Chapter 10
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Gong Wei shook his head dejectedly, collapsed onto the bed, and sighed deeply, covering his face with the blanket.
Meng Yunfei said, “Perhaps it’s because Sect Master Xu is presiding over it. There were no casualties in the city last night. Yuanju has ordered to collect mercury mirrors from the entire city, to prevent those ghost cultivator from causing trouble again with mirror techniques… Young Master Xiang? Are you really okay?”
Gong Wei made a muffled “mmm” sound, judging by the movement under the blanket, he seemed to have shaken his head.
Meng Yunfei thought for a moment, probably organized his words, and then said with embarrassment, “I’ve already heard about what happened yesterday from others. It was my carelessness that led to being affected by the mirror illusion, almost harming the cultivators and civilians present. Fortunately, you discovered the trigger for the illusion in time, and Yuanju made great efforts to save the situation, preventing me from doing something regrettable for the rest of my life…”
That wasn’t entirely wrong, if his ancient qin had really gone berserk, there wouldn’t have been enough people on the entire street to die. Gong Wei buried himself in the blanket and listlessly said, “Young Master Meng misunderstood, it was the battery… it was Young Hero Yuchi who helped, it had nothing to do with me.”
Meng Yunfei fell silent for a moment.
“Young Master Xiang, you sacrificed your lifespan to drive away the ghost cultivators and got injured, I am aware of everything.” His voice unconsciously lowered, “I suggested bringing you down from Cangyang Mountain, but failed to fulfill my promise to ensure your safety. Whenever I think of this, I feel extremely ashamed…”
Gong Wei immediately peeked out from under the blanket and looked at him, thinking to himself, oh, I’ve seen this type of person before!
This was the type like Ying Kai, a gentleman who is polite and refined, always ready to help when he sees injustice. He adheres to etiquette and morality in everything he does, with pure moral character, strict self-discipline, and if he ever feels guilty, it’s worth more than gold, he would give everything to make amends.
“This great kindness is deeply appreciated and remembered,” Meng Yunfei paused, looking at Gong Wei with only his eyes peeking out, rolling around, and then he chuckled, “Young Master Xiang, what are you looking at? I’ve been thinking, you’ve been asleep until now, aren’t you hungry?”
Gong Wei knew that this type of gentleman had his own moral system, and persuasion wouldn’t work on him. He lazily yawned and said, “It’s just a small matter, Young Master Meng doesn’t need to worry. I’m fine, I’ll sleep a bit more.”
However, Meng Yunfei said, “It’s almost noon, if you sleep more, you might have trouble sleeping at night. How about I take you to eat Linjiang fish?”
Gong Wei made another “mmm” sound, and the blanket moved as he shook his head.
“Do you want to eat drunken chicken?”
Gong Wei suddenly became spirited, “Where?”
Meng Yunfei smiled, “In the city five miles away, I’ll take you there on my sword.”
Before he finished speaking, Gong Wei quickly crawled out of bed, instantly throwing all thoughts of Sect Master Xu out of his mind, “Let’s go, let’s go.”
Gong Wei quickly freshened up, tied his hair casually, and put on his clothes as he walked out. Although his movements seemed hurried, there was a strange sense of rhythm to his gestures, as if everything he did was effortless and relaxed. It was hard to notice at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could feel the subtle difference from ordinary cultivators.
As Meng Yunfei followed behind him downstairs, he couldn’t help but be a little dazed. At this moment, a dusty figure rushed in through the inn’s entrance, and they bumped into each other face to face, “Yunfei? Where are you guys going?”
It turned out to be the just-busy-returning Yuchi Xiao. Gong Wei cheerfully stood with his hands behind his back and said, “Young Master Meng invited me to eat drunken chicken. Will Young Hero join us?”
Yuchi Xiao’s initial reaction upon seeing him was still to avoid eye contact, halfway through he didn’t know why he was doing this, so he forced himself to turn his gaze back and stare directly at him, his cheeks still slightly flushed, fortunately no one noticed, “Still eating chicken? Are you a fox reincarnated?! “
Gong Wei said, “If you’re not coming, forget it, Young Master Meng has money, Young Master Meng will pay.”
“Hiss,” Yuchi Xiao took a sharp intake of breath, suddenly looking alert, and forcefully squeezed between the two of them, “No, I have to go with you. Yunfei is an honest person! Don’t corrupt him!”
Meng Yunfei sighed and said nothing, while Gong Wei grinned and said, “Alright, Young Hero, now I know you’re not an honest person, let’s go.”
Yuchi Xiao protested, “Nonsense, what do you know about me?”
As they bickered, they left the inn and flew on their swords to the center of Linjiang City. The streets were bustling with people, and the most magnificent “Taibai Tower” in the city stood before them. The shopkeeper, upon seeing the xuanmen cultivators, didn’t dare to be negligent. He personally led them to a private room on the second floor separated by pearl curtains. Gong Wei, with a soft and pitiful look, complained to Yuchi Xiao, “Young Hero, I didn’t expect you to think of me like this. After all, I am your future dao companion…”
Yuchi Xiao blushed, “No! That’s not true! Give me back my jade pendant!”
Yuchi Xiao was only there to supervise, and Meng Yunfei rarely indulged in worldly matters. Only Gong Wei ordered a plump and tender drunken chicken and enjoyed it heartily. Yuchi Xiao warmed a pot of flower-carved wine on a small stove and poured wine for Meng Yunfei. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but reprimand him, “Look at you, you’re all grown up and you still don’t abstain from food. Are you going to rely on elixirs your whole life? And you still want to refine the golden core and achieve immortality?”
Elixirs could dissolve the grains in the abdomen, but they greatly damaged spiritual energy, so ordinary cultivators dared not consume them excessively. Gong Wei, who had treated elixirs like candy in his previous life, didn’t care at all and enthusiastically picked up a small silver fork to nibble on the chicken wings, “You’re wrong, Yuchi Xiao. What is the Great Dao? The Great Dao is to follow nature. There is life and death, joy and anger, gain and loss, gathering and dispersing; don’t be too attached to people or things. It’s joyful when fate brings us together, but when the bond ends, let it go. For example, I like eating this chicken, but everything in the world has its time. It will be gone after I finish eating it…”
Yuchi Xiao was speechless, “You won’t achieve immortality like this. What will you do when you grow old and die in a few decades?”
However, Gong Wei gave him a cunning glance and asked back, “Are you cultivating immortality to avoid death? If that’s the case, you won’t ascend.”
Meng Yunfei chuckled and sighed, “The wisdom of a single sentence is worth more than a decade of study, great wisdom appears foolish, great wisdom appears foolish!”
Yuchi Xiao slapped the table, “He’s clearly foolish pretending to be wise!”
Gong Wei said, “Let me give you another example. The former Grand Elder of the Immortal Alliance, along with the Alliance Leader, were known as the Twin Lords and were considered closer to the ‘Great Dao’ than you guys, right? Yet, he was stabbed to death by Sect Master Xu. Although it could be considered an unexpected mishap, it shows that cultivating immortality cannot avoid death, and even after death, the body can be desecrated…that reminds me, what happened afterwards?”
Yuchi Xiao said, “You’re way off topic! ——After what?”
“After the slaughter of corpses,” replied Gong Wei naturally, “Such a great immortal, would he just be buried in the peach blossom forest of Cangyang Mountain after death?”
This question was timed and directed too cleverly, after all, no one in the world knew better than the close nephew of the Sword Sect how the aftermath had unfolded. Indeed, Yuchi Xiao frowned and said, “Of course not. Don’t you go foolishly asking others about this. If it reaches Sect Master Xu’s ears, your little life will be forfeit —— After the passing of the Law Flower Immortal, Sword Sect personally came to reclaim the body for burial. When Sect Master Xu remained silent, they smashed the stone tablet of Cangyang Mountain with a sword. Just as conflict was about to erupt, Alliance Leader Ying arrived from Mount Dai. He personally rushed into the Xuanji Palace and fought Sect Master Xu in mid-air, only then did he manage to snatch the body of the Grand Elder back from him. By then, the body had already been damaged…”
Gong Wei was shocked, “Sect Master Xu was defeated?!”
“….” Yuchi Xiao glanced around before lowering his voice, “He was.”
The question of who was stronger between Ying Kai and Xu Shuangce had been debated within the Taoist sects for about twenty or thirty years, until Xu Shuangce broke through the barrier and entered the later stage of the immortalization realm, claiming the title of the strongest. However, despite the claims, the two had never had a falling out, so the true winner could not be determined. The most widely circulated tabloid in the cultivation world, the “Kaiyuan Miscellaneous News,” had secretly conducted multiple polls, with Xu Shuangce narrowly winning each time. However, Gong Wei had persisted in voting for Ying Kai until a month before his death.
Although a single victory or defeat was not enough to determine strength, the fact that Xu Shuangce could lose was truly astonishing.
Gong Wei never expected that he would be the one to solve this mystery for the world (with his corpse), and couldn’t help but feel deeply moved by his dedication to serving until death. He asked, “Was the body buried afterwards?”
“It’s said to be buried on Dai Mountain.”
“Wasn’t the grave robbed by Sect Master Xu?”
Yuchi Xiao said, “Of course not, are you out of your mind, little demon? Which grand sect master would go grave robbing… Why do you care so much about this? I’m warning you, after returning to Cangyang Sect, you’re not allowed to ask around indiscriminately, got it?”
It didn’t make sense. If his remains were still on Dai Mountain, how did Bai Tai Shou end up wandering outside?
The second-floor elegant seats were separated by fine pearl curtains, allowing the shadows of the seated guests to be vaguely visible, and even their conversations could be heard. With that, Gong Wei fell silent, playing with his chopsticks with a heavy heart. Suddenly, from downstairs, a storyteller slapped the square wooden board:
“Last time we talked about the chaos beast wreaking havoc in the area, devouring a hundred boys and girls every year, causing misery for miles around. It took eighteen rounds of battle between the Sword Sect and it to chop off half of its wings…”
Meng Yunfei laughed, “You’re still spreading the words of our esteemed Sword Sect Lord, Yuanju.”
Clang! Yuchi Xiao nearly knocked over the table, his face full of horror, “No! Make him stop!”
In the current era, the trend of seeking immortality and cultivating Dao is extremely popular. People admire the famous figures of the Daoist sects and often sing about the deeds of various masters in slaying demons and monsters, giving rise to various dramas and scriptural tales. When Gong Wei was a child playing on the mountain, he heard stories like “Kaiqishan,” where Ying Kai and Xu Shuangce cleared the demon cave in their youth, “Wei Shui Xian,” where Yuchi Rui solved water disasters for the Sword Sect, and the well-known legend “The Ghost Crown Prince Welcomes His Bride” from Daoist scriptures, and found them very interesting.
But Yuchi Rui never found them amusing. He always felt that his status as the best swordsman in the world was tarnished by encounters with various monsters and demons. Every time he heard these tales, he wanted to flip the table – “Why fight for eighteen rounds?!” “One sword from me is enough!” “Argh! You fools!!” Then he would leave in humiliation.
Meng Yunfei said, “Calm down, Yuanju. The widespread popularity of these scriptural tales shows that the Sword Sect is well-received among the common people. What’s there to be angry about? You should know that the more you try to ban them, the more these folk storytellers will love to write them. It’s better to let it go…”
Yuchi Xiao retorted, “What do you know?! I’ve heard of these scriptural tales! There’s one called ‘The Tyrannical Sword Sect and the February Peach!”
Meng Yunfei: “!!”
Meng Yunfei’s expression changed instantly. Gong Wei hadn’t yet understood the meaning of “February Peach,” but he heard the storyteller excitedly continue:
“After returning to his cave, he was already weak. He saw Law Flower Immortal approaching, heartbroken and anxious, tears falling uncontrollably. His delicate hands supported the Sword Sect master’s scarred chest, calling out, ‘Husband!’…”
Gong Wei: “Pu—-”
Delicate hands? Husband? Husband??
“Nonsense! Stop spreading lies!” Yuchi Xiao leaned out from the second floor and roared, “Say one more word, and I’ll smash your stall and find another storyteller!”
Gong Wei covered his mouth, choking back a laugh, while downstairs, the guests started to criticize, “Scriptural tales are fiction anyway, what’s the harm in a little exaggeration?” “The common people enjoy them, who are you to judge?” “If you’re bothered, just plug your ears and don’t listen!” “Exactly!”
The old storyteller had a good temper: “Oh, is the young master a student of the Yuchi family of the Sword Sect? My apologies, my apologies. I’ll switch to another script. Speaking of which, last month’s ‘Kaiyuan Miscellaneous News’ published a new script called ‘Dong Ting Tune,’ which tells the story of the music sage Xuanmen Liu Xuzhi, with a face like the dawn moon, gentle and elegant, admired by all major sects. One day, he traveled to Dongting Lake and saw a cultivator on the shore, eight feet tall, handsome and robust, with a smiling face, plucking lotus seeds and tossing them onto the flat boat…”
With a loud bang, Meng Yunfei suddenly crushed the celadon cup in his hand.
“The music sage was delighted to see it, his cheeks blushing with embarrassment: ‘I don’t know the name and place of this immortal gentleman?’ The cultivator smiled and said, ‘I am from the Immortal Alliance, named Law Flower Immortal Venerable…'”
Gong Wei: “Pu—!”
Gong Wei coughed violently, clutching his throat with both hands, his mind full of the words “handsome and robust.” Suddenly, Meng Yunfei lifted the pearl curtain with a “whoosh”: “Shut up! I am a disciple under the music sage! Spare my master!!”
The crowd below, interrupted twice in a row, immediately began to grumble: “What’s wrong with you cultivators?” “Are you ever going to stop?” “What’s wrong with us common folks listening to a script? Relax!”
Meng Yunfei grabbed the railing and was about to rush down, but was firmly held back by Yuchi Xiao: “It’s better to ease than to block, it’s better to ease than to block, Brother Yunfei!”
The storyteller hurriedly stood up to apologize: “Immortal sir, please don’t be angry, please don’t be angry. It’s my fault for not considering it properly. I’ll switch, I’ll switch!”
Gong Wei finally managed to cough out the chicken bone stuck in his throat, trembling as he picked up a teacup. But before he could calm down, he heard the storyteller stroke his beard and continue, “Well, that day, I passed through the capital and had the pleasure of hearing a new play called ‘Undying Love in the Yellow Springs,’ completely unrelated to the two young immortals’ sects. It tells of Sect Master Xu of Cangyang Mountain hearing about the chaos caused by ghosts, so he traveled far and arrived at the Naihe Bridge in the underworld. There, he saw a figure of a young man in white clothes with black hair, ethereal and out of this world. Unable to contain his emotions…”
Suddenly, a rather ominous premonition surged in Gong Wei’s heart.
The next moment, he heard the old man vividly narrating:
“…The young man, with tears in his eyes, turned to leave. But Sect Master Xu stepped forward and firmly held onto him, unwilling to let go, asking, ‘What have I done to wrong you? Why do you want to kill me?’ He continued, ‘Today, I will take you back to Cangyang Mountain. From now on, there will be only you and me in this world, no more Cangyang Sect Master or Law Flower Immortal!’…”
Boom!
This time, it was as if a thousand thunderbolts struck down at once. Gong Wei’s vision went black, his mind blank, and his soul seemed to leave his body. He was about to rush straight to the Yellow Springs.
Why is it always me?
What’s with the delicate hands, the handsome and out-of-this-world figure? I’m just a brick in your storytelling literature. Do you really need to move me around as you please?
In a daze, he heard the panicked voices of Meng Yunfei and Yuchi Xiao across from him: “What’s wrong with Young Master Xiang?!” “Stay calm, little demon! Scriptural tales are all fictional!” “Keep a level head, keep a level head!” ….
“No, no, this script is too fabricated!” At this moment, someone downstairs protested. Several veiled women who had come out to drink tea, whether they were young ladies from wealthy families or female cultivators from local sects, expressed their dissatisfaction: “It’s well known that Sect Master Xu was deeply in love with his deceased wife. Even now, there’s still a portrait of his late wife hanging on Cangyang Mountain. How can you fabricate stories like this? It’s disrespectful to the deceased!”
The guests who had been eagerly listening downstairs were also taken aback and soon joined in, saying, “That’s right.” “Makes sense!”
“Um…” The storyteller was interrupted for the third time and found himself at a loss for words. “I-I, I made it up out of thin air. Um, according to what these young ladies saw, what story should I tell today?”
After much discussion among the guests, someone suggested, “Let’s just talk about Sect Master Xu and his wife’s ‘Yearning Pampered Slave.'”
“Yearning Pampered Slave” was a script that had been popular over a decade ago, sung for many years and widely acclaimed. As long as it wasn’t told right under Sect Master Xu’s nose on Cangyang Mountain, it wouldn’t attract any trouble. The storyteller breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he should be safe this time. So he clapped his hands on the wooden block:
“This script, known throughout the land as ‘Yearning Pampered Slave,’ tells the story of a year when Sect Master Xu went down the mountain to exterminate demons and was seriously injured. Fortunately, he was rescued by a woman. This woman was exceptionally beautiful and wise, but unfortunately, she was just a common farmer’s daughter.”
Someone laughed, “With so many celestial maidens in the Xuanmen, how could the esteemed Sect Master Xu marry a farmer’s daughter?”
The storyteller said solemnly, “You can’t say that. Some people may have exceptional looks but cold hearts, ultimately not suitable partners, while others may be ugly but have pure hearts, suitable for marriage and family. So how can we make blanket statements? Besides, the truth of the matter is long gone, and what we’re talking about is just a script.”
The audience unanimously agreed, except for Meng Yunfei, who wondered, “Yuanju, what’s wrong with you?”
“…”
Yuchi Xiao sat restlessly, his face extremely strange. After a while, he swallowed hard and said,
“This ‘Yearning Pampered Slave’… after Grand Elder Gong passed away, my uncle harbored deep hatred for Sect Master Xu, so…”
Meng Yunfei asked, “So?”
“So… he… paid someone to fabricate it…”
Just as Gong Wei’s soul, which had just struggled back, was about to be struck down again by this heavenly thunderbolt, the storyteller deliberately paused, creating a suspenseful atmosphere:
“Although the woman was just a farmer’s daughter, she was attentive and caring, and the two of them quickly developed feelings for each other. The Sect Master cared for the people, and on the night before he left for Cangyang Mountain, he gave the woman a golden ring, saying, ‘Although I’m going far away, I will return within ninety-nine days to propose to you. What do you think?’ The woman smiled and accepted the ring—what do you think happened next?”
The storyteller deliberately left a cliffhanger, and someone in the audience guessed, “She must have agreed!”
Another person laughed, “Who wouldn’t agree? Probably no one in the world!”
The storyteller proudly stroked his beard and, looking at the audience eagerly listening, continued in vivid detail, “The woman put on the golden ring, called him ‘Sect Master,’ and said gently…”
Clang.
It was a very subtle sound, as if someone lightly tapped a wine glass on the table.
But in that instant, as if an invisible hand paused time, all the guests froze in place, the storyteller’s mouth still comically agape, the half-poured wine from the innkeeper solidified in midair, and the serving staff froze in their positions.
“…”
Gong Wei blinked, slowly coming back to his senses from the initial daze, and his heart skipped a beat as he looked towards the source of the sound from earlier—
Across a thin bead curtain, in the adjacent elegant booth, a man sat alone, pouring himself a drink. At this moment, he withdrew his gaze from the bustling peach blossoms outside the window, and a long, powerful hand remained on the goblet in front of him.
Gong Wei widened his pupils silently.
—He saw the man lift the goblet and drain it in one gulp, then stood up. Finally, the disguise spell faded from his face, revealing the calm and tranquil features.
It was Xu Shuangce.
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