“Caw!” The crow let out a piercing cry and flew away through the treetops, its wings knocking down a few leaves that fell on Jiu Hui’s head.
Zhi You stretched out his hand, blocking the leaves that were falling down on Jiu Hui’s head.
“Let’s go.” He threw the leaves on the ground and summoned his flying sword.
“Wait, please wait.” A young boy ran over in a hurry, holding a box in his hands. He ran in front of Jiu Hui and bowed. “Immortal Jiu Hui, the Sect Master has asked me to give this to you.”
Jiu Hui was still looking in the direction the crow had flown when the young boy handed her a wooden box. She took it and slowly came back to her senses. “What’s this?”
The boy bowed and said, “The Sect Master said, ‘The object should be returned to its original owner.’”
Jiu Hui opened the wooden box and saw the undamaged silk scarf inside. She then remembered that Bu Ting had said he would help her repair this magic treasure that day at Lanyue Lake.
“Many thanks, Immortal Venerable Bu.” Jiu Hui closed the wooden box, put it into her storage ring, and bowed in the direction of Bu Ting’s residence.
After leaving the Jiutian Sect, Jiu Hui sat cross-legged on her flying sword, propping her chin up with one hand and pondering for a long time. Then, she sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Zhi You’s flying sword flew alongside Jiu Hui’s. Standing on his flying sword, the warm spring sun shone on his face, making his eyebrows and eyes appear somewhat gentler.
Jiu Hui shook her head, looking at the golden light flashing below the sea of clouds, where the Zhentian Cauldron was located.
“Wait.” Jiu Hui stopped her flying sword and looked in the direction of the Zhentian Cauldron. “Let’s go down and take a look.”
Zhi You glanced at her and nodded. “Alright.“carpreads.pages.dev
The Zhentian Cauldron was located at the peak of the mountain. The mountain cliffs were steep, the rocks were rugged, and the mountain wind howled like a mountain ghost crying. Under the dense layers of formations, the Zhentian Cauldron emitted a shimmering golden light.
As soon as Jiu Hui stood on the mountaintop, the Zhentian Cauldron seemed to sense someone approaching. The runes on the cauldron flickered, and the light shone on Jiu Hui’s face.
“Truly beautiful.” Jiu Hui stretched out her hand, the light passing through the gaps between her fingers. She turned her head and asked Zhi You, “How many cities does this cauldron guard?”
“Many,” Zhi You stood beside her and looked down at the mountain peak. “The Jiutian Sect protects countless cities. These cities are prosperous and wealthy, and countless people live in them.”
The wind howled, carrying away Jiu Hui’s sigh as she sat down on the edge of the cliff. “The wind is so strong here.”
“Mm.” Zhi You sat down like her, but even while sitting, he maintained an elegant posture.
“What did you do when you lived alone in the mountains?” Jiu Hui swung her feet. “I’ve always loved liveliness since I was a child. Once, I accidentally fell into an illusion. There was nothing in the illusion. It was so quiet and empty. I sat on the ground and cried for a whole day.”
“I only stayed in the illusion for a few days before I was rescued by my elders. But even so, I still feel terrified when I think back to those few days.” Jiu Hui looked at Zhi You. “What about you? Would you be afraid if you were alone?”
Zhi You shook his head. “I’ve lived in the mountains for as long as I can remember. I don’t know what is scary.”
How could he know what an ordinary life was like when he had never had one?
Until the year he turned four, ten masked individuals appeared. They taught him to read and write, and instructed him in morality and righteousness. They brought him countless precious books and taught him the arts of music, qi, calligraphy, and painting.
Two years later, when they died in the Ten Cauldrons Spirit Formation, they were still wearing masks. The people who took away their corpses were also wearing thick masks.
They did not look at him, nor did they let him see them clearly.
“You don’t have to remember what we look like, and don’t favor anyone.”
“In your eyes, all living beings in the world are equal, regardless of beauty or ugliness, high or low, good or evil.”
“You were born for all things. The crimson sun hanging high in the sky never pauses for any living being, nor does it ever extinguish itself for any living being.”
“You can’t have personal considerations.”
“Here you go.” Jiu Hui took out a bright red spirit fruit and handed it to him with a smile. “This fruit is very sweet.”
He took a bite of the fruit, and the sweet fragrance instantly filled his mouth. He lowered his eyelids. “It’s very sweet.”
“What do you usually do when you’re alone in the mountains?” Jiu Hui scooted closer to Zhi You, their shoulders touching. Zhi You could even feel the warmth radiating from her body.
“Cultivating, reading, painting, fishing, moon-gazing, playing the qin…” Zhi You carefully recalled the past few years, finding them to be truly dull and boring.
“And not forgetting to water your garlic chive,” Jiu Hui added. “How long has it been since you’ve watered it? If you want, I can help you find it and we can grow it in our Wangshu Pavilion?”
“It’s been lost for eighteen… months.” Zhi You slowly shook his head. “No need to look for it anymore.”
“Eighteen months.” Jiu Hui calculated carefully. “That means it met you when you were five years old and has been with you for over a decade.”
“It helped me find my mother’s grave, showed me the suffering of all living beings, and has accompanied me for so many years.” Zhi You lowered his eyelids. “If it can really awaken its spiritual intelligence and become a yao, I hope it can live in a lively place, with someone to play with it and accompany it as it grows.”
Instead of living a life of endless emptiness in the desolate snowy mountains like him.
“The garlic chive leaf has yaos to keep it company, and you have me, and everyone in Wangshu Pavilion.” Jiu Hui bumped her shoulder against Zhi You’s, tilting her head to look at him with a smile. “You and that garlic chive leaf both have bright futures ahead of you. Trust me, I learned fortune-telling from Grandpa Bu.”
Although it had never been accurate even once, but there was no need to tell Zhi You that.
“Mm.” Zhi You looked at her, and Jiu Hui’s smiling face was reflected in his dark, deep eyes.
“Believe it or not?”
“Believe it.”
“If you believe it, then it will be.” Jiu Hui stood up and patted the dust off her body. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to Qiyue City to try some delicacies.”
“Not going back to Wangshu Pavilion?” Zhi You stood up as well.
Jiu Hui turned her head and looked around. “Let’s not go back for now. Let’s play outside for a while before we go back.”
“Alright.” Zhi You glanced faintly at the depths of the clouds behind him. “Let’s go to Qiyue City.”
Jiu Hui jumped onto the flying sword, glanced at the Zhentian Cauldron under the barrier, and her tone became lively again: “Let’s go, let’s go.”
After the two left on their flying swords, a crow with iridescent black feathers flew out of the clouds. It landed on the mountaintop, spat twice in the direction of the Zhentian Cauldron, and flapped its wings as it chased after Jiu Hui.
The distance from Jiutian Sect to Qiyue City was vast. By the time Jiu Hui and Zhi You arrived in the city on their swords, it was already the next morning.
After having a delicious breakfast in the city, Jiu Hui dragged Zhi You around the city again.
“I’ll take all of these,” Jiu Hui said, pointing at the shelves. Her boldness surprised Zhi You.
The shopkeeper and the waiter were so happy that they couldn’t see their teeth. They quickly helped Jiu Hui unload the goods. “Miss, the total is six hundred and five spirit stones. I’ll round it off for you. You only need to pay six hundred spirit stones.”
“Many thanks, shopkeeper.” Jiu Hui took out six hundred spirit stones and pointed at the trinkets on the shelf. “These two wooden dolls are quite pretty. I’ve bought so many things, shopkeeper, you should give me some freebies.”
“If the young lady likes them, this old man is naturally willing to give them to you.” The shopkeeper happily took down the pair of wooden dolls. “My wife carved these dolls herself. The materials used are not particularly valuable, so please don’t be offended, young lady.”
“Thank you, shopkeeper.” Jiu Hui took the doll. “Your wife is truly skilled.”
The shopkeeper smiled even more happily and said modestly, “It’s just a little hobby in her spare time. It’s not worth your praise, Miss.”
When he saw Jiu Hui put everything into her storage ring, he realized that Jiu Hui was actually a cultivator, and he was a little frightened.
The little girl was pretty and adorable, and her speech was pleasant. He had only thought that she was a young lady who was raised in luxury by some wealthy family, but he had never expected that she would be a highly respected immortal cultivator.
After leaving the shop, Jiu Hui bought all kinds of snacks and preserved fruits until noon. She lay on the wooden table in the restaurant, looking at Zhi You with a weak breath.
“What’s wrong?” Zhi You noticed that Jiu Hui was acting a little strange today. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m fine.” Jiu Hui sat up. “I want to have a big meal at noon.”
When the food was served, Jiu Hui’s appetite grew, and she ate two large bowls of rice. Finally, she put down her chopsticks and said, “Let’s go. We’re going back to the sect.”
Zhi You handed her a plain white handkerchief. “If you don’t want to go back, I’ll accompany you to play outside for a few more days.”
“You don’t understand.” Jiu Hui sighed softly. “It’s the same whether I go back sooner or later.”
Zhi You lowered his eyelids. “I’m sorry.”
He really didn’t understand much about the mortal world.
“Why are you apologizing to me?” Jiu Hui was amused by him and couldn’t help but reach out to pinch his cheek. “Aiyo… it’s my own problem. Are you silly?”
“Let’s go, let’s go.” Jiu Hui stood up. “Zhi You, with a personality like yours, it’s too easy to suffer losses. If anything happens to me in the future, I’ll blame it all on you. Will you obediently apologize then?”
Zhi You thought about it carefully, “That doesn’t matter.”
“How could it not matter?” Jiu Hui paid the bill and walked out of the tavern with Zhi You. “Indulgence and tolerance without limits will only make people worse. People are greedy. Indulgence without limits will only cultivate ugly greed.”
“You won’t.” Zhi You followed closely behind Jiu Hui. “So it doesn’t matter.”
“People’s hearts can change.” Jiu Hui turned to look at him. “You haven’t met many people, so you don’t understand the complexity of the human heart. Don’t easily trust anyone’s heart, understand?”
Zhi You hung his head and said nothing.
Seeing him like this, Jiu Hui’s heart softened instantly. She grabbed his sleeve and said, “Let’s go.”
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui.” A carriage passed by the two of them, and a woman’s voice rang out from inside the carriage.
The voice sounded familiar, so Jiu Hui stopped in her tracks and looked up at the carriage.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing a beautiful and elegant face. “Yesterday, when I saw you at the Jiutian Sect, I knew you must be Jiu Hui, whom my sect uncle, the sect master, mentioned.”
Pingling Yao stepped down from the carriage and solemnly bowed deeply to Jiu Hui. “Please, Miss, accept my bow.”
“Fellow Daoist Pingling, what are you doing?” Jiu Hui quickly helped Pingling Yao up. It was their first official meeting, and the other party had already given her such a big ceremony. Wouldn’t she have to give a red envelope in return?
“Young lady, you don’t know this, but my sect uncle’s inner demons were hard to resolve, and her cultivation realm had been stagnant for a long time. If you hadn’t helped her resolve her inner conflict, how could my sect uncle have become the number one person in the cultivation world?” Pingling Yao invited the two of them to have tea at a teahouse, and Jiu Hui wanted to know about Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua’s recent situation, so she didn’t decline.
“On New Year’s Eve, Sect Uncle returned to the courtyard and sat for a long time, finishing the two jugs of wine that Immortal Lord Fuguang had sent, and then announced that she was going into closed-door meditation.” Pingling Yao personally poured tea for Jiu Hui and Zhi You: “We had no idea what had happened, until we heard the sound of the lightning tribulation, and then we realized that Sect Master Uncle was undergoing tribulation to advance.”
“Before I left the sect, the Sect Master Uncle specifically instructed me that if I had the fortune to speak with Daoist Friend Jiu Hui in private, I must express her gratitude to you on her behalf.” Pingling Yao stood up and bowed deeply to Jiu Hui. “Daoist Friend, you are a benefactor to our entire Qinglan Sect. In the future, if you have any need, the disciples of my sect will not hesitate to go through fire and water for you.”
“Fellow Daoist Pingling.” Jiu Hui quickly got up and helped Pingling Yao up. “To speak disrespectfully, although Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua is a senior, I have a deep connection with her, so to me, she is both a senior and a friend. If my few words can help her, it would be my honor.”
“On New Year’s Eve, Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua traveled thousands of miles to come to our aid, but she never asked for our Wangshu Pavilion to repay her.” Jiu Hui raised her teacup to her eyebrows. “If Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua hadn’t come to our rescue that night, I wouldn’t have had the chance to speak with her. Everything happens for a reason. This is my destiny with Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua.”
She finished the tea in her cup and teased with a smile, “And you also said that before the Immortal Venerable went into seclusion, she drank the wine sent by Immortal Lord Fuguang. Maybe Immortal Lord Fuguang also contributed.”
Upon hearing this, Pingling Yao smiled and raised her teacup in a toast towards Fuguang Mountain. “This cup of tea is for Lord Fuguang.”
“Greetings for Lord Fuguang.” Jiu Hui filled the teacup and raised it. Seeing that Zhi You was still sitting there in a daze, she reached out her index finger and poked his shoulder. “Zhi You, don’t space out.”
Zhi You looked up at her.
She stuffed the teacup into his hand. “Come on, let’s toast the Immortal Lord together.”
Zhi You stood up silently, raising his teacup in imitation of Jiu Hui.
“Greetings, Immortal Lord.” Jiu Hui turned her head to look at Zhi You and nudged him with her elbow.
Zhi You: “Greetings… Immortal Lord.”
Fuguang Palace.
Fuguang opened his eyes and walked out of the empty hall. His long dark hair cascaded down his back, as black as the dark night against the snowy white ground.
He spread out his palm, and a cup of tea appeared in his palm. The tea instantly froze into ice in the freezing snow and ice. However, Fuguang didn’t care. He tapped his finger lightly, and the tea became boiling hot again.
He raised his cup and his brows gradually relaxed.
Even though no one could see him raise his teacup from across the mountains, he still solemnly raised it high, as if the person a hundred miles away was right before his eyes.
“Greetings… Jiu Hui.”
He murmured, “Greetings to Jiu Hui.”
-—–
Pingling Yao found that Jiu Hui was indeed a very interesting person. Spending time with someone like her made even the longest days seem short.
As the sun gradually set in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun painted the windows red, she suddenly realized that she had spent two hours with Jiu Hui: “It’s getting late. I feel like I’ve known you forever, Jiu Hui. Why don’t we go to the City Lord’s Mansion and stay the night? Tomorrow, I’ll take you on a tour of the entire Qiyue City?”
“Sister Yao’s kind invitation is hard to turn down, but Zhi You and I have something urgent to attend to at the sect.” Jiu Hui held Ping Ling Yao’s hand. “When you’re free, come visit me at Wangshu Pavilion. I’ll make sure to show you a good time.”
Zhi You watched the two people holding hands, reluctant to let go, and silently turned his head away.
“Alright.” Pingling Yao nodded. “Recently, there have been some matters in Qiyue City and the sect that I need to handle. Once I have some free time, I will definitely visit Wangshu Pavilion to pay my respects.”
“I’ll wait for you.” Jiu Hui let go of Pingling Yao’s hand and took out a jade orchid pendant from her storage ring and tied it around Pingling Yao’s waist. “I felt that this pendant suited you just now, and it really does.”
Pingling Yao didn’t refuse the jade pendant. She smiled and sent Jiu Hui and Zhi You to the city gate. “Take care, my sister.”
Jiu Hui jumped onto the flying sword and waved at Pingling Yao in the air, “Sister, I’ll wait for you at Wangshu Pavilion.”
Watching Jiu Hui leave, Pingling Yao caressed the jade orchid pendant on her waist. She had nothing worthy of Jiu Hui, and she didn’t want to give her something perfunctory. When she went to Wangshu Pavilion, she would definitely find a suitable gift.
She suddenly understood what it meant to feel an instant connection with someone.
She chuckled and turned to head back to the city when suddenly a burly man in the queue to enter the city pulled out a magic weapon and charged at her with murderous intent.
Bang!
In a flash of lightning, the jade orchid pendant opened a protective barrier, blocking the big man.
Pingling Yao thrust her sword through the burly man, her face devoid of emotion. “Is sneak attacking the only tactic your Demon Clan has left?”
The burly man was stabbed through his spiritual platform. He stared at the jade orchid pendant on Pingling Yao’s waist with unwillingness, and swallowed his last breath.
He finally managed to get close to the most powerful disciple of the next generation of the Qinglan School…
Pingling Yao caressed the jade orchid pendant for a long time before taking out her disciple token to send a message to the sect.
-—–
“Zhi You, look at the mountains around us. They’re all dark and gloomy, except for Fuguang Mountain, which is gleaming white.” Passing by Fuguang Mountain, Jiu Hui stopped her flying sword and gazed at Fuguang Palace.
Zhi You stood quietly behind her.
A sudden gust of wind swept up the snowflakes on Fuguang Mountain, carrying them across the valley and into Jiu Hui’s face.
“Is this… snow from Fuguang Mountain?” Jiu Hui opened her palm and caught a snowflake. “The snow on Fuguang Mountain never melts. It must be very cold up there.”
“Cultivators don’t feel the cold.” Zhi You said, “It doesn’t matter if it’s cold or hot on the mountain.”
Jiu Hui flew her sword through the cold wind, getting closer to Fuguang Mountain.
Standing on the edge of the cliff, Fuguang raised his head. Beyond the wind and snow, he saw a blurry figure in the distance.
“Zhi You, Zhi You!” Jiu Hui grabbed Zhi You’s sleeve and pulled hard. “Look, could that be Lord Fuguang?”
Snowflakes danced in the sky. Jiu Hui didn’t approach any further. Fuguang, who was standing by the cliff, turned around and slowly walked towards the towering palace.
She watched Fuguang’s blurry figure until he entered the palace, then she let go of Zhi You’s sleeve and sighed.
Zhi You turned his head to look at her.
“Such a spacious place, having a hot pot while playing in the snow, it must be very lively.” Jiu Hui stepped on the flying sword and slowly exited the snowstorm, “Do you think Lord Fuguang will let someone visit?”
“Fuguang Mountain is guarded by countless puppets, and the entire Fuguang Mountain has been subjected to countless restrictions by the Ten Great Sects. No matter who approaches Fuguang Palace, they will be discovered by the Ten Great Sects.” Zhi You did not look at Fuguang Mountain, but instead gazed in the direction of Wangshu Pavilion. “They do not allow him to leave Fuguang Mountain, nor do they allow anyone to approach him.”
“Immortal Lord Fuguang, has he ever thought of leaving this mountain?” Jiu Hui turned her head to look at the direction of Fuguang Mountain once more.
Zhi You did not answer her question.
Until the two of them had flown far away, he whispered, “I’ve thought about it.”
“What?” Jiu Hui turned her head to look at him.
“Nothing.” Zhi You shook his head. “We’re almost home.”
When he uttered the word “home,” he was slightly taken aback.
“Junior Sister Jiu Hui, Junior Brother Zhi You!” A large gourd floated in the air, with Chang He and Luo Yan sitting on it. They waved at the two from afar, “You’re finally back.”
The two of them rushed the gourd closer to Jiu Hui. “Junior Sister, how is it, how is it? How much did Jiutian Sect give you this time?”
This matter of asking for money, they had never expected Zhi You to complete.
Jiu Hui raised a finger.
“Ten thousand?” Luo Yan said, “The Jiutian Sect is really getting stingier and stingier. Last year, they gave out fifty thousand. But this time, without the sect uncle coming forward, Junior Sister, you were able to get ten thousand. That’s already very impressive. Let’s go, let’s throw a welcome-back banquet for the two of you.”
“Not ten thousand.” Jiu Hui shook a finger, proudly putting her hands on her hips. “It’s a hundred thousand!”
Chang He and Luo Yan both widened their eyes. Luo Yan lowered her voice and asked, “Junior Sister, did you rob the Jiutian Sect?”
“Am I that unreasonable?” Jiu Hui took out a brocade pouch from her storage ring and shook it in front of Chang He and Luo Yan. “Fellow Daoist Nan Feng gave this to me willingly. Zhi You can attest to that.”
They both looked at Zhi You.
Zhi You nodded.
“Junior Sister, come, Junior Sister, sit, Junior Sister, you’ve worked hard.” Chang He and Luo Yan helped Jiu Hui onto the gourd, one of them massaging her back, the other massaging her legs: “Junior Sister, you are the pride of our entire Wangshu Pavilion.”
“It’s a small matter, a small matter.” Jiu Hui waved her hand. “Not worth mentioning.”
“How can this be a small matter? This is clearly a major event for our entire Wangshu Pavilion.” Luo Yan took out a bag of snacks from her sleeve and stuffed it into Jiu Hui’s hand. “Junior Sister, you are the great benefactor of our Wangshu Pavilion! For the next month, all the meals in the east kitchen will be made according to your taste.”
The gourd landed at the main entrance of Wangshu Pavilion, and Luo Yan made a grand gesture of helping Jiu Hui down from the gourd.
“Oh no, not…” Jiu Hui stopped speaking. She slowly raised her head and met the gaze of the crow perched on the branch.
“Caw caw caw! Quack quack quack!”
“Junior Sister, do you recognize this crow?” Chang He asked, looking at the strange crow with confusion.
He had never seen such a grand and beautiful crow, even its feathers were iridescent black.
“No… I don’t know him.” Jiu Hui took a step back towards the gate.
“Caw! Caw caw caw caw!”
“Do you really not know it?” Chang He asked. “Did you accidentally knock over its bird’s nest when you were out? I think it’s cursing you, and it’s cursing you pretty badly.”
“Oh, Senior Brother Chang He, that’s your illusion.” Jiu Hui gritted her teeth and raised her head and chest. “I want to have a welcome banquet. Let’s go, let’s go quickly.”
The crow quickly flapped its wings and disappeared into the night.
Chang He glanced at the empty branches. It was probably just his imagination.
When they learned that Jiu Hui had brought back 100,000 spirit stones, the Elders praised her from head to toe, and the entire sect was immersed in a sea of joy.
“Back when I was in Wenxian City, I knew Jiu Hui and Zhi You were fated to be with our Wangshu Pavilion the moment I laid eyes on them.”
If it weren’t for fate, how could one fleece the Jiutian Sect out of a hundred thousand spirit stones?
After the welcome banquet, Jiu Hui returned to her courtyard and waved at Zhi You. “Zhi You, see you tomorrow morning.”
Zhi You glanced at her room and whispered, “See you tomorrow morning.”
With heavy steps, Jiu Hui took a deep breath, reached out her hand, and slowly opened the door, then knelt down with a thud.
“Uncle Wu, I was wrong!”