Chapter 68
The dawn broke, and the morning light shone into the room. Mo Jiangxue slowly sipped her tea and said coolly, “It seems I did, but I don’t remember it when I woke up.”
Xie Qingzheng was so anxious she was pacing. “You forgot?”
Mo Jiangxue pondered for a moment, as if she were trying to recall, and said, “I really don’t remember.”
It was not unusual for people to dream, and it was also normal to forget their dreams when they woke up. She didn’t quite understand why Xie Qingzheng was showing such an anxious expression.
She asked, “What happened?”
The images of the dream were clearly visible in her mind. Xie Qingzheng could even recall every word the person in the dream had said, and every emotion that body had felt.
She rubbed her cheeks, sighed for a long while, and said, “I dreamed of Senior Tanluan.”
Mo Jiangxue’s expression tightened slightly. She put down her teacup, stared at Xie Qingzheng, and asked coolly, “What did you dream of her?”
Xie Qingzheng didn’t know if she should say it. What if her master hadn’t really entered that dream, and it was just her who had dreamed of her, and had even been infatuated with “her” face in the dream, and had been deeply in love? Or what if her master had not been directly hit by the gu, but had only entered her dream through her blood as a medium, and had forgotten everything after she woke up? Then… then… forget it. It was better not to say it for now.
Xie Qingzheng saluted and took her leave. “Master, I’d better go and find Senior Tanluan.”
She would find Tanluan and ask her clearly first.
Mo Jiangxue stared at her slightly red cheeks for a while and warned her coolly, “You and she are not of the same path. Don’t lose your sense of propriety.”
Xie Qingzheng said gently, “Disciple will be careful.”
She was a little strange why her master had specifically warned her with this sentence, but she had no time to think about it in detail. Countless questions lingered in her mind. She flew to the forest outside the main altar on her sword.
The familiar figure was nowhere to be seen around the forest and the grass shed. Tanluan was nowhere to be found. There was only a note on the small, broken table in the grass shed, which read: “There is something to attend to in the cult. I will return in three days to break the gu for you.”
Such a coincidence? Xie Qingzheng crumpled the note and cursed under her breath, “Demoness!”
She returned to the main altar, dejected. Just as she was about to go and find her master, she saw her master leaning against a plum tree in front of the hut with her arms crossed, looking at her with a cool expression.
Xie Qingzheng hurried over, saluted, and said, “Senior Tanluan said there is something to attend to in the cult. She will come back in three days to break the gu for me.”
Mo Jiangxue asked her, “Are you unhappy?”
To be so dejected just because she didn’t see that person?
Xie Qingzheng frowned, lowered her head, and hesitated to speak. “What if she doesn’t come back in three days…”
Then wouldn’t she have to carry this gu with her forever? To live and die with Tanluan? And when she slept at night, she would even feel the same as Tanluan and experience Tanluan’s past.
When she looked up, she saw that her master’s face was even colder. Xie Qingzheng thought that she was also worried about the gu in her body and quickly comforted her, “Master, I believe she will come back.”
After all, she was a famous figure. She couldn’t go back on her word. Even if she didn’t come back, they could just read the medical books themselves and should be able to break the gu.
Mo Jiangxue shot her a cold glance, lowered her eyes without speaking, and then turned to leave.
Why was it that after she had explained and comforted her, her master’s face had become even uglier? Xie Qingzheng followed closely behind her, two steps away.
“Master, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Mo Jiangxue hummed in acknowledgment.
“Should we start studying that gu recipe today?”
“Yes.”
“Unconsciously, we’ve been in the Miao region for almost two months…”
She hoped that the gu recipe would be effective in detoxifying. Xie Qingzheng thought back on all the things that had happened since she had left the mountain. It hadn’t been long, but it felt as if she had experienced a lot. She sighed softly, looked at Mo Jiangxue’s back, and thought to herself: The Sect Master said that at least once a month, and at most every three months, my master’s poison will act up. These past two months, it has been well controlled and has not acted up again. It seems that next month will be dangerous…
She said to Mo Jiangxue, “Next month, we’ll just stay in the main altar and study the gu recipe to detoxify.”
They would not go out, and they would not see any outsiders.
Mo Jiangxue said, “We still have to find a way to get the Yaoguang Bell.”
The Yaoguang Bell was in Tanluan’s hands. In the end, she and Tanluan might have to fight.
Xie Qingzheng said, “I’m very curious why the Yaoguang Bell ended up in her hands.”
Mo Jiangxue: “Perhaps it’s related to the disappearance of the Yaoguang sect.”
Xie Qingzheng thought of the dream, hummed in acknowledgment, and thought to herself: Is Tanluan also trying to tell me something about the Yaoguang sect through the dream? Why doesn’t she just tell me in person? Is she afraid I won’t believe her?
Today, they began to study the gu recipe to detoxify. The master and disciple prepared all the poisonous insects and various medicinal materials and, according to the recipe, steeped them in wine.
While they were waiting, Xie Qingzheng casually flipped through the medical book and saw the record of the Life-Linked gu. She saw that to break the gu, one needed the blood of the person who had cast it…
It seemed that she really had to wait for that fellow Tanluan to come back to break the gu.
She sighed softly. Mo Jiangxue, who was looking down at the gu wine, suddenly looked up, her light-colored eyes falling on her face, and asked coolly, “Are you still thinking of her?”
Xie Qingzheng replied softly, “I’m thinking that she should come back soon.”
Mo Jiangxue withdrew her gaze and said nothing.
According to the medical book, after soaking for two shichen, Mo Jiangxue poured out a bowl of gu wine, took a sip, and frowned slightly. Xie Qingzheng asked, “How is it? Is it effective?”
Mo Jiangxue closed her eyes, looked inside her organs, and said, “It seems to be a little effective, but it still needs to be re-adjusted. The amount of some of the gu insects may need to be increased.”
Xie Qingzheng’s heart filled with joy, and then she was curious. “Master, is the wine you made delicious?”
“The taste is a little strange.” Mo Jiangxue gave her the bowl in her hand.
Xie Qingzheng’s heart was moved. She took the bowl of wine from her master’s hand, her fingertips gently brushing over the place where her master’s lips had touched. For some reason, the joy in her heart intensified.
She changed the direction and also took a sip. The spicy and bitter taste spread in her mouth. She pressed her lips together, held back from spitting it out, and after swallowing, she waited for a long while before she said, “Master, can you make it a little sweeter next time? That way, I can drink with you.”
Mo Jiangxue said, “No need to drink with me. This is not a good thing.”
Xie Qingzheng took another sip and said, “But I just want to drink with you.”
Mo Jiangxue said, “I don’t know how to make it.”
Xie Qingzheng went to the pharmacy herself to get some rock sugar and added it to the wine. The taste became even stranger.
A whole bowl of gu wine went into her stomach. She rested her head on her hand and looked at her master with drunken eyes, her gaze a little bolder, a little more direct than usual.
Mo Jiangxue also looked at her and said, “I didn’t tell you to drink it all.”
Xie Qingzheng said, “It was hard to make… I don’t want to waste it. This is not very good. I…” She wanted to say, “I’ll drink it for you,” but before she could finish, she was too drunk to open her eyes. “I’ll sleep for a while… Master…”
Her consciousness was groggy and hazy. In a daze, she heard a very soft question by her ear:
“Is she that attractive to you?”
Xie Qingzheng wanted to open her eyes and ask, who… what attraction…
But her eyelids would not open, and she completely fell into an unconscious state.
Before she fell asleep, only one thought remained in her mind: Will I fall into that dream of Tanluan’s again?
When she opened her eyes again, Xie Qingzheng found that she was in a hall. A man and a woman were sitting on the main seat, and many people were standing on both sides, all wearing black and white Daoist robes, with longswords and short flutes at their waists, staring at her without blinking.
She was wearing Miao attire, holding the cult leader’s letter in her hand, and bowed gracefully. The middle-aged man and woman on the main seat returned the salute and asked a question. She answered fluently in Chinese.
After observing for a while in a daze, Xie Qingzheng realized—it seemed that as soon as she fell asleep, she would enter this dream.
This was Tanluan’s experience when she had gone to the Central Plains’ Yaoguang sect.
She had never seen the Yaoguang sect before. She would take this opportunity to take a look.
Xie Qingzheng still remembered the general power structure of the Yaoguang sect: one sect master, two left and right guardians, and three hall masters of the Wind, Ya, and Song halls.
After Tanluan had paid her respects to the sect master of the Yaoguang sect, the sect master had arranged for a few disciples to take Tanluan on a small boat to tour the scenery of the sect and to familiarize herself with the customs of the Jiangnan region.
The Yaoguang sect was built on a lake outside Gusu City. Looking into the distance, the misty waves were vast, and the water and the sky met. On the misty waves, a few small boats were parked. The female cultivators in the boats slowly rowed, singing a little tune, their appearances gentle and beautiful, their singing voices delicate and moving. Someone in the boat was playing a flute in harmony.
The light of the water and the sky met, and the sound of the singing and the flute merged. The song was not intoxicating, but the person was. It was a scene of elegance and romance.
Xie Qingzheng couldn’t help but think of the Xuanji Sect. Most of the flute cultivators in the Xuanji Sect were from Green Pine Peak. Under the leadership of Elder Mu, Green Pine Peak was able to curse in writing and fight fiercely in combat. There was no elegance to speak of…
A disciple on the boat introduced, “The cultivators of the Yaoguang sect generally do not fly on their swords within the sect. They all travel by boat.”
Tan Yuan focused her gaze on the female cultivators on the green-wave light boats and said gently, “The scenery of Jiangnan, the women of Jiangnan, are indeed different from elsewhere.”
Xie Qingzheng felt her heart and soul were intoxicated and thought to herself: Here we go again, here we go again… could it be that you’ve fallen for another woman?
Xie Qingzheng observed what she observed and heard what she heard. After a long while, she did not sense any infatuation, but a strong sense of longing welled up.
Tan Yuan was thinking of Mu Ning, the female cultivator she had only met once.
She asked the disciples on the boat, “Excuse me, where has the female cultivator named Mu Ning of your esteemed sect gone?”
The disciple said, “Hall Master Feng has recently passed away. Senior Sister Mu is busy with the internal affairs of the Wind Hall.”
She then asked what kind of person that Senior Sister Mu was, and the answer she got was: calm, cool-headed, and very reliable, and that she was about to succeed to the position of hall master of the Wind Hall.
Tan Yuan nodded, and the longing in her heart grew even stronger.
This time, when she came to the Central Plains for exchange, she could choose from any of the major sects of the Central Plains. According to her mother’s wishes, she naturally hoped that she would go to the number one sect of the Xuanmen, the Tianshu Sect. But she had chosen the Yaoguang sect.
Although the Yaoguang sect was also an orthodox Xuanmen sect, it was not very prominent among the seven major sects.
As for why she had come to the Yaoguang sect, it was naturally to see that person she had been thinking of.
Xie Qingzheng thought to herself: This time, I was so drunk I fell asleep. I came to the dream, and my master is still awake, so Mu Ning did not appear in the dream… I wonder if it’s a coincidence?
After floating on the lake for a while, Tan Yuan said to the few disciples, “I want to be alone for a while. You can all go and be busy.”
The few disciples on the boat saluted and took their leave. Tan Yuan rowed for a while and came to a place full of water caltrop leaves and red water caltrops. She had heard from the disciples that these red water caltrops were edible. She casually picked some, peeled them randomly, and tasted them.
Xie Qingzheng felt the sweet and refreshing taste of the red water caltrops in her mouth and thought to herself: They’re quite delicious. When I go to Jiangnan someday, I’ll also pick some for my master to try.
The waterways in the sect were crisscrossed and scattered like stars. Tan Yuan casually peeled and ate the red water caltrops, and the small boat floated on the lake at will. Unconsciously, it passed through a patch of water caltrop leaves, a patch of lotus leaves, and a patch of human-high reeds.
She was lost in thought about someone. When she came to her senses, she could no longer find her way back.
She stood up. The dense reeds on the lake blocked her view. A gust of wind blew, and the water caltrop leaves and reeds brushed against the side of the boat, making a faint rustling sound. On the green waves, it was quiet, with only the faint fragrance of flowers.
A small boat faintly appeared in her line of sight. Tan Yuan slowly rowed over and saw a beautiful female cultivator, half-lying in the boat, drinking wine. Seeing Tan Yuan row over, her eyebrows twitched slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
Seeing that person’s appearance, a strong joy rose in Tan Yuan’s heart. Xie Qingzheng felt the pounding in her chest, as if her heart were about to leap out.
“It’s you!” The two of them looked at each other and said in unison.
Tan Yuan leaped onto Mu Ning’s boat and teased, “The calm and reliable Senior Sister Mu, shouldn’t you be in the Wind Hall, handling internal affairs? Why are you hiding here drinking?”
In the clear waves, red water caltrops, green leaves, and reeds, an ethnic minority girl with silver ornaments and a colorful butterfly circling her shoulder suddenly appeared. Mu Ning was taken aback for a moment, then she casually threw a pot of wine from the boat to Tan Yuan and smiled. “Stealing a half-day of leisure from a floating life.”
Tan Yuan asked, “Are your injuries all healed?”
Mu Ning said, “They’ve long been healed.”
Tan Yuan said, “I heard you are about to succeed to the position of hall master. Congratulations.”
Mu Ning just smiled and said nothing. After a long while, she asked, “Why did you come to the Yaoguang sect?”
Tan Yuan said frankly, “Because the Yaoguang sect has you.”
It was unknown if it was because she had drunk wine and was drunk, or because of Tan Yuan’s frank words, but Mu Ning’s cheeks flushed red, and she smiled without speaking.
Xie Qingzheng looked at that familiar face, and an infinite joy also rose in her heart. She couldn’t help but think: Is my master also asleep? And has come to this dream?
But then she thought, what would Tan Yuan look like from Mu Ning’s perspective?
When Xie Qingzheng had met Tanluan, Tanluan had always had a charming and half-smiling appearance, and her tone of voice was always gentle, but the words she said could always make her jaw drop.
She didn’t know what the young Tan Yuan was like. She only vaguely felt that she was like an ordinary young person, sincere and enthusiastic, playful and mischievous, her words and actions not out of line, and not as fickle as Tanluan had said, but just simply appreciating the beauty of women.
On the day that Tan Yuan and Mu Ning met again, they chatted a lot on the small boat in the reeds. Mu Ning went to pick many red water caltrops and peeled them for Tan Yuan to eat. Tan Yuan ate them with relish. Tan Yuan talked about the various sceneries she had seen on her way from the Miao region to the Central Plains. Mu Ning chatted about the various anecdotes of the Yaoguang sect.
In the third month of spring, the spring breeze of Jiangnan blew through the reeds, over the green waves, and on their bodies, making them feel intoxicated.
From dawn to dusk, Tan Yuan said, “I should go back. Otherwise, your sect master will come looking for me. I can’t find my way. Senior Sister Mu, can you take me back?”
Mu Ning splashed some lake water on her face, then circulated her qi for a moment to dispel the alcohol from her body, and said, “Of course. I’ll take you back to the main hall.” She slowly rowed the boat, and it drifted out of the reeds.
Just as they were about to leave the reeds, Tan Yuan at the side suddenly brought her face close.
Xie Qingzheng looked at the close-up cheek, was startled, and shouted, “Stop—”
The next moment, her lips touched the warm and delicate skin.
Xie Qingzheng’s head buzzed, her body jolted, and she woke up from the dream.
She subconsciously touched her own lips, opened her eyes in a daze, and looked around. She found that her master had at some point fallen asleep on the table.
