“Did it thunder often?” Zhi You wanted to light the candles in the house, but Jiu Hui stopped him. “Don’t light them. I’m afraid that if we light the candles, the thunder will strike us, and then we’ll be really embarrassed.”
“Why?” Zhi You pushed the candle holder a little further away.
“I was born during a thunderstorm. Grandpa Bu, the fortune teller at the village entrance, said that I might be a black househould under the eyelids of fate.”
“What does ‘black household’ mean?”
The room was dark, and Jiu Hui’s laughter was full of joy: “It’s probably because the heavens didn’t allow me to be born, but I was born anyway, so Grandpa Bu calls me the ‘rebellious girl of destiny’.”
Zhi You turned his head to look in the direction of Jiu Hui, but he couldn’t see anything in the dark room.
“On New Year’s Eve, Lord Fuguang gave me a red lantern, which surprised me.” Jiu Hui took out two spirit fruits from her bosom and gave one to Zhi You. They munched on the spirit fruits in the darkness. “Lord Fuguang is known as the Son of Destiny, born with the spiritual energy to save the world. If he knew that I was called the rebellious girl of destiny by Grandpa Bu, he would probably regret giving me the lantern.”
“He won’t regret it.“carpreads.pages.dev
“You’re not Lord Fuguang, so how do you know he won’t regret it?” Jiu Hui coughed a few times, her voice sounding a little muffled. “The thunder outside seems to have gotten a little quieter?”
“Hmm.” Zhi You was silent for a moment. “Do you also believe in destiny?”
“Don’t believe it ah. Grandpa Bu’s fortune-telling is so accurate. He said I’m a girl who rebels against destiny. If I believe in destiny, wouldn’t that be denying my own birth?” Jiu Hui said righteously, “I only believe what benefits me.”
“If it’s not in your best interests…”
“Then go to hell!” Jiu Hui snorted. “Whoever believes it is an idiot.”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!” Jiu Hui clutched her chest and coughed violently. Zhi You wanted to use a magic technique to light up the room, but after recalling Jiu Hui’s words, he retracted his outstretched fingers and supported Jiu Hui’s shoulder. “Are you injured?”
“No big deal.” Jiu Hui took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth and poured half a bottle of Essence-Recovering pills into her mouth.
It was her fault for always being so unrestrained and pretending to be mysterious. When she crushed Chi Quan’s inner core, she was almost attacked by the backlash. Fortunately, the magic treasures given to her by her elders were numerous, and they helped her block the inner core’s counterattack. Otherwise, she would have had to crawl back from Zhenyao Prison after killing Chi Quan.
“Open your mouth.” Zhi You took advantage of the lightning to bring the glass bottle in his hand to Jiu Hui’s mouth. Before she could react, he poured everything into her mouth.
“Ah?” Jiu Hui smacked her lips. “You poured a bottle of moon essence into my mouth?”
The moon essence was faint, and Jiu Hui felt the moon essence quickly repairing her limbs and abdomen, and even her inner core and spiritual platform were nourished by the moon essence.
Yaos have inner cores but no spiritual platforms, while cultivators have spiritual platforms but no inner cores.
Jiu Hui was born a rebel, with a rebellious nature, so she had both a spiritual platform and an inner core.
“Are you feeling any better?” Zhi You gently patted her on the back.
“Not so good.” Jiu Hui clutched her chest. “Such a big bottle of moon essence, and you just poured it down my throat like that. It pains my heart.”
“Moon essence is precious, but it’s just an external object. I don’t feel bad giving it to you.” Zhi You comforted Jiu Hui. “I didn’t bring much when I left, but I still have over a hundred bottles of moon essence in the mountains. I’ll get them for you in a few days.”
“I’ve never left the mountain, so I don’t know what the outside world needs.” Zhi You got up and used the flickering lightning to help Jiu Hui make the bed. “You should lie down and rest.”
“I was just listening to your experience of leaving the mountain, why did you change the subject?” Jiu Hui curled up in the quilt, sticking her head out from the quilt: “You’ve grown up this big, but you’ve only left home once?”
“There was another time.” Zhi You tucked her quilt in, recalling something that happened a long time ago. “When I was five, I had a dream about a woman who said goodbye to me. She said she was my mother and came to see me in my dream before she died.”
His tone was extremely calm, as if he were telling someone else’s story: “She had a very simple bun, with a very rough peach wood hairpin in her hair. She wore a blue-green coarse cloth dress, her eyebrows were a little light, her eyes were very large, and there was a small mole on her left cheek, a faint red.”
He thought for a moment. “I don’t look much like her. She had a beautiful smile. When she reached out to hug me, I couldn’t feel her warmth. She felt empty and light, like a duckweed that could float away at any moment.”
Jiu Hui reached out from under the covers and gently tugged on his sleeve.
“I’ve drawn her portrait many times, but every time it doesn’t quite resemble the one in my dreams.” Zhi You’s tone remained the same. “Otherwise, I could show you what she looks like.”
“After waking up from my dream, I walked out of the house, wanting to see her.” Lightning flashed, and Zhi You looked out the window: “I walked for a long time, not knowing where to find her. Because no one had ever told me where I was born or who my mother was. The moon that night was full and bright, illuminating the path beneath my feet.”
“What happened next?” Jiu Hui tugged on Zhi You’s sleeve. “Did you find your mother?”
Zhi You shook his head slowly. “When I was climbing over a desolate mountain, I picked up a glowing blade of grass. It seemed to be able to understand my thoughts, and it used its tip to point out the direction I should go.”
At the age of five, he had no choice but to blindly believe in a three-inch-long blade of grass.
“It accompanied me for a long time in my search…”
“Did you find her?” Jiu Hui asked in a low voice, hoping that Zhi You would find her.
Zhi You was silent for a moment. “I found the grave that belonged to her. Someone told me that many, many people died in that village. She was just one of them.”
“The man who spoke to me told me to hurry and leave, and not to stay there, because he was about to die too. He was holding on to his last breath, wanting to dig a pit to prevent his family from being exposed to the wilderness. My mother’s grave mound was also dug by him.”
“It’s a pity that the pit was not dug before he died. I helped him dig the pit and buried him with his family.” Zhi You recalled what he had seen as a child among the common people: “Guided by the grass, I saw many dead people and helped them dig many pits…”
Jiu Hui asked in a low voice, “What happened next?”
“Later on… I hid the peach wood hairpin my mother left me, and someone took me back to the mountains. I never came out again.” Zhi You looked down at Jiu Hui. “So this time is the first time I’ve ever really been out in the world.”
Where there were living people, joy, and vitality.
If not for that blade of grass, he would never have known where his mother was buried, let alone the horrors of the outside world at that time.
“That must be a very magical blade of grass.” Jiu Hui grabbed onto Zhi You’s sleeve and spun around. “Did you bring it back to the mountain with you?”
“I hid it in my arms and secretly brought it back to the mountain.” Zhi You sighed. “This grass has no energy when it’s cold, no energy when it’s hot, no energy when it’s watered too much, and its edges curl up when it’s watered too little…”
“What kind of grass is so difficult to grow?” Jiu Hui asked. “Do you have a picture of it?”
“Yes.” Zhi You took out a small painting from his storage ring. Jiu Hui took out an illuminating pearl and leaned closer.
The leaves were green, flat, and had a light-colored vein running through them…
It looked quite familiar.
Jiu Hui hid the illuminating pearl in her sleeve and quietly pulled her head back.
“It was hard to raise, but it’d been in the flowerpot all that time, and the leaves didn’t withered.” Zhi You rolled up the scroll: “But one day, it suddenly disappeared.”
“Maybe… it was blown away by the wind?” Jiu Hui said, “If this thing had roots, it would actually be quite hardy.”
“Have you ever seen a plant similar to this?”
“I’ve seen it before. Scholars call it the Abundant Root or the Longevity Herb, but ordinary people usually call it… garlic chive.” Jiu Hui cleared her throat. “The one you drew is a broad-leaf wild garlic chive found in the deep mountains. It’s commonly known as mountain chive.”
A single garlic chive leaf could help a five-year-old child find his way. It must had have some kind of opportunity.
“I see,” Zhi You said. “I always thought it was an orchid.”
“When did it go missing?” Jiu Hui asked. “Perhaps it transformed into a yao and ran away. Should we ask Prime Minister Wu to inquire whether any other garlic chive spirits have appeared in the yao realm in recent years?”
“No need to search for it.” Zhi You shook his head. “The mountain is bitterly cold, and it’s not suitable for spiritual plants to survive. It’s my benefactor, not my enemy. What difference would it make if I found it and returned it, other than repaying kindness with ingratitude?”
As the thunder gradually subsided, Jiu Hui yawned and said, “The thunder has stopped.”
“You get some rest. I should head back.” Zhi You stood up, closed the door for Jiu Hui, and walked out a few steps before seeing Nan Feng rushing in with several Jiutian Sect disciples.
“Fellow Daoist Zhi You,” Nan Feng bowed to Zhi You. “Something has happened in Zhenyao Prison. Master is worried that you honored guests might be in danger, so he has sent a few disciples to guard you outside the courtyard.”
“What’s going on?” Zhi You asked. “The thunder has been rumbling for so long. Has someone from your esteemed sect advanced?”
“Not quite.” Nan Feng smiled wryly. “Chi Quan of Zhenyao Prison is dead.”
“Perished because of the Qi of Extreme Evil?”
“No, he was murdered.” This was not something that needed to be hidden, so Nan Feng cupped his hands and said, “The person who came was not only able to enter Zhenyao Prison’s barrier, but was also able to silently enter the top floor of Zhenyao Prison and kill Chi Quan. Their strength is unfathomable.”
Sensing that Zhi You was in Jiu Hui’s courtyard instead of his own, Nan Feng asked, “Is Daoist Friend Jiu Hui in her room?”
“Mm.” Zhi You spoke with a calm expression. “The thunder was too loud, and I was a little scared, so I found Jiu Hui to keep me company for a while.”
Nan Feng: “Ah?!”
Realizing that he hadn’t controlled his emotions well, he quickly shut his mouth.
It was his fault for not being calm and mature enough.
“Hmm.” Zhi You asked, “What’s wrong with being afraid of thunder and needing someone to comfort you?”
“No, no problem.” Nan Feng shook his head. “Then please, Fellow Daoist Zhi You, do not leave the courtyard for now. If you and Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui need anything, you can tell me.”
“You mean, you’re not letting us go out for now?” Zhi You was not one for being subtle.
“Please forgive me, fellow Daoist.” Nan Feng bowed repeatedly. No wonder Fellow Daoist Zhi You didn’t like to talk much. Once he started, it was hard to respond.
Although that was the meaning, since they often cross paths, there was no need to be so blunt.
“I understand.” Zhi You nodded at Nan Feng. “Jiu Hui and I will stay in the courtyard.”
Nan Feng: “…”
For some reason, he felt guilty for bullying him.
Upon returning to the conference hall, all the stewards and Elders of the Jiutian Sect were present. They nodded politely to Nan Feng when they saw him return.
Daoist Master Yin Ji sat with his head down on the left, looking a little absent-minded. Nan Feng came in and he didn’t react, as if his body was there, but his soul had already flown away.
“Nan Feng,” an elder asked, “Are all the people from the guest house here?”
“They’re all here, and the patrolling disciples said that no one left the guest house after midnight tonight.” Nan Feng said, “The three old sect masters’ cultivations aren’t very high, and the two disciples from Wangshu Pavilion are only at the Nascent Soul realm. With their current cultivations, they can’t even enter the barrier outside the Zhenyao Prison, let alone kill Chi Quan.”
“They naturally don’t have the ability to kill Chi Quan, but I’m afraid that the murderer has ulterior motives and will not only kill Chi Quan but also attack people from other sects.” Another Elder spoke up, “If these five people have an accident in our Jiutian Sect, our Jiutian Sect will become the target of public criticism and will be unable to defend ourselves.”
“If this person harbored malicious intentions, why would he go to such great lengths to eliminate Chi Quan for us?” An elder was puzzled. “What benefit does he get from this?”
“What will the yaos think when they hear about Chi Quan’s death?” The second Elder explained, “A few months ago, the relationship between the yaos and the demons became very strained because of the Zhenhe Cauldron incident. If the yaos stop targeting the demons and instead hate our cultivation world, it will be a rare stroke of luck for the demons.”
“Not only did they eliminate the great yao of the yao clan, but they also caused a conflict between the yao clan and us. It’s truly a brilliant plan that kills two birds with one stone.” The other Elders nodded in agreement. “In that case, is it possible that the Demon Cult was behind this?”
Several Elders glanced at Yin Ji, who had remained silent. An Elder who was not on good terms with Yin Ji spoke up, “I wonder what Elder Yin Ji thinks about this matter?”
Yin Ji looked at the elder who spoke. “I am an elder of the Jiutian Sect, not a Dharma Protector of the Demon Cult. How would I know about the Demon Cult’s affairs?”
“I hope Elder Yin Ji truly knows nothing about this.” The Elder sneered sarcastically; “I fear that some people, who appear to be righteous gentlemen on the surface, are secretly colluding with outsiders to harm the righteous path.”
“Alright, we’re all on the same side, so let’s not say anything that will hurt our morale.” The eldest Great Elder, who was the oldest, frowned. “We haven’t even figured out what’s going on, and you’re already arguing. What’s the point?”
“Anyway, I’m not the one who’s entangled with some demon princess, and I’m not the one who begged for mercy for the demon crown prince.” The Elder muttered a few sarcastic words before closing his mouth under the Grand Elder’s angry gaze.
“Nan Feng, bring more men to guard the guest house.” The Grand Elder glanced at the empty Sect Master’s seat. “Although we haven’t determined which force is behind this, we must prepare for the worst to ensure the peace of the cultivation world.”
“Yes, Elder.” Nan Feng cupped his hands in salute. “This junior will go and strengthen the defenses now.”
“Wait.” Yin Ji stood up. “Nan Feng, I’ll go with you.”
Nan Feng sighed inwardly, but he didn’t know what to say. In the sect, after all, there were still people who minded the matter of Sect Uncle Yin Ji and the Demon Princess.
-—–
Jiu Hui slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting out of bed. When she walked into the courtyard, she found disciples of the Jiutian Sect standing guard at the entrance, armed with weapons. She walked curiously to the gate and asked, “Fellow Daoists, what are you doing here?”
One of the gatekeeper disciples had once captured and killed a leech yao with Nan Feng on New Year’s Eve, so he was somewhat familiar with Jiu Hui. When he saw her ask, he politely explained the situation.
“The demons killed Chi Quan in an attempt to stir up conflict between the cultivation world and the yaos?” Jiu Hui pondered for a long time before cursing, “These demons are so underhanded. They’re truly despicable.”
In fact, the yaos didn’t really care about a yao who had been imprisoned for five hundred years. Perhaps the cultivation world had some unrealistic misunderstanding about the unity of the yaos.
Let alone a great yao that had been imprisoned for five hundred years and could easily pose a threat to them. The yaos from different mountains would established themselves as kings and would fight tooth and nail with each other for spirit herbs and elixirs.
Otherwise, that good-for-nothing Bai Qi wouldn’t have believed the lies of that fox spirit and come to the mortal realm to beg for food.
Compared with the cultivation world where people communicated with each other and the demon clan with a clear hierarchy, the yao clan was a disorganized mess. Fifty mountain strongholds could produce a hundred yao kings, who mainly focused on the principle of “It’s none of my business, and it’s none of your goddamn business!” and “Today you steal a flower from me, when my cultivation level improves tomorrow, I will kill your whole family.”
The yaos on the east mountain looked at the yaos on the west mountain: If you can’t live a good life, then go die. But don’t die at my doorstep.
The yaos on the north side of the mountain as seen from the south side of the mountain: Had their kidneys been cut out by humans? Oh, that’s as it should be, trash deserves to die a horrible death!
Could a monkey yao fall in love with a banana yao? Could a fox spirit call a pheasant a brother?
There was no such thing as unity, friendship, or sharing!
For example, their village also had to fight with other mountain strongholds. However, it was probably because the uncles and aunts in their village were exceptionally good at fighting, so no yaos within a radius of several hundred miles dared to provoke them.
However, these matters were not suitable for the human race to know. She grabbed the doorpost and, with this Jiutian Sect disciple, passionately pointed at the demons, cursed them, and wished that she could attack the demons with this fellow Daoist right then and there, restoring peace to the world.
“When we attack the Demon Clan, I’ll definitely kill those demons left and right, making them scream and cry.” This Jiutian Sect disciple was relatively young and had a lively personality. “I’ll show them what the light of the righteous path is.”
“The Jiutian Sect is so powerful, they can definitely lead us to slaughter the demons.” Jiu Hui gave a thumbs up. “I heard from my master that the Jiutian Sect’s sword cultivators are particularly powerful. Not only are their Dao hearts firm, but they can also kill enemies of higher cultivation levels. They are truly role models for the cultivation world.”
“It’s not that impressive.” The disciple scratched his head in embarrassment. “Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, you’re the impressive one. You’re already at the Nascent Soul realm at such a young age.”
“I’ve been taking spiritual herbs and elixirs since I was a child, so how can I compare to your hard cultivation?” Jiu Hui cupped her hands in respect and said, “Unfortunately, I don’t have any talent in sword cultivation. Otherwise, I would also like to follow the path of sword cultivation. Sword cultivators control spirit swords and kill enemies with ease. It’s simply magnificent!”
Zhi You leaned against the porch, quietly watching Jiu Hui chat enthusiastically with the disciples of the Jiutian Sect. It seemed that no matter where she was, Jiu Hui could chat with anyone and make them feel like they were her own people, even the disciples of the Jiutian Sect.
His eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked in another direction outside the courtyard gate.
-—–
“Who’s that?” Yin Ji noticed a young disciple of the Jiutian Sect chatting with a strange woman with a smile on his face. He frowned slightly. Since when did the disciples of the Jiutian Sect become so frivolous?
“Sect Uncle, that’s Jiu Hui, the core disciple of Pavilion Master Yu of Wangshu Pavilion.” Nan Feng saw this scene and wasn’t surprised at all. He was afraid that his sect uncle would be dissatisfied with Jiu Hui, so he quickly explained, “Miss Jiu Hui is only eighteen years old, but she already at the Nascent Soul realm. She’s a rare cultivation prodigy.”
“Wangshu Pavilion?” Yin Ji carefully recalled what kind of sect this was. “Such an insignificant little sect can produce such a disciple?”
Nan Feng lowered his head and said nothing. The scene from New Year’s Eve, when Pavilion Master Yu and Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua had joined forces to cleave open the five-thousand-year-old leech yao’s barrier, was still deeply etched in his mind.
“Sect Uncle Yin Ji, Head Senior Brother!” Several disciples guarding the guest courtyard noticed the arrival of the two and hurriedly bowed in salute. Even the disciple who had been chatting animatedly with Jiu Hui, restrained all expressions.
“Daoist Master Yin Ji, Daoist Friend Nan Feng.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands in salute to the two.
Zhi You walked silently to her side and cupped his hands in greeting without speaking.
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, Fellow Daoist Zhi You.” Nan Feng quickly returned the greeting. “Did you rest well last night?”
“The thunder in the first half of the night made it hard to sleep, but I slept soundly in the second half.” Jiu Hui looked at Yin Ji and Nan Feng in confusion. “I wonder why you two came here, Daoist Master and fellow Daoist?”
Suddenly, she stopped talking and looked at the artificial rockery not far away: “Is that fellow Daoist a disciple brought by the Daoist Master?”
Nan Feng turned his head to look, and his heart felt faintly uneasy. He drew his sword and threw it, blocking this person’s path: “Halt! Which peak are you a disciple of?”
The disciple lowered his head and cupped his hands in greeting. “Greetings, Head Senior Brother. I am an inner disciple of the Tingjian Peak.”
Nan Feng looked at Yin Ji, “Sect Uncle Yin Ji, is this your Tingjian Peak’s inner sect disciple?”
Yin Ji walked towards the disciple step by step, but the disciple seemed to be a little afraid of him and kept his head down.
The atmosphere was exceptionally quiet. Jiu Hui stood on her tiptoes and leaned half of her body out of the courtyard gate, making no attempt to hide her curiosity.
The Jiutian Sect disciple who had just been chatting with her saw what was happening and silently moved half a step to the side, allowing her to see more clearly.
Yin Ji approached step by step, and the inner sect disciple retreated step by step. Suddenly, Yin Ji grabbed the inner sect disciple’s wrist: “It’s you?”
The inner sect disciple shook off Yin Ji’s hand and looked up at him. “So what if it’s me?”
“So it’s true that your demon clan is behind this?” Yin Ji’s face turned ugly in an instant. “How many people do you demon clan want to kill before you stop?”
“What are we doing?!” The inner sect disciple couldn’t believe it. “Yin Ji, you didn’t even ask and you’re already suspecting me?”
“I don’t care what you want to do, get out of my sight. You were expelled from the sect long ago. Jiutian Sect is no place for you.”
Yin Ji grabbed the “inner sect disciple” and prepared to leave, but Nan Feng raised his sword and blocked the two of them. “Sect Uncle Yin Ji, this person’s origin is unknown, and it is suspected that he is a member of the demon race. I ask that Sect Uncle hand this person over to me, and I will handle this matter.”
“Step aside.” Yin Ji hid the person behind him, and he looked at Nan Feng coldly. “Nan Feng, no matter what happens, I will bear the responsibility alone. I am an Elder of Tingjian Peak of the Jiutian Sect, and you have no right to block my way.”
“Look, this is the most abnormal type of love-sick brain in the legends.” Jiu Hui whispered to Zhi You, “Since you’re going to let people go, you shouldn’t expose their identities. After exposing their identities and causing a conflict, you still want to let them go in front of the sect’s head disciple. Can a normal person do such a thing? It’s simply… a love-sick brain that even dogs don’t like. Did Daoist Master Yin Ji’s cultivation talent come from exchanging his brain?”
Zhi You: “…”
Several Jiutian Sect disciples：“……”
“Sect Uncle, please don’t make things difficult for me.” Nan Feng stood his ground, his expression solemn as he looked at Yin Ji. “Please don’t make another mistake and bring shame upon yourself.”
“Yin Ji, let me go.” The “inner sect disciple” whose wrist was grabbed by Yin Ji suddenly pulled out a sword and stabbed Yin Ji in the back. “You schemed to kill my clan’s Dharma Protector, and then you and the Sect Master of Jiutian Sect killed my eldest and second eldest brothers. Why bother pretending to be affectionate in front of me now?!”
“Sect Uncle!” Nan Feng reached out to help Yin Ji, but Yin Ji pushed him away with one hand.
He looked at the “inner sect disciple” in pain, and suddenly took out a magic weapon and threw it at the “inner sect disciple”. In front of everyone’s eyes, the inner sect disciple turned into a stream of light and escaped.
Jiu Hui: “…”
Oh my, she was young and hadn’t seen much of the grand spectacle of love. Were these two really normal?
Very well then, Chi Quan died at the hands of the demons, this was almost a certain thing. Thanks to this unexpected gift package from this love-struck brain.