“An auspicious star has fallen, and a baleful star has appeared. The world… is in danger.” Elder Bai was filled with despair. “The world is in danger.”
The ten sect masters all had solemn expressions, and none of them spoke.
“Look!” a sect master suddenly said, “A new star has appeared beside the Divine Evil!”
“That’s…” Elder Bai repeatedly pinched his fingers to calculate, unable to believe it. “How is it possible? How is it possible?”
“That’s the Moon’s Favor star.” Elder Hei sneered. “The stars are in chaos. The Moon’s Favor star isn’t in the southeast; instead, it’s next to the Divine Evil star. I think you all should stop looking at the stars and the secrets of heaven. Heaven wants to destroy all living beings. Do you really think it’ll give you any revelations?”
“The appearance of Moon’s Favor indicates the arrival of a noble person, a sign of good fortune that turns misfortune into blessing…”
“The stars have shifted, and a lucky star accompanies the Divine Evil. How can you be so sure that it’s a benefactor for the world and not for the Divine Evil?” Elder Hei deliberately said something unpleasant. “It’s already a disaster that the heavens have brought down a calamity. If there’s a benefactor helping the Divine Evil, it’ll be like adding wings to a tiger, destroying everything in its path. The people of the world will die even faster.”
Everyone: “…“carpreads.pages.dev
If you couldn’t say something nice, you didn’t have to say anything at all.
“You all used every means at your disposal to bring peace to the world for five hundred years, but now you want to repeat your old tricks. I’m afraid it won’t be easy.” Elder Hei flicked his sleeve. “I have no more ideas. I’ll take my leave first.”
After saying that, without waiting to see how the others would react, he transformed into a wisp of green smoke and vanished on the spot.
No one spoke, and after racking their brains to no avail, they could only leave with their minds elsewhere.
“Qiu Hua…”
“Sect Master Bu, not just anyone can utter my name.” Qiu Hua looked at the well-dressed Bu Ting and felt nothing but disgust. “We have nothing to say to each other. Every second I look at you makes me sick.”
After saying this, she flew away without looking at Bu Ting again.
“Master.” Nan Feng covered his face and walked up to Bu Ting. “Your disciple is incompetent.”
“It’s not your fault.” Bu Ting took out a bottle of healing medicine and handed it to Nan Feng. “You’ve suffered.”
Nan Feng thanked him and put the medicine away. Then he said with some guilt, “The woman who injured the Dharma Protector of the Demon Cult has not been found yet. Should we continue searching?”
“Forget it.” Bu Ting was not too concerned about this matter. “Since there’s no fate with my Jiutian Sect, there is no need to force it. After you go back, rest well. In three months, it will be your Sect Uncle Yin Ji’s Body Integration* Grand Ceremony. At that time, all the major sects will come to celebrate. As the sect’s head disciple, you must put in a lot of effort.”
TN: just want to note author did not provide a list of cultivation stages but it really doesn’t matter for the plot, if you’re familiar with other cultivation stories, this is the 合体 stage.
“Yes, Master.”
Bu Ting sighed inwardly. If the demon hadn’t caused trouble in Wenxian City and implicated Yin Ji, the Jiutian Sect wouldn’t have wanted people to know so soon that Yin Ji had broken through the Divine Transformation stage and entered the Body Integration stage of cultivation.
-—–
The second day after Jiu Hui joined Wangshu Pavilion, she overslept because she was stargazing at night. When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
She looked at the small island in the distance, took out the paper boat that her elders had folded for her, and prepared to throw it into the lake. When it met water, it would transform into a boat, and she would row over.
“Which island are you headed to?” A giant hawksbill turtle suddenly emerged from the lake, its mung bean-like eyes sizing up Jiu Hui. “You must be new. I haven’t seen a new face here in decades.”
“Senior Turtle, my name is Jiu Hui.” Jiu Hui crouched on the shore, approaching the hawksbill turtle. “Are you also a member of Wangshu Pavilion?”
“You can call me Prime Minister Wu.” The hawksbill turtle shook its head. “I’m no ordinary turtle. My ancestors served as prime ministers to the Dragon King. Seven hundred years ago, your founding ancestor begged me to return and help him guard the sect. Seeing his sincerity, I reluctantly agreed. Otherwise, why would I, a turtle renowned in the ocean, suffer in this tiny freshwater lake?”
“Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.” After bragging about his past, Prime Minister Wu flapped his limbs in the water, revealing his enormous turtle back. “Get on.”
“Thank you, Prime Minister Wu. Please take me to Elder Chang’s Wanfu Residence.” Jiu Hui lightly jumped onto Prime Minister Wu’s back. “I wonder if you’ve seen any boy around my age?”
“I didn’t see anyone else, but I did see a white figure dash past my head an hour ago. I didn’t even have time to say a word.” Prime Minister Wu slowly paddled in the water. “Was that a new person too?”
“It’s possible.” Jiu Hui was a little uncertain, because she didn’t know how fast Zhi You could fly.
Prime Minister Wu didn’t care. He continued to tell Jiu Hui about his past when he dominated one side of the ocean.
“Those so-called dragon insects and fish monsters would kowtow and bow upon seeing me, trembling with fear.” Minister Wu flicked his tail. “However, this minister has grown tired of those days of being a king and ruling over others. Living a life of leisure in this lake is also a way to get by.”
“Prime Minister Wu, are there still Dragon Kings in the sea now?”
“Ten thousand years ago, there were some, but unfortunately, I was born at the wrong time. ” Prime Minister Wu changed the subject and began to talk about his glorious deeds when he first opened his spiritual intelligence and beat a whale with a foul mouth to its knees, begging for mercy.
Jiu Hui listened with great interest, and from time to time, she would ask a few questions, which made Prime Minister Wu speak with increasing enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, the story was not finished when it sent Jiu Hui to Wanfu Residence. It said with some regret, “When you want to go back, come to the water’s edge and call me, and I will take you back.”
“Thank you, Prime Minister Wu.” Jiu Hui jumped ashore and waved at Prime Minister Wu. “Don’t forget to continue telling me the story about beating up the foul-mouthed whale later.”
“Very well, very well, it’s a deal.” Minister Wu nodded with glee, and only when he saw Elder Chang approaching did he slowly submerge himself into the lake.
“You’re here so early?” Elder Chang yawned and glanced at the lake. “Listen to that old turtle’s words, but don’t believe them. The only thing that’s true is that it used to live in the sea. Don’t believe anything else.”
Jiu Hui glanced at the bright sun and chuckled at Elder Chang.
Elder Chang took out a mirror and looked at his face. He was in a good mood after waking up naturally: “Follow me. Next time you come to my place, it’s not too late to come after noon.”
The two of them walked to the inner courtyard and turned around the gate: “Zhi You didn’t come with you…”
His voice paused, and his gaze turned towards the inner courtyard.
By the stone table beneath the flowering trees in the inner courtyard, Zhi You sat quietly flipping through a scroll, having been there for an unknown amount of time.
Upon hearing Elder Chang’s voice, Zhi You put down his book and bowed to him. “Greetings, Sect Uncle.”
“No need to stand on ceremony. Sit down, both of you.” Inviting the two to sit down, Elder Chang straightened his robes and sat down in the main seat. “I see that you both have cultivation, so you don’t need to learn the introductory Qi-Guiding technique anymore. Over the years, I’ve mainly cultivated magic techniques, sound attacks, and the Art of Escaping. Which one would you like to learn first?”
Jiu Hui looked at Zhi You, who said, “It’s up to you, Master Uncle.”
“Jiu Hui, what about you?” Elder Chang asked Jiu Hui.
“Art of Escaping,” Jiu Hui said. “If you can’t beat them, run away. Learning the Art of Escaping is definitely the right choice.”
“Alright, I’ll teach you the Art of Escaping first.” Elder Chang nodded in satisfaction, then sighed with some regret. Jiu Hui was a child after his own heart, even her reason for choosing the Art of Escaping was the same as his. It was just a pity that she was too good-looking, otherwise he would have definitely taken her as his disciple.
What a pity, what a pity.
“There are more than one Art of Escaping, I will teach you one of them first.” Elder Chang handed the two a piece of paper with a mantra written on it: “Memorize this mantra first, I will teach you how to use it in half an hour.”
As soon as Elder Chang left, Jiu Hui took out two plates of snacks from her storage ring and gave one to Zhi You. “When did you arrive?”
“Two hours ago.” Zhi You looked at the snacks in front of him, but didn’t touch them.
“So early?! You didn’t sleep much last night, aren’t you tired?” Jiu Hui nibbled on some snacks while reciting the mantra, and still had time to ask if Zhi You had eaten breakfast.
“Cultivation… isn’t it all about rising with the sun and regulating one’s breath at sunset?” Zhi You was puzzled. “Why so early? Moreover, cultivators don’t need to sleep.”
“Who said that nonsense?!” Jiu Hui hurriedly swallowed her snack, pounded her chest twice, and drank half a cup of tea before she stopped choking. “Of course people should sleep when they want to sleep and eat when they want to eat. If you have to study at daybreak and meditate at nightfall, and every day is the same, then what’s the difference between living a hundred years and living a day?”
“Only the stones on the side of the road remain unchanged day after day. Even flowers and plants sway with the wind, bloom, and bear fruit,” Jiu Hui clicked her tongue and shook her head. “You’re still young, you can’t live more rigidly than a stone. How boring would that be?”
“For example, we can sneak some snacks while Sect Uncle is away.”
“Why do we have to sneak?”
“Because it’s more delicious to eat it secretly.” Jiu Hui was smug. “When I was little, my elders taught me how to write. I secretly ate snacks and ended up knocking over the inkstone.”
“What happened next?”
“Later, Uncle Liu chased me for two li.” Jiu Hui was proud of herself. “But I ran fast, so he didn’t catch me.”
Zhi You: “…”
It turned out that being chased by an elder for stealing food was an interesting thing?
He hesitated for a moment, reached out for the snack, and just as he brought it to his mouth, Elder Chang returned.
Elder Chang’s gaze fell on his hand. He silently put down the snack and silently looked at Jiu Hui.
Jiu Hui had nothing on her desk, and she was reciting the mantra with a serious face.
Zhi You: ?
After Elder Chang finished teaching, Zhi You put away the books on the table and got up to walk to the outer courtyard. Jiu Hui followed behind him, feeling guilty and ashamed. They walked all the way to the shore, but Zhi You didn’t say a word.
“Are you mad?” Jiu Hui walked over to him and cautiously peeked at his expression.
“No.” Zhi You’s expression was calm as he put the book away in his storage ring and flew away with a push of his toes.
“Did you two have a fight?!” Prime Minister Wu swam over from the water with a splash. “Tell me about it, tell me about it.”
Jiu Hui jumped onto Prime Minister Wu’s back: “Prime Minister Wu, tell me the story about the battle with the foul-mouthed whale again.”
Little did she know that Zhi You was so honest that he didn’t even put away the snacks when he saw Sect Uncle Chang.
As night fell and the sky filled with stars, Jiu Hui clung to the flower fence. Seeing that the lights were still on in Zhi You’s courtyard, she hopped over the fence and arrived at the courtyard gate. “Zhi You, Zhi You, are you asleep?”
She waited for a moment, and when she saw that Zhi You didn’t open the door for her, she sighed.
It seemed that Zhi You wouldn’t tell her about the stars today.
She took two steps down the stairs, and the door opened. Zhi You was standing in the doorway looking at her.
“I’m sorry, please don’t be mad. I really didn’t do it on purpose. Next time, I’ll teach you how to hide the snacks before Sect Uncle comes.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands in a salute to Zhi You. “I’m really good at hiding snacks. Trust me.”
“I’m not angry.” Zhi You walked out of the courtyard and closed the door. “Let’s go.”
“Where to?” Jiu Hui hadn’t reacted yet.
“I promised you last night that I would accompany you to watch the stars for another night.” Zhi You looked up at the night sky. The Moon’s Favor star and the Divine Evil star were closer.
Jiu Hui quickly handed him a food box.
“What is this?” Zhi You did not take it.
“The crispy fried fish was sent by Prime Minister Wu. He caught the seafood today, and I had the puppets make it. It’s especially delicious.” Jiu Hui stuffed the food box into Zhi You’s arms and clasped her hands together. “Please don’t be mad anymore.”
“I’m really not angry.” Zhi You held the food box and looked at Jiu Hui, explaining earnestly, “I’ve never been angry.”
He didn’t even know what it was like to be angry.
Author’s Note:
Little Garlic Chive: It’s fine, it’s not important. There will be many more things to be angry about in the future.