Estranged

Xu Jingxian could not be more familiar with this way leading to Lingbo Peak. 

But she rarely took this way. 

She either used the Yulin Bell to teleport directly to the peak, or used a man-drawn carriage to go up there. 

The moonlight was bright. Maybe because she had not returned here for so long, she suddenly decided to climb it herself. 

Fang Chen and Man Cao would probably rejoice. 

We should open the wine jar hidden under that plum tree.

After trudging through an arduous journey, she was extremely tired. Originally, she thought that she would return, covered with dust, take a bath with flower petals, sleep for three days and three nights, and then think about everything else. 

Covered with dust: travel-worn

Ah, that won’t do… She was absent for so long that the сlan master would definitely call for her to ask some questions. 

Three months in the Nine Layers of the Abyss were more than three years everywhere else. Could the clan master have given her Lingbo Peak to someone else because she was dilly-dallying and did not return for so long? 

Thinking about this made Xu Jingxian lose her leisurely and carefree mood at once, so she took out the Yulin Bell. But at this moment, her gaze suddenly stopped on the ground under her feet. 

Why would there be blood on the clay soil near her shoe? 

It had already dried out and darkened, blending in with the soil, but she could still notice the color difference. 

She went forward and saw both light and dark traces of blood everywhere. 

Xu Jingxian thought of Lingbo Peak as her own domain, and she never allowed her subordinates to kill people here, so Lingbo Peak was always clean. 

Then where did these traces of blood come from? 

Xu Jingxian had a strange feeling all of a sudden, so strong that it made her heart flutter. She clenched the Yulin Bell in her hand, but still chose to fly up the mountain. 

Dead silence. 

As far as the eye could see, everything was silent. 

No one heard her arrival at the gates in the mountain forest, no one came to greet her. 

It should have been impossible. What if the clan master actually stripped her of the position of the Lingbo Peak master? 

Humph! If that’s so, I would go to Changming, clan master’s shifu’s thighs are thicker than clan master’s! 

Thighs are thicker: it’s safer by his side

While these thoughts were crossing her mind, she continued walking forward, and finally arrived at the peak. 

Normally, the main gates would be guarded by two disciples; now, not even a shadow of one could be seen. 

She entered the Lingbo Palace, and saw no one there. Her thin silk was flying in the night breeze. It was gloomy and frightening as if she had come to a haunted place.

Xu Jingxian’s heart sank. 

Even if Lingbo Peak changed its master, there should have been new people. 

But now, it looked like— 

Everyone was dead. 

“Fang Chen! Man Cao!” 

Of course, no one answered, and even an enemy’s shadow did not appear. 

Could it be that some accident happened in the Jianxue Clan? 

Their clan master was a living King of Hell, who was so tired of life that they acted so unbridledly. 

A living King of Hell: a tyrant

Could it be that the clan master was also… 

No, it’s impossible. 

The sect master’s cultivation base was so high. Although she had taken the Yangzhen Grass, and her strength was advancing by leaps and bounds, she would not dare to fight him. Although there were many capable people in the world, few dared to challenge the Jianxue Clan, let alone commit a massacre of such scale. 

Xu Jingxian stopped. She saw traces of blood again. 

This time, behind a pillar. 

A large pool of blood that was not yet dry; some blood had splashed onto the pillars and was now flowing down, forming bloodstains. 

Having lost so much blood, its owner might not have survived. 

She saw bright bloodstains next to the soft couch she liked to rest on. It seemed like someone was forcibly dragged away, as the trace of blood stretched further. 

Xu Jingxian followed the trail without even thinking. It soon led her to the backyard. 

Overgrown with weeds and abandoned; it was a mess. 

It was not this way when she left this place. 

This yard had not been cleaned for at least several years. But it is impossible that everybody disappeared right after she left. 

Everything was silent, and even insects were not buzzing. 

When she reached the thick grass, the blood suddenly disappeared. The grass was as tall as she was, and she could not see whether anything was hidden inside. A white fog shrouded the place, making it seem even more gloomy. 

Xu Jingxian held her breath subconsciously, and slowly moved towards the thick grass. 

She kept the remaining half of her thin silk in her hand, ready to attack at any moment. 

In a flash, a hand reached her from behind, its owner having no presence; unexpectedly, the hand broke through her defence with ease, landing on her shoulder lightly. 

Crack! A sharp noise broke the silence of the night. 

Xu Jingxian’s body almost exploded! 

She turned her head and suddenly opened her eyes.

There was a gauze canopy above her head, and a familiar soft bedding around. 

Her maid, Man Cao, came closer delicately, and stopped near her, inquiring. 

“Does the peak master wish to have breakfast?” 

Xu Jingxian sighed with relief. 

So to speak, it was just a dream. 

Three years was not a long period of time compared to a cultivator’s seclusion. When she returned to Lingbo Peak last night, everything was as usual. 

Xu Jingxian was afraid of the clan master getting angry for her long absence, and wanted to pay him a visit first and describe to him what she had been through in the three years she spent in the Nine Layers of the Abyss, and remind him about the promised muslin. Few could return from the Nine Layers of the Abyss alive, but there was no use for her to seize the opportunity to wave a tiger skin as a banner, and it made no sense. There was no need to mention the Yangzhen Grass, while the clan master’s shifu and dashixiong could be mentioned based on his disposition. 

To wave a tiger skin as a banner: perhaps, boast about her achievements. The original idiom is the opposite, “to wave a banner as if it were a tiger skin”, which is “shielding after authority to intimidate people”

So, last night she had already come up with a smooth story, but did not see Zhou Keyi. 

The disciple at his gates told her that the clan master entered a retreat and received no one; when he would come out, they did not know. 

The clan master often entered retreats. But that meant that she would not get the muslin soon, so Xu Jingxian was not the least bit happy. After she returned to her peak, she was in no mood to eat or meditate, so she took a bath and slept up until this moment. 

“I haven’t been here in three years. Did anything happen on Lingbo Peak?” 

Xu Jingxian ordered Man Cao to dress and groom her. She called for several loyal subordinates, and was now interrogating them languidly. 

“Did anyone from Danqing Peak and Guanhai Peak come to cause trouble?” 

“No one, everything is fine, don’t worry, Peak Master,” Fang Chen replied. 

Xu Jingxian was amused: “They knew I was away, yet never came?” 

Fang Chen: “They did once, but your subordinates drove them away. After that, the clan master said that you were out on a mission, and they didn’t dare act impudent again.” 

“Showed them their place!” 

Xu Jingxian hummed tenderly, thinking that she had been to the Nine Layers of the Abyss, gone through deadly perils, and got the Yangzhen Grass, and she could not help feeling proud of herself. Now she should have the highest cultivation level in the Jianxue Clan, besides the clan master. 

“That won’t do. If they don’t come here, I should go visit them. Let’s see if they’ll dare act recklessly in front of me again!” 

Fang Chen tried to persuade her: “You’ve only just returned, you should rest for several days before going. I’ve heard that Tang Peak’s master entered a retreat, and it’s unknown when he will come out.” 

Xu Jingxian frowned: “Why did everyone go on retreat before I returned?” 

Fang Chen smiled: “Eat this bird’s-nest soup first, the chef has been keeping it warm since yesterday.” 

Xu Jingxian: “Then bring it here.” 

Among cultivators, it was not unusual for those who had practiced bigu to have no food for dozens of days, but Xu Jingxian loved to eat well, so, naturally, she refused to treat herself harshly when she was able to enjoy life on her own territory. 

Bigu: to abstain from eating mortal food to ascend for a long time (in most novels, they don’t need to eat at all)

A steaming hot bird’s-nest soup was delivered to her, along with some almond syrup she used to like. 

She picked up a spoon, stirred the soup, scooped up some of it and lowered her head, just about to taste it. 

But long thin worms were squirming in the tender white bird’s-nest soup. 

Xu Jingxian blinked. 

There were no worms, and the bird’s-nest soup was still a bird’s nest soup, as if what she saw was just an illusion. 

At this moment, Fang Chen asked a question. 

She said: “Peak Master, what’s wrong?” 

“Everything is fine,” Xu Jingxian lowered her spoon and yawned. “I’ve been feeling tired since I returned, and I haven’t had enough sleep. Massage my back for me, and this bird’s-nest soup is for you all to eat. Boil me another bowl later.” 

Fang Chen’s voice was tender as always. She walked over to serve Xu Jingxian, massaging her with moderate strength, neither light nor heavy. 

Man Cao picked up the soup to take it away, but Xu Jingxian suddenly stopped her. 

“What happened to you today? Your hair is not combed well, a lock is loose on your shoulders.” 

Man Cao: “This subordinate was careless. I will fix it before returning.” 

Xu Jingxian liked the people around her to be beautiful at all times. Their dresses were not the same, so her servants not only wore different clothes and accessories, but also had different styles. If others accidentally broke in, they would have thought that this place was the cave of spider witches, a den of seductresses. 

The cave of spider witches: from “Journey to the West”, a cave with beautiful female were-spiders, fig. a trap with no way out

Man Cao left quickly. Xu Jingxian drove Fang Chen away, saying that she wanted to rest for a bit; others did not dare disturb her and left one by one. 

As soon as the gauze canopy was closed, Xu Jingxian sat abruptly. 

Wrong. 

Everything was wrong. 

She saw a red line behind Man Cao’s ear, thin as a hairspring. 

So she asked Fang Chen to come over and massage her, to use this opportunity to check whether she had a red line as well. 

Man Cao used to be very lively, but now she only said a couple of words. Last night, when Xu Jingxian had only arrived, she did not notice, but now she could easily see this peculiarity. 

And that bird’s-nest soup. 

Xu Jingxian could not sit still. She wanted to see the clan master. 

But she could not move now. 

She repressed the impulse, and laid down on the couch until it was dark. After some time, the footsteps outside disappeared. Only then did she just get up from the bed, and slip out of the bedroom on her toes. 

Xu Jingxian swiftly landed on the roof and examined Lingbo Peak from a height. 

All the guards outside her yard were standing still, as if they were dead. 

Xu Jingxian watched for a long time. She could not help but fly down, landing behind a pillar, and pretended to walk out of her residence. 

When she went down the staircase, the disciples started moving as usual. 

“Peak Master.” 

They even paid respects when she went past. 

Xu Jingxian hummed. She did not stop and flew out from the peak quickly. 

Her heart was pounding, and she was sweating  heavily. 

Everything was too weird. Before she appeared, those people were standing rigid in dead silence, but her footsteps were like a horn that made them “come back to life” in an instant. All their movement, even their steps, seemed to be carefully calculated. Every step had the same curvature, the same length. 

It did not seem like ordinary human movements, more like— 

Those Changming’s paper puppets. 

But it could not be that everybody on her Lingbo Peak turned into a puppet, right? 

Xu Jingxian was not bold enough to linger there. She used the Yunlin Bell to teleport to Longding Peak immediately. 

She had to see the clan master herself at all costs. 

Disciples were still guarding Zhou Keyi’s residence where he had secluded himself. 

Xu Jingxian had not noticed it before, but now she looked at them up and down from a dark corner, and realized that they both were not moving, as if in a slumber. 

One would doze off, but it was impossible for them both to slack off on their shift. 

Could it be that the clan master’s place was also… 

Xu Jingxian’s heart sank. 

She was about to go around to find a chance to enter and take a look, when she suddenly heard a small movement behind her. 

Xu Jingxian shivered, and turned abruptly, stretching out her hand! 

The other seemed to have anticipated her movements. He dodged the attack and even pulled her in, covering her mouth. 

“It’s me, keep quiet.” 

It’s Changming! 

Xu Jingxian trembled and immediately felt feeble. 

His voice was never so moving! 

Like a bright lantern in an endless night. Xu Jingxian was so touched that she almost cried. 

Xu Jingxian could not be more familiar with this way leading to Lingbo Peak. 

But she rarely took this way. 

She either used the Yulin Bell to teleport directly to the peak, or used a man-drawn carriage to go up there. 

The moonlight was bright. Maybe because she had not returned here for so long, she suddenly decided to climb it herself. 

Fang Chen and Man Cao would probably rejoice. 

We should open the wine jar hidden under that plum tree.

After trudging through an arduous journey, she was extremely tired. Originally, she thought that she would return, covered with dust, take a bath with flower petals, sleep for three days and three nights, and then think about everything else. 

Covered with dust: travel-worn

Ah, that won’t do… She was absent for so long that the сlan master would definitely call for her to ask some questions. 

Three months in the Nine Layers of the Abyss were more than three years everywhere else. Could the clan master have given her Lingbo Peak to someone else because she was dilly-dallying and did not return for so long? 

Thinking about this made Xu Jingxian lose her leisurely and carefree mood at once, so she took out the Yulin Bell. But at this moment, her gaze suddenly stopped on the ground under her feet. 

Why would there be blood on the clay soil near her shoe? 

It had already dried out and darkened, blending in with the soil, but she could still notice the color difference. 

She went forward and saw both light and dark traces of blood everywhere. 

Xu Jingxian thought of Lingbo Peak as her own domain, and she never allowed her subordinates to kill people here, so Lingbo Peak was always clean. 

Then where did these traces of blood come from? 

Xu Jingxian had a strange feeling all of a sudden, so strong that it made her heart flutter. She clenched the Yulin Bell in her hand, but still chose to fly up the mountain. 

Dead silence. 

As far as the eye could see, everything was silent. 

No one heard her arrival at the gates in the mountain forest, no one came to greet her. 

It should have been impossible. What if the clan master actually stripped her of the position of the Lingbo Peak master? 

Humph! If that’s so, I would go to Changming, clan master’s shifu’s thighs are thicker than clan master’s! 

Thighs are thicker: it’s safer by his side

While these thoughts were crossing her mind, she continued walking forward, and finally arrived at the peak. 

Normally, the main gates would be guarded by two disciples; now, not even a shadow of one could be seen. 

She entered the Lingbo Palace, and saw no one there. Her thin silk was flying in the night breeze. It was gloomy and frightening as if she had come to a haunted place.

Xu Jingxian’s heart sank. 

Even if Lingbo Peak changed its master, there should have been new people. 

But now, it looked like— 

Everyone was dead. 

“Fang Chen! Man Cao!” 

Of course, no one answered, and even an enemy’s shadow did not appear. 

Could it be that some accident happened in the Jianxue Clan? 

Their clan master was a living King of Hell, who was so tired of life that they acted so unbridledly. 

A living King of Hell: a tyrant

Could it be that the clan master was also… 

No, it’s impossible. 

The sect master’s cultivation base was so high. Although she had taken the Yangzhen Grass, and her strength was advancing by leaps and bounds, she would not dare to fight him. Although there were many capable people in the world, few dared to challenge the Jianxue Clan, let alone commit a massacre of such scale. 

Xu Jingxian stopped. She saw traces of blood again. 

This time, behind a pillar. 

A large pool of blood that was not yet dry; some blood had splashed onto the pillars and was now flowing down, forming bloodstains. 

Having lost so much blood, its owner might not have survived. 

She saw bright bloodstains next to the soft couch she liked to rest on. It seemed like someone was forcibly dragged away, as the trace of blood stretched further. 

Xu Jingxian followed the trail without even thinking. It soon led her to the backyard. 

Overgrown with weeds and abandoned; it was a mess. 

It was not this way when she left this place. 

This yard had not been cleaned for at least several years. But it is impossible that everybody disappeared right after she left. 

Everything was silent, and even insects were not buzzing. 

When she reached the thick grass, the blood suddenly disappeared. The grass was as tall as she was, and she could not see whether anything was hidden inside. A white fog shrouded the place, making it seem even more gloomy. 

Xu Jingxian held her breath subconsciously, and slowly moved towards the thick grass. 

She kept the remaining half of her thin silk in her hand, ready to attack at any moment. 

In a flash, a hand reached her from behind, its owner having no presence; unexpectedly, the hand broke through her defence with ease, landing on her shoulder lightly. 

Crack! A sharp noise broke the silence of the night. 

Xu Jingxian’s body almost exploded! 

She turned her head and suddenly opened her eyes.

There was a gauze canopy above her head, and a familiar soft bedding around. 

Her maid, Man Cao, came closer delicately, and stopped near her, inquiring. 

“Does the peak master wish to have breakfast?” 

Xu Jingxian sighed with relief. 

So to speak, it was just a dream. 

Three years was not a long period of time compared to a cultivator’s seclusion. When she returned to Lingbo Peak last night, everything was as usual. 

Xu Jingxian was afraid of the clan master getting angry for her long absence, and wanted to pay him a visit first and describe to him what she had been through in the three years she spent in the Nine Layers of the Abyss, and remind him about the promised muslin. Few could return from the Nine Layers of the Abyss alive, but there was no use for her to seize the opportunity to wave a tiger skin as a banner, and it made no sense. There was no need to mention the Yangzhen Grass, while the clan master’s shifu and dashixiong could be mentioned based on his disposition. 

To wave a tiger skin as a banner: perhaps, boast about her achievements. The original idiom is the opposite, “to wave a banner as if it were a tiger skin”, which is “shielding after authority to intimidate people”

So, last night she had already come up with a smooth story, but did not see Zhou Keyi. 

The disciple at his gates told her that the clan master entered a retreat and received no one; when he would come out, they did not know. 

The clan master often entered retreats. But that meant that she would not get the muslin soon, so Xu Jingxian was not the least bit happy. After she returned to her peak, she was in no mood to eat or meditate, so she took a bath and slept up until this moment. 

“I haven’t been here in three years. Did anything happen on Lingbo Peak?” 

Xu Jingxian ordered Man Cao to dress and groom her. She called for several loyal subordinates, and was now interrogating them languidly. 

“Did anyone from Danqing Peak and Guanhai Peak come to cause trouble?” 

“No one, everything is fine, don’t worry, Peak Master,” Fang Chen replied. 

Xu Jingxian was amused: “They knew I was away, yet never came?” 

Fang Chen: “They did once, but your subordinates drove them away. After that, the clan master said that you were out on a mission, and they didn’t dare act impudent again.” 

“Showed them their place!” 

Xu Jingxian hummed tenderly, thinking that she had been to the Nine Layers of the Abyss, gone through deadly perils, and got the Yangzhen Grass, and she could not help feeling proud of herself. Now she should have the highest cultivation level in the Jianxue Clan, besides the clan master. 

“That won’t do. If they don’t come here, I should go visit them. Let’s see if they’ll dare act recklessly in front of me again!” 

Fang Chen tried to persuade her: “You’ve only just returned, you should rest for several days before going. I’ve heard that Tang Peak’s master entered a retreat, and it’s unknown when he will come out.” 

Xu Jingxian frowned: “Why did everyone go on retreat before I returned?” 

Fang Chen smiled: “Eat this bird’s-nest soup first, the chef has been keeping it warm since yesterday.” 

Xu Jingxian: “Then bring it here.” 

Among cultivators, it was not unusual for those who had practiced bigu to have no food for dozens of days, but Xu Jingxian loved to eat well, so, naturally, she refused to treat herself harshly when she was able to enjoy life on her own territory. 

Bigu: to abstain from eating mortal food to ascend for a long time (in most novels, they don’t need to eat at all)

A steaming hot bird’s-nest soup was delivered to her, along with some almond syrup she used to like. 

She picked up a spoon, stirred the soup, scooped up some of it and lowered her head, just about to taste it. 

But long thin worms were squirming in the tender white bird’s-nest soup. 

Xu Jingxian blinked. 

There were no worms, and the bird’s-nest soup was still a bird’s nest soup, as if what she saw was just an illusion. 

At this moment, Fang Chen asked a question. 

She said: “Peak Master, what’s wrong?” 

“Everything is fine,” Xu Jingxian lowered her spoon and yawned. “I’ve been feeling tired since I returned, and I haven’t had enough sleep. Massage my back for me, and this bird’s-nest soup is for you all to eat. Boil me another bowl later.” 

Fang Chen’s voice was tender as always. She walked over to serve Xu Jingxian, massaging her with moderate strength, neither light nor heavy. 

Man Cao picked up the soup to take it away, but Xu Jingxian suddenly stopped her. 

“What happened to you today? Your hair is not combed well, a lock is loose on your shoulders.” 

Man Cao: “This subordinate was careless. I will fix it before returning.” 

Xu Jingxian liked the people around her to be beautiful at all times. Their dresses were not the same, so her servants not only wore different clothes and accessories, but also had different styles. If others accidentally broke in, they would have thought that this place was the cave of spider witches, a den of seductresses. 

The cave of spider witches: from “Journey to the West”, a cave with beautiful female were-spiders, fig. a trap with no way out

Man Cao left quickly. Xu Jingxian drove Fang Chen away, saying that she wanted to rest for a bit; others did not dare disturb her and left one by one. 

As soon as the gauze canopy was closed, Xu Jingxian sat abruptly. 

Wrong. 

Everything was wrong. 

She saw a red line behind Man Cao’s ear, thin as a hairspring. 

So she asked Fang Chen to come over and massage her, to use this opportunity to check whether she had a red line as well. 

Man Cao used to be very lively, but now she only said a couple of words. Last night, when Xu Jingxian had only arrived, she did not notice, but now she could easily see this peculiarity. 

And that bird’s-nest soup. 

Xu Jingxian could not sit still. She wanted to see the clan master. 

But she could not move now. 

She repressed the impulse, and laid down on the couch until it was dark. After some time, the footsteps outside disappeared. Only then did she just get up from the bed, and slip out of the bedroom on her toes. 

Xu Jingxian swiftly landed on the roof and examined Lingbo Peak from a height. 

All the guards outside her yard were standing still, as if they were dead. 

Xu Jingxian watched for a long time. She could not help but fly down, landing behind a pillar, and pretended to walk out of her residence. 

When she went down the staircase, the disciples started moving as usual. 

“Peak Master.” 

They even paid respects when she went past. 

Xu Jingxian hummed. She did not stop and flew out from the peak quickly. 

Her heart was pounding, and she was sweating  heavily. 

Everything was too weird. Before she appeared, those people were standing rigid in dead silence, but her footsteps were like a horn that made them “come back to life” in an instant. All their movement, even their steps, seemed to be carefully calculated. Every step had the same curvature, the same length. 

It did not seem like ordinary human movements, more like— 

Those Changming’s paper puppets. 

But it could not be that everybody on her Lingbo Peak turned into a puppet, right? 

Xu Jingxian was not bold enough to linger there. She used the Yunlin Bell to teleport to Longding Peak immediately. 

She had to see the clan master herself at all costs. 

Disciples were still guarding Zhou Keyi’s residence where he had secluded himself. 

Xu Jingxian had not noticed it before, but now she looked at them up and down from a dark corner, and realized that they both were not moving, as if in a slumber. 

One would doze off, but it was impossible for them both to slack off on their shift. 

Could it be that the clan master’s place was also… 

Xu Jingxian’s heart sank. 

She was about to go around to find a chance to enter and take a look, when she suddenly heard a small movement behind her. 

Xu Jingxian shivered, and turned abruptly, stretching out her hand! 

The other seemed to have anticipated her movements. He dodged the attack and even pulled her in, covering her mouth. 

“It’s me, keep quiet.” 

It’s Changming! 

Xu Jingxian trembled and immediately felt feeble. 

His voice was never so moving! 

Like a bright lantern in an endless night. Xu Jingxian was so touched that she almost cried.