Uncanny Immortal 18

Chapter 18

Xiao Wangqing said, “With us here, they won’t go so far as to take a life.”

Mu Qingdai turned her eyes to Mo Jiangxue.

Mo Jiangxue remained impassive, merely taking a sip of tea, seemingly unconcerned with the life or death of the two on the stage.

The qi swords, like rainbows, whistled as they arrived.

Xie Qingzheng stepped on the Gang Step, quickly formed a hand seal, and condensed her true qi at her fingertips, creating a water-curtain-like shield in front of her. (T/N: Gang Step or Bugang: Pacing the stars of the Big Dipper  – Daoist ritual dance or walk)

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

One after another, the qi swords crashed into the shield.

Each impact sent a violent surge of qi and blood through her body. After the third strike, she could no longer suppress it. A metallic sweetness rose in her throat, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

She was already covered in wounds, her true qi nearly depleted. She had no strength to counterattack and could only hold on by a thread of will.

If she continued to hold on, she would either be severely injured or dead…

Should I admit defeat?

The thought flashed through her mind, only to be drowned out by a strong sense of unwillingness.

She had clearly knocked Mu Zifu’s sword away. Why couldn’t she be declared the winner?

Why could Mu Zifu be treated specially? Just because she was Mu Qingdai’s sister?

Why? On what grounds? She really couldn’t figure it out!

Grievance, indignation, disappointment, unwillingness… All sorts of intense emotions surged into her heart, coalescing into a blaze of anger that roiled the qi and blood in her chest. Blood uncontrollably seeped from the corners of her lips.

Xie Qingzheng looked towards where Mo Jiangxue was, and another wave of bitterness washed over her heart.

Is there no chance of becoming her disciple now?

A buzzing sound filled her ears, and her vision began to blur. Another qi sword struck, and the fragile barrier shattered completely. Her fingertips could no longer condense even a trace of true qi to defend herself. Xie Qingzheng sighed softly and closed her eyes.

The expected pain did not come. Instead, she suddenly heard a sharp sword cry, like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, shaking her to the core.

Xie Qingzheng’s eyes flew open, and a sharp sword was reflected in her pupils.

The sword was covered in black patterns. It sped through the air, its sword qi fierce. With the speed of lightning, it crashed into the net of qi swords on the arena, shattering them.

In an instant, dust flew, and a wave of qi spread out.

The cultivators around the arena were all knocked back by the sudden wave of sword qi. When they looked again, they were all dumbfounded.

It was the Tianxuan Sword!

Wasn’t the Tianxuan Sword sealed in the Sword Pavilion on the mountainside of Ethereal Peak? How did it appear here?

The wind and clouds surged in mid-air, thunder roared, and amidst the lightning, the Tianxuan Sword attacked Mu Zifu directly.

For a moment, on Weiming Peak, the sound of sword qi cutting through the air, the sound of the qin, the xiao, and the pipa all rang out, but none could stop the Tianxuan Sword’s attack.

The turn of events happened in an instant. Before Xie Qingzheng could even take a step, her body convulsed, and she fell heavily to the ground.

In a blur of blood-red light, she vaguely saw Mu Qingdai flash in front of Mu Zifu.

With a squelching sound, the Tianxuan Sword plunged into Mu Qingdai’s body. Blood dripped from the blade…

When she regained consciousness, her body ached so much she could barely breathe. She had just opened her eyes, but Xie Qingzheng felt that it would have been more comfortable to have remained unconscious.

At least when she was unconscious, she couldn’t feel such intense pain.

Her throat was terribly dry. The air she breathed in and out was thick with the smell of blood.

She lay on the cold floor, breathing with difficulty, trying to regulate the chaotic qi in her body.

Above her was an unfamiliar ceiling. The room was empty, and the walls were covered with densely packed sect rules—

She had been locked in the Disciplinary Pavilion.

Which sect rule did I break? Harming a fellow disciple? Shouldn’t it be Mu Zifu who was persecuting me? Why lock me up?

Xie Qingzheng pushed herself up with her hands. After several attempts, she finally managed to sit up from the floor.

Her gaze searched through the dense rules, trying to see which one she had violated.

A sense of grievance and anger still lingered in her heart. She suddenly remembered the last scene she saw before she fainted, and her body trembled.

I wonder how Elder Mu is? Is her life in danger?

If something really happened to Elder Mu, let alone becoming Mo Jiangxue’s disciple, she probably wouldn’t even be able to stay in the Xuanji Sect…

Why did the Tianxuan Sword suddenly appear on the arena and help her attack Mu Zifu?

Normally, only a spirit sword that had acknowledged a master would exhibit such protective behavior.

When did the Tianxuan Sword acknowledge her as its master? With her current shallow cultivation, she was probably not qualified to be the master of a high-grade spirit sword.

After the Tianxuan Sword was brought back to the Xuanji Sect by Mo Jiangxue, it had been sealed in the Sword Pavilion. She was not qualified to go near it.

She had only touched it once, on the night she had just left Wen Family Village.

A high-grade spirit sword was not a puppy; it wouldn’t acknowledge a master just from being petted…

The voices of two senior sisters came from outside the door:

“Elder Mu took a sword for Junior Sister Zifu. Her life is still hanging in the balance.”

“Junior Sister Zifu is really something. If she had just admitted defeat earlier, none of this would have happened…”

“I wonder why the Tianxuan Sword suddenly appeared on Weiming Peak? It couldn’t really have been summoned by Junior Sister Qingzheng, could it?”

“Probably not. Junior Sister has never even seen the Tianxuan Sword. The Sect Master said it might be that after the Tianxuan Sword was unsealed, a trace of malevolent energy remained. It sensed the fighting on Weiming Peak, broke free from the Sword Pavilion’s restraints on its own, and rushed out to injure people and drink blood.”

“Then Junior Sister is also innocent. Why lock her up here all alone? She looks so pitiful!”

“Sigh, it’s probably to give an explanation to Green Pine Peak.”

“The people of Green Pine Peak are arrogant, aggressive, and unreasonable. I don’t know why the Sect Master always favors them.”

“I heard from the senior sisters that a few years ago, during the frequent battles between the righteous and demonic paths, it was always Elder Mu who led the female cultivators of Green Pine Peak to stay behind and cover the retreat. The cenotaphs in the back mountain of the Xuanji Sect are mostly filled with the senior sisters of Green Pine Peak… Elder Mu’s title of ‘Sorrow-Seeing Ghost’ was also earned at that time…”

“No wonder… Elder Mu’s temper isn’t very good, but her popularity in the sect is still very high.”

“That’s right. If something really happens to Elder Mu, I’m afraid everyone on Green Pine Peak will vent their anger on Junior Sister. ‘I did not kill Boren, but Boren died because of me.’ It’s hard to say if Junior Sister can even stay in the Xuanji Sect…”

Hearing this, Xie Qingzheng lowered her eyes, lamenting her bad luck on one hand, and worrying about Elder Mu’s life on the other.

Please don’t die…

“Greetings, Senior Sister Min He.”

A greeting came from outside the door. The wooden door of the Disciplinary Pavilion was suddenly opened, and Min He walked in.

Xie Qingzheng called out softly, “Senior Sister.”

Min He saw her covered in wounds, sighed, took her by the wrist, and transferred some true qi to her. She then took out a pill and had her take it before saying, “Junior Sister, Elder Mu’s life is not in danger for the time being. I’ll take you to see the Sect Master and the elders. Don’t be afraid, it’ll be alright. It was an accident, and it has nothing to do with you.”

Her comforting tone was incredibly gentle.

Xie Qingzheng’s nose tingled, and her eyes grew a little moist.

When one is wronged, the last thing one can bear is someone else’s gentle comfort.

She hadn’t wanted to cry, and she was still a little angry. But with Senior Sister Min He’s comfort, all that was left was grievance and heartache.

These senior sisters of the Xuanji Sect were genuinely good to her.

She liked it here, she liked the senior sisters, and she liked Elder Mo. She didn’t want to leave the Xuanji Sect at all.

When they reached the main hall of Zixiao Peak, only Xie Qingzheng went in. Min He stood guard outside the hall.

Xiao Wangqing sat in the center of the main hall, her usually gentle expression now tinged with solemnity.

The three elders, Jin Suchen, Danshu, and Lan Mei, sat on the right, their expressions varied.

Mo Jiangxue sat alone on the left, her face still completely hidden by the white gauze.

Xie Qingzheng’s gaze swept over Mo Jiangxue, lingered for a moment, and then she saluted everyone. “Qingzheng pays her respects to the Sect Master and the elders…”

Xiao Wangqing said, “Zheng’er, the Tianxuan Sword has acknowledged you as its master.”

Her first words were like a bolt from the blue.

Elder Danshu at the side looked at her and said, “The Tianxuan Sword was once taken by Xie Fuyun and acknowledged her as its master. Later, it was sealed in Wen Family Village for seven years. During those seven years, you were the only living person in the village, and you have Xie Fuyun’s bloodline flowing in you. Over time, the sword came to regard you as its master.”

Xiao Wangqing stared at the cinnabar mark between Xie Qingzheng’s brows, pondered for a moment, and said warmly, “If the Tianxuan Sword were still the immortal sword that vanquished evil and slew demons, it wouldn’t matter if it acknowledged you as its master. Zheng’er, you are of good character and exceptional talent. I would have passed on my life’s learning to you and taught you to uphold the righteous path. Unfortunately, an immortal sword that vanquished evil and slew demons was refined into a bloodthirsty evil sword by members of a demonic cult. A trace of its malevolent energy has not yet been completely removed. As soon as the sword’s master has a killing intent, the sword will surely drink blood.”

Elder Lan Mei of Water Cloud Peak was very close to Mu Qingdai. Seeing Xie Qingzheng now, she was filled with anger and cursed, “You spawn of evil! I think you did have the intention to kill Fu’er! It was just a spar between fellow disciples. Why did you have a killing intent?”

Xie Qingzheng’s mind was in a turmoil, her face turning red and then white. “I didn’t…”

She was just very angry and felt it was very unfair!

Elder Jin Suchen was strict by nature. Hearing this, she rebuked angrily, “Still dare to argue! So cruel at such a young age, what will you become when you grow up? Your mother was of crooked mind back then, stealing our sect’s Tianxuan Sword and consorting with demonic evils, which was why she was expelled from the Tianshu Sect. Now the Tianshu Sect won’t have you, and our Xuanji Sect has kindly taken you in. Are you going to repay kindness with enmity? I think you’ll sooner or later follow in your mother’s footsteps—”

“Peak Master Jin, watch your words!”

A cool and severe voice interrupted Jin Suchen’s rebuke.

“She is she, and her mother is her mother. Do not confuse the two. And do not force upon her things she has not done.”

Everyone in the hall looked at Mo Jiangxue, their expressions varied.

Jin Suchen, having been publicly refuted by Mo Jiangxue, looked extremely embarrassed.

Xiao Wangqing helped smooth things over. “A gentleman judges by actions, not by intentions. Even if Zheng’er did have a killing intent, she did not, after all, strike a killing blow… Do not speak ill of a girl’s mother in front of her.”

Her voice was still gentle, but her tone carried a hint of rebuke.

There was another sentence she didn’t say, but everyone present understood: Mu Zifu’s “Myriad Swords Return to the Origin” was the real killing move.

Hearing that her mother had consorted with evils and been expelled from the sect was like a blow to the head for Xie Qingzheng.

The righteous and the evil could not coexist. The righteous path and the demonic path had a long-standing feud, having fought for hundreds of years. As a renowned righteous sect, everyone in the Xuanji Sect gritted their teeth at the mention of the demonic cult.

No wonder the Sect Master had told her to hide her background to avoid complications…

No wonder the Sect Master was always vague when mentioning her mother…

Why would her mother consort with members of a demonic cult?

Xiao Wangqing took all the blame upon herself. “To be fair, we can’t blame Fu’er, nor can we blame Zheng’er. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I had the intention of taking Zheng’er as my disciple and wanted to see how far her potential could be pushed, which was why I didn’t call a halt in time.”

Jin Suchen snorted. “Even if we don’t blame her, she is still a menace! In my opinion, we should just cripple her cultivation! As long as she doesn’t have a trace of spiritual energy, the Tianxuan Sword won’t be able to sense her killing intent!”

Lan Mei agreed. “Peak Master Jin is right. Cripple her cultivation to prevent future trouble!”

Danshu said with regret, “A pity for such a good seedling for cultivation.”

Xiao Wangqing was silent, as if considering if there was a better solution.

Xie Qingzheng’s face instantly turned pale.

She had worked tirelessly for a year, forgetting to eat and sleep, only to get such a result?

Not only could she not become Mo Jiangxue’s disciple, but her entire cultivation was also to be crippled?

Her gaze swept back and forth between the Sect Master and the elders. Her knees bent, and she knelt down, pleading, “Sect Master, elders, from now on I will never have a killing intent again. I also don’t want the Tianxuan Sword to acknowledge me as its master—”

Jin Suchen interrupted, “You say you won’t, so you won’t? Three of my disciples died under the Tianxuan Sword! If it could be so easily controlled, there wouldn’t have been so many souls lost to it back then!”

Mo Jiangxue stood up, walked in front of Xie Qingzheng, and with a flick of her sleeve, lifted Xie Qingzheng’s knees. She addressed the people on the seats, “I was the one who retrieved the Tianxuan Sword. I will find a way to remove the malevolent energy from the sword. I was also the one who brought her back. If you all trust me, then hand her over to me.”

Her words were firm, her tone brooks no argument. Her next words were equally sharp and merciless.

“In the future, if she uses the Tianxuan Sword to kill the innocent, I will personally execute her.”

“Are you taking me as your disciple because you pity me and sympathize with me?”

At the foot of Ethereal Peak, in the vast sea of bamboo, Xie Qingzheng followed closely behind Mo Jiangxue, mumbling her question.

Mo Jiangxue was taking her to the Jade Water Cold Pool to heal.

She was covered in bloodstains, a trace of blood still at the corner of her lips. She spoke weakly.

“I don’t want you to pity me. I hope… you genuinely approve of me, and that’s why you want to take me as your disciple…”

“What are you being difficult about?” The graceful, crane-like figure moved through the bamboo forest, her reply showing little emotional fluctuation.

The young girl behind her said in a low voice, “If you are not satisfied with me, I don’t have to become your disciple this year. After three years, when you genuinely approve of me, I will become your disciple then…”

“Stop chattering.”

Xie Qingzheng was silent for a long while, then she chattered on, “Didn’t you say… your sect has always passed down through a single line, one master only takes one disciple, and accepting a disciple depends on fate? Is this our fate?”

“Mm.”

“Then… are you satisfied with my performance in the Sword Discussion Assembly?”

“It was alright.”

“Then… do you believe that I didn’t have a killing intent?”

Mo Jiangxue was silent.

Xie Qingzheng lowered her head. “I’ll only tell you the truth. Actually, I don’t quite believe it myself… I’ve also forgotten what I was thinking at that time. I only remember that I was really, really angry… You, believe me, I won’t be like that again in the future…”

She was afraid of being disliked by Mo Jiangxue.

Although she wasn’t sure if she had a killing intent at that time, she still wanted to explain it clearly to Mo Jiangxue.

Mo Jiangxue raised a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. “As my disciple, you cannot be disobedient, nor can you talk too much.”

Xie Qingzheng replied softly, “I will listen to you for my entire life.” She didn’t dare to say any more.

Mo Jiangxue didn’t say anything more either.

The wind blew gently, and the bamboo leaves rustled. The two walked one after the other through the bamboo forest. Xie Qingzheng looked down at the water-like moonlight and the crisscrossing bamboo shadows on the ground, always keeping a step’s distance from Mo Jiangxue.

She couldn’t bear to step on the shadow of the person in front of her.

In her heart, she savored the words “as my disciple” over and over again. As she savored them, a sweet feeling began to brew in her heart.

She shook her head and touched her slightly warm cheeks.

It seemed she was really seriously injured. Otherwise, how could she have this dazed, as-if-walking-on-clouds feeling?