Uncanny Immortal 78

Chapter 78

No one answered her.

Mu Ning lay in her arms, silent. Her hands were covered in blood, bright red, hot, and sticky…

The sudden crowing of a rooster came to her ear. The dream stopped abruptly, and her consciousness suddenly cleared.

Xie Qingzheng opened her eyes and raised her hand to wipe her face.

Her face was covered in tears, the hair at her temples was soaked with tears, and her pillow was also wet and cold.

Love, hate, a mix of love and hate, and an indescribable regret… The emotions in the dream were too strong. After she woke up, a sharp pain came from her chest. Xie Qingzheng raised her hand to clutch her chest, sat up, and after a long while, she was still immersed in Tan Yuan’s emotions, unable to extricate herself.

She pushed open the door and staggered out. Under a flower tree, she ran into her master, who was walking towards her.

They looked at each other under the tree.

Xie Qingzheng forgot to salute and threw herself into Mo Jiangxue’s arms.

In the dream, after Tan Yuan had taken the emotion-forgetting Gu, she had no more feelings for Mu Ning. She was paranoid, resentful, regretful, sad, numb, and in a daze, like an empty shell with its soul removed. She could not feel the heart-wrenching pain of her beloved’s death.

But Xie Qingzheng, after she woke up, felt it all.

The scenes in the dream were vivid. The moment she thought of her hands being stained with her beloved’s blood, her heart was as if it were being twisted by a knife.

She hugged Mo Jiangxue tightly.

Mo Jiangxue hesitated for a moment, did not push away the hug, and reached out to pat Xie Qingzheng’s back gently, as if to comfort her.

Xie Qingzheng closed her eyes and said nothing.

The body in her arms was warm and soft, and her chest pounded. This was the body of a living person, this was the warmth of being alive… not cold, not soaked in blood…

They were nestled together, and she felt a few drops of wetness on her shoulder and back. Mo Jiangxue sighed softly and asked, “Why are you crying so hard? What did you dream of?”

After a long hug, smelling the faint, cool fragrance on Mo Jiangxue’s body, her emotions gradually calmed down. Only then did Xie Qingzheng say, “Tan Yuan was given an emotion-forgetting Gu, and the Yaoguang sect was wiped out by the Ten Directions Domain…”

Perhaps it wasn’t a complete wipeout. The Mu clan of Green Pine Peak had originated from the Yaoguang sect, and the former Peak Master Mu had once been the hall master of the Yaoguang sect’s Ya Hall…

No wonder the senior and junior sisters of Green Pine Peak hated the demonic cult so much…

Xie Qingzheng murmured, “A-Ning is dead. All the people of the Wind Hall are dead.”

Thinking of Mu Ning’s apologies before she died, Xie Qingzheng still felt a pang of heartache.

Mo Jiangxue’s expression was cool. She comforted her, “All things are born of heaven and earth, and to heaven and earth they return. It is just that each returns to its root. It is all in the past. If she has been reincarnated, she is probably a few years older than you.”

What she said was very reasonable, but—

Xie Qingzheng came out of Mo Jiangxue’s arms and let out a soft snort. “If I were to die one day, and others were to be sad for me, would you also say that, Master?”

Saying that all things are born of heaven and earth, and to heaven and earth they return, and that there is nothing to be sad about.

Mo Jiangxue shot her a look, did not answer, and said coolly, “Why are you cursing yourself?” After a pause, she added, “How are you speaking to me?”

In the early morning, she had hugged her and cried, and had even talked back.

Xie Qingzheng let out a “tch,” took two steps back, and bowed. “Then disciple will make up for this salute—greetings, Master.”

She respected her master and never went against her wishes. But they had been living under the same roof, together day and night, and the initial restraint and caution were long gone. Moreover, she had gradually sensed that her master was actually a little impatient with the worldly formalities.

Her master would only use their master-disciple relationship to tease her and suppress her words, and rarely used it to discipline her. Only at the very beginning, when she had first become her disciple, had her master put on the most airs. She was serious but not rigid. Compared to the cult leader and the sect master in the dream, those elders who thought they were thinking for the juniors, she was very open-minded, and also very good to her.

Mo Jiangxue accepted this salute.

Xie Qingzheng took another step forward and asked, “Master, it’s been three days. Should we go outside and wait for Tanluan to come back?”

After a conversation, her sad emotions had faded a lot. After all, it had been many, many years. For now, she wanted to know what had happened later. Why had Tan Yuan changed her name to Tanluan and gone to the Ten Directions Domain? Had Mu Ning been reincarnated? And why had Tanluan told her these things?

Mo Jiangxue asked, “Why are you in such a hurry to see her?”

Xie Qingzheng said, “Of course it’s because I want to know what happened later.”

Mo Jiangxue said slowly, “No rush. Let’s finish what we have on hand first, and then we’ll go and find her.”

She turned and went to the pharmacy.

Xie Qingzheng followed closely behind, and on a whim, she asked, “Master, Master, if I were to, like Tan Yuan, betray my sect for the person I like, what would you do?”

Her master was always open-minded. As long as the person she liked was not her, she would probably be very “indulgent” with her, right?

In any case, she would definitely not be like the cult leader, who had forcibly poured a bowl of emotion-forgetting Gu down her throat and forced her to let go.

Mo Jiangxue said in a cold voice, “If you were to be so audacious, I would break your legs.”

Xie Qingzheng smiled charmingly. “I don’t believe you. You definitely wouldn’t do that.”

Mo Jiangxue asked, “How do you know I wouldn’t?”

Xie Qingzheng said with certainty, “I just know you wouldn’t.”

They chatted all the way to the pharmacy.

The matter at hand referred to the detoxifying Gu wine. The Gu wine they had prepared was almost ready. Tan Yao had said that the longer the treasures were soaked in the wine, the stronger the effect. After soaking for two days, Mo Jiangxue wanted to taste it.

Xie Qingzheng lifted the lid of the wine jar, and a mixed aroma of medicinal herbs and wine assaulted her nostrils.

Besides the five poisonous creatures, there were also many precious medicinal herbs in the wine, all of which had been personally sent by Tan Yao.

Tan Yao would come to see them every day to see how their detoxifying Gu wine was coming along and would also give them a hint or two.

She had a very charming face. Although she was older than her, she looked even more innocent and naive than her, especially when she smiled, revealing two small canine teeth, which made her look very cute and easily made one let down their guard.

Xie Qingzheng thought of the dream from these past few days, in which she had regarded Tan Yao as her own younger sister. Now, seeing Tan Yao again, a sense of pity and protectiveness arose in her heart, as if Tan Yao really were her younger sister.

“Shameless.” She cursed herself in her heart. With Tan Yao’s age, she could clearly be considered her older sister.

Tan Yao must miss her older sister very much…

Now Xie Qingzheng could understand the mixed feelings of love and hate that Tanluan had for her family. Tan Yao and Tanluan had said that no matter what, this was her home, and she could always come back, but she had never come back.

She wondered how many times Tanluan had lingered at her family’s door in these years.

Xie Qingzheng poured a small half-cup of Gu wine for Mo Jiangxue, brought it to her, watched her drink it, and asked, “How does it taste?”

Mo Jiangxue said, “It just tastes like medicine and wine. It’s not as spicy and bitter anymore. What, do you want to drink it too?”

Xie Qingzheng shook her head and said, “Then we’ll brew a few more jars here and then take them back to be buried under the plum tree on Ethereal Peak. You can drink a little every day, and the yin poison in your body will slowly be resolved.”

Mo Jiangxue rubbed the rim of the wine cup and said nonchalantly, “We still have another purpose on this trip, to retrieve the Yaoguang Bell.”

Xie Qingzheng hummed in acknowledgment. “I still remember.”

Mo Jiangxue said directly, “After knowing her past, have you softened towards her?”

She had indeed softened a little.

Xie Qingzheng said, “If she is not some unforgivable demon, then I hope that we and she can avoid conflict if we can. And she can also be considered a person of the Yaoguang sect. The Yaoguang Bell was passed down to her by Hall Master Mu…”

Mo Jiangxue reminded her, “But she is now a person of the Ten Directions Domain.”

Xie Qingzheng said, “Then can we try to persuade her to turn from the dark to the light?”

Mo Jiangxue did not answer this question and asked again, “Then have you ever thought that the content of the dream she has woven for us may not be entirely true?”

Xie Qingzheng was taken aback.

She had indeed not thought of this question. After she had woken up, she had been immersed in Tan Yuan’s dejected emotions and had been in so much pain.

Mo Jiangxue stood up. “Let’s go. We’ll go and find her now.”

The master and disciple flew out, one after the other.

After landing, Xie Qingzheng looked around but did not see Tanluan’s figure. “She hasn’t come back yet. Could it be that she has met someone she’s infatuated with and has gone to flirt with them?”

Tanluan had made her so upset. She didn’t call her “Senior” and even teased her.

With a thud, something light and airy hit her on the head.

Xie Qingzheng raised her hand and took it. She found that it was another flower with dew on it.

Tanluan?

She looked up and saw the Miao woman sitting on a tree, her features full of affection, her face like a peach blossom. Her two legs were swinging back and forth, and she was looking at the master and disciple with a smile. “Little Fellow Daoist Xie, talking bad about someone behind their back, aren’t you ashamed?”

Xie Qingzheng looked up at Tanluan and chuckled. “You’re finally back.”

Her gaze was very soft, with a hint of heartache and a hint of pity. Although they had only been apart for three days, seeing her again, she felt as if she were seeing a long-lost friend.

After learning about Tanluan’s past, she seemed to really be treating Tanluan as a friend.

“A day apart is like three autumns. It’s been three years. Do you miss me very much?” Tanluan teased frivolously.

Xie Qingzheng let out a “bah” with a smile.

“Little White Fellow Daoist, do you miss me?” Tanluan looked at Mo Jiangxue. “I also have a gift for you.”

With that, another object was thrown at Mo Jiangxue’s head.

Mo Jiangxue raised her hand and easily caught it.

It was a nameless book.

Mo Jiangxue casually flipped through it, and her expression changed slightly. Her cheeks and ears began to flush red. As if she had been burned, she quickly threw the book back.

In the book were drawings of two naked, intertwined women, an unsightly sight.

After Mo Jiangxue had looked at it, her expression was slightly annoyed. She closed her eyes, circulated her qi for a moment, and her expression returned to normal. She opened her eyes, and her gaze was once again clear.

She was not angry, just the look in her eyes towards Tanluan was exceptionally cold.

Tanluan looked at her white-robed, immortal-like appearance and let out a couple of sighs. “Cloud Melody, Flowing Frost, with the heart of a musician and the courage of a swordsman. No wonder that unromantic fellow Yan Ling is so obsessed with you…”

Xie Qingzheng’s smile instantly faded. “Eh, Senior, watch your words.”

Tanluan laughed, took the picture book that Mo Jiangxue had thrown back, and threw it to Xie Qingzheng, but her eyes were still on Mo Jiangxue. “Little White Fellow Daoist, if you don’t like it, then I’ll give it to your disciple. Your disciple will definitely like this good thing.”

Xie Qingzheng reached out to take it. “What good thing?”

Before she could get her hands on it, Mo Jiangxue had snatched it first. With a slight force of her fingertips, the entire picture book instantly turned to dust and scattered in mid-air.

Tanluan seemed to have already guessed Mo Jiangxue’s reaction. She sat on the tree, giggling, her laughter making the branches tremble.

Xie Qingzheng’s curiosity was piqued. She really wanted to ask, “What was in the book?”

But seeing Mo Jiangxue’s cold eyes, she quickly swallowed her words and did not dare to ask.

Author’s Note:

Xie: What is it, what is it? Let me see.

Mo: Unsightly. No.

Tan: A disciple has grown up. She has to see the world.