldn’t see their expressions, but from their movements and demeanor, it was clear the pain of the sect’s destruction still hadn’t faded.
Blending in with the other disciples, Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi didn’t seem out of place at all.
Bai Chunsheng could hardly contain his excitement. The moment he descended the steps, he nearly bounced his way toward the steward in charge of assigning cave residences.
Getting a residence was a small matter. What really mattered was—he was going home.
The two of them made their way quickly to the main hall. The stewards handling assignments had changed. Luckily, no one was ahead of them requesting tasks. Bai Chunsheng approached with his jade slip in hand and asked, “I’ve completed the task. Where do I submit it?”
The new steward sitting in the center was toying with a spirit bead in her hand. At the sound of Bai Chunsheng’s voice, she lazily lifted her head and replied in a drawl, “Over there.” She tilted her chin toward her front right, where a new white jade-like pillar had been installed. Quite a few people were gathered around it. “There, see?”
This setup was vastly different from before. But since this wasn’t his own sect, and he was, at best, a guest elder who didn’t need to do real work, Bai Chunsheng didn’t bother wasting time on trivial questions.
After thanking her, he dragged Yan Yi over to the pillar. A light screen composed of spiritual energy immediately appeared beside him. Bai Chunsheng mimicked the others and submitted his task. A deed confirmation screen popped up, prompting him to choose the location for his cave residence.
Bai Chunsheng guessed that Jiang Ji had probably arranged this in advance, which was why everything went so smoothly. Otherwise, even with the task complete, they would’ve had to wait a few days to get this done.
As he recalled the areas his grandmother had taken him to, he also reviewed the Xu family’s old territorial map in his mind. After some thought, Bai Chunsheng finally circled a mountain. If his memory served correctly, the Wutong Tree Sea should be about halfway up that very slope. He would go check it out tonight to confirm.
Even if it wasn’t exactly there, it had to be close.
Though it would take some time for the guest elder token and property deed to be processed, it wasn’t unreasonable for a little landowner to want to scope out his soon-to-be home in advance.
They set off immediately. Bai Chunsheng was brimming with excitement, sprinting so fast along the way that Yan Yi almost couldn’t hold him back.
As they neared the area, Yan Yi, seemingly finding an excuse to pause, hesitated. “I’ve heard that places where the bloodline of great beasts is passed down usually have ancestral temples?”
“Of course,” Bai Chunsheng replied with pride in his voice. “Every generation’s bloodline inheritor is enshrined there, passed down through the ages. Even… ah, yes, even the Yan family from the Middle Realm probably doesn’t have heritage this deep.” A mere sword cultivator clan held up by a few Tribulation Crossing elders couldn’t compare to his family’s long and storied history.
His smug expression was vivid. If he had still been in his little duck form, Bai Chunsheng would probably have been wagging his stubby tail feathers by now.
Yan Yi pondered for a moment. “Should I change clothes?” After all the traveling, he hadn’t really paid attention to his appearance.
Bai Chunsheng looked puzzled. “Why would you change?”
Then, suddenly alert, he added, “Don’t try anything funny. Ugh, if you want to change, do it yourself. I’m not changing with you. Those open-chested outfits are ugly as hell. Don’t even think about it. Pfft, pfft, pfft.”
“…”
Yan Yi fell into a strange silence, as if he was imagining something he shouldn’t.
After a moment, he changed the subject with some hesitation. “Meeting your elders… I feel kind of awkward.”
First, his cultivation level was only at the Nascent Soul stage—not quite the grand entrance he had envisioned, hand in hand with Bai Chunsheng, to face the ancestral spirits. Second, he hadn’t mentally prepared himself for this. He was a bit dazed now that it was really happening.
Thinking along those lines, Yan Yi even considered whether he should bring offerings like incense and joss paper—something to pay his respects. After all, it felt wrong to show up empty-handed.
Bai Chunsheng thought Yan Yi was being utterly shameless. “You didn’t seem awkward when you kissed me. What are you embarrassed about now?”
Dao companion, huh? Spouting nonsense like it was fact. Hadn’t even considered whether he was imagining things.
Putting on this shy act now—who was he trying to fool?
Yan Yi: “…”
Pretending not to hear that, Yan Yi skipped over the topic and asked, “What if they don’t like me?” From his tone, it was clear he already had a plan. If it came to that, he would just have to convince them with reason.
Bai Chunsheng stared at him in disbelief. “What are you thinking? Of course they won’t like you.”
If his grandmother, Bai Jianghan, found out he was entangled with Yan Jingqiu, she would claw her way out of the grave just to deal with it. First, she’d kill Yan Jingqiu with a single strike, then pluck Bai Chunsheng bald so he’d never grow his wings strong again.
Thinking about it, Bai Chunsheng sighed in relief. Good thing he and Yan Jingqiu weren’t actually Dao companions. If he ever had a nightmare of his grandmother storming out in rage, he could at least try to talk his way out of it and avoid a beating.
Otherwise, he’d be a dead man.
Thank goodness.
Author’s Note:
Of course, according to the setting, there are no actual ghosts.
So Bai Chunsheng doesn’t really need to worry about getting beaten up.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
