Chapter 50
The rain outside the abandoned temple was sometimes heavy, sometimes light. The sound of the rain was sometimes a roar, sometimes a drizzle, but it never stopped.
The Buddha statue in the temple had a kind face and compassionate eyes, showing pity for all living things.
Mo Jiangxue sat leaning against a wooden pillar in the main hall. Xie Qingzheng was nestled in her arms, telling her story.
After listening, Mo Jiangxue stroked Xie Qingzheng’s head and pointed out, “There are some things you haven’t even remembered yourself. Everything is just Sect Master Xie’s account, Sect Master Xie’s personal evaluation.”
Xie Qingzheng said, “But what if what she said is true?”
Mo Jiangxue said indifferently, “Judge by actions, not by intentions. No matter what Senior Fuyun’s original intention was, she gave you a second life, raised you for seven years, and entrusted you to those ghosts before she died. In truth, what she did was not much different from a mother, right?”
Xie Qingzheng thought for a moment and blinked. “Master, you’re right.”
If what Xie Youke said was true, then she had been saved twice by the senior and junior martial sisters of the Xie clan. Once on the roadside, when she was picked up by Xie Youke, and once after she had died, when Xie Fuyun had given her half of her bloodline and revived her with the infant-refining art.
No matter what, the two of them had shown her kindness.
Xie Qingzheng smiled faintly. “Master, thinking about it this way, I really was not fated to die. Every time I was on the verge of a desperate situation, I would meet a benefactor to help me. What have I done to deserve this?”
Before, it was Xie Youke and Xie Fuyun, and the people of Wen Family Village. Now, it was Mo Jiangxue.
Mo Jiangxue also smiled faintly. “Can you hear me say anything wrong from your mouth?”
Xie Qingzheng: “No.”
Even if it was wrong, she would think it was right.
Mo Jiangxue said, “That is blind faith, blind obedience.”
So be it, blind faith, blind obedience. Xie Qingzheng just smiled and said nothing, hugging Mo Jiangxue tightly.
There were no romantic thoughts. She just wanted to hide in a reassuring embrace, to shelter from the wind and rain, to calm her thoughts.
She had told her master a lot today, but she had hidden one thing: Xie Youke’s words, “You are an anomaly, with no surname in the three mountains, no name in the ghost pass. You should not exist in this world. You only have this one life. If you die, you cannot be reincarnated.”
She had learned to hide things with a purpose, no longer telling her master everything with sincerity and directness.
She could only live this once. A cultivator’s lifespan was fixed. In the future, what awaited her was either ascension to immortality or to be a soul forever after death. Of course, it could also be that her soul would be scattered.
She was afraid that if she told her master this, her master would not agree to transfer the curse to her.
She reached out and touched the Yanyu Xiao at her waist, thinking: A straw cape in misty rain, I care not for the rest of my life. Who cares what the future holds? I’ll just live in the present.
She was a person who tended to remember the good and not the bad. She didn’t know who she had gotten this optimism from.
Xie Qingzheng then asked Mo Jiangxue in a low voice, “Master, did your curse backlash this time because you have consumed too much spiritual energy these past few days?”
Mo Jiangxue said, “Perhaps.”
A few days ago, she had fought with the four great guardians of Tianquan Manor, and then with the people of the Ten Directions Domain. Last night, she had also set up an array to break the illusion and save Si Li’s soul. All these things had consumed a lot of her spiritual energy.
If it were the past, she could have cultivated it back in a month or two of seclusion. But now, her cultivation was not only stagnant, but it could even be said to be like a boat sailing against the current, not advancing but retreating.
Xie Qingzheng sighed softly, her heart filled with a mix of heartache, pity, and guilt. She thought of her master from years ago, who had the glorious record of defeating ninety-seven masters in one day at Tianquan Manor. Now, with the Soul Severing curse on her, as long as she consumed too much in a short period of time, she would not be able to suppress the poison in her body and would become so weak.
She wanted to say, “Can we not bother with these things in the future?” but in the end, she said nothing.
She knew what kind of person her master was.
Her master and Manor Lord Yun had only met two or three times, a friendship as bland as water between gentlemen, yet her master was willing to do so much for this friendship.
The Way of Transcending Emotion, to have emotion and then forget emotion, to forget emotion and achieve impartiality, to not be moved by emotions, to not be troubled by feelings, to pity all living things equally, and to save all living things to the best of her ability.
If this was her master’s Dao, then she would follow it to the death.
Outside, the wind and rain raged. The master and disciple hugged each other and slept in the abandoned temple for a night.
After one night, the sky was bright. The two of them walked out of the abandoned temple, one after the other, and walked towards the city.
It had rained all night. The grass and trees on both sides of the road were wet, and the air was filled with the smell of earth.
Mo Jiangxue’s lips were still a little pale. Xie Qingzheng washed a leaf and rolled it up, went to get some mountain spring water for her to drink, and then took out a qi-replenishing pill from the medicine gourd and fed it to her.
Mo Jiangxue swallowed the pill, looked at Xie Qingzheng, and asked, “How did you get through the poison attacks when you were a child?”
Xie Qingzheng said, “When it was cold, I would wrap myself in a thick cotton-padded coat and sit by the stove, constantly adding firewood. After a whole night, it wouldn’t be cold anymore. When it was hot, I would take off all my clothes and soak in the stream. After a whole night, it wouldn’t be hot anymore.”
She said it lightly, but Mo Jiangxue turned her head and glanced at her, her eyes rippling slightly.
They both knew how uncomfortable it was when the poison attacked. They both empathized with each other.
Xie Qingzheng suddenly sensed her considerate thoughts: She herself is uncomfortable, but she doesn’t feel it, and instead thinks about how I felt as a child…
It was really… something that left one at a loss for words.
Her heart was in a turmoil, and her heart was beating faster and faster. Xie Qingzheng was afraid that she would say something she shouldn’t again and quickly changed the subject. “Sect Master Xie said that my Myriad Manifestations Steps were taught by her. It’s really unexpected…”
The first time she had seen Sect Master Xie, she had only felt that she was graceful, noble, and high and mighty. If there was anything special, it was a bit of an inexplicable familiarity in her heart.
At that time, she had just thought that perhaps she had seen her when she was a child. She had not expected the connection to be so deep.
Xie Qingzheng: “I wonder if she taught me how to cultivate when I was a child? Maybe I also had spiritual energy in my body when I was a child, and it was all consumed when the poison attacked…”
Mo Jiangxue said, “Your cultivation speed is indeed extraordinary.”
Back then, when she had taught her how to breathe and regulate her breath, she had also been able to enter a meditative state very quickly, so skilled that it was not like someone who was cultivating for the first time.
Xie Qingzheng added, “Sect Master Xie won’t let me continue to investigate the matter of Wen Family Village. She probably knows more than we do.”
Mo Jiangxue hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ll talk to her when I get back.”
They passed by a Daoist temple along the way. Xie Qingzheng vaguely felt that it was a little familiar and was about to go over and take a look when Mo Jiangxue suddenly pressed her shoulder and pulled her behind a locust tree to hide.
Sneaky, what was she up to?
Before long, she caught the sound of two extremely faint, almost inaudible footsteps. It was clearly a Xuanmen cultivator with a high cultivation level.
The two of them walked out of the Daoist temple. One of them seemed to have said to the owner of the Daoist temple, “Farewell,” and then left on his sword.
After the owner of the Daoist temple had also walked back into the temple, the two of them came out from under the big locust tree.
Xie Qingzheng looked at the name of the Daoist temple and said, “This seems to be the place where Manor Lord Yun’s mother cultivated in seclusion.”
Mo Jiangxue hummed in acknowledgment.
Xie Qingzheng: “Who was that person just now? I don’t think I’ve heard her voice before.”
Mo Jiangxue said, “The mistress of the Kaiyang sect. She and Manor Lord Yun’s mother seem to have a good relationship.”
Xie Qingzheng thought of the various scenes in Si Li’s illusion and said, “Could it be that she also knows about Yun Yi dressing as a man?”
Mo Jiangxue said, “Perhaps.”
But Yun Yi had already left. She just wanted to take Si Li away from this place of right and wrong and did not want to pursue the real culprit behind the scenes.
If the person involved didn’t care, then the two of them, master and disciple, were outsiders and would not get involved.
When they returned to Tianquan Manor, Xie Qingzheng saw that the major sects were all leaving one after another.
The demons of the Ten Directions Domain had retreated, and Tianquan Manor was temporarily taken over by the Tianshu Sect. There was no reason for the others to stay.
The two of them, master and disciple, went to find Xiao Wangqing. Xiao Wangqing was also preparing to take the people of the Xuanji Sect back to the East Sea. “There are still the watchtowers to be busy with, and there are many miscellaneous matters piled up in the sect. I really can’t be idle for a moment.”
Xie Qingzheng told her about her master’s curse backlash yesterday.
Xiao Wangqing quickly took Mo Jiangxue’s hand and took her pulse.
Xiao Wangqing had also learned a lot about medicine from Pei Shuxue. She immediately frowned and said, “The poison in your body has deepened a little. It has already acted up yesterday. In the future, it will probably act up at most every three months, and at least every month, and it will be more severe each time.”
Xie Qingzheng’s heart was in a knot.
Mo Jiangxue calmly lowered her sleeve and asked, “Has Shui Yan found anything?”
Xiao Wangqing shook her head. “There are no clues for the time being. I don’t know who in this world can use this forbidden curse. Besides Zheng’er, I haven’t seen this curse on anyone else.”
Xie Qingzheng thought to herself: But the person who cast the curse must still be alive in this world. Who could it be?
Mo Jiangxue said, “Then let’s see.”
The master and disciple said their goodbyes to Xiao Wangqing and then went to pay a visit to Xie Youke.
Mo Jiangxue thanked her for what had happened last night.
Xie Qingzheng stood by Mo Jiangxue’s side, bowed to Xie Youke, and said respectfully, “Greetings, Sect Master Xie.” Then she said no more.
She wanted to apologize, but for some reason, she was a little embarrassed.
Xie Youke looked at her with cold eyes.
Mo Jiangxue also looked at her, the corners of her lips curved slightly, as if she were watching a show and had no intention of interfering.
Her face flushed red, and finally, she bowed again and said politely, “Sect Master Xie, junior misspoke yesterday. I’m sorry.”
Xie Youke said nothing and snorted coldly.
Mo Jiangxue got straight to the point and asked about Wen Family Village.
Xie Youke was also quick to speak and said, “I sent people to clean up Wen Family Village, and the nearby poison corpses have also been captured by my people and brought back to the Tianshu Sect. I will investigate Xie Fuyun’s death myself. It has nothing to do with you.”
With that, she looked at Xie Qingzheng again and emphasized, “You have no blood relation with her. She refined and revived you just to possess you. You don’t owe her anything, and you don’t have to do anything for her.”
Xie Qingzheng said gently, “Sect Master Xie, even if I don’t owe her anything, my master still has a curse on her, and her life is in danger. I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”
Xie Youke was unconcerned. “That’s nothing. If she dies, she dies. Who in this life does not die? She can be reincarnated after she dies and continue to cultivate in the next life.”
Hearing this, Mo Jiangxue’s expression did not change.
Although the words were harsh, there was some truth to them.
Life and death, prosperity and decay, the cycle repeats. A cultivator of the Dao should be more open-minded.
Xie Qingzheng was furious.
If you can’t agree, half a word is too much! She had nothing to say to this high and mighty person who treated human life as worthless as an ant!
She took Mo Jiangxue’s hand and was about to leave, but Xie Youke called her back. “Come here.”
She didn’t want to pay any attention to her, but Mo Jiangxue stopped and gestured for her to go over.
She reluctantly walked to Xie Youke. Xie Youke stared at her for a while, reached out and tapped the cinnabar mark between her brows. She subconsciously wanted to retreat, but an incantation appeared in her spiritual sense.
Xie Youke withdrew her hand and said coolly, “The incantation for the Myriad Manifestations Steps. Don’t forget it again. Go.”
Xie Qingzheng did not move. She looked at Xie Youke, her feelings complicated.
She asked softly, “Sect Master Xie, what did I used to call you?”
Xie Youke was silent for a moment and said, “You can just continue to call me Sect Master.”
Xie Qingzheng then said, “I don’t know why, but I’ve forgotten everything from the past.”
Xie Youke said, “The cinnabar mark between your brows was placed there by Xie Fuyun. It is the seal of faith of our Xie clan of Tianshu, and also a curse seal. Only the caster of the curse knows the content of the curse seal. I guess it was Xie Fuyun who sealed your memories.”
She didn’t know why this child’s memories were sealed, but she could vaguely guess that Xie Fuyun did not want this child to get involved.
Xie Qingzheng said sincerely, “Sect Master Xie, you clearly know your senior sister very well. You must have said some things against your heart to me yesterday.”
Xie Youke shot her a look and said coldly, “You can go.”
She saluted and asked, “Sect Master Xie, how about we cooperate? You go and investigate the matter of Wen Family Village, and I will go and search for the whereabouts of the other spirit weapons.”
Xie Youke shot her another look. “Do I need you to do things for me?”
Xie Qingzheng pressed her lips together, glanced at Mo Jiangxue behind her, and said, borrowing the fox’s might, “I can have my master help. Anyway, you want to collect the spirit weapons, and so do I. But you… don’t do anything harmful to heaven and reason, don’t go and wipe out people’s sects…”
What if she accumulated karma and didn’t have a good end in the future…
“How dare you speak to me like that?” A spark of fire rose in Xie Youke’s eyes.
Xie Qingzheng, fearing she would slap her, quickly took a few steps back and hid behind Mo Jiangxue.
A smile appeared on Mo Jiangxue’s lips. “Sect Master Xie, my unruly disciple was just joking. Please don’t take offense.”
Xie Youke snorted coldly. “The matter of Tianquan Manor has nothing to do with me. It’s their own fault for being so useless.”
After a pause, she said to Mo Jiangxue, “The Yaoguang Bell is in the hands of ‘Garuda’ of the Ten Directions Domain. ‘Garuda’ has been active in the Xiangxi Miao region recently. I have to go and find the treasured artifact of the Tianshu Sect first. You can go and find the Yaoguang Bell.”
The Yaoguang sect had already merged with the Xuanji Sect. It was reasonable for the people of the Xuanji Sect to go and search for the Yaoguang Bell.
Mo Jiangxue nodded in agreement.
After saying their goodbyes to Xie Youke, the master and disciple left Xinye City and headed towards the Miao region.
On the road, Xie Qingzheng joked with Mo Jiangxue, “Master, Sect Master Xie also wants the Tianxuan Sword in your hands.”
Mo Jiangxue said, “Let’s find all the lost spirit weapons first.”
Xie Qingzheng said, “Mm, that’s true. I want to gather the spirit weapons to break the curse. I wonder what Sect Master Xie wants to do? Revive someone? But my ‘mother’ has already had her soul scattered…”
She was still used to calling Xie Fuyun “mother.”
Mo Jiangxue suddenly asked her, “If you remember the things from your childhood, and Sect Master Xie asks you to give her the sword again, will you?”
Or would she refuse as decisively as she had last night?
Xie Qingzheng casually pulled a foxtail grass from the side of the road and wrapped it around her finger, thinking: This question is like asking me to choose between my master and Sect Master Xie…
Mo Jiangxue: “Hm?”
Xie Qingzheng: “Master, the Tianxuan Sword is in your hands. I have no right to take it.”
Mo Jiangxue drew the Tianxuan Sword from under her qin and placed it in Xie Qingzheng’s hand. “You try?”
Xie Qingzheng was a little dazed. “Ah?”
Mo Jiangxue said, “I have also had it acknowledge you as its master.”
In a time of crisis, it would still protect her as it had back then.
Xie Qingzheng took the sword and casually executed a move. An invisible sword qi repelled the surrounding grass and trees.
It was indeed easy to use.
Xie Qingzheng’s heart suddenly softened, but she didn’t dare to say something like “you’re so good to me.” She just smiled faintly, returned the Tianxuan Sword to Mo Jiangxue, and said softly, “Master, it’s so good to be your disciple.”
Mo Jiangxue’s kindness to her was only because they were master and disciple, or rather, she herself was a very good person.
This kind of kindness was not about romance, not about private feelings. If someone else had become her disciple, she would have treated them the same way.
Although she understood this, Xie Qingzheng still sighed in her heart and secretly thought: Can’t you be a little different towards me?
She wanted to be a slightly more special existence in her heart. She wanted to receive her bias.
Mo Jiangxue glanced at Xie Qingzheng, as if she wanted to say something, but she said nothing and continued to walk forward.
The suburban path was winding and twisting.
“You are very good to me.”
“I wish I could win your affection.”
“But I like you very much.”
“You are the person I trust and like the most.”
The young girl’s clear, childish, and sincere words were still in her ears. Mo Jiangxue hid her sword in her qin and said nothing.
Perhaps people are like this. The older they get, the more restrained they become, the more they know their place, the less enthusiastic they are, and the less they reveal their hearts.
So be it. Let nature take its course.
