Chapter 92
Xie Qingzheng’s senses were connected to the paper figure. The entire paper figure was gently held in Mo Jiangxue’s hand. Xie Qingzheng only felt a cool, soft, and delicate touch all over her body, and a numb sensation instantly spread through her.
It was really unbearable…
She controlled the paper figure and struggled out of her master’s palm.
The paper figure shook its body, then walked around the chessboard, came before Sect Master Xie, and met her gaze.
Xie Youke looked at the paper figure, did not speak, and the eyes under her mask were deep and calm. When she was silent, she naturally had the air of a superior, dignified and noble, making one not dare to look at her directly.
Xie Qingzheng thought of the memories that had flashed in her mind.
In her memory, that woman in the brocade clothes was generally as noble and proud, but not as deep and cold as she was now. Her gaze towards the child was filled with love. When she looked at Xie Fuyun, her gaze was complicated, as if with disgust, yet she would always involuntarily look at the other, paying attention to her every move.
The little paper figure tentatively took two steps forward and jumped onto the back of Sect Master Xie’s hand.
Xie Youke still remained impassive.
She had a very beautiful pair of hands, her fingers like scallions, long and fair. One could faintly see the green veins under her skin. She wore a white jade thumb ring on her thumb. Cultivators all said that her archery was outstanding, able to pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces, and her arrows never missed. With this thumb ring, she could simultaneously hold four arrows and shoot them one by one.
Such a pair of hands had also held her up, had held her on her shoulders to sit, to pick the peaches on the tree… A wisp of a familiar and close feeling arose in Xie Qingzheng’s heart. She controlled the paper figure, walked over the back of Sect Master Xie’s hand, her arm, and all the way to her shoulder.
Xie Youke turned to look at her shoulder, and after a moment, she turned her gaze away, as if nothing had happened, and continued to play chess with Mo Jiangxue, letting the paper figure stay on her shoulder.
Xie Qingzheng’s face instantly broke into a smile.
Sect Master Xie did not resist her approach, and her master did not speak, tacitly allowing the paper figure to stay on Sect Master Xie’s shoulder.
The paper figure swung its legs leisurely and watched the two of them play chess.
Mo Jiangxue talked about Xie Qingzheng’s background. According to Xie Youke, the cinnabar mark between her brows was the seal of faith of the Tianshu Xie clan, and also a curse seal. It was possible that this curse seal had sealed her memory.
Mo Jiangxue: “You and Xie Fuyun are from the same sect. Can you help her to break this curse seal?”
Xie Youke shook her head. “If I could have, I would have helped her back at Tianquan Manor.”
Mo Jiangxue: “And with the Yaoguang Bell?”
Xie Youke was silent for a moment, then still shook her head and said, “Since Xie Fuyun chose to seal her memory, she must have had her reasons.”
Hearing this, Xie Qingzheng thought to herself: Sect Master Xie’s trust and obedience to Xie Fuyun is exactly the same as mine to my master… but isn’t she curious about how Xie Fuyun really died?
The last time in the abandoned temple, when they had talked about this, Xie Youke had only said that Xie Fuyun had suffered a backlash from cultivating evil arts and had brought it on herself.
Was that really the case? Did she know more inside information but was unwilling to reveal it to her? A few days ago, she had also heard her talking with Sect Master Xiao. She and the Sect Master were clearly hiding something from her.
Xie Youke continued, “Besides, to forcefully break the curse seal for her will consume a lot of spiritual energy. Right now, the righteous path is about to form an alliance, and a great battle between the righteous and demonic paths is imminent. I will not waste my spiritual energy here.”
This reason was indeed reasonable. Mo Jiangxue nodded slightly and did not continue this topic, but turned to ask about the matter of the Yuheng Cauldron. “Why did the Yuheng Cauldron end up in the Ten Directions Domain in the wildlands?”
Xie Youke said, “It’s a long story. Thirty years ago, there was a traitor in Yuheng Palace. That traitor was the personal disciple of the palace master of Yuheng Palace. He later got involved with an evil cultivator from the Ten Directions Domain. After the palace master found out, she wanted to kill him. He knelt down and begged for mercy. The palace master was soft-hearted and hesitated for a moment. He took advantage of her unpreparedness, launched a sneak attack, seriously injured the palace master, and snatched the Yuheng Cauldron from her. He was hunted by everyone in the righteous path, so he had to hide in the wildlands and offered the Yuheng Cauldron to the Lord of the Ten Directions Domain, Yu Wuya, to save his life.”
Xie Qingzheng thought to herself: These scoundrels who betray their sects and masters are truly shameless!
Xie Youke: “Later, the Lord of the Ten Directions Domain, Yu Wuya, with the help of the Yuheng Cauldron, cultivated an insidious technique, the Yuan-Transforming Palm, which could neutralize others’ cultivation and destroy a lifetime of skill in one fell swoop. He used this insidious technique to kill countless people. Even my master could not do anything to him back then. After a battle with him, she was seriously injured by him and passed away not long after.”
It was indeed insidious… and it had a similar effect to the evil curse on her master, both able to neutralize others’ cultivation. If the Yuan-Transforming Palm was a sharp knife, then the evil curse was a blunt knife, slowly torturing a person to death.
Xie Qingzheng had witnessed Gu Hongying’s skill in Tanluan’s dream. She was probably even more powerful than her master. If even Gu Hongying couldn’t beat him, then this great battle between the righteous and demonic paths…
Mo Jiangxue’s gaze moved from the chessboard and looked at Xie Youke, a trace of doubt also in her eyes.
Xie Youke snorted coldly. “In that battle, my master was seriously injured and died, but Yu Wuya was not much better! He has been in seclusion healing all these years and has only just come out. The moment he came out, he released that group of troublemaking wild dogs. This time, I will completely annihilate them.” She heavily placed the last black piece.
Mo Jiangxue placed a white piece and said, “A draw.”
Xie Youke stood up. “I will go to the Kaiyang sect to get the Kaiyang Umbrella. Lady Yunshao, if you also want to combine the Soul-Gathering Lamp, then assist me in seizing the Yuheng Cauldron.”
Mo Jiangxue asked directly, “Why do you want to combine the Soul-Gathering Lamp? Who do you want to save? Your master, Gu Hongying?”
In truth, she did not care about this question. She just felt that Xie Qingzheng would be curious, so she asked on her behalf.
Xie Youke did not answer, was silent for a moment, and said, “We will play another game another day. I have to go back to the Tianshu Sect to prepare for the alliance.”
Sect Master Xie was unwilling to say, so Mo Jiangxue did not press, and nodded in farewell.
The paper figure floated down from Xie Youke’s shoulder, bowed, and watched her go down the mountain.
Mo Jiangxue slowly tidied up the chess game. Xie Qingzheng controlled the paper figure and helped to put the pieces on the chessboard back into the chess bowls.
Mo Jiangxue looked at the paper figure and asked coolly, “When are you coming back to the mountain?”
The paper figure would not answer.
Xie Qingzheng had not yet cultivated to Tanluan’s level. Tanluan’s paper figure art could almost pass for real.
The East Wind Banquet had not yet ended, and everyone was still playing drinking games. After Xie Qingzheng had released a wisp of her spiritual sense to attach to the paper figure, she did not dare to be distracted and did not play drinking games with the senior sisters, only silently eating.
Hearing Mo Jiangxue ask when she would be back to the mountain, Xie Qingzheng immediately said to the senior sisters at the banquet, “I’m going back!”
Min He, her cheeks flushed red from drinking, said, “Little Junior Sister, it’s not even the hour of the Pig yet. What’s your hurry?”
Xie Qingzheng smiled. “My master is urging me to go back to the mountain!”
Min He: “Eh, Elder Mo is urging you? Then go, go.”
Xie Qingzheng flew away on her sword. Not far away, she vaguely heard a disciple report to Min He, “We have not received a reply from Elder Mu’s group. It seems we have lost contact…”
Elder Mu had lost contact? With Elder Mu’s cultivation, what great trouble could she have encountered?
Xie Qingzheng looked back and saw that Senior Sister Min He seemed to be discussing something with her fellow disciples. She probably would send someone to take a look…
She returned to Ethereal Peak. Her master had already put away the chessboard, and on the table was the Ninth Heaven Qin. It seemed she was preparing to play.
Seeing her return, Mo Jiangxue was a little surprised and asked, “You’re back so early?”
Xie Qingzheng trotted forward. “Didn’t you urge me to come back? Is it to discuss how to seize the Yuheng Cauldron?”
“No, I was just casually asking when you would be back.”
Oh, had she over-interpreted it… It was not good to go back to the East Wind Banquet now. Xie Qingzheng, with nothing to say, said, “…Alright then. I guess I wanted to come back myself… Master, should we think of a way to get the Yuheng Cauldron?”
“With my current self, I may not be able to defeat that Lord of the Ten Directions Domain.”
Mo Jiangxue said it calmly, but Xie Qingzheng lowered her head and said nothing, her mood instantly darkening.
She felt that she was like a vine parasitic on a large tree, greedily absorbing the tree’s nutrients, and competing for the tree’s sunlight and rain. She was growing bit by bit, while the large tree was withering bit by bit.
That day, she had been in the limelight on the Sword Discussion Arena, defeating the juniors of the major sects in a row. She wondered if her master, watching her at that time, would have thought of her own glorious record of defeating ninety-seven masters in a row.
If one day, her cultivation could really surpass her master’s, she was afraid she would not be happy either…
Mo Jiangxue raised her hand and lifted her chin. “Why are you hanging your head? There is always a way out. We can just act according to the circumstances.”
This action…
A cool, delicate touch came from her chin. Xie Qingzheng jolted and quickly took a step back, avoiding her master’s hand.
She did not dare to have any physical contact with her master.
Seeing her dodge and retreat, Mo Jiangxue’s eyes changed for a moment, and then she calmed down, returning to her usual calm and indifferent state.
“Let’s not talk about the Yuheng Cauldron. In these past few days of my seclusion, has your cultivation improved?”
Xie Qingzheng: “It has. I meditate every night, enlighten the Dao, and practice the xiao and the sword. Master, look—”
She took the initiative to hold out her wrist to her master for her to take her pulse.
But Mo Jiangxue did not touch her. She sat down to play the qin and said, “In that case, show me.”
One after another, the qin’s waves came with the sound of the qin. Xie Qingzheng subconsciously did not dare to draw her sword at her master. After taking two moves, she realized that her master was feeding her moves. Only then did she draw her sword to resist.
The qin’s waves turned into qi swords, and a thousand swords were released at once. Her ears were filled with the sound of sword qi cutting through the air, and the touch on her cheeks was like a sharp prick.
It was not very painful, but it was a bit torturous.
She wielded her sword faster and faster, and the sword qi was turbulent. The plum blossoms on the branches fell one after another, and a thousand flowers swirled around her. She repeatedly attacked to resist, until the sky turned a fish-belly white.
She had been trained all night…
At first, she had used her sword, and later she had switched to her xiao. She had played until her mouth was dry, and the hand holding the xiao was trembling. Her dantian had also been trained until it was burning hot, and her breath was in a mess, with faint signs of a breakthrough.
Mo Jiangxue had played the qin all night. Looking at her panting disciple, she hooked a string with her fingertip, and with a zheng, the last note fell. She nodded slightly. “Mm, there has been some improvement.”
The dawn broke. Xie Qingzheng was so tired she collapsed to the ground in the snow. The spirit fox rushed over and nudged her with its wet nose.
She had no time to care about the spirit fox. She was just panting, unable to say a word, and her eyes were blank as she looked at the sky.
The faint sound of boots stepping on the snow came to her ear. When she came to her senses, a clear and otherworldly face was reflected in her eyes.
Her master had walked to her side, squatted down, and blocked a corner of the sky. She stared at her with a calm expression and said, “The Dao Discussion Conference is over.”
Mm, it was over… and then?
“There are twelve shichen in a day. From now on, I will set aside eight shichen for you, to teach you.”
This was truly a sudden diligence and care—
Her master had only taught her for one or two shichen each day before.
Xie Qingzheng’s cheeks were still dripping with sweat. She said weakly, “Eight shichen… then doesn’t that mean that besides sleeping, the two of us…”
Will have to be together…
Her eyes were blurred with tears. “Master, I will be very tired…”
Mo Jiangxue was impassive and looked at her calmly. “You won’t.”
Author’s Note:
Mini Theater—
Mo: Let’s see where you can hide.
Xie: QAQ I’m going to be squeezed dry…
