“Junior pays respect to Pavilion Master Yu.” Nan Feng came out of the hall. He arranged for two disciples to carry away Sect Master Pao who had fainted on the ground, and bowed to Yu Jing as a junior.
“Sect Master Pao, what is this…” Yu Jing glanced at the Sect Master of Shenji School who was being carried away.
“Just now, Sect Master Pao and Sect Master Qiu sparred, and Sect Master Pao unfortunately lost.” Nan Feng bowed again. “The sect masters are all discussing and resting in the inner hall. Pavilion Master Yu, please.”
His demeanor was courteous, but his attitude towards Wangshu Pavilion was one of aloof indifference.
However, Yu Jing didn’t care, and neither did Jiu Hui. Only Zhi You gave him an extra glance.
Noticing Zhi You’s gaze, Nan Feng nodded at him. Although he didn’t say a word, he already fully displayed the demeanor and arrogance of a disciple from a major sect.
Yu Jing understood that Nan Feng meant to let her enter the inner hall alone, so she turned to Jiu Hui and Zhi You and said, “I’ll go to the inner hall first. You two take care of yourselves.”
“Rest assured, Pavilion Master Yu, our sect disciples are guarding every corner of the sect, so it’s very safe.” Nan Feng said to Jiu Hui and Zhi You, “Please feel free to do as you wish, fellow Daoists. If you’re tired, you can also rest in the guest house.”
“Thank you.” Jiu Hui smiled. “And please don’t worry, Master. Zhi You and I will stay in the sect obediently.”
Nan Feng said no more. As a natural-born son of heaven, he had never paid attention to these mediocre cultivators.
The path of immortality was long and arduous. One would encounter countless people in their lifetime. Why waste energy on those who were destined to be strangers?
Nan Feng left with Yu Jing, and Jiu Hui turned to look at Zhi You. “Master is still a little worried about you.”
“Why?” Zhi You was puzzled. What was there about him that made people uneasy?
Jiu Hui patted the small mirror hanging from her waist: “See this?”
Zhi You had noticed it long ago, but he had not asked why the mirror that had always hung from his master’s waist was now on Jiu Hui.
“This mirror is called the Moonlit Mirror. Master said that this mirror has absorbed a thousand years of the essence of heaven and earth, and can see through all disguises.” Jiu Hui held up the small mirror and looked at her own face, making a face at the mirror, and then moved the mirror in front of Zhi You’s face: “Master was afraid that you would be deceived, so she specially asked me to bring this mirror with me.”
Zhi You wanted to say something but stopped himself. He wanted to ask why she was worried about him, but he knew that Jiu Hui would out-argue him, so he chose to remain silent.
The Jiutian Sect was vast, with many disciples and many rules. The sect was further divided into core disciples, inner disciples, and outer disciples. These disciples wore similar styles of robes but in different colors, and the entire sect exuded an air of solemnity.
Walking on the bluestone road, Jiu Hui couldn’t help but wonder if Daoist Master Yin Ji and the demon cult enchantress’s passionate master-disciple love story was because he had been suppressed by the sect rules for too long?
As Jiu Hui passed by a building with green tiles and white walls, she detected a strong yao aura in the garden. Moreover, this yao aura was extremely chaotic, as if it were a mixture of countless yao beasts’ auras.
She stopped and walked around to the entrance of the garden, where she saw three characters carved on the moon gate leading into the garden: Hundred Beasts Garden.
Jiu Hui asked the disciple guarding the garden gate, “Excuse me, fellow Daoist, where is this place?”
“This is where our sect’s core disciples choose their mounts. If you’re curious, you can go in and have a look,” the gatekeeper explained. “The sect master has given orders that, with the exception of the Zhenyao* Prison, our esteemed guests are free to visit any of the other gardens.”
TN: Yao-Suppresion
“Thank you.” Jiu Hui stepped through the moon gate and entered the Hundred Beasts Garden, Zhi You following her in silence.
The Hundred Beasts Garden was beautifully renovated. There were all kinds of yao beasts in the garden, but they did not react when they saw Jiu Hui and Zhi You enter.
Passing through the garden, Jiu Hui saw a row of cages inside that had been sealed with restrictions. Each cage held a rarely seen ferocious beast.
Some of these ferocious beasts were still bleeding, while others lay motionless on the ground. The cages were covered with talismans, and any yao beast that tried to escape the cages would touch the talismans and let out a painful wail.
“Are these all evil yaos?” Jiu Hui asked the disciple guarding the inner garden.
“These are all yao beasts that the sect has subdued. The ones in the cages are still wild, so please be careful, fellow Daoist,” the disciple explained. “Yaos are naturally evil. Even if they haven’t done anything wrong now, it doesn’t mean they won’t in the future.”
“The evil-doing yaos have already been imprisoned in the Zhenyao Prison, and the yao beasts in this garden haven’t had the chance to do evil yet.” The disciple took out a few fruits and casually threw them into a cage. The little white deer that had been lying motionless in the cage hurriedly raised its neck and began to gobble up the fruits that didn’t look very fresh.
“The Sect Master is kind-hearted and spared their lives. Once they are tamed, they will become the mounts of the core disciples.” The disciple threw another piece of meat to another yao beast, but this yao beast didn’t move much. Only its slightly heaving belly proved that it was still alive.
Jiu Hui walked to the cage and reached her hand inside.
“Fellow Daoist, be careful!” The disciple was startled.carpreads.pages.dev
Little did she know that the motionless yao beast only wagged its tail, with no intention of harming Jiu Hui.
The blood and fur on the yao beast congealed together, turning into a hard, dark red mass. Its tail twitched, and it lifted its eyelid to glance at Jiu Hui, its wagging tail freezing instantly.
“When I was young, I once ran into a white tiger outside the village, and it stole my big drumstick.” Jiu Hui laughed. “This tiger looks a lot like that tiger.”
“You must be mistaken, young lady. This isn’t a white tiger, but a Bai Qi,” the disciple explained. “This type of yao beast is the offspring of a qiongqi and a white tiger. If you had encountered it as a child, I’m afraid it would have eaten you, not your drumstick.”
“Fellow Daoist is right.” Jiu Hui stood up and thanked the disciple, “Thank you, Fellow Daoist. This is where your sect’s disciples choose their mounts. We shouldn’t stay long. Farewell.”
“Farewell.” The disciple saw Jiu Hui and Zhi You to the door before turning around and heading back into the garden.
Pat, pat, pat.
Pat, pat, pat.
Jiu Hui kicked a pebble forward as she walked. This place was remote, and there was no one else around except for her and Zhi You. The sound of the pebble bouncing on the bluestone road was particularly noticeable.
Zhi You looked at the small stone without saying a word.
Until the two of them walked to a secluded corner, they heard someone talking.
“Fellow Daoist Luo Kui, is there something wrong with this pill recipe?”
“No problem.”
“Thank you, fellow Daoist. Last time, you saved me, and I haven’t had the chance to thank you. I don’t know…”
“Senior Sister Luo Kui.”
Hearing a sweet and tender voice calling her, Luo Kui couldn’t help but turn around. After seeing who it was, a smile appeared on her face.
A few hours ago, Jiu Hui’s face was covered in blood, but now she was dressed neatly and cleanly, holding a small mirror in her hand, her eyes full of surprise at seeing her reflection.
“It really is my elder sister.” Jiu Hui put away the Moonlit Mirror, took three steps at a time to Luo Kui’s side, hugged her arm, and said warmly, “I didn’t expect to reunite with my elder sister so soon. We are truly fated.”
“Miss Jiu Hui.” Luo Kui was delighted to see that Jiu Hui had recovered her vitality and her complexion was rosy and radiant. “Are you feeling better now?”
“Fortunately, we’re all fine thanks to the elixirs that my sister gave us.” Jiu Hui held Luo Kui’s arm tightly, looking at the man in the green robe with an innocent and charming expression. “May I ask who this fellow Daoist is?”
“He is Zhu Yan, the head disciple of Wanhuo Sect.” Interrupted by Jiu Hui, Luo Kui also forgot to continue talking to Zhu Yan, but instead checked Jiu Hui’s pulse once, and only felt completely relieved after confirming that she was completely fine: “It’s good that you’re okay.”
“Fellow Daoist Luo Kui.” Zhu Yan hadn’t expected to run into anyone in such a remote place. He took a bottle of pills out of his pocket. “I refined these pills according to the recipe. Could you please take a look and tell me if there’s anything wrong with them?”
“Sister, can you also guide me on how to refine pills?” Jiu Hui’s eyes lit up. She took out a bottle of medicine from her sleeve. “I refined this a few days ago following the sect elder. Sister, can you also take a look at it for me and see if it’s good or not, sister~”
She looked at Luo Kui pitifully, her watery eyes blinking and blinking, making it hard for people to look away. Luo Kui had long forgotten that Zhu Yan had spoken first, and she involuntarily took the pill bottle from Jiu Hui’s hand: “Okay.”
“Would Daoist Zhu mind if I ask my sister to guide me in refining the pill first?” Jiu Hui glanced at Zhu Yan, whose smile had stiffened. She timidly took the pill back from Luo Kui. “I was so happy to see my sister that I momentarily forgot my manners…”
“I’m also delighted to see you. How could this be considered rude?” Luo Kui had always been kind to others. When she saw a beautiful and pitiful little girl looking at her timidly, appearing very dependent, her heart had long since softened like a pool of spring water. “Zhu Yan is a cultivator who is over two hundred years old. How could he possibly be angry with a little girl who is only a dozen or so years old? It’s fine. Give me the medicinal pills.”
“Then shall we return to your courtyard first?” Jiu Hui glanced around. “This place is remote, there’s nowhere to sit or lie down, and there’s no tea, fruit, or snacks. I can’t bear to see you suffer, sister. Fellow Daoist Zhu Yan, why don’t you come with us to the guest house?”
As she spoke, she coquettishly pulled Luo Kui and walked quickly outside: “The Jiutian Sect is such a big place, why did you come here, Sister?”
“I just happened to meet fellow Daoist Zhu Yan and we chatted about old times. Before I knew it, we had walked to this remote place.” Luo Kui let Jiu Hui pull her by the sleeve, and as she quickened her pace, she glanced at Zhi You, who had been following them without saying a word, and smiled. “Is this your senior brother?”
“Hmm…” Jiu Hui quickened her pace. “We became disciples at the same time. I wonder who’s senior one.”
“Oh my.” Jiu Hui looked at Zhu Yan who had followed her and pointed at the corner of the wall. “Fellow Daoist Zhu Yan, look. Isn’t that the Hundred-Step Resurrection Herb?”
“Where?” Zhu Yan turned his head to look at the grass in the corner.
“Oh, it’s in that patch of grass. Sister, look at him. He has no passion for pursuing herbs. How can he refine pills well?” Jiu Hui whispered, “He has the chance to see such precious herbs, but he’s not willing to walk over and take a look.”
“You have the spirit of pursuit, why don’t you go and see?” Zhu Yan gritted his teeth.
“Because I couldn’t bear to leave my sister.” Jiu Hui timidly leaned her head on Luo Kui’s shoulder. “Sister Luo Kui, Daoist Friend Zhu Yan’s face is so ugly. Is he angry with me?”
Zhu Yan took a deep breath and said with a smile, “Miss, you misunderstand me. How could I be angry with a little girl?” After speaking, he turned and walked towards the grass in the corner. He carefully searched through the grass, but there was nothing inside. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he stared at Jiu Hui.
“Let’s go!” Jiu Hui grabbed Luo Kui’s waist and flew out of the secluded corner with Zhi You.
“Zhu Yan” saw them preparing to escape, took out a golden flying shuttle and threw it at Luo Kui, aiming straight for her dantian.
“Ruyi, go!” Jiu Hui pulled out her jade hairpin and stopped the golden flying shuttle, then took out a golden feather and swiped it in the air.
The golden feather transformed into a golden bird in the air. The golden bird opened its mouth and let out a heart-wrenching cry.
“Help ——”
Author’s Note:
Little Garlic Chive: What evil intentions could a little garlic chive have? The little garlic chive was just so happy to see its sister that it didn’t want to let go of her. It didn’t mean to monopolize her. Young Master wouldn’t mind, would he?
Zhi You: Another day of free silence.