Estranged

Chapter 12

Chapter 12. Since the others slept badly, Changming slept well

Xu Jingxian carefully watched the changes in his facial expression.

When Changming frowned, she noticed it at once.

“You know Immortal Jiufang too?”

Changming asked her in reply: “How do you know that he colluded with demons?”

Xu Jingxian: “I was still inexperienced at that time, so I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. But everyone who had survived by sheer luck and returned said the same thing.”

Changming: “Haven’t you just told me that almost all of those who were there had to sacrifice themselves?”

Xu Jingxian laughed: “And of course, there are people who managed to escape, like the Head of the Dugu Family, the Master of the Wanjian Immortal Clan, the Head of the Celestial Abode Shenxiao, and others. They have all either secluded themselves from society, or became famous and hold a great power.”

Changming thought of what Zhou Keyi said about Changming losing all standing and reputation. It seemed that he was not exaggerating.

Since Changming had left the Yellow Springs, he had begun to recall his past little by little, but still couldn’t remember what actually happened in the catastrophe that day; these memories were still too vague. But now, having heard Zhou Keyi’s and Xu Jingxian’s points of view, he got a better understanding.

Given his cultivation of the strongest person of the world, colluding with demons was impossible if he didn’t gain from it some kind of extraordinary profit.

But what on earth could that extraordinary profit be?

Besides, Xiao Yun’s sudden appearance and evanescence had something to do with Yun Weisi for sure.

Even if these Nine Layers of the Abyss were a trap, he still had no choice but to go.

And if there were indeed some ulterior motives behind this, and someone was trying to make it seem mysterious on purpose, the whole matter only became more interesting.

Not giving him much time to sort things out, Xu Jingxian leaned to him coquettishly.

“Ming-lang, you still haven’t told me what your relationship with the Clan Master is! Furthermore ah, didn’t you want to see him from the very beginning, and only allowed me to bring you here? You deceived me so badly! If the Clan Master decides to investigate it now, I will surely be dragged into troubles by you!”

“Aren’t you already dragged into troubles?”

Changming didn’t push her away, but didn’t use this chance to take liberties with her, only watching her performance.

Xu Jingxian couldn’t keep the act under this look in his eyes, and her smile became reluctant.

She felt herself a fool unable to escape his gaze.

“Then will you discuss the trip to the Nine Layers of the Abyss with me? Even if my Clan Master told me to go, I still don’t want to be sent to my death.”

Xu Jingxian raised her hand with difficulty and made her posture a bit more decent, remaining a delicate and fragile beauty in the eyes of others.

But the next moment her calm expression changed.

Because of one line that Changming uttered.

“Did you want to enter a Daoist sect when you were little, but were told that your natural charming bones are not suited for the Daoist practises, so you had to enter a Demonic sect to cultivate?”

Сharming bones: to put it bluntly, she is a natural seducer

Xu Jingxian: “How did you know?”

Changming: “Your face has already answered the question, my theory is right. It seems that you not only wanted to enter a Daoist sect—it even turned into your obsession.”

Xu Jingxian fell silent for a moment.

“When I was little, I saw Daoist cultivators flying on their swords through the sky one day. I was very fascinated and made a scene to make my dad bring me to the largest Daoist sect to find a master there. I still remember that it happened to be the preaching day of Sanqing. There were crowds of people, and many little children like me lined up to have masters examine their roots and bones and tell whether they are qualified enough to cultivate. Luckily, my father knew a servant who helped me bypass the lines.”

Sanqing: three Immortal Residences or three Supreme deities in Daoism.

These events took place a long time ago, but the memories were still vivid in Xu Jingxian’s mind, remaining fresh for all this time.

“When my turn finally came, I took a step forward, waiting with anticipation for that Daoist to tell me that I can cultivate, and assign me to a teacher. Who would have thought that he would take my wrist, frown for a long time silently with a grave expression, and then tell my father that I have charming bones, so, if I marry into the imperial family’s descendants, I will destroy a whole country with my beauty, and if I start cultivating, I might go astray.”

“I started crying and created a rumpus immediately, cursing the Daoist who was reading my fortune for being a malicious ox muzzle, but my father stopped me and even made me apologise to that stinky Daoist. Only later did I learn that that stinky Daoist’s name is Xie Chunxi, and he is the mentor of the Jinque Temple.”

An ox muzzle: derog. old Daoist.

Changming nodded: “Back then, Xie Chunxi defeated Buddhist Sect Master Zun Miaodu. He is quite capable.”

Xu Jingxian smirked: “I was only seven that year, how could a seven-year-old girl be called a beauty that can bring disaster to a whole country? But, precisely because he was famous and capable, those words were dangerous. After that, my father took me to other Daoists, but they didn’t dare to refute Xie Chunxi’s notion. It didn’t matter which sect I tried to enter, in the end, they all shut their doors in front of me. Since I couldn’t cultivate Dao, I turned to demonic cultivation. They said I am a beauty that can destroy countries, so I had to behave this way. How can I betray old Xie Chunxi’s expectations!”

She gave this speech in one go, calmed down a bit, and smiled again very soon, softly pouting.

“It is all your fault, why did you make me remember my past? It made me so angry that my heart is still fluttering!”

“You do have charming bones. Xie Chunxi was not mistaken.”

When he finished this sentence, he suddenly saw a murderous look igniting in her eyes.

But this murderous look was quickly hidden behind a delicate smile. Xu Jingxian said with affection: “Ming-lang, why are you telling this to me! I grew up to be pretty, so I must have charming bones and no root of wisdom? Why don’t you just say that men can’t control themselves around me and are all seduced at the first sight?”

Root of wisdom: cognition organ that can lead one to truth; Budd. innate talent for enlightenment, in this case, enlightenment in righteous cultivation.

Changming was not affected by her words, still speaking calmly.

“But people with charming bones are not obligated to practice demonic cultivation, just like people with righteous thoughts and pure souls don’t necessarily follow the Dao. Furthermore, the fire in your soul is not yet extinguished. Even if your body cultivates in demonic ways, and you can’t relax for a moment while serving Zhou Keyi, you practice every day to make a breakthrough without taking shortcuts like many other demonic cultivators. I observed your facial features—you have charming bones, but you don’t have charming qi; it is obvious you didn’t choose the path of gathering yang to replenish yin. If you entered a Daoist or a Buddhist sect back then, you could have become a great master today.”

The fire in your soul: in a sense of ‘the beacon in one’s heart lighting up the righteous way’.

To observe facial features: to tell fortune by one’s facial features.

The path of gathering yang to replenish yin: (of a woman) dual cultivation in a… bad way.

Xu Jingxian laughed: “What’s the point of telling me this now? Just to win over my favor?”

Changming: “You still have a chance.”

Xu Jingxian frowned, unable to ignore his words.

Changming didn’t keep her in suspense.

“There is the Yangzhen Grass in the Nine Layers of the Abyss, growing where people can’t reach it. If you manage to gather it, it will take your cultivation to a new level, cleanse your marrow without destroying your roots. Didn’t Zhou Keyi promise you the muslin of the Donghai Sea upon your return? As I see it, using other things to advance is not as good as cultivating on your own. Since Zhou Keyi ordered you to send me to the Nine Layers of the Abyss, you should use this fortunate once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gather some Yangzhen Grass.”

Yangzhen: lit. fostering temperament.

Xu Jingxian: “I’ve never heard about this Yangzhen Grass, how can I be sure you are not talking nonsense?”

Changming: “You can go and ask Zhou Keyi to find out whether I am telling the truth.”

Xu Jingxian thought, Am I tired of life? I’ve just “escaped” from the Clan Master, why would I return there to my certain death?

Undeniably, his last words swayed her and brightened her thoughts.

Originally, she planned to drop Changming somewhere near the Nine Layers of the Abyss and return to her sect, letting him find the way himself. Everyone knew how slim the chances of survival there were, so, even if Changming died there, no one would be surprised.

But the Clan Master was a moody person, and another moment he might have wished to see Changming return unscratched.

If she left the man in the Nine Layers of the Abyss and displeased the Clan Master so much that he would decide to settle scores with her, would she still be able to save her own life?

He was the first human vessel sent to the Clan Master who had returned unscathed, so Changming was an exception among exceptions. When she was looking at them just now, she could clearly see they had a history together. Who knows, he might have been the person who the Clan Master used to love, but came to hate later, the one who enraged Zhou Keyi and made his practice go astray from sword cultivation to using human vessels…

Before she knew it, Xu Jingxian had already imagined a story of a love-hate and passion-killing relationship of unattainable love between them.

“I don’t quite understand, why did you battle with him so gravely if you are familiar with each other?” Xu Jingxian tried to test the waters, half in jest.

“Sometimes, the deeper the bond between two people is, the more turbulent their reunion is.” Changming answered in the same manner, half in jest.

Xu Jingxian: “So you really are old acquaintances.”

Changming: “He grew up on a riverside. His family was poor, and he usually went to the river to catch some fish himself. After some time, the financial situation of his family improved, but he was fed up with fish and wanted to vomit upon smelling fish odour. I suppose this hasn’t changed even now.”

If he said something else, Xu Jingxian might not have believed him, but, in order to please Zhou Keyi, she intentionally inquired about his habits; it was not a secret that Zhou Keyi hated fish, but no one knew the reason.

Xu Jingxian was finally convinced that he was actually the Clan Master’s old acquaintance, and even assumed they could have had an affair.

“Since the Clan Master gave her the order, Xu Jingxian must obey. It is already late, so I will order servants to take the gentleman to his bed, and tomorrow we will leave for the Nine Layers of the Abyss, how about it?”

Changming had no objections.

“Thank you for your trouble, lady.”

This night went especially peacefully for Changming.

More peaceful than those he had spent at the back of the mountain in the Qixian Sect.

Not because he reunited with his third disciple after a long separation, but because he knew Zhou Keyi and Xu Jingxian had troubles falling asleep.

As for Zhou Keyi, it was because he was frightened after meeting Changming all of a sudden, and still had not returned to his senses.

He fought with Changming earlier that day. Considering Zhou Keyi’s paranoid tendencies, at night he would mull over the fact that his nasty shifu actually increased his cultivation level so quickly, where he got a chance like this, and whether he had really attained earth immortality.

And the harder it was to tell whether these matters were real or just a sham, the less Zhou Keyi would dare to act recklessly; in the end, he would only be able to pull his own hair out in uncertainty.

And Xu Jingxian’s mind was definitely perturbed by the Yangzhen Grass that Changming had mentioned. She would try to find information about its existence everywhere, spend the whole night in search, taking no rest, and look through all kinds of ancient books, records, and sutras to discover the truth.

Since the others slept badly, Changming slept well.

When he woke up after ten hours of sleep, he felt fresh and energetic.

On the contrary, Xu Jingxian looked very tired.

A cultivator couldn’t get so tired after one sleepless night. Since Xu Jingxian was so exhausted, she must have spent the night looking everywhere for a trace of the Yangzhen grass with her golden bell.

When she saw Changming in glowing spirits, her face turned even blacker.

“Ming-lang seems so happy, you must have had sweet dreams last night?”

“Why do you think so, Lady Xu?”

“Your face is glowing with health, as if surrounded by propitious clouds, so you should have encountered something pleasant. Can’t you share it with me?” Xu Jingxian uttered every word loud and clear.

“I am delighted because it looks like Lady Xu took a great load off her mind, solved a hard question. I am happy for you.” Changming said genuinely.

Xu Jingxian smiled exhaustedly, wishing she could bite him.

She was a Peak Master, so others resented and feared her, calling her an ‘immortal lady’ in her eyes and an ‘evil beauty’ behind her back. It was always her who made others acknowledge defeat, and no one could make her go running around in circles.

This Changming was really a peerlessly capable person.

“I did find a legend about the Yangzhen Grass in an ancient book text indeed.”

Changming raised his eyebrows: “My congratulations, Lady Xu.”

Xu Jingxian wanted to bite him again, “What else do you know about the Yangzhen Grass?”

Changming: “It doesn’t touch soil, stones or dew; it can’t be found on branches or on cliffs. Those who saw it say it doesn’t follow karma or enter Samsara. It is hard to find its trace in the Nine Layers of the Abyss, and it can only be seen in a short period of time under the full moon. All these things you couldn’t have found in those ancient texts.”

Xu Jingxian doubted his words: “Then how can you be so sure? Have you been to the Nine Layers of the Abyss?”

Changming: “My memories are damaged. Presumably, I have, but I can’t remember the way. I must have seen the Yangzhen Grass with my own eyes, otherwise it wouldn’t have left such a deep impression on me. Your cultivation is nearing a bottleneck now, and you can’t progress further. The Yangzhen Grass is your best opportunity.”

Xu Jingxian hummed tenderly: “I won’t give up on my life for an imaginary opportunity. The Clan Master ordered me to bring you to the Nine Layers of the Abyss, so I will send you to the entrance, see you enter it, and then return to report on the mission immediately. You are not allowed to seduce me into wrongdoing!”

Changming smiled: “When are we setting on our journey?”

Xu Jingxian: “Right now!”

The author has something to say:

A small theatre not related to the main text:

Xu Jingxian: Clan Master, I am bold enough to ask, after all, what is your relationship with Changming?

Zhou Keyi: How is it your business?

Xu Jingxian: I’m deciding on my approach towards him. If he is important to you, I will be more respectful.

Zhou Keyi: No need, torture him ruthlessly!

Xu Jingxian: Oh.

Zhou Keyi: But don’t kill him.

Xu Jingxian: Oh—

Zhou Keyi (gnashing his teeth): He owes me much!