Fairy Qinghua was a special figure within the Taiyan Sect.
Sage Yushan ascended to immortality a hundred years ago. Before his ascension, he only had two disciples: Shaoyang Zhenren and Fairy Qinghua. However, compared to Shaoyang Zhenren, Fairy Qinghua was evidently more renowned at the time.
The Fairy Qinghua possessed a pure and refined spirit root, making her naturally suited for cultivation. After Sage Yushan’s ascension, her cultivation had reached the Mahayana realm, just one step away from tribulation crossing. If her exceptional cultivation was all there was to her, it would be enough. But legend had it that the Fairy Qinghua’s beauty could captivate all living beings. Even the most skilled painters could not capture even a fraction of her charm.
A goddess of unparalleled beauty, aloof and proud yet possessing remarkable cultivation, was always revered.
“Where is Fairy Qinghua now? I don’t seem to have seen her in the sect.” Zanxing dried herself off, put on her inner robe, and walked out from behind the screen.
The lamp wick on the table was trimmed short, casting flickering shadows on the wall. The cool night breeze seeped in from outside the window.
Ziluo sighed and said, “Fairy Qinghua is no longer with us.”
“What do you mean by ‘no longer with us’?” Zanxing asked.
Ziluo looked out the window and said, “More than 20 years ago, during the Great War between the Humans and Demons, Fairy Qinghua led the sect’s cultivators to battle and personally killed the Demon King. After returning to the sect, she gave birth to Seventh Uncle. A year later, she disappeared.” She continued, “Some say that the Fairy succeeded in crossing the tribulation and ascended to the higher realms. Others say…” She paused, then continued, “that the Fairy fell.”
In any case, more than a decade has passed, and no one on the Duzhou Continent has seen Fairy Qinghua again. Moreover, Sect Master Shaoyang Zhenren has also ordered the sect’s disciples not to mention Fairy Qinghua casually.
Time flows like a long river, slowly eroding all the waves and turbulence, leaving only the gentle murmur of the stream. Twenty years had passed since the Great War between the Humans and Demons, and the image of the beautiful woman with the green staff has gradually faded from the memories of everyone.
“Then what about Seventh Uncle’s father?” Zanxing asked. “With Fairy Qinghua gone, Seventh Uncle’s father must be taking care of him, right?”
“Shhh–” Ziluo put her finger to her lips, looked around, and made sure no one was around before whispering, “Don’t mention this in the sect, especially not in front of Seventh Uncle.”
Zanxing looked curiously at her.
“No one knows who Fairy Qinghua’s Dao Companion is to this day. Back then, the Fairy returned to the sect and gave birth to Seventh Uncle without a word. The Sect Master even got angry about it.” Ziluo lowered her voice again and said, “After Fairy Qinghua disappeared, there were rumors outside that the Fairy went back to find that man.”
“He must not be a good person,” Ziluo, who was always gentle, had a look of indignation when she mentioned this person, “He became Dao Companions with the Fairy, but he didn’t care about her. Our sect is not something to be ashamed of, so why do this?”
Zanxing’s mind went off on a tangent for a while. Although this was a male-oriented cultivation novel, and the original work did not go into detail about Fairy Qinghua’s past, but if it were a usual melodramatic plot, could that Demon King be Gu Baiying’s father?
“In any case, Junior Sister Zanxing, you must never mention this in front of Seventh Uncle,” Ziluo warned, “In the past, a disciple from another sect humiliated Seventh Uncle with this matter, and Seventh Uncle broke his leg. I think he probably cares a lot about others talking about his father.”
Zanxing nodded and said, “I understand.”
“You were fortunate to escape death this time when you came down from the mountain. I will also speak up for you with Sixth Uncle.” Ziluo patted Zanxing’s shoulder and said, “Take a good rest for the next few days.”
Zanxing smiled and said, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”
*
In Miaokong Hall, a pile of spiritual fruits on the long table formed the shape of the Yin-Yang Taichi symbol. At this moment, a piece was abruptly taken from the Yang side of the Taichi, leaving a gap.
The cool night breeze whispered through the spacious hall, accentuating the cold solitude of the autumn night.
Xuan Lingzi enthusiastically crunched on a fruit. “Senior Brother, mind your appearance,” said Daoist Yueguang.
“I’m just happy to see Seventh Junior Brother back,” Xuan Lingzi chuckled, then turned to the middle-aged cultivator in coarse cloth robes beside him. “Fifth Senior Brother, weren’t you taking Junior Brother on a journey to the south? Why did you suddenly return?”
Zhao Mayi, the middle-aged cultivator with a stubble, smiled faintly at the question. “A few days ago, I observed the celestial phenomena and noticed some unusual star signs. So, I consulted the tortoise shell oracle and discovered…”
“What did you discover?” Xuan Lingzi inquired.
“I found that a demonic star has appeared. I fear that trouble may be brewing in Duzhou, so I hurried back with Baiying to ensure you all make preparations in advance,” Zhao Mayi explained.
Miaokong Hall fell silent for a while.
After a while, an impatient voice rang out, “Senior Brother, consulting the oracle, eight out of ten times, ends up wrong. There’s no need to take it to heart.”
The young man reclined lazily on the soft couch in front of the long table, sitting rather improperly. One hand lazily rested on the armrest of the couch, while his hair, tied with silk, cascaded over his shoulders, accentuating the soft and bright black color.
Gu Baiying picked up a spiritual fruit from the table, held it in his palm, threw it up and down a couple of times, then turned his head to look at the others. “So, let’s talk about it. What’s the deal with this Yang Zanxing?”
Zhao Mayi, who had just returned to the sect, was unaware of what had happened in the sect these days and asked, “Who’s Yang Zanxing? Is she a new disciple?”
Daoist Yueguang spoke gently, “Yes, this girl found the ‘Qing’e Flower-Picking Staff’ in the Martial Arts Hall.”
“Isn’t that Fairy Qinghua’s technique?” Zhao Mayi was surprised. “Does this mean Fairy Qinghua has chosen her?”
Years ago, after Fairy Qinghua slew the Demon King and returned to the sect, she placed the ‘Qing’e Flower-Picking Staff’ in the Martial Arts Hall, saying that only those with fate could find this technique. Nearly twenty years later, Zanxing was the first to find it.
Gu Baiying sneered, “A Foundation Establishment cultivator who can’t even distinguish between illusion techniques, I think it was just a fluke.” He thought of the woman he saw in the daytime, her gauze robe tattered and her face covered in mud, looking haggard. His expression darkened, and he snorted coldly. “How could my mother… choose her?”
“That might not be a coincidence,” Daoist Yueguang said with a smile, looking at him. “What if I said that she performed ‘Mirror Flowers and Water Moon’?”
The young man was stunned, then said, “Impossible.”
“It’s true,” Xuan Lingzi quickly said. “I can attest that Yang Zanxing did perform the ‘Mirror Flowers and Water Moon’ move during the sect assessment.”
Mirror Flowers and Water Moon was the first level of the ‘Qing’e Flower Picking Staff’. It looked simple, but if one does not truly comprehend the central sutra of the technique, it was unlikely that it can be mastered.
“If this is Fairy Qinghua’s will, perhaps this girl has some kind of opportunity. Baiying,” Daoist Yueguang looked at him with a smile. “Perhaps this girl can lead you to find your mother.”
Gu Baiying’s eyes flickered, and his fingers tightened around the spirit fruit. After a moment, he stood up, let out a scoff, and said, “What does that have to do with me?”
“I don’t want to find her at all.”