Chapter 6: Leaving the Mountain

Central Continent, Silver Sand City.

“Where is Xiao Kui?

Where is my daughter?!”

At the center of the formation disk, Xiang Heng was momentarily dazed before suddenly coughing up blood.

“Father?”

As the flames of the array extinguished, Xiang Tianqing hurried forward, kneeling beside her father.

“Xiao Kui is gone.”

Last time, Xiang Heng had brought back the wrong person. Now, even after reactivating the formation, he was unable to sense her with his soul force. That meant she was no longer on Earth.

Dead?

Seeing the black mist gradually spreading in his eyes, Xiang Tianqing knew the demonic energy inside him was surging again. She hurriedly grasped his hand.

“Father, please calm down.”

In the past, whenever he had such episodes, as long as she comforted him, he would slowly regain control.

“How can I calm down!”

Xiang Heng violently flung her away, the uncontrollable force sending Xiang Tianqing flying out of the formation disk and crashing onto the ground.

A dull pain spread in her chest.

She could hardly believe what had just happened.

The demonic mist in Xiang Heng’s eyes slowly dissipated. Regaining some clarity, he rushed forward to help her up.

“I’m sorry, Xiao Qing, I lost control again.”

“I’m fine, Father, don’t worry.”

Xiang Tianqing lowered her gaze, taking out a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the blood from his lips.

“Maybe you’ve exhausted too much spiritual energy recently, and that’s why you can’t sense Xiao Kui. Rest for a while and try again later?”

Looking at his considerate and understanding daughter, the last trace of darkness in Xiang Heng’s eyes faded.

He nodded.

“Alright.”

Xiang Tianqing accompanied him back to the City Lord’s Manor. Outside the manor, Jing Ran was leaning against the wall. Though standing in the corner, his posture was upright like a tree.

Upon hearing that Xiang Heng had failed to sense Xiang Haikui, Jing Ran frowned slightly.

“Uncle, wouldn’t sending me back be easier than bringing her here?”

“If you can’t bring Xiang back anytime soon, I need to return. Otherwise, my disappearance might cause trouble for her.”

Xiang Heng, also born in Huaxia, had already considered this possibility. He had planned to discuss it with Jing Ran, but this young man didn’t even intend to see his parents again.

He likely wouldn’t agree.

Just as he was struggling with this dilemma, Jing Ran unexpectedly brought it up himself.

Xiang Heng took a closer look at him. That night, when he had mistakenly taken the wrong person, Jing Ran had been with Xiao Kui—without his pants on.

“Uncle?”

Seeing the change in Xiang Heng’s gaze—now carrying a hint of scrutiny and mild displeasure—Jing Ran was puzzled.

“Oh?”

Xiang Heng cupped his fists.

“Then I must thank you. Give me two days to recover, and I will send you back.”

After returning to his room to rest, Xiang Heng left.

As Jing Ran was about to depart as well, Xiang Tianqing called out to him.

“Young Master Jing.”

Jing Ran stopped.

“Does the young lady need something from me?”

Xiang Tianqing pursed her lips tightly, hiding her hands behind her back.

She was so anxious that she dug her nails into her palms, nearly drawing blood, before finally mustering the courage to ask, “Young Master Jing, could you tell me… what kind of girl my little sister Xiao Kui is?”

Jing Ran remained silent for a moment.

“To be honest, I don’t have much of an impression of her.”

They were in different grades, studying different majors, and only belonged to the same club. Apart from club activities, they had barely interacted.

When Xiang Haikui confessed to him, she mentioned that they had been in neighboring classes in high school and that he had helped her once.

That was why she liked him.

But he had no recollection of it.

Yet that night on the mountaintop, when an anomaly suddenly appeared above them, and he was seized by a ghostly claw, any ordinary person would have been terrified or fled.

But her first reaction was to jump up and hug his leg.

She probably hadn’t even figured out what was happening in that moment—it was purely an instinctive response in the face of danger.

Jing Ran concluded, “She’s a very brave girl.”

It is said that cultivators should avoid leaving debts behind.

He owed her a debt of ‘courage,’ and for that reason, he was willing to go back and help her—to repay this favor.

—

At Phoenix Garden, Xiang Haikui had been struck by twenty-nine lightning spheres.

Her entire body crackled with electric arcs.

Finally, before the thirtieth lightning sphere could fall, she had taken down every single one of her pursuers.

Moreover, in the midst of the fight, she had discovered the mechanism controlling the lightning spheres.

It was a man-made formation, similar to sect-protection arrays or mountain-sealing formations.

She didn’t know whether it was designed to keep out thieves or to punish disobedient phoenixes who tried to escape.

The moment she switched off the formation disk, the lightning spheres in the sky dissipated like mist.

Utterly exhausted, she dropped her sword and collapsed onto the ground, arms and legs sprawled out.

Her apology was directed at the dozens of people around her groaning, “Ouch.”

Then, she heard Yin Changli’s laughter.

“Not bad. You finished in half the time I expected.”

A violent gust swept in, lifting her up.

By the time the windstorm subsided, she was lying inside Yin Changli’s black sphere palace.

Yin Changli sat on the high seat, his long hair pooling onto the ground.

A jade qin rested on the table before him, though he wasn’t playing it. One hand held a music score, while the other delicately grasped a crystalline teacup as he sipped tea with grace.

Whenever his tea ran low, a chubby little rodent would waddle over with a kettle to refill it.

He took a sip, glanced at Xiang Haikui, and said, “I suspect your brain is the size of a cherry. Even after being played by me, you remain completely unwary.”

Xiang Haikui, still lying down, replied, “Because I know you won’t harm me, senior.”

Resting enough, she sat up.

“Senior Yin, I know you tricked me for my own good. No matter how disrespectful my words may sound, deep down, I am grateful. But today, you went too far.”

“Oh?”

“And when have I ever not gone too far?”

Yin Changli, utterly self-aware, didn’t even lift his gaze as he spoke.

Xiang Haikui stomped up to the table, her tattered dress rustling.

Her voice was stern.

“Hyenas kill humans for no reason, so I slay them—that’s the way of things.

But today, those people were merely garden caretakers.”

They were just workers.

If the commotion in the garden got them into trouble, how would their master punish them?

In modern society, they’d at most get fired. But in the cultivation world, they might lose their lives.

She was saying this because she wanted Yin Changli to handle the aftermath.

Only then did he raise his eyes slightly.

“You can barely take care of yourself, yet you still worry about others?”

“I wanted to train myself, but that doesn’t mean I should trample others to do it.

That would be no different from how the higher-ups use my father and me as stepping stones to train Xiang Tianqing.”

The strong bully the weak, and the weak find even weaker prey.

The upper class oppresses the lower class, and the lower class crushes those beneath them.

Is this what they call the food chain?

If that’s how it works, then what’s the point of fighting back? Might as well just accept fate.

Yin Changli chuckled, setting down his cup.

“And who taught you this reasoning?”

She hesitated before answering.

Her father doted on her and spoiled her. Their family was so poor that their poverty rang like a bell, yet whenever they shared a bowl of noodles, she would eat the noodles while he drank the broth. But that didn’t mean he spared her from beatings.

The first time she was beaten was when they were selling breakfast. A customer miscalculated the money and accidentally overpaid by five cents. She knew it was wrong but kept silent and even laughed in front of her father about how foolish the person was.

Yin Changli’s expression was tinged with amusement as he wiped a drop of tea from his lower lip with his thumb.

“This is why, after meeting him, I became curious and ended up reading his fortune.

Because I knew that with his way of dealing with people, he wouldn’t get far on the path to immortality. I was just bored and wanted to see how he would die.”

Seeing Xiang Haikui’s dark expression and about to speak, he added, “Don’t worry, the owner of the Phoenix Garden is an old acquaintance of mine. I’ve already made arrangements and paid a hefty compensation. For them, this is not a calamity but an opportunity.”

Xiang Haikui was stunned: “Really?”

Yin Changli: “Of course, it’s true. Every effect has a cause. I don’t like to get involved in karma and rarely form bonds or enmities with others.”

The Tuntun mouse, holding a teapot, nodded vigorously beside them.

“Ah! You should have said so earlier.”

Xiang Haikui rolled her eyes, feeling like she had wasted so much breath.

She immediately relaxed and even eyed the teacup in his hand, smacking her lips.

She gulped down several large cups of tea, then caught a glimpse of her ghastly appearance in the water, her mouth twitching.

Her hairstyle was beyond mention, and her face, already swollen from poisoning, looked like a steamed bun.

She was really curious how Yin Changli managed not to laugh: “Senior, do you have any magic to help me recover?”

Yin Changli continued to read his music score: “You’ll recover in a couple of days.”

“Alright, as long as you don’t find it unbearable to look at.”

Since it was just the two of them, she didn’t mind her current appearance.

He casually remarked: “It’s all the same anyway.”

What did that mean?

Was he saying she was ugly even without the poisoning?

The big shot’s aesthetic sense must be off; she thought she was quite good-looking. Whenever she lamented her bad luck, she would always mutter that beauties often meet tragic ends.

As she inwardly complained, she suddenly noticed something: “Senior, what’s wrong with your hand?”

A thin layer of white frost had formed on the surface of both his hands, which hadn’t been there when he was fixing his hair earlier at the canyon.

“Just worry about yourself.”

Yin Changli didn’t explain and turned a page of his music score.

“Do you know why, even though you’re exhausted, I still insist on taking you out for practice?”

Xiang Haikui thought to herself, isn’t it obvious? Bosses are always this ruthless.

He was her savior and her boss, having bought her life to achieve his goals.

Yin Changli: “Your hundred-day training camp will be reduced to eighty days.”

Xiang Haikui was surprised: “Why?”

Fifty days had already passed, so did that mean only thirty days were left?

“Because in thirty days, I have to go on a long journey, and you must leave by then.”

Only then did Xiang Haikui understand. According to fate, she was supposed to die in six months, but he had only given her a hundred days.

Xiang Haikui wasn’t a fool. Seeing the frost on his hands, she realized he must have some health issue and needed to recuperate.

With the time compressed, Xiang Haikui, who used to sleep for over an hour each day, now relied entirely on the Tuntun mouse’s pills to keep her spirits up.

Qi Yin’s teachings were all about practical combat experience.

After each lesson, Yin Changli would take her to various places to challenge opponents of similar levels.

Moreover, he never told her who her opponents were, always setting traps for her.

Being tricked had become a daily routine for Xiang Haikui. Faced with sudden situations, she no longer had any emotional reactions, just woodenly drew her sword and started slashing.

“Master, your disciple will miss you.”

On the day she left the Ten Thousand Bones Cave, Xiang Haikui knelt to bid farewell to Qi Yin.

As she was about to kowtow, Qi Yin said, “From now on, when you’re out there, don’t say you’re my disciple.”

Although curious, she had never asked about her master’s identity because she knew their relationship wasn’t a true master-disciple one.

Her master was just entrusted by someone to give her some guidance.

Xiang Haikui wasn’t saddened by this. She didn’t hold the concept of “once a teacher, always a father.”

She had many teachers.

Qi Yin’s voice carried a hint of emotion: “Not many people in this world know my name anymore, but I fear that if someone does, it might bring you disaster. My disciples, except for one who betrayed me, all met unfortunate ends.”

Xiang Haikui’s breath hitched.

She had thought it was because she wasn’t worthy.

Only at this moment did she feel a genuine connection with her master, her eyes slightly moist: “Master, will we have a chance to meet again?”

She couldn’t even find the Ten Thousand Bones Cave on the map.

Qi Yin tugged at the chains binding him: “I will always be here. As long as you can survive, we will meet again someday.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Yin Changli smiled, hands behind his back.

“I said I would only help you up to this point. However, I’ve found you a helper. He is also a master of the Twelve Divine Swords, wielding the Tian Bao Sword. His cultivation is slightly higher than yours, but his mind is even less reliable. Still, it’s better than you being alone.”

Wow, she even got a teammate?

After spending so much time together, even if it was through being tricked, she had developed some feelings. Suddenly receiving this gesture, Xiang Haikui felt that this boss wasn’t so bad after all.

“Go through the passage, and you’ll find a formation disk. It will take you out of the Ten Thousand Bones Cave. The Heavenly Treasure Sword master is waiting there for you. He will take you to Silver Sand City, back to your father’s side.”

Yin Changli handed her the demon-repelling medicine and waved his sleeve.

“Go.”

After walking a dozen steps towards the exit, Xiang Haikui suddenly turned around, knelt down, and without a word, kowtowed three times.

Then she stood up and quickly walked away.

Carrying a heavy carved wooden sword case, inside which lay the Tian kuang Sword, her thin and frail body slowly disappeared into the depths of the passage.

Yin Changli noticed Qi Yin’s eyes were red and teased, “It’s only been a few dozen days. You might be the most sentimental Qiongqi in the world.”

(T/N: Qiongqi, one of the four evil beasts in ancient Chinese mythology, is a descendant of Shaohao, the Western Emperor of Heaven. Because he destroyed trust and hated loyalty, and worshipped evil words, he was exiled by Shun and moved to the four corners of the country to ward off evil spirits. He was called the “four evil beasts” of ancient times together with Hun Dun, Tao Wu, and Tao Tie. “Classic of Mountains and Seas: Hai Nei Bei Jing” records that Qiongqi looks like a tiger, the size of a cow, and has a pair of wings. Legend has it that Qiongqi has a fierce temperament and likes to eat people. He is disloyal and untrustworthy, does not listen to good people, and only listens to bad words from others.”

“Even if it’s just one day as master and disciple, it’s still a bond.”

After sighing, Qi Yin glared at him fiercely.

“You just love to talk nonsense! But you won’t be able to for much longer!”

“From the moment you brought her here and called me ‘Brother Qi’ instead of ‘Mad Dog Qi,’ I knew.

You not only want to hibernate but also want to do it in my Ten Thousand Bones Cave.”

Yin Changli immediately adopted a respectful attitude, cupping his hands and bowing: “Later, I will rely on your care, Brother Qi.”

Yin Changli’s true form was a snake with a special bloodline.

While naturally powerful, every few hundred years, he had to hibernate for a period, much like winter sleep.

“Why has it come early?”

Qi Yin glanced at the frost on his hands.

“Is it because of your earlier fight with Luo Yunxiu?”

Yin Changli: “After all, she’s the current master of the Bliss Palace. She’s not an easy opponent.”

With his hibernation period approaching, his strength was almost depleted. If he hadn’t been afraid that the woman’s ruthlessness would lead her to kill Xiang Haikui, he wouldn’t have shown himself.

That kick had used up a tenth of his power, just to intimidate her and prevent her from acting rashly.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to take Xiang Haikui away.

By calculating Xiang Tianqing’s fate, Yin Changli saw himself.

There was a high chance that something would go wrong during his hibernation.

Then he would briefly lose his memory, become a small snake, and be accidentally discovered and rescued by Xiang Tianqing.

During his amnesia, Xiang Tianqing took care of him diligently.

Then, he and Xiang Tianqing became lovers, supporting each other along the way.

Yin Changli could calculate others’ fates but not his own.

Thus, he didn’t know what exactly went wrong during his hibernation that led to such an unexpected outcome, something he had never imagined. Moreover, he wasn’t someone who easily fell in love, so there must be something fishy about it.

He had thought about killing Xiang Tianqing directly, but the more you try to change something, the more likely it is to happen.

So, he decided to use Xiang Haikui as a pawn to stir the waters.

Qi Yin advised him: “Actually, you’re not young anymore. Having a romantic relationship isn’t so bad, is it?”

“Even if it’s a romantic relationship, it should be with someone decent. Someone like Xiang Tianqing, I would only fall for if I lost my memory.”

“Tell me, who could you possibly fall for?”

Yin Changli smiled without answering, suddenly transforming back into his true form—a black snake with a dark red scale on its head.

He slowly coiled around the chains imprisoning Qi Yin: “You wouldn’t understand.”

Back then, Yin Changli had left the Netherworld City in a fit of anger, but it was just a momentary lapse.

He would have returned after a while.

However, among the treasures he stole, he discovered a secret.

This secret, even after he forgot who he was, remained in his memory. He even took it as his own origin story.

While Xiang Tianqing accompanied him in searching for his “true self,” she also learned of this secret.

Fate has variables, and the divination brush couldn’t peer too far ahead. Yin Changli didn’t know what would happen next.

“Old Qi, if something goes wrong during my hibernation—”

“I’m here. Can’t I even protect you during your hibernation?

Unless I die, then we die together.”

“I mean, if there really is a mishap, you must kill me in advance, destroy my consciousness, and don’t let me fall into the hands of the Heavenly Clan.”

Qi Yin was stunned: “Changli, what have you been doing all these years?”

Yin Changli didn’t answer. His snake body, coiled around the chains, was already covered in a thick layer of ice.

“You’ve become so weak? Hard to believe you’re from the Zhu Jiuyin clan.”

“Shh, stop talking. Let me rest for a while.”

Xiang Haikui traveled from the formation disk of the Ten Thousand Bones Cave to the foot of a mountain.

She was still pondering: she carried a divine sword, had a godly master’s guidance, and had a super-strong support.

A group of kings, carrying her, a bronze.

This hand of good cards must not be wasted.

Clenching her fist to give herself some confidence, Xiang Haikui looked around and saw a person standing by the water ahead.

Dressed in white with white hair, spotless, he looked like an immortal.

She quickly walked up: “Excuse me, sir—”

Before she could finish, the man turned around, and Xiang Haikui’s pupils contracted.

His appearance was like a beautiful youth straight out of a manga.

She felt as if getting closer would pull her into a manga world, so she unconsciously slowed her steps and softened her tone: “Excuse me, are you the master of the Heavenly Treasure Sword?”

The white-haired, ethereal youth was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned, revealing the Tuntun mouse’s signature golden teeth.

Xiang Haikui:

Just knew that Yin Changli’s moves were always suffocating.

“Little Bai, are you really the master of the Heavenly Treasure Sword?”

“Can you talk?”

“Yes, but Uncle Yin said I can’t speak when I’m not in human form.”

“Where’s your sword?”

Then, she watched in disillusionment as the ethereal youth reached up, pulled out his two golden teeth, and they transformed into two swords, one long and one short.

Then, with his now toothless mouth, he said:

“The Tian Bao Twin Swords, genuine as they come. Pleased to meet you, I’m Bai Xingxian.”