Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In the Jiangnan Tavern, at the Listening Rain Tower, Yunxi and I sat in a secluded corner, quietly listening to the discussions among the members of the Daoist Sect in the hall about recent events.
Outside, snow continued to fall, and the cold wind howled. The Daoist Sect members were wanderers without a fixed home, so many chose to order a pot of hot tea and remain in the warm and lively atmosphere of the Listening Rain Tower rather than venture out into the chill.
Both Yunxi and I preferred tranquility, so we specifically requested a spot with a gauzy curtain, making our experience more comfortable.
I remarked, "Wu has become quite a prominent figure in the Daoist Sect. I never expected that even the Black-Clad Guardian of the Serpent Cult would fall at his hands."
Yunxi replied, "Wu is the sole disciple of the Ghost Elder. The Yin-Yang Technique from the Yin Yang View was once a revered divine art. If Wu masters the Yin-Yang Sword, he should be nearly unmatched among his peers."
I nodded and took a sip of warm tea. Before I could respond, I noticed a young man entering through the door of the Listening Rain Tower. He carried a long sword and exuded an impressive aura, followed by a group of similarly armed disciples.
"That's Cao Shaogong from the Sword Pavilion," someone at a nearby table said.
"I've heard that Cao Shaogong is a hidden talent from the Sword Pavilion, with skills surpassing those of the deceased Dongfang Zhen, even stronger than that of the traitor Dongfang Yuqing," another person added.
"But isn't Zhang Xing currently the top disciple of the Sword Pavilion?"
"Yes, that's true. However, Zhang Xing is a disciple of Wudang. How could the Eastern Sword Master allow an outsider traitor to become his successor? He must cultivate his own trusted disciples. But since Eastern Aristocracy has been nearly wiped out by him, he can only look for an outsider disciple to inherit the Sword Pavilion. Moreover, I've heard that Cao Shaogong is quite lecherous; recently he took an interest in an Emei Sect disciple hiding in town named Rouer. When he tried to flirt with her, he was taught a lesson by Bai Xiaoxiang, Emei's Grand Disciple. Bai Xiaoxiang is also quite beautiful; if it weren't for Emei Sect Leader Miao Shengnan arriving just in time, those two girls would have been in serious trouble."
"Cao Shaogong is so bold! Isn't Miao Shengnan known for being ruthless? How did he let Cao Shaogong go?"
"Ah, you don't know. The Emei Sect was destroyed by the Serpent Cult; they are now barely surviving in hiding within Jiangnan's streets seeking refuge. Jiangnan is where the Sword Pavilion is located; they have no choice but to find shelter and avoid being hunted down."
"I see now."
"See what?"
As they spoke, a face leaned into their conversation—Cao Shaogong wore an impish grin as he looked at them. The two immediately turned awkward and respectfully called him 'Senior Brother.'
Cao Shaogong's expression darkened as he said, "I just heard someone say I'm lecherous."
One of them quickly replied, "Brother Cao misunderstood; it's us who are lecherous! You are merely a hero who loves beautiful women."
Cao Shaogong snorted and said, "At least you can talk, now get out!"
The two men immediately fled with their tails between their legs. Cao Shaogong called one of them back, lazily saying, "Did you not understand my words when I told you to leave?"
The two men quickly pleaded, "Brother Cao, look at this heavy snow; the ground is all wet. We are just wandering cultivators without spare clothes. Please have mercy and let us off this time."
Cao Shaogong glanced at the one who spoke and slapped him out the door. He then raised an eyebrow, signaling the other disciples to go teach them a lesson. Seeing this, one of the men immediately dropped to the ground and rolled away.
Cao Shaogong laughed heartily, while everyone in the hall dared not even breathe. A young man sitting alone by the window remarked while drinking, "Brother Cao is truly imposing. Has your sect never taught you to spare others when possible?"
Cao Shaogong looked at the young man and said, "In this day and age, there are still those who dare to meddle in others' affairs, especially a pure-hearted youth like you. Truly a piece of uncut jade, but still in need of refinement."
The young man replied, "I am merely speaking for justice. Without your master Dongfang Jiu, you would be nothing. I have never understood why there are so many who rely on others for power."
"Daring to insult Brother Cao? You must be tired of living!" a young man from the Sword Pavilion exclaimed as he drew his sword and lunged at the youth.
The young man was also skilled with a sword; he deflected the Sword Pavilion youth's blade with his scabbard, causing his wine cup to fly out of his hand. With a crash, it struck the Sword Pavilion youth's head, causing blood to gush forth.
"Everyone here, if you're going to fight, take it outside! We still have business to attend to in this establishment. With this heavy snow and cold weather, you're scaring away our customers!" The innkeeper of Listening Rain Tower rushed over.
Neither side paid any attention to the innkeeper. A wicked smile appeared on Cao Shaogong's lips as he suddenly drew his sword. With a sweeping strike, an unparalleled sword aura surged forth. Yunxi furrowed her brow as the sword energy pierced through the window screen towards us but dissipated before it could reach.
Meanwhile, the young man's sword was only half drawn when his head was severed from his body, blood spraying everywhere onto the table and floor.
The patrons in the hall gasped in shock and hurriedly left their seats. The innkeeper of Listening Rain Tower was so frightened that he collapsed beside them.
"What kind of youth is this? An unrefined gem that puffs up with a single compliment—utterly delusional."
Cao Shaogong snorted and sheathed his long sword. He scanned the hall and saw that everyone had already left. A satisfied expression appeared on his face; however, as he looked at where his sword energy had passed through, he noticed that the window screen had not been torn apart. Suddenly intrigued, he said, "It seems there are experts here."
Cao Shaogong abruptly lifted the window screen and saw me and Yunxi. His eyes widened in surprise as he leered at Yunxi and said, "The ospreys call from the riverbank; a graceful lady is sought by a gentleman. Miss, you truly are like a lotus emerging from water. May I ask if you would be interested in becoming friends?"
Yunxi remained expressionless as she said, "Do you believe I can gouge your eyes out right now?"
"I believe you, of course," Cao Shaogong replied with a smirk. "But I'm afraid you might hesitate."
Cao Shaogong then turned to me and asked, "Brother, may I have a word with you?"
I set my teacup down and said, "Yunxi. Someone here has sullied their eyes; let's go."
Yunxi nodded and helped me up from the table. Cao Shaogong watched us and remarked, "So it turns out he's a Sickly One, Yunxi. Young and vigorous, like a wolf or tiger. I doubt this man is worth your time; don't you feel lonely? You could enjoy wealth and glory with me..."
As Yunxi and I reached the door, Cao Shaogong followed with a group of people, still spewing vulgarities. The passersby on the street dared not respond.
Seeing that Yunxi ignored him completely, Cao Shaogong snorted and drew his sword. However, he had barely taken a few steps before he suddenly collapsed to the ground, his expression one of great pain.
"Brother Cao, what's wrong?" A voice came from behind. A group of Sword Pavilion youths rushed to help Cao Shaogong.
With a loud explosion, Cao Shaogong's Nascent Soul detonated, killing the remaining Sword Pavilion youths in its wake. The starlight in my eyes dimmed as I left with Yunxi for the Jiangnan Yang Family Courtyard.
The Yang Family courtyard had been attacked twice; first losing the Ghost Elder and then nearly losing Douding. As a result, everyone had moved away, and neither Yang Sanqian nor Jiyao knew where they had gone.
Looking at the somewhat dilapidated courtyard, I said, "It was hard-earned for everyone to have a place to stay. With the ongoing disputes in the Kedao Sect, we can't find peace."
Yunxi replied, "Let's stay here for now. We've been traveling day and night; your injuries need more time to heal."
I said, "I've already rested long enough in Bright Moon Village. The snow is falling too heavily now; we'll stay here for the night and head to Leiyin Temple tomorrow."
"Alright," Yunxi agreed. She gazed at the swirling snowflakes and wondered aloud, "Why is it snowing so heavily this winter?"
The next morning, the snow continued to fall but had accumulated significantly. Nearby residents emerged with brooms to clear the snow from their doorsteps. I picked up a broom from the courtyard and swept away the snow at our entrance.
Yunxi returned from outside with some hot soy milk and steamed buns. As we ate and laughed together, Yunxi teased, "Look at your silly face."
I brushed the snowflakes off Yunxi's head and asked, "You are already a person of the Dao Fruit Realm, and you have a body made of ice. Why aren't you using Dao Qi to protect yourself and ward off the wind and snow?"
Yunxi replied, "I only followed your example because I saw you doing it."
I said, "It's all about the Dao. I just wanted to experience it myself; I didn't mean for you to suffer along with me."
Frowning, Yunxi walked to the side.
"Did I say something wrong, Yunxi?" I got up and asked.
Yunxi shook her head and looked out the window at the increasingly larger snowflakes. "I just remembered some things."
Seeing me silent, Yunxi asked, "With such heavy snow, are we still going to Dunhuang?"
I replied, "I initially planned to use Time Walk to get there. Now that I'm in the Dao Fruit Realm, the method of Time Walk is close to the Mahayana Realm's ability to traverse a thousand miles in a step. However, due to my Injury of the Dao, I can't recklessly use it. Therefore, I've decided to take us there using Bubble's Seven-Colored Bubble; it will also allow us to enjoy the scenery along the way."
A few hours later, Yunxi and I sat in the Beast's Sacred Medicine Garden, while a beast grumbled nearby. Its eyes were wide open, staring at us. Before we entered the Seven-Colored Bubble, it had warned us not to disturb its Holy Herb Garden. Naturally, Yunxi and I agreed, but now it had been staring at us for several hours without blinking.
This made both Yunxi and me feel awkward, as if we were being watched by a thief.
Yunxi whispered, "The bubble hasn't moved for such a long time. Do you think it fell asleep?"
"That's possible," I whispered back.
I extended my hand and waved it in front of the beast. Seeing that it did not react, I called out softly, "Bubble?"
The beast did not respond. Turning back to Yunxi, I said, "Wait here for me; I'm going to find some good Holy Medicine."
Yunxi nodded with a hint of excitement. I quietly got up and slipped into the center of the Beast's Sacred Medicine Garden. It was where it had dug up the Holy Medicine King; perhaps there were still good things hidden there.
However, there were too many types of Holy Medicine here; even I couldn't recognize them all.
The Daoist Medical Canon contains very few records of Holy Medicine. No one has ever been able to cultivate a garden filled with Holy Medicine like the one we see here. It takes thousands of years for such a vast array of Holy Medicine to grow. I truly wonder who the parents of this beast are, as they left behind such a precious treasure.
In the center of the Holy Herb Garden, I found the pit where the beast had dug up the Holy Medicine King. Next to the pit lay a shovel, about the size of a frying spatula.
I picked up the shovel and felt somewhat lost in the fragrant Holy Herb Garden, overwhelmed by the abundance of precious herbs. I didn't even know which one to dig up first.
I decided to dig up a purple Qiao Yu herb, known as Longevity Grass, which nourishes the soul and extends lifespan. I tucked it away in my clothes and was about to dig up another when I suddenly heard the beast shouting. Yunxi's voice followed: "Bubble, don't be anxious! Yang Hao just went to the restroom."
I quickly tossed the shovel back to its original spot and stepped out of the Holy Herb Garden. The beast saw me emerge and made a dismissive gesture. I cleared my throat and said, "Bubble, I just went to the restroom. Can you not be so petty?"
The beast huffed and scampered back into the Holy Herb Garden. I secretly handed the Longevity Grass to Yunxi. After a while, the beast dug up two large radish-like Holy Medicines and handed them to us. With a helpless expression, I said, "I'm really tired of these big radishes. Can we exchange them for something else? Perhaps Nine Deaths Rebirth Grass, Cardamom, or something on the level of the Holy Medicine King?"
The beast huffed again and tossed the large radish-like Holy Medicine onto the ground, brushing its hands off as if to say it didn't care if we didn't want them.
Yunxi and I exchanged amused glances while the beast soon lay down on a rock in front of us, eyes wide open but fast asleep.
The beast is a magical creature that can only grow by consuming Holy Medicine, so it's understandable that it protects its food source. However, Dragon Vein Imperial Qi has caused it to grow significantly overnight, yet it still retains its adorable demeanor. I've never encountered such a creature in the Classic of Mountains and Seas or the Spirit Beast Compendium. I can't help but wonder how much it will grow in the future; by then, I fear I will have already passed away.
Comment 0 Comment Count