Chapter 39 p2
The celebrated once-in-an-era genius Qin Lingxiao felt a profound and piercing insult in that moment!
He had spent ten full years striving to control this divine sword, yet without any achievement. Now, he was met with dismissive questioning from a girl he looked down upon – “What’s so difficult about it?”
Qin Lingxiao could no longer be bothered to listen to Xiao Xiao’s boasting, single-mindedly focused on snatching the sword back first.
Unfortunately, Xiao Xiao’s mouth was as sharp as an unsheathed blade. Since she had started speaking, there was no chance of her easily backing down. “You were once the esteemed founding patriarch of the Sword Sect, yet now you approach like a common bandit trying to rob me?”
Qin Lingxiao angrily retorted, “Do you even need to ask whether this sword belongs to me or not? You’ve seen me wield it before!”
Xiao Xiao blinked her large eyes. “But that was two hundred years later! If we’re speaking that way, the sword should belong to Wei Jie now! Moreover, I suffered a heavenly punishment injury to my arm because of this sword! So it is undisputedly mine now. If you insist it’s yours, call out to it and see if it responds.”
Qin Lingxiao’s hands were practically shaking with rage, but Xiao Xiao spoke the truth – the sword did not belong to him at present, yet it should not belong to this deceitful girl either!
His arrogance prevented him from outright robbing her after being mocked as a bandit. He could only coldly say, “Cui Xiao Xiao, don’t go too far! You can’t seriously intend to run rampant two hundred years in the past? Have you considered the consequences of such willful actions? Don’t you want to return to your own time?”
Xiao Xiao waved her fingers, causing Defying the Heavens to return to its sheath. “Do you know how to go back?”
Qin Lingxiao took a deep breath to suppress the anger provoked by Xiao Xiao, trying to reason with the girl through empathy. “As long as we have the divine statue of Zhu Jiuyin, we can return. However, that statue was something Wei Jie won from a wager at Zhanwei Mountain three years from now. If you want it, you’ll have to wait patiently. Since you’ve already separated from Wei Jie, that’s good – you won’t disrupt his trajectory anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao’s brows furrowed slightly. Zhanwei Mountain? Wasn’t that the abode of the mountain deity Zhu Jiuyin mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas?
It lay beyond the Northwest Sea, north of the Crimson Waters. Legend said the mountain did not exist on land, sea, or sky – a phantasmal mountain invisible without destiny’s blessing.
If Wei Jie was gifted with such a fortuitous encounter, then she could only wait three years until he obtained the statue before being able to leave.
She knew she should not interfere with Wei Jie’s trajectory, but where could she go for these three years?
Seeming to sense Xiao Xiao’s hesitation, Qin Lingxiao’s tone softened. “As long as you don’t cause any more disruptions, I will take care of your daily needs. You can temporarily reside at Soaring Cloud Pavilion until the time is ripe, then I…will accompany you back to two hundred years later.”
Unfortunately, Xiao Xiao did not trust him at all, only snorting dismissively. “You keep harping about not disrupting fate and changing others’ destined paths, yet your own actions are hardly upright. Let me ask you – what was the reason for the Four Great Sects entering the city so early?”
Qin Lingxiao was taken aback by her question, angrily replying, “Since I knew he would embark on a murderous rampage, what’s wrong with me taking steps to prevent tragedy?”
How could Xiao Xiao not understand Qin Lingxiao’s mindset? Apart from his blood feud with Wei Jie, he seemed to harbor a “why give birth to the dull if the bright exists” mentality.
As a cultivator of the righteous path, while Wei Jie was a notorious demon patriarch destined for infamy, Qin Lingxiao saw himself as the embodiment of justice!
Her altering of Wei Jie’s fate meant facing heavenly annihilation, yet his unilateral changes to Wei Jie’s destiny were an upholding of justice!
Xiao Xiao couldn’t be bothered to argue further with such an obstinate person. She only tilted her chin defiantly. “I have already separated from Wei Jie, so you need not worry. As for these three years, I will find a secluded place to retreat in seclusion. I hope you will keep your word and help me return to two hundred years later when the time comes.”
Hearing her reject his offer of shelter for three years, Qin Lingxiao felt this rare extension of goodwill towards a woman had been repeatedly rebuffed.
The experience of being brushed off like an insect by a female was something this centuries-old cultivator had only encountered from Xiao Xiao.
Once again, his kindness had been wasted on the unworthy.
The young man’s expression grew even colder as he flatly stated, “No, you have shown you cannot be bound by any sense of righteousness with me. To prevent you from going astray, you will have to come with me to Soaring Cloud Pavilion…”
As he finished speaking, he casually clapped his hands, and immediately a group of white-robed Soaring Cloud disciples surrounded them.
It seemed Qin Lingxiao was determined to take Cui Xiao Xiao with him today.
Xiao Xiao knew that if it were just Qin Lingxiao alone, she might have been able to handle him, fleeing if outmatched.
But now, surrounded by so many elite Soaring Cloud disciples, she stood no chance of victory or escape. Even with the divine sword in her hands, she could not prevail against such numbers.
A true hero does not dwell on losses. So Xiao Xiao sheathed her sword and cupped her fists in salute to Qin Lingxiao. “Since Young Master Qin extends such a warm invitation, please lead the way!”
The little fox Yu Ling’er, who had returned after shedding some tears, could not help feeling a twinge of joy upon hearing they would be guests at Qin Lingxiao’s Soaring Cloud Pavilion.
She had long hoped to be by her benefactor’s side soon. Little did she expect that the heavens seemed to have heard her secret prayers, making her dream come true.
Now she and Cui Xiao Xiao were seated in the carriage, escorted by Soaring Cloud disciples as the wheels rolled ever onwards.
This inefficient mode of travel was rather unbearable for the Soaring Cloud disciples.
After all, with their cultivation abilities, traversing a thousand miles in a day was child’s play if using lightbody techniques.
However, Xiao Xiao claimed that due to her unhealed injuries, being transported rapidly would cause severe vomiting, so they could only proceed slowly by carriage.
Upon hearing this, Qin Lingxiao did not bother arguing with the obstinate girl, immediately ordering his disciples to carry Xiao Xiao and proceed.
Xiao Xiao did not refuse, secretly scratching her throat to vomit a warm stream all over that disciple.
Utterly exasperated by Cui Xiao Xiao’s antics, Qin Lingxiao decided to take the lead himself, staying well ahead while the remaining Soaring Cloud disciples “escorted” Xiao Xiao’s carriage.
Yu Ling’er did not understand why Xiao Xiao had never displayed such queasiness when being carried around by Wei Jie before.
Xiao Xiao reclined on the carriage with her legs crossed, eyes closed, completely ignoring Yu Ling’er’s questioning.
Nonsense! If she truly went to Soaring Cloud Pavilion’s home territory, she would be a caged bird unable to fly. Of course, the slower their travel, the better her chances of escape.
With this thought, she suddenly stuck her head out of the carriage towards Qin Lingxiao’s distant white-robed figure and shouted, “Hey! I’m hungry! What’s for lunch? With this hot weather, a bowl of cold noodles drizzled with a tangy, spicy sauce would be perfect!”
Qin Lingxiao clearly did not inherit his master Wei Jie’s enthusiasm for food and drink, completely ignoring Xiao Xiao’s suggestion as he stiffly marched onwards like a ruler.
Seeing the Soaring Cloud disciples’ indifference to worldly pleasures, Xiao Xiao estimated their lunch would likely be quite frugal.
Sure enough, at midday, she watched those white-robed disciples simply plucking flowers to drink the dew, subsisting on petals and spring water.
Xiao Xiao could only exchange speechless looks with Yu Ling’er, who also found such meager sustenance unsatisfying for the gluttonous little fox.
At that moment, Qin Lingxiao was seated cross-legged on a large boulder, eyes closed in meditation to restore his qi.
Xiao Xiao approached him shamelessly. “…Are you afraid of accumulating karmic sins from killing, so you plan to let us starve to death instead?”
Qin Lingxiao opened his eyes halfway to coolly regard Xiao Xiao’s delicate face, reluctantly explaining, “As cultivators on the path of immortality, our goal is to transcend the mortal form. Abstaining from grains as soon as possible, subsisting only on flower dew, allows one’s dantian to become more pristine. Does your Talisman Sect not practice such austerities on the path to immortality?”
Xiao Xiao shook her head honestly. “Unless we’ve completely run out of food, three meals a day is a must – missing even one is unacceptable. You want me to stay at Soaring Cloud Pavilion for three years with such provisions?”
