Chapter 3
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Half a day later, at the foot of Cangyang Mountain.
A young cultivator dressed in blue, carrying an ancient qin on his back, wandered by the roadside for a long time, constantly looking down the mountain. Finally, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance and called out, “Yuanju!”
Yuchi Xiao quickly stepped forward. “Yunfei? Didn’t I tell you to wait for news in Linjiang City? Why did you come all the way here yourself?”
The newcomer was none other than Meng Yunfei, the good friend who had sent the letter requesting help several days ago. He had a handsome and refined appearance, similar in stature to Yuchi Xiao, but much more gentle and cultured. He replied candidly, “I couldn’t bear the anxiety and helplessness, so I decided to come and see the situation for myself.” Then he asked, “What did Cangyang Sect say?”
Yuchi Xiao shook his head and briefly recounted his encounter with Sect Master Xu on the mountain, saying with difficulty, “It’s the first time I’ve heard someone describe such a thing as ‘the natural way of Dao.'”
Meng Yunfei comforted him, “Sect Master Xu has a temperament that is different from ordinary people, everyone in the world knows that. Moreover, ever since the death of Grand Elder Gong sixteen years ago, the Sword Sect has been in conflict with Cangyang Mountain. It’s normal for them not to welcome you. Did Young Master Xiang agree to help?”
Yuchi Xiao was about to answer when he suddenly felt something and turned his head sharply.
—Not far from the mountain road, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy was sitting cross-legged on a tree, his face pale, with dark circles under his eyes, carrying a large floral-patterned bundle on his shoulder, cracking melon seeds while gazing quietly at the two of them.
Yuchi Xiao exclaimed, “Why did you pack up so quickly?!”
Of course, he had to be fast. Who wouldn’t run fast after seeing Xu Shuangce!
Gong Wei had declined the kind offer of the elders to send someone to protect him, filled with hot blood to rid the people of harm. He firmly expressed his trust in Yuchi Xiao and quickly packed up his luggage and fled decisively. Before leaving, he was forcibly stuffed with countless snacks by his senior martial sisters. Even the large round bundle that was half his height didn’t delay his frantic pace.
He wasn’t afraid of being recognized and killed by Xu Shuangce again, but Xiang Xiaoyuan was innocent. What if he damaged this body, what would the little demon use later?
“Is this Young Master Xiang?” Meng Yunfei saw Gong Wei and was stunned for a moment, a slight blush appearing on his handsome face.
Yuchi Xiao sneakily observed his reaction and said coldly, with a hint of teasing, “If you see a little fool running around with someone, unable to shake him off, then it must be him. Do you even need to ask?”
Meng Yunfei disapproved, “Yuanju! How can you say that!”
In his past life, Gong Wei had been at odds with Xu Shuangce, especially in the last four years before his death, they were in opposition. At that time, Xu Shuangce had a widely circulated harsh evaluation of Gong Wei, saying that he enjoyed playing with people’s hearts, which was why his heart was not upright.
But this was actually a misunderstanding. Gong Wei’s understanding of human nature was limited, let alone having the ability to manipulate it—he mainly relied on guessing and observation to perceive subtle emotional changes in others. For example, now he had dark circles under his eyes, and after glancing back and forth between Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei for a moment, he suddenly understood the surging undercurrents in the air.
When Yuchi Xiao despised Xiang Xiaoyuan earlier, saying he had someone in his heart, it might not have been entirely an excuse.
But it didn’t matter to him anymore. This brat Yuchi Xiao was destined to pay the price for his arrogance.
After finishing the last melon seed, Gong Wei clapped his hands and jumped down from the tree. Sure enough, when he landed, he stumbled under the weight of the huge bundle, almost falling, and Meng Yunfei hurriedly supported him. “Be careful!”
“Xiang Xiaoyuan” was too young, and Meng Yunfei, as a martial artist, could hold his entire elbow with one hand.
No matter when or where, Gong Wei could immediately enter a state with just a blink of an eye. He raised his eyes in this posture and smiled slightly after a moment, then said cautiously, “I don’t have a sword.”
Meng Yunfei was taken aback, “You…”
“I am inhuman, I can’t cultivate a golden core, I don’t have a sword.” Gong Wei looked at him with a tilted head, seeming so innocent that he didn’t even understand the meaning of being inhuman. Then he asked, “Can you take me with you on your sword?”
Yuchi Xiao felt like he had been struck by lightning and immediately strongly opposed, “How can that be allowed?! Linjiang City is far away, and Yunfei’s sword can’t carry two people. You come here!”
Gong Wei immediately hid behind Meng Yunfei, only revealing two eyes to peek at him. Meng Yunfei could only say, “Alright, Yuanju, Young Master Xiang is still small, don’t scare him.”
Yuchi Xiao was simply wronged. “I’m scaring him? Do you know how good he is at pretending? When he was in the Cangyang Sect, he clearly—”
Meng Yunfei turned his head, and “Xiang Xiaoyuan’s” eyes quickly turned red at the corners, blinked, and tears welled up and streamed down.
“…”
“…”
Meng Yunfei said, “Alright, Yuanju, stay away from the Young Master Xiang. That’s final.”
Yuchi Xiao, “What?!”
Gong Wei looked up at Meng Yunfei, his eyes moist with tears, and then looked at Yuchi Xiao with a hint of fear and innocence.
In that instant, Yuchi Xiao clearly saw him mouth the words:
“Hehe.”
Yuchi Xiao’s hair was about to stand up, he grabbed Meng Yunfei’s sleeve and exclaimed, “Look! Look!! Look at the way he looks at me, just look!!”
Meng Yunfei shook himself free, feeling overwhelmed, “I’m not looking! You’re not allowed to talk anymore, let’s go!”
With three people and two swords, they flew with the wind, covering thousands of miles in half a day. Gong Wei comfortably wrapped himself in Meng Yunfei’s cloak, somehow producing a bag of melon seeds from somewhere and started cracking them. He asked aloud, “Senior Meng, you mentioned earlier about the enmity between the Sword Sect and Xu Shuang… our Sect Master Xu. What happened?”
Meng Yunfei, perhaps because he was a qin cultivator and not as sharp-edged as a sword cultivator, had a mild demeanor like an elder brother next door. He held the back collar of the cloak to prevent Gong Wei from falling, and smiled, “You don’t know such a big thing? Well, you were just born not long ago. Do you know the Immortal Alliance’s ‘One Men Two Zun Three Zong’ Immortal Venerable Law Flower, Grand Elder?”
Gong Wei excitedly said, “Of course I know, our Sect Master hated him!”
Xu Shuangce, in fact, had nothing to do with any emotions like “love,” “hate,” “joy,” “sadness,” or “jealousy.” Many years ago, he had turned himself into a cold, abstract spiritual symbol.
Meng Yunfei smiled but didn’t correct him, “Maybe! Anyway, sixteen years ago, something unexpected happened, and the Grand Elder passed away. A few days after his passing, representatives from the Sword Sect came all the way from Yejinmen to Cangyang Mountain. Finding Sect Master Xu unresponsive, they chopped the sect’s stone tablet at the mountain gate into pieces with a sword—the stone tablet you have now was re-engraved later.”
Gong Wei had a melon seed in his mouth but didn’t crack it. He fell silent for a moment.
Perhaps because of the wind, his clear voice became somewhat solemn, “….And then? How did Sect Master Xu retaliate?”
The mountain gate stone tablet represented the sect’s prestige. This grudge had lasted for more than ten years, and it depended on whether Sect Master Xu was a magnanimous person. But Sect Master Xu was never one.
Meng Yunfei was about to answer when Yuchi Xiao flew over from a distance and almost shouted into his ear, “Don’t talk to this kid!” Then he bent down and roared at Gong Wei, “Don’t you dare corrupt Yunfei! Yunfei is an honest man!!”
Meng Yunfei exclaimed, “What’s wrong Young Master Xiang? Wake up, Young Master Xiang!—It seems like you scared him unconscious! Yuanju!!”
***
The three of them arrived in Linjiang City in the evening. Contrary to its usual prosperous and elegant atmosphere, the brothels and pleasure boats were desolate, the wealthy households were all closed, and even the grand Linjiang Palace had its central gates locked. The various cultivators remaining in the city had already gathered in the front hall of the palace, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Master Yuchi and Young Master Meng. When they landed with their swords, they were swarmed by everyone, who eagerly shared the situation in the city over the past half-day.
Naturally, the brothels dared not open their doors, the top courtesans were nervous, and each household hurriedly prepared to besiege the sects of cultivators. The streets were filled with the sounds of jewels and jade, making the young cultivators blush whenever they stepped outside. Wealthier families, informed of the danger, knew that the greatest casualties would be among the immortal maidens, so they dared not rely on these useless cultivators and had already sent their female relatives and handsome young men out of the city.
Even the Linjiang Palace was in turmoil, claiming that Wangye was unwell and had closed its doors to visitors since the afternoon.
Meng Yunfei raised an eyebrow and turned to a young man in his twenties in a crimson robe in the hall, teasing, “Wangye, are you feeling unwell?”
The Linjiang Prince was indeed talented and had an extremely good demeanor, but he smiled bitterly at the moment, “Two immortal masters, I was in a hurry before and promised to vacate the house for the girl to be handed over to the immortals. But today, the imperial decree has arrived with harsh words, and there is already much discontent. Immortal masters, you said you wanted to lure that powerful evil spirit here and then capture it, but if by any chance, by any chance…”
Yuchi Xiao didn’t have Meng Yunfei’s good temper. He asked bluntly, “Wangye, did you change your mind because Sect Master Xu didn’t come in person?”
The Linjiang Prince smiled bitterly again, “Immortal master, did you have to make me say it out loud?”
Sect Master Xu was the top figure in the world, unshakeable in authority. Many years ago, the late emperor had paid a visit to Cangyang Mountain and conferred upon him the title of National Teacher from afar. Although Xu Shuangce had coldly refused, his fame had spread far into the royal family. The Linjiang Prince dared to give the entire palace to Xu Shuangce to exterminate the demons, but he might not dare to act like that against Yuchi Xiao, which was understandable.
Gong Wei had been standing with his hands behind his back by the window since entering the palace, observing the just-bloomed white egret in the jade basin. At the mention of this, he couldn’t help but smile.
He didn’t know how strong Young Master Meng was, but Yuchi Xiao’s six golden rings on his arm were not fake. In terms of proficiency in demon slaying, he might not be inferior to the young Sword Sect Master. The Linjiang Prince obviously didn’t know much about the internal affairs of the sect, unaware that if they let Yuchi Xiao go today, they would have to invite grandmasters of the level of the Three Sects and Four Saints to come out in the future—but these people wouldn’t easily listen to him.
Yuchi Xiao closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, visibly suppressing his anger, “It’s past the hour of the Rooster, and it’s about to get dark. Eight people died last night. If we don’t resolve this tonight, it might be ten, twelve, or even twenty deaths. Wangye, you understand this, right?”
The Linjiang Prince sincerely said, “Immortal masters, don’t worry. There have been many deaths in other places these past two days as well. I’ll personally lead the way and escort you there. Please.”
Yuchi Xiao said, “I told Wangye that the place where the evil spirit first harmed people has the heaviest blood aura and is the most likely place for it to appear again. Wangye understands this, right?”
The Linjiang Prince said, “Understood, understood. I’ll quickly move all the female members of my family to another estate tonight. Immortal masters, do you want to go to other places where people have died first?”
Yuchi Xiao’s anger was about to burst, “When dealing with evil spirits, it’s crucial to strike accurately and avoid dragging things out. Otherwise, if it turns into a demonic problem for a hundred years, does Wangye need me to explain further?”
The Linjiang Prince poured a cup of tea himself, “Immortal masters are truly knowledgeable. Here, have some tea. Or perhaps, shall we go to other places where people have died—”
“Your Highness,” Gong Wei said with a smile.
His voice was light and gentle, like a lingering dream in the ear.
The noise in the room seemed to quiet down at once, and Gong Wei turned his head away from the basin of white egret orchids, gazing tenderly at the Linjiang Prince.
“Wangye raises beautiful orchids. I’m hungry. Can I have some?”
—No one noticed a hint of crimson in the depths of his right eye, like peach blossoms falling from the branches in early spring, disappearing without a trace.
Everyone in the room stared blankly at Gong Wei, their expressions frozen as if time had stopped. After what seemed like a long time, a gentle inhale was heard from all directions.
“…… Eat… eat what?” The Linjiang Prince seemed to be in a dreamlike state, staring fixedly at Gong Wei’s eyes and subconsciously repeating, “Can… can you eat?”
Gong Wei said, “Of course.” He picked a white egret orchid from the branch, tore off half of its snow-white petals, and leisurely ate it. Then he smiled, “Wangye, I’m tired. Can I sleep in the room where someone died in your house tonight?”
The Linjiang Prince couldn’t blink his eyes away from him, his gaze fixed, stuttering repeatedly, “Okay… okay, I’ll take you there, I’ll… I’ll take you there.”
Gong Wei’s eyes narrowed.
Even his smile didn’t seem out of place on Xiang Xiaoyuan’s face. He smiled and ate the remaining half of the flower, saying, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
The Linjiang Prince couldn’t take his eyes off “Xiang Xiaoyuan” all the way. He personally led the distinguished cultivators into the courtyard where the girl had been hanged, chatting and entertaining them repeatedly, until the sky completely darkened and Yuchi Xiao had to speak up to send them away. Only then did the young Wangye seem to wake up from a dream and bid farewell reluctantly.
Yuchi Xiao waved his hand to dismiss the disciples from the room, then blurted out as soon as they left, “Did you just use enchantment on him?”
The magnificent room still maintained the scene from the time of the incident, with white silk hanging from the beams, overturned stools on the floor, and scattered jewels and jade everywhere, with a few drops of dark red blood on the thick Persian carpet. Gong Wei was wandering around the room, and at the words, he raised his eyebrows, turned around abruptly, and looked at him with an innocent and surprised expression, “Yuchi Xiao, why would you say that? I’m non-human, using non-human tricks isn’t wrong, is it?”
Meng Yunfei, who was sitting aside, finally couldn’t bear it anymore and closed his book with a clap, “Young Master Xiang, you’re just like us, all human. Don’t take those derogatory words to heart. Who told you that you’re not human?”
Yuchi Xiao: “…”
Gong Wei: “…”
Gong Wei rubbed his slightly red nose and said softly, “No, no one.”
Meng Yunfei asked suspiciously, “Really? Young Master Xiang, rest assured, there are only three of us here. If anyone has been disrespectful to you, Yuanju and I will definitely…”
Yuchi Xiao: “Yunfei, it’s time! You go outside and guard the formation, and I’ll guard the room. Remember not to lose focus!”
Meng Yunfei was confused, slapped out of the room by Yuchi Xiao, and the door was closed with a bang. Suddenly, only Gong Wei’s voice was heard, “Puchi—”
“You, Xiang Xiaoyuan!”
Gong Wei supported his forehead with one hand, smiling, “What’s the matter, Young Hero Yuchi? Young Master Xiang being non-human, aren’t those words you said personally when you cancelled the engagement?”
“……”
Yuchi Xiao took a deep breath, meditated for a moment, and then admonished himself that as soon as things were over, he would immediately send this non-human… this annoying Cangyang Sect disciple back, and then he opened his eyes coldly and said, “It’s already past the hour of the Rooster. The fierce ghost could come at any moment. To prevent you from going crazy and harming yourself, I will seal your meridians so that you can’t move at all. Do you understand?”
Gong Wei’s smile didn’t fade, “No rush, no rush. I’m still a little hungry.” As he spoke, he plucked one by one the white egret orchids that the Linjiang Prince had just eagerly brought over, but before he could put them in his mouth, Yuchi Xiao slapped him on the back, and he fell to the bed with a cry, stiffening instantly.
Knock, knock, knock, a timid knock came from outside the door, “Young, Young Master Yuchi, the Linjiang Prince has sent two more pots of peonies and asked if Young Master Xiang would like to eat them?”
“He won’t eat them! Who eats these random things all day long!” Yuchi Xiao finally found an outlet for his pent-up anger, “Go back and guard the formation!”
The disciple scrambled away.
Gong Wei burst into laughter again, staring at the canopy above the bed and said, “Young Hero Yuchi, this isn’t good. Back then, the Sword Sect said that flowers, plants, and trees are all manifestations of the aura of heaven and earth, and eating them can absorb the essence of nature. You said I’m not human, that’s fine, but the Sword Sect can’t be said that. After all, they’re your uncles.”
Yuchi Xiao sat in the room, practicing swordsmanship, and didn’t seem to want to respond from his expression, but he couldn’t help it, “There’s no such thing in the latter sentence.”
“What?”
“There’s no ‘eating to absorb the essence of nature’.” Yuchi Xiao said coldly, “The latter sentence was said by the former Grand Elder, to find a reason to eat the jasper peach blossoms from my family.”
Jasper peach blossoms?
Gong Wei softly exclaimed, wondering if that was really the case, but when Yuchi Xiao was only a few years old at the time, was he present then?
That happened the year before his death. A sect presented the Yuchi family with a rare basin of jasper peach blossoms. Upon hearing about it, the leader of the Immortal Alliance, Ying Kai, was very interested and invited him and Xu Shuangce to admire it together. In fact, he wanted to use this opportunity to mediate between the two. At that time, their conflicts weren’t as sharp — at least not in the eyes of others. Ying Kai took this opportunity to earnestly persuade them to resolve their differences peacefully, saying, “You don’t really have deep-seated hatred against each other, so why do you constantly oppose each other? Why let the other sects laugh at you?”
Gong Wei wasn’t interested in Ying Kai’s old tune, but he was drooling over the jasper peach blossoms. He had loved eating flowers since he was young, and despite Ying Kai’s efforts to educate him, he only reluctantly changed his habits when he grew up, but when no one was around, he would often secretly indulge. The Cangyang Sect’s Yuchi Rui saw through this group of cronies long ago and warned that the jasper peach blossoms were a rare find, threatening to kill anyone who dared to steal them. When a servant girl came to serve tea, the basin of peach blossoms suddenly disappeared, leaving only bare branches. Yuchi Rui was about to grab Gong Wei and kill him when he heard a loud “thud!” as Xu Shuangce, who was sitting nearby, heavily put down his teacup.
Several enchanting jasper peach blossoms had unknowingly floated into the white porcelain cup, and one of them had already been drunk along with the tea, leaving no need to ask who did it.
The surroundings were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Xu Shuangce’s sharp, dark eyes stared at Gong Wei. After a long time, he moved his throat, swallowed the peach blossom in his mouth, and then got up and left.
That day, Yuchi Rui chased Gong Wei with a sword for two miles.
The so-called reconciliation turned out to be a farce. From that day on, the major northern sects, led by the Cangyang Sect, unanimously targeted Grand Elder Gong in the Immortal Alliance, and various frictions became increasingly heated, eventually leading to the tragedy at the Ascension Immortal Platform twenty-eight years later.
Yuchi Xiao remained silent for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking, then sighed, “There are no more peach blossoms in the world.”
Gong Wei didn’t understand, “What do you mean?”
“Before Grand Elder Gong died, peach blossoms bloomed across the world for an instant and withered the next day. Since then, there has never been a single peach blossom in this world, it’s been sixteen years now.” Yuchi Xiao said disdainfully, casting a contemptuous glance at him, “Do you know there used to be a fruit called a peach? Heh.”
“…”
Gong Wei stared blankly at the ceiling beam, wondering what was going on. Are there really no peach trees blooming in the world anymore? Could it be that the phenomenon of heaven and man is true? Even the heavens think it’s Xu Shuangce who should die and not me? Ah, no wonder all the fruit sold in the market along the way were plums and loquats… After thinking about it in such a mess, he suddenly realized something:
“Wait a minute, Young Hero Yuchi, what about the peach trees in front of Sect Master Xu’s house? You almost stabbed me there – sword.”
Yuchi Xiao: “I didn’t stab you! Please stop adding fuel to the fire in front of Yunfei! That’s the last peach blossom forest in the world, it blooms all year round!”
Gong Wei suddenly froze, his heart trembling violently.
If the flowers bloom all year round without withering, it must be maintained by spiritual power, and it never stops.
Originally, he thought Xu Shuangce would dig up that peach forest after he died.
The night wind blew gently outside the window, but the room was quiet. The two of them, one sitting and one lying down, each harbored different thoughts. After a long time, Yuchi Xiao sighed reluctantly, full of disapproval:
“It’s said that after Grand Elder Gong died, Sect Master Xu killed corpses in this forest, and the blood seeped into the peach blossoms. Alas, a generation of immortal masters, how could it come to this?”
Gong Wei: “…………”
Gong Wei struggled to turn his head, staring at Yuchi Xiao deeply, “Can you tell me more about how your Sword Sect shattered the Cangyang Mountain monument? I suddenly want to hear the details.”
Yuchi Xiao immediately glared down at him, a look of annoyance on his face. He was about to say that you, an outer disciple, still want to avenge Sect Master Xu, but suddenly the candle in the room flickered inexplicably twice.
Yuchi Xiao moved like lightning, pointing to the flame from a distance. At this moment, Gong Wei on the bed suddenly changed his expression, “Don’t move.”
These two words were like a hammer striking gold and jade, completely different from his usual tone. Yuchi Xiao’s eyebrows tightened immediately, “What’s wrong?”
“…”
Gong Wei’s gaze passed over his shoulder, his brows furrowing little by little as he whispered, “It seems like there’s someone behind you.”
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