Chapter 6: The Protagonist Arrives
Pei Lianxue lay on the bed while Ye Anping sat in meditation, his back to her, guarding her. His back wasn’t broad; after all, he was only fifteen. Yet, the back of this fifteen-year-old youth gave her a complete sense of security. When they arrived, she had been a little scared, but after their previous encounter, she felt her senior brother was telling the truth. As long as she listened to him, that Core Formation Stage demonic cultivator would be like a catfish on a chopping board. Although her senior brother had always been strict with her, she knew he would never harm her. The fact that she had lived from three to fourteen years old was the best proof.
Soon, sleepiness washed over her, and Pei Lianxue closed her eyes, preparing to rest. However, just as she closed her eyes, the name “Xiyue” suddenly popped into her mind.
—Who is Xiyue?!
—Where does she live?
—How old is she this year?
—What is her cultivation level?
—Is she prettier than me?
Pei Lianxue couldn’t sleep all night.
At the crow of the rooster, Ye Anping got up to wake Pei Lianxue. When he walked to the bedside, he saw that she seemed to have been staring with wide eyes all night. Her eyes were bloodshot, and he thought she was still afraid of the demonic cultivator. To help her relax, he took her for a casual stroll through Wu Xi Town. They visited clothing shops, bought some small accessories and trinkets, and then went to listen to opera and fish by the river.
The following days were much the same. Apart from taking some time to set up several formations in the mountain forest behind Wu Xi Town to deal with Wu You, the two of them spent most of their time like they were on an autumn outing, wandering around the town. Finally, the day the protagonist was to meet “Wu You” arrived.
…
On the mountain path outside Wu Xi Town. A woman wearing a bamboo hat sat sideways on a horse, holding a leaf flute made of lychee leaves. The flute’s melody was melodious and leisurely, attracting sparrows from the branches to land beside the woman, accompanying her with their birdsong. Beneath the bamboo hat, strands of silver hair fluttered in the wind.
The woman’s name was Feng Yu Die. Her parents had encountered war and, with no other choice, had placed her, newly born, in a basket and set her adrift on the river. She was later found and adopted by a reclusive old cultivator. About half a year ago, the old cultivator’s lifespan ran out, and he ascended, leaving her a letter of recommendation to go to the Xuan Xing Sect to continue her cultivation.
After finishing her song, Feng Yu Die tossed away the leaf in her hand, covered her bamboo hat, and looked into the distance. Then, she sighed with a hint of frustration and asked, “Sigh—Xiao Tian, how much longer until we reach the Xuan Xing Sect?”
At this moment, no one was beside her. But after she asked, a small figure glowing with golden light suddenly emerged from between her eyebrows. The little figure was like a doll, without legs, and appeared miniature and cute. With a flick of its tiny hand, a map materialized in front of Feng Yu Die.
“Still a long way, at least another five hundred li. There should be a small town ahead where we can rest.”
“Five hundred li more? We’ve been traveling for a month already?” Feng Yu Die sighed softly. “I wonder if there are any pretty senior sisters at the Xuan Xing Sect.”
Xiao Tian glanced at her speechlessly and chided, “Yu Die, instead of thinking about handsome senior brothers, you’re thinking about pretty senior sisters. Is that proper?”
Feng Yu Die pouted and retorted, “Master always told me since I was little to be careful of men; men are all bad things.”
“I told you to be careful of men, not to go looking for women.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s hurry. We’re almost at the town, and I want to eat roast chicken.”
“You’re so unpromising.”
“Giddy up!” Feng Yu Die tightened the reins, gently kicked the horse’s belly, and galloped towards the small town ahead.
Before long, she passed through the Great Victory Gate and arrived in Wu Xi Town. It was mealtime, and the town was filled with the aroma of roasted duck and chicken. The roadside stalls were crowded with people eating noodles and drinking tea. Feng Yu Die led her little white horse, looking at everything with a desire to try it, but she was short on cash, and Xiao Tian reminded her to be frugal. Therefore, she finally found an inn and ordered only one roast chicken.
The inn was bustling with activity. The waiter, with a towel draped over his shoulder, was shouting everywhere, and the shopkeeper’s abacus clattered. She sat at a small table in the corner, waiting for her food and scanning the diners. She was surprised to see many cultivators among them.
“Xiao Tian, there are so many cultivators in this town.”
“Not surprising. It’s not far from the Hundred Lotus Sect. Where there’s a sect, there will surely be many cultivators.”
“Hundred Lotus Sect?” Feng Yu Die recalled for a moment and asked, “Isn’t that a small sect?”
“Yes, it’s a small sect founded less than a hundred years ago. The Sect Master is named Ye Ao, and he is currently at the Core Formation Stage. He has a son with decent aptitude, but his aptitude is only dual spiritual roots, not bad, but not great either.”
Feng Yu Die propped her chin with her hand and tilted her head, “Xiao Tian, you really know everything.”
Xiao Tian put its hands on its hips and raised its head: “Of course. I am the artifact spirit of the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao. Hmph! There is nothing in this world that I do not know.”
“Is that so…” Feng Yu Die smiled with pursed lips, then pointed to a girl at another table not far away and asked, “Then, Xiao Tian, what is that girl’s name?”
…
Xiao Tian twisted its eyebrows and looked in the direction Feng Yu Die pointed. At that table sat a man and a woman, both cultivators. They both looked young, about fourteen or fifteen years old. The man was at the third level of Qi Refining, while the woman had already reached the peak of Qi Refining. They were likely siblings traveling together. That was all it could discern.
Xiao Tian pouted disdainfully and replied, “How would I know what that person’s name is?”
Feng Yu Die covered her mouth and chuckled, “Didn’t you just say, Xiao Tian, that there’s nothing in the world you don’t know?”
“That’s right, I know all the major events that have happened in the past, but…” Xiao Tian flew around Feng Yu Die’s head, hands on its hips, and argued, “Those two look like insignificant people. I wouldn’t deign to remember their names! Hmph!”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Feng Yu Die shrugged. “However, I think that girl is very beautiful. I’m going to ask her name.” With that, Feng Yu Die stood up, waved the waiter over, and asked him to deliver the roast chicken to the girl’s table shortly. Then, she walked over.
Arriving at the table, Feng Yu Die smiled and cupped her fists, “Fellow Daoists, may I share a table with you?” The girl at the table looked back at her, slightly furrowed her brows, then turned to the smiling young man beside her and asked, “Senior Brother?” The person she called Senior Brother glanced at Feng Yu Die and nodded, “Certainly.”
Feng Yu Die quickly smiled, pulled up a stool, and sat down. She took the initiative to speak, “Fellow Daoists, my name is Feng Yu Die. I am a rogue cultivator. May I know your names?”
“Ye Anping, a disciple of the Hundred Lotus Sect,” Ye Anping replied with a smile, reaching out to Pei Lianxue beside him. “This is my junior sister, Pei Lianxue.”
As he said this, Xiao Tian, which was floating beside Feng Yu Die’s head, suddenly frowned. For a moment, it felt as if Ye Anping had glanced in its direction, as if he could see it. Since its birth, the only people who could see it, an artifact spirit, were those with the Heavenly Dao in them. One was the former Saint Emperor. The other was Feng Yu Die.
“A hallucination?” Xiao Tian pouted and pondered for a moment, then simply floated in front of Ye Anping and made two faces at him. “Pfft~~” It seemed it had truly been a hallucination. Ye Anping showed no reaction to its faces and naturally picked up his chopsticks to continue eating. This relieved Xiao Tian. It knew it was right; how could a dual spiritual root cultivator with mediocre aptitude possibly see the artifact spirit of the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
…
