Chapter 98: Penglai Has an Immortal Island (8)
Bai Chunsheng had drunk wine and gotten drunk, so although he slept deeply in the first half of the night, his rest was far from peaceful.
He hazily dreamed that he was standing in the attic of the Yaoyue Pavilion in Soul Abyss. He stood upright, a sword in his hand. Not far from him lay an enormous golden dragon, its scales gleaming. Even lying motionless on the ground, it was enough to inspire fear. A single one of its scales was far larger than Bai Chunsheng himself in his demon form.
There was no doubt this golden dragon was Bo Yan.
Holding the Jinghong Sword, Bai Chunsheng felt emboldened. “You killed Yan Jingqiu?!”
Bo Yan lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. “Yes.”
Bai Chunsheng was furious. This time, he truly was not afraid of the vicious dragon at all. “Why did you kill him?”
Bo Yan closed his eyes again, looking thoroughly disdainful of Bai Chunsheng. “Don’t know.”
That made Bai Chunsheng even angrier. “I’m going to kill you!”
Bo Yan fixed his gaze on Bai Chunsheng, sweeping him from head to toe, his contempt laid bare.
He let out a sneer. “If you’ve got the guts, then come.”
The anger made Bai Chunsheng tremble. With a start, he was jolted awake from sheer fury.
What a detestable Bo Yan.
Bai Chunsheng woke up, still seething.
Without question, it had been another dreadful nightmare. Even after waking, his anger did not subside.
He was determined to make Bo Yan, that wretched thing, pay the price. He would avenge Yan Jingqiu!
The windows of the bamboo house were open, and moonlight spilled inside. Yi Zhou was not there, but several maidservants stood by the bedside as if waiting on him while he slept. When they saw him awake, the one at the front stepped forward and asked gently, “Young Master, how are you feeling?”
The remaining traces of alcohol could already be dissolved with his spiritual power. Bai Chunsheng gave a vague “I’m fine.”
As for what had happened after he drank, it felt as though it had never occurred at all. He had no memory of it, only a hazy impression that someone had carried him back—probably Yi Zhou.
Bai Chunsheng sat up. Suddenly, he realized this might be a perfect opportunity. Although Yan Jianhang had not come, the Taixu Sect had sent their senior sister instead—someone who held at least some standing within the sect. If it concerned Yan Jingqiu, she would certainly report back to Yan Jianhang.
The banquet was still ongoing. Yi Zhou, who seemed to be attending to him but was in fact monitoring him, was nowhere to be seen. If he wanted to slip out and secretly inform someone, now was likely the best chance.
Bai Chunsheng glanced around. In a corner of the bamboo house, a faint blue light screen flickered.
Clearly, Bo Yan had set up a restriction to prevent him from escaping.
With that thought, Bai Chunsheng hesitated. He could not think of any convincing excuse. “I want to step outside for a bit.”
The maid closest to him said respectfully, “His Excellency said you were drunk. It would be best for you to stay quietly in the room.” Though her tone was polite, her words carried unmistakable coercion.
—I’m not even running. What’s there to be afraid of?
After being refused, Bai Chunsheng thought resentfully.
He sat quietly on the bed for a while, then stammered, “I… I miss Bo Yan. I want to see him.”
The maidservants exchanged glances. “His Excellency will return shortly.”
That sounded like a glimmer of hope. Bai Chunsheng pressed on. “I want to see him right now.”
When they did not respond, Bai Chunsheng kept pestering them. “I want to see him, I want to see him. Just let me see him. I had a nightmare, and now I miss him.”
After a long bout of fussing, the leading maid finally seemed unable to withstand his pleading. “How about we accompany you?” They feared that when Bo Yan returned, Bai Chunsheng might complain about them, so they compromised.
Bai Chunsheng: “………”
He only wanted to sneak off to find someone from the Taixu Sect; he did not truly miss Bo Yan.
But this worked as well. The dragon blood within these maidservants was thin. If he could find an opportunity along the way to slip past the restriction and swap himself with a paper effigy containing his natal blood, they likely would not notice.
If he found no opportunity, then when they neared the banquet grounds, he could claim he felt dizzy and wanted to return. That way, he would not have to see Bo Yan at all.
Truly a splendid plan.
Bai Chunsheng beamed. “Alright, alright. I really want to see Bo Yan.”
He had not changed clothes. He could simply throw off the covers and leave. The maidservants looked as though they wanted to speak but held back. Three stood behind him, two in front to lead the way, surrounding him tightly. The pale blue light screen shrank into a small circle, wrapped around Bai Chunsheng, and gradually faded from sight.
It was the very picture of deceiving oneself by covering one’s ears.
Sure enough, it would not be so simple. He would have to find a chance to break this restriction first.
Only a small portion of those on Penglai Island could attend the birthday banquet. The liveliest place was the banquet itself, but there were still quite a few people at the temporary palace where they were staying.
The lodging areas on Penglai Island forbade the reckless use of spiritual power. After they had walked for a while, a group of fairies from Cuiwei Palace approached them.
Most disciples of Cuiwei Palace were at the Nascent Soul stage, so they were the first to offer a junior’s salute.
Now!
While the maidservants returned the courtesy appropriate to equals, Bai Chunsheng immediately broke the restriction. He left behind a paper effigy infused with his natal blood inside the restriction to replace himself, then quietly transformed into a wisp of wind and slipped away.
It would not be discovered for about half an hour, he calculated. After that, Bo Yan would surely realize it was just a paper effigy.
Of course, that calculation was based on Bo Yan not constantly watching him.
Surely Bo Yan was far too busy to keep his eyes on him at every moment, Bai Chunsheng thought, reassuring himself as he hurried away.
But after leaving the southwestern palace complex, Bai Chunsheng ran into trouble again.
He had no idea where the Taixu Sect was staying. They had arrived the latest and might not even be lodging in this palace cluster—perhaps they were somewhere on the other side of the banquet grounds.
Yet he was even less willing to slink back in defeat. He did not want to waste this opportunity.
After gnashing his teeth in thought, Bai Chunsheng decided to head toward the vicinity of the banquet and look around. Perhaps he would get lucky and run into a lone Taixu Sect disciple.
He followed the direction he remembered, walking on, though he soon lost track of where he was. Near and far, there was not a soul in sight, and the time had far exceeded the half hour he had calculated.
Only then did Bai Chunsheng realize—he was in trouble. He had gotten lost.
By the time he came to his senses, he no longer even knew which part of Penglai Island he was in.
It seemed to be a peach grove. The blossoms burned bright, like a sea of pink. Their fragrance was not overpowering, but it was sweet and fresh. It seemed he had wandered far beyond the banquet area, perhaps into a private garden deliberately cultivated—one of the parts of Penglai Island not open to outsiders.
Bai Chunsheng began to lose his nerve and was just about to retreat when the scent of wine and the sound of poetry drifted from deep within the grove.
There was someone here?
By the time that thought occurred to him, he was already walking toward the sound.
In the lush, secluded peach grove, the fragrance of blossoms mingled with the rich aroma of clear wine, growing ever thicker. He walked straight ahead. Even without lamps, the bright moonlight bathed the grove in a glow like an immortal realm.
Deep within the grove sat a man drinking.
Moonlight illuminated his brow and nose. He wore white robes and was extraordinarily handsome. His brow ridge was high, his long brows swept into his temples, and a faint red tint lingered at the corners of his eyes. Beneath one eye was a small crimson mole. A half-smile curved his lips, giving him a roguish, flirtatious air, yet under the clear moonlight his overall bearing felt gentle.
His cultivation level was impossible to discern. He was likely a reclusive cultivator of Penglai Island. He was not merely drinking and reciting poetry—before him lay a chessboard. When he saw Bai Chunsheng, he smiled.
Seeing that smile, Bai Chunsheng felt no hostility and relaxed slightly. “Senior, may I ask where this is?”
The man replied with a smiling non-answer, “Wherever you say this is, that’s where it is.”
Bai Chunsheng: “……..”
After a moment of silence, he offered a junior’s salute and said sincerely, “Please don’t take offense, Senior. I mistakenly wandered here and disturbed your cultivation. I apologize. I’ll leave at once.”
“I’m not blaming you,” the man said.
That seemed like tacit permission to leave, so Bai Chunsheng did.
Half a quarter-hour later, he returned to the exact same spot. The man had not moved.
Assuming it was his own poor sense of direction, Bai Chunsheng turned and left again.
—Only to circle back a third time.
He fell silent. He was already a little tired and decided to rest briefly before trying again.
The man sighed helplessly. “Why are you so foolish? You’re nothing like your grandmother.”
At those words, Bai Chunsheng’s eyes lit up. Thinking this man might be an old acquaintance of Bai Jianghan, he exclaimed excitedly, “You know my grandmother—”
The man cut him off. “I had a grudge against her.”
Bai Chunsheng, “Oh,”
That was more normal. Bai Jianghan had enemies all over the world. Running into one or two while out for a meal was nothing to be surprised about.
With interest, the man asked, “Aren’t you curious who I am?”
Bai Chunsheng, “I am,”
He asked, “Then why don’t you ask?”
Knowing the man had a grudge against Bai Jianghan, asking outright seemed like courting death, Bai Chunsheng thought.
Fortunately, he was wise enough not to say that aloud. Following the man’s lead, he asked, “May I know who you are?”
“You’ll know tomorrow,” the man replied.
Bai Chunsheng: “……….”
The man continued, “There’s no need to be afraid. Among those strange old relics, my temperament is the best. I came today only because my time is short, and I wanted to see you one last time.”
“See me?” Bai Chunsheng was confused.
“Yes. See you.”
“Why?”
Had this man been waiting here specifically to see him? But how had he known Bai Chunsheng would try to escape at this very moment?
Bai Chunsheng was filled with doubt.
The man smiled. “For a thousand years, I debated the Dao with Bai Jianghan. Neither of us could convince the other. We parted on bad terms and went our separate ways, never to meet again.”
“I thought she would live longer than I did. I bitterly imagined that one day she would come to my grave, drink wine, and wail—then I would have won that debate. But she was ruthless. She would rather be reduced to ashes beneath heavenly tribulation lightning than leave me even a handful of soil.”
“Now that my lifespan is nearly exhausted, I don’t wish to leave behind such a great regret. So I came to see you.”
He spoke lightly. “Since Bai Jianghan is dead, if her spirit remains, she’s probably stamping her feet in anger right now. The more I think about it, the more amusing it is. I should have come to see you sooner.”
Bai Chunsheng felt even more bewildered. But since they had met and the man had explained himself, did that mean he could leave now?
He asked tentatively, “May this junior leave now?”
“Of course,” the man answered.
Time was nearly up. If Bo Yan caught him, that would be disastrous.
He hurried off—
Only to wander through the grove and return once more to the same place.
Bai Chunsheng: “……..”
“Senior, why?” he asked.
The man replied airily, “You may leave. But I never said I would let you leave.”
Bai Chunsheng immediately understood why this man had held a grudge against Bai Jianghan.
The man asked, “Have you ever seen your grandfather?”
Cautiously, Bai Chunsheng replied, “No. But my grandmother said that during the war between immortals and demons, he had a vile character and was widely disliked. At the fiercest point of battle, he was left alone on a battlefield overrun by crazed demons. He was pierced by countless arrows and did not even leave behind an intact corpse.”
The man’s smile had not yet faded, and his voice grew gentler. “Did your grandmother ever build him a cenotaph?”
Bai Chunsheng shook his head. “She said he was disgraceful in life and deserved death. She found it shameful and did not even claim his body. Aside from scolding him on his death anniversary each year and telling me not to follow his example, she never mentioned him.”
There was one more thing Bai Chunsheng hesitated to say. Given the man’s relationship with his grandmother—half enemy, half friend—he probably would want to know.
So Bai Chunsheng continued, “Sometimes when her old ailment flared up and she felt nauseated, she would say her Dushuo illness was acting up. But when I was young and curious, I looked it up and found no such illness. Perhaps she made it up. She said it was formed from my grandfather’s lingering resentment after death, so it was quite sinister.”
The man’s smile gradually stiffened. “Was his death anniversary the eighth day of the third month?”
It happened every year, so Bai Chunsheng remembered clearly. He nodded obediently. “Yes.”
The man stopped smiling. After staring at Bai Chunsheng in silence for a long while, he let out a faint sigh: “She was truly ruthless.”
Author’s Note:
In the early Eastern Han dynasty, Wang Chong cited in Lunheng: On Ghosts, quoting the Classic of Mountains and Seas: “In the vast sea there is Mount Dushuo. Upon it grows a great peach tree, its twisted branches stretching three thousand li. Among its branches in the northeast lies the Gate of Ghosts, through which all ghosts pass in and out.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
