Uncanny Immortal 66

Chapter 66

The rain outside the cave was pouring down, and the mist was thick. A gentle breeze, carrying the dampness, blew against her face. Xie Qingzheng held her breath and bit her lower lip hard.

The cool lips were on the wound on her forearm. She could feel the gentle force of the other sucking the wound. Her back tensed, and her heart trembled violently.

Mo Jiangxue’s long eyelashes were lowered, hiding the expression in her eyes. Her face was calm. She held the poisoned blood in her lips, turned her head, and spat it out.

Just as she was about to suck again, she suddenly saw that the swelling on the wound had subsided.

A trace of surprise flashed in her calm eyes, and then she understood. She let go of Xie Qingzheng’s arm, looked at Tanluan with cold eyes, her lips bright red, a trace of blood still at the corner.

Tanluan coughed and pretended not to notice the cold gaze behind her. She looked up at the rain and said slowly, “This rain is really heavy… sigh, care leads to chaos…”

Two completely unrelated sentences.

Xie Qingzheng looked down at the sting on her forearm and also realized—with just this little bit of poison, how could it kill someone? It wasn’t as serious as Tanluan had said at all!

Mo Jiangxue raised her hand and wiped the blood from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand, her gaze still cold.

Xie Qingzheng’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She lowered her sleeve, not daring to look at her master’s reaction, and said thank you in a low voice, “Master, I’m fine now. Thank you…”

Mo Jiangxue did not look at Xie Qingzheng, and did not even say a word to her. She held the Tianxuan Sword and stood quietly to the side, her expression not very natural.

Xie Qingzheng took out the handkerchief from her bosom, dipped it in some rainwater, turned to look at her master, and reached out to wipe the blood from her master’s lips.

Mo Jiangxue closed her eyes, still not looking at her.

The blood on her lips was carefully wiped away, bit by bit, but her lips were still bright and red, like a strange and enchanting flower, irresistibly drawing one’s gaze.

No matter how many times she had seen it, no matter how long they had been together day and night, she would still be stunned by her beauty.

Such a cool and aloof person, such full and bright red lips…

Xie Qingzheng forced herself to turn her gaze away and suppressed the disrespectful thoughts that rose in her mind.

The sound of the rain was loud outside. No one spoke, and the entire cave fell completely silent. The atmosphere was a little subtle.

The three of them stood at the entrance of the cave, their thoughts varied.

A cold wind blew against her face, carrying the dampness of the rain. Suddenly, Xie Qingzheng felt a gust of hot wind from behind her.

She subconsciously turned around. The wind not only carried heat but also a pungent, fishy smell.

Tanluan and Mo Jiangxue also sensed the abnormality. The three of them looked straight into the depths of the cave.

Unable to release her spiritual sense to probe the situation, Xie Qingzheng asked Tanluan in a low voice, “Why is there wind blowing out from inside the cave?”

Tanluan released her spiritual sense and probed for a while, then said, “Besides some small insects, I don’t see any living creatures.”

Xie Qingzheng was eager to try. “Go in and take a look?”

Tanluan: “Let’s go!”

The depths of the cave looked dark and full of weeds. The three of them had been afraid of poisonous creatures inside and had only taken shelter from the rain at the entrance. Now that they sensed something strange, not only were they unwilling to go out, but they also, relying on their high skills and courage, went inside.

Xie Qingzheng lit an ever-bright talisman, and the firelight illuminated the cave.

Looking closely, the weeds growing in the cracks of the rocks were not green, but black, each strand distinct, like human hair, but they were thick and strong, each blade of grass as large as half a person. The hot, fishy wind blew out from the cave in gusts, and the cold, damp wind from outside also blew in in gusts.

Mo Jiangxue’s expression was grave.

Xie Qingzheng calculated the frequency of the wind and found that it was very regular, in and out, out and in, a cycle, as rhythmic as a person’s breathing.

After walking for a while, Tanluan casually pulled out a black weed.

Mo Jiangxue suddenly turned her head and said, “Get out now!”

Xie Qingzheng and Tanluan were taken aback.

Mo Jiangxue added, “This mountain is a living thing.”

As her words fell, the three of them flashed outside. The moment they flashed to the entrance of the cave, they felt the entire ground sway from side to side. Then a gale blew out from the cave, sending the three of them flying. Along with the gale came a loud “achoo,” like a clap of thunder, that made the three of them’s hearts tremble.

The three of them stumbled into a tree. Xie Qingzheng let out a cry and asked, “Was that an earthquake?”

Mo Jiangxue said, “No, the mountain has woken up.”

Tanluan also sensed it. The entire mountain was trembling, and the mountain was turning, like a person lying down slowly sitting up. She summoned her spirit butterfly, and the spirit butterfly’s body grew in size. She leaped onto the butterfly’s back, then pulled Xie Qingzheng and Mo Jiangxue over. The three of them rode the butterfly into the sky, and from mid-air, they finally discovered that the mountain they had just walked through was actually a “human face” mountain.

The trees and vines that covered the sky on the mountain were its face, the two lakes side by side were its eyes, the high peak in the middle was its nose, and the cave where the three of them had just taken shelter from the rain was its nasal cavity. That gust of hot wind was its breath…

Tanluan thought of how she had just pulled out a black weed, and her face turned black.

Xie Qingzheng smiled charmingly and said, “Oh my, I was wondering why it suddenly thundered. Senior, you pulled its nose hair and made it sneeze.”

But the next moment, she couldn’t smile anymore.

With a loud rumble, the human face mountain opened its bloody mouth, revealing a scarlet tongue and uneven fangs. The spirit butterfly struggled to flap its wings, as if it were falling. There was a strong suction force, pulling the three of them towards the giant mouth.

Tanluan was in a panic. While forming a hand seal, she said, “The three of us are just like fly legs. Big monster, you won’t be full even if you eat us!”

The suction force from the bloody mouth grew stronger and stronger. The spirit butterfly gradually couldn’t flap its wings and slowly fell. Xie Qingzheng randomly slapped out a few lit fire talismans and threw them into the big mouth. The snowflake-like talismans fell, but the human face mountain’s big mouth showed no signs of abnormality. This mountain had been here for hundreds of years and had become a demon mountain. It was not something a few talismans could deal with.

“Out!”

The Tianxuan Sword on Mo Jiangxue’s back was unsheathed. The sword light shone and stabbed straight at the giant mouth. The edge of the sword crisscrossed, and it drew a “井” character on the scarlet tongue. Blood spurted out like a pillar.

The mouth was in pain, and the suction force instantly weakened. Tanluan controlled her spirit butterfly to flap its wings and quickly flew away from this mountain.

“Return!” The Tianxuan Sword returned at the sound and returned to Mo Jiangxue’s hand.

The spirit butterfly passed through the clouds and broke through the rain, flying forward. Tanluan formed a rain-avoiding seal and then glanced at the sword in Mo Jiangxue’s hand, saying with envy, “As expected of an immortal artifact.”

Even if the sword’s master’s spiritual energy was limited, an immortal sword could still break evil and slay demons.

Xie Qingzheng sat on the butterfly’s back, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and asked Tanluan, “The Tianxuan Sword and the Tianquan Saber are both extremely sharp and can break evil and slay demons, and are loyal to their masters. Senior, what is the use of the Yaoguang Bell in your hand?”

Tanluan shook the bell on her wrist. “This, well, it’s quite interesting. It can control a person’s mind and emotions, but I don’t usually use it. I like to fight fair and square. What, do you want it?”

Xie Qingzheng: “Even if I wanted it, you wouldn’t give it to me.”

Tanluan said, “Then I also want the Tianxuan Sword. Will you give it to me?”

Xie Qingzheng: “No.”

Tanluan smiled. “Then that’s that. If you want it, you have to get it with your own ability. If you have the ability to take it from me, I will definitely not argue with you.”

Xie Qingzheng: “Then by the same token, if you have the ability to take the Tianxuan Sword from us, we shouldn’t argue with you either?”

Tanluan: “Of course. But don’t worry. I never take advantage of others’ misfortune. One of you is poisoned, and the other is a newcomer. After your master has detoxified, I will have a good fight with her. Little Fellow Daoist Xie, do you want to make a bet with me?”

Xie Qingzheng: “What bet?”

Tanluan: “Bet on whether I win or your master wins?” Before Xie Qingzheng could speak, she smiled and said, “I understand. You will definitely bet on your master to win.”

Xie Qingzheng turned to look at Mo Jiangxue. Mo Jiangxue was wiping the blood from the Tianxuan Sword and did not participate in their conversation.

Xie Qingzheng seemed to have remembered something and asked Mo Jiangxue, “Master, in the Sword Discussion Assembly back then, did you bet on me to win or to lose?”

Mo Jiangxue looked up at her and did not answer.

But Xie Qingzheng smiled and said, “Then I understand.”

If she had bet on her to lose or had not participated, her master would have said it directly. It must have been that she had bet on her to win, which was why her master was silent.

Tanluan said, “What riddle are you two playing?”

Xie Qingzheng shook her head and smiled, saying nothing. She pressed her lips together, trying to suppress her smile, but in the end, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Mo Jiangxue glanced at her again, her face cold, and silently wiped her sword.

Mount Ailao stretched for thousands of li. After flying over the human face peak, the three of them landed on another peak.

This time, Tanluan carefully observed in the air and, after confirming that it was not some monster, she landed.

She glanced at the sky and no longer joked with Xie Qingzheng. She controlled her butterfly to search for the whereabouts of the human-faced spiders and conjoined scorpions in the mountain, and before long, she had caught two or three.

On the way back, Xie Qingzheng asked her, “Have you been here often before?”

Tanluan said, “Only a few times. The secret recipe for the immortal wine also requires these two poisonous creatures.”

Xie Qingzheng asked, “Why not catch some and raise them back?”

Tanluan said, “They can’t be raised elsewhere. They can only be raised here.”

Hearing her mention the immortal wine, Xie Qingzheng thought of Tan Yao and asked, “Do you want to go back to the main altar with us tonight?”

Tanluan shook her head. “I’d rather stay in my little broken hut.”

Xie Qingzheng asked, “It’s been almost two months. When do you plan to go and see them?”

Tanluan sighed. “I don’t know. As fate dictates.”

Xie Qingzheng asked tentatively, “How about I help you to ask Tan Yao out?”

Tanluan turned to look at her and asked her, “Little Fellow Daoist Xie, you are so concerned about my relationship with my family. Can I assume that you are concerned about me?”

Xie Qingzheng said seriously, “You have done us a great favor. It is only right that I show some concern for you.”

Tanluan smiled. “It was just a small effort. No need to worry about it.”

Xie Qingzheng: “By the way, that life-and-death gu, can you break it for me?”

Tanluan did not answer, looked at Mo Jiangxue, and changed the subject. “That Little White Fellow Daoist, did you just drink a little of Little Fellow Daoist Xie’s blood?”

Mo Jiangxue: “…”

She had just sucked the poisoned blood for Xie Qingzheng and had indeed not had time to rinse her mouth.

Tanluan laughed loudly.

Xie Qingzheng’s attention was diverted. She looked around, saw a mountain spring, and quickly picked a large leaf, rolled it up, filled it with some water, and brought it to Mo Jiangxue to rinse her mouth.

Tanluan said, “Oh, you just drank a little… what’s the use of rinsing your mouth now? You’ve already drunk it.”

Xie Qingzheng frowned and asked, “Why did you lie to us and say that that scorpion was extremely poisonous?”

Tanluan said, “I wanted to see your reaction. Actually, Little White Fellow Daoist, if you had just looked a little closer, you would have found that the poison was very weak and shallow, but you—sob, sob—” Before she could finish, she was put under a silencing curse again.

Xie Qingzheng made an excuse for Mo Jiangxue, “She is my master. It is normal for her to be concerned and nervous about my injuries.”

Mo Jiangxue glanced at her again, and that cool gaze seemed to carry a hint of a warning.

Xie Qingzheng, fearing she would be silenced, quickly closed her mouth.

Without Tanluan to chatter on, the way back was very quiet. For some reason, Xie Qingzheng felt that the atmosphere was so quiet it was even a little strange.

She could clearly feel that her master did not want to speak to her.

Xie Qingzheng had originally guessed that her master was angry with Tanluan, but from her expression, it didn’t seem like it.

She seemed to be lost in thought about something, so much so that after they landed, she even forgot to break Tanluan’s silencing curse. She just cupped her hands to Tanluan and then returned to the Immortal Cult.

Xie Qingzheng tried to break the curse for Tanluan, but after a lot of fumbling, she still couldn’t break it.

The caster of the curse’s cultivation was far higher than hers…

Tanluan silently rolled her eyes. She would do it herself. She could break it in an hour.

Xie Qingzheng smiled faintly. “Then Senior, please help yourself.” With that, she followed Mo Jiangxue’s steps.

After returning to the Immortal Cult, Xie Qingzheng went to settle the human-faced spiders and conjoined scorpions she had caught. Mo Jiangxue lifted her sleeve, looked at the place where she had been stung, and after confirming again that there was no major problem, she did not say anything to her, only telling her to rest early.

She felt that her master had something on her mind. After this trip, the atmosphere between the two of them had become a little strange.

Her master was a person who rarely showed her emotions. She didn’t dare to guess her master’s thoughts. As they passed each other, she took her master’s sleeve and asked directly, “Are you angry with me?”

Mo Jiangxue stopped, looked at her, her eyes deep. After a moment of thought, she finally said softly, “No, I was thinking about something.”

“What are you thinking about? Can you tell me?”

Mo Jiangxue’s expression still did not change much, only her brow furrowed slightly.

Xie Qingzheng’s attitude was gentle. “Then Master, if you don’t want to say it, then don’t say it. When you are willing to tell me, then tell me.”

As long as she wasn’t angry with her, everything was fine.

Mo Jiangxue hummed in acknowledgment and asked, “Has she not broken that Life-Linked Gu for you yet?”

Xie Qingzheng: “No.”

Mo Jiangxue: “We will go and find her again tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

The two of them went back to their rooms to rest.

After a long day, she was very tired. Xie Qingzheng had no mind to sort out the events of the day and fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed.

When she groggily opened her eyes, she found that she was in Tan Yao’s garden.

It was Tan Yao’s garden, but it didn’t look quite the same. There were no flowers in bloom, only a few trees with green buds.

She sat by the side of the pool and looked down at her reflection in the water.

It was her own appearance, but it was not her usual attire. She was wearing a blue cloth dress, and her body was adorned with silver ornaments, like a Miao woman.

“Big Sister.”

A clear voice came from not far away.

She looked up and saw the young Tan Yao walk out from behind a flower tree, throw herself into her arms, and look up at her, “Big Sister, can we go out and play?”

Xie Qingzheng thought to herself: Am I not sleeping? How did I become Tan Yao’s big sister?

A fleeting dream?

She thought of the Life-Linked Gu from the day, and a bad premonition arose in her heart.

A few scenes flashed by. The young Tan Yao was pulling her through the maze forest. The sides of the road were overgrown with weeds. Suddenly, Tan Yao let out a cry and said, “There’s the smell of blood. Is there someone here?”

She went over to look and saw a person lying in a pool of blood in the grass. It was her master, Mo Jiangxue.