“The bone-clinging garment almost melted,” Shu Wuxi said.
“What?”
“Then… I wouldn’t be able to hold you anymore.”
Lu Xiaochan looked at Shu Wuxi, taking a moment to realize he was referring to the bone-clinging garment brought back from the Northern Sea.
“It didn’t melt, right? It didn’t melt, right?” Lu Xiaochan instantly forgot his earlier anger and grievances!
If the bone-clinging garment melted, they wouldn’t be able to hold hands anymore, he couldn’t casually lean on Shu Wuxi’s back, and they couldn’t ride Lushu together!
Kissing and such would be even more out of the question!
He reached for Shu Wuxi’s hand, grasping his fingers tightly, their fingers closely interlocked.
After a little while, Lu Xiaochan tilted his head to feel, then let out a long breath.
He patted his chest. “Thankfully it didn’t burn! It’s fine! It hasn’t melted!”
Shu Wuxi lowered his head, watching Lu Xiaochan’s expression change from tension to relief, patted his head, and pulled him back into his embrace.
“You scared me to death…”
Hearing Shu Wuxi’s heartbeat and seeing that he treated him the same as before, neither angry nor disappearing on him, Lu Xiaochan finally felt at ease.
He really wouldn’t dare speak carelessly anymore!
Just saying something thoughtlessly… no, just one kiss, and the bone-clinging garment would melt?
“The wind is picking up, let’s go back.”
Shu Wuxi looked down and saw that Lu Xiaochan wasn’t wearing shoes. His brows slightly furrowed as he scooped him up with one arm and returned to the room.
Shu Wuxi took a cloth and wiped his feet.
But Lu Xiaochan had many questions. “Why would the bone-clinging garment melt? Doesn’t the Tailing Pavilion’s medical classic say that it’s made from the shed skin of the Northern Sea spirit beast Lie, and can block karmic fire?”
“It’s my fault.” Shu Wuxi put Lu Xiaochan’s feet under the blanket.
“What did you do wrong?”
“I… thought of things I shouldn’t have.” Shu Wuxi pulled up the blanket to cover Lu Xiaochan’s shoulders.
“What did you think about?”
Shu Wuxi raised his hand and touched Lu Xiaochan’s forehead, sending a gentle stream of true energy from there into Lu Xiaochan’s elixir sea. Lu Xiaochan yawned and fell into a deep sleep.
In his drowsy state, something soft pressed against his cheek.
The next morning, Lu Xiaochan still hadn’t woken when Shu Wuxi carried him onto Lushu, still sound asleep.
Not until Lushu flew above the flowing clouds and sunlight shone directly on them did Lu Xiaochan furrow his brows and open his eyes.
“Have we… left Pengyuan Mountain?” Lu Xiaochan stretched.
“Mm.”
“Then how many days until we reach Yechuan?”
“Five days.”
Lu Xiaochan stretched again. He certainly remembered the question he had asked Shu Wuxi last night, and how the other had deliberately made him fall asleep with true energy to avoid answering.
Since it was something Shu Wuxi didn’t want to answer, Lu Xiaochan wouldn’t ask again.
Probably because Lu Xiaochan was awake, Shu Wuxi, not wanting him to be bored, had Lushu fly lower so he could see the mountains, rivers, and vast lands below the clouds.
Three days later, Lu Xiaochan noticed the towns gradually disappearing, even the forests on the mountains becoming increasingly sparse, turning barren, and it was getting hotter, with even the clouds disappearing.
“Where are we now?”
Lu Xiaochan, who could usually see spiritual beings, could hardly detect any spiritual energy now.
“We have entered Yechuan.”
“Yechuan? Why is Yechuan so desolate? It doesn’t feel like a place blessed with talent and spiritual energy at all…”
Did Supreme Lord Yehua really reside here as an immortal?
“In another day, we will see Chiye Mountain.”
“Can you tell me more about Supreme Lord Yehua? Since he’s called Supreme Lord, has he lived for a very long time?”
“Yes. Among the immortal sages from the Great Primordial Era, he is the only one who hasn’t passed into extinction.”
“I remember Kunwu saying there’s been no news of him for over eight thousand years. Maybe he’s not the only one who hasn’t passed into extinction, but has already passed?”
Lu Xiaochan became worried. How could this Supreme Lord Yehua resonate with heaven and earth living in such a desolate place?
Moreover, if he truly was an immortal sage from the Great Primordial Era, with nearly ten thousand years of cultivation, why hadn’t he become a deity yet?
“Chiye Mountain is also the highest volcano in this world. When it erupts, its temperature can melt all divine weapons and tools in the world.”
“Oh, so it uses the volcano as a smelting furnace for forging swords! And being the highest volcano in the human realm, it can absorb the essence of heaven and earth during the forging process. That’s really clever!”
“However…” Shu Wuxi seemed lost in thought.
“However what?”
“It’s still not hot enough.”
After another day of travel, the legendary Chiye Mountain was within reach. Lu Xiaochan listened carefully but couldn’t hear any sounds of underground magma stirring.
“We’re here.”
“What? We’re here?”
Lushu slowly flew toward the crater of the volcano that seemed to almost prop up the sky.
At first, Lushu worried about getting too close and being burned, but this volcano was surprisingly quiet.
Lushu’s front hooves landed on the volcano’s rim, causing stones to clatter down, followed by the sound of water splashing.
“Chiye Mountain’s fire has gone out. This isn’t good,” Shu Wuxi said.
Lu Xiaochan also reached out to feel, but there wasn’t even a hint of warmth.
“This volcano must have been dormant for many years, right? The crater has become a lake.”
Lu Xiaochan sighed.
Shu Wuxi closed his eyes, using “Wisdom Eyes” to search for Supreme Lord Yehua.
Lu Xiaochan followed his example, but throughout the entire Chiye Mountain, besides the two of them plus the spirit beast Lushu, he truly couldn’t sense any spiritual energy at all.
Lu Xiaochan tilted his head back to look at Shu Wuxi. “That Supreme Lord Yehua… has truly passed into extinction, hasn’t he?”
Shu Wuxi didn’t speak, but patted Lushu’s neck. Lushu continued flying, circling halfway around Chiye Mountain until they saw a cave halfway up the mountain. Lushu stopped at its entrance.
The cave entrance was pitch black, without a trace of light showing through.
“This is… what place is this?”
“It should be Supreme Lord Yehua’s dwelling.”
Shu Wuxi gathered his true energy and said, “Junior Shu Wuxi seeks an audience with Supreme Lord Yehua.”
His voice was deep and clear, echoing endlessly after entering the cave dwelling. Then a burst of mystic true spiritual energy rebounded, disheveling Shu Wuxi’s clothes and hair, and nearly knocking Lu Xiaochan off Lushu’s back.
At this moment, two lines of characters appeared at the cave entrance.
[From nothing comes something]
[Something comes from nothing]
The characters were powerful and majestic. Lu Xiaochan could see them, indicating they were written with spiritual energy.
“Is this Supreme Lord Yehua’s original handwriting?”
“No. It was carved by the sword master of the first sword that Supreme Lord Yehua forged. It’s from ancient times, and no ancient texts or immortal classics record which immortal sage wrote it.”
“Then… what do we do now?” Lu Xiaochan scratched the back of his head.
He had been nervous about meeting an immortal sage from the Great Primordial Era, but now this sage was nowhere to be found.
“Since the immortal sage left behind the maxim saying ‘from nothing comes something,’ let’s go in and take a look.”
Shu Wuxi turned around and extended his hand toward Lu Xiaochan.
After all, this was a Supreme Lord’s cave dwelling. Even if this Supreme Lord might have passed into extinction, riding a spirit beast inside would be disrespectful.
Lu Xiaochan quickly dismounted and took Shu Wuxi’s hand.
Together they walked into the bottomless darkness.
Lu Xiaochan wasn’t afraid of darkness, but never before had he been in a place like this, without a single sound.
It seemed even their breathing and heartbeats had disappeared.
The silence was so complete that Lu Xiaochan wondered if he was still alive.
“Brother Wuxi?” Lu Xiaochan called out.
But he received no answer from Shu Wuxi for a long time.
He habitually tried to tug on Shu Wuxi’s hand, only to realize with a shock that he was gripping nothing!
What was happening?
He immediately shook the Immortal-Locking Ribbon, but there was nothing on his wrist either!
Where was the Immortal-Locking Ribbon?
Wasn’t the Immortal-Locking Ribbon supposed to bind souls?
“Brother Wuxi? Brother Wuxi, where are you?”
Lu Xiaochan didn’t dare move around randomly – what if Shu Wuxi was right beside him?
But after waiting for a long time, there was still no response from Shu Wuxi at all.
Lu Xiaochan began to panic, but the terror only lasted for a moment.
He had already experienced the void at Tailing Pavilion, so this cave must be another void.
“From nothing comes something, something comes from nothing?”
Lu Xiaochan pulled at his mouth. Before, with Shu Wuxi always by his side, he had grown dependent, always feeling that Shu Wuxi would solve everything.
But this time, Supreme Lord Yehua probably disapproved and used some techniques.
Lu Xiaochan took just one step to the side when his body suddenly plummeted, his heart almost jumping out of his throat.
It felt like falling from the highest heights, unable to grab onto anything no matter how he struggled.
After a spell of dizziness, when he came to, he discovered he was wearing cotton and linen clothes!
His fingertips moved slightly, and Lu Xiaochan suddenly realized that his eyes could see again!
He lay on the ground, looking at the dark brown soil before him and the tender sprouts between its crevices. Everything seemed so wonderful, completely different from how he had seen the world with his spiritual vision.
He quickly sat up, looked at the slowly changing shapes of the flowing clouds, and glancing around, he began to run frantically.
Looking at mountains, water, and every blooming flower!
So this was how the world looked!
Lu Xiaochan stretched out his hand, his fingers beneath the tree shadows, as sunlight fell through the gaps between branches into his palm.
“Is this… sunlight?”
Lu Xiaochan wondered if he had gone mad?
Or was he dreaming?
Or perhaps… that blind little beggar was the dream?
“Shu Wuxi– Shu Wuxi! Shu Wuxi! Where are you!”
Lu Xiaochan called out loudly, his voice echoing through the mountain forest. He kept thinking that if he just turned around, he would see Shu Wuxi standing behind him. He wanted so badly to see him with his real eyes.
But… he wasn’t there.
His initial joy was instantly extinguished.
Lu Xiaochan felt… this world had so many colors, so many living beings, yet he was completely alone.
“Brother Wuxi… where did you go?”
From far away came shouting voices, someone was calling his name!
“Lu Xiaochan! Lu Xiaochan, where the hell did you go!”
“Lu Xiaochan! Watch out or I’ll smack you to death with my shoe!”
“If you don’t answer me, I’ll eat all your candy pills! You little brat! Lu Xiaochan!”
Lu Xiaochan’s ears twitched, suddenly feeling that the voice was very familiar.
Scattered sounds came from the forest, and as he turned around, he saw another young man wearing similar clothes to his own walking out.
He looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, with refined features and an ethereal air about him, quite handsome indeed.
Lu Xiaochan just stared at him until he got a smack on the head.
“What are you staring at?”
“Looking at how handsome you are!”
“Oh? When did your mouth get so sweet? You little rascal!”
Wait, why did that annoying tone sound so familiar?
Lu Xiaochan squinted at him, then asked. “Who are you?”
“What did you say? Did you hit your head? You’re asking who I am? Do you even remember who you are?”
“I’m Lu Xiaochan!”
“Stop fooling around! Let’s go! If we don’t reach Linzhou before dark, you’ll be sleeping in the wilderness!”
The other person grabbed Lu Xiaochan’s ear, forcing him to walk on tiptoes to keep up.
“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Let go! It hurts!”
Lu Xiaochan looked down and caught sight of a wooden tablet made of rattan at the young man’s waist, with two characters written on it — Tailing.
In that instant, Lu Xiaochan was dumbfounded.
“You… you’re Kunwu?”
No wonder those eyes and nose looked so familiar! And that tone!
“What Kunwu?” Kunwu looked at Lu Xiaochan and said.
“Aren’t you Medical Lord Kunwu of the Tailing Pavilion?”
“Me? Are you trying to die?” Kunwu smacked his head again, “Master is still alive! How could I be the Medical Lord! Master cares for you so much! You can do whatever you want, you don’t practice if you don’t want to! How dare you imply Master is gone?”
“When did I imply Master was gone?”
“You said I was the Medical Lord? Doesn’t that mean Master is gone?”
“I was wrong… I was wrong… stop hitting my head! Hit it again and I’ll splash my brains on your face!”
Lu Xiaochan wondered what was going on. Kunwu was still so young, not even a Medical Lord yet…
Kunwu was his immortal title, could it be that he didn’t have his immortal title yet?
Lu Xiaochan reached out to touch Kunwu’s chest, wanting to check if he had formed his elixir core, but Kunwu swatted his hand away.
“What are you trying to steal from me now? You little liar!”
“You’re the old liar!”
Lu Xiaochan shot back, and got beaten again.
Getting his head smacked all the way, Lu Xiaochan followed Kunwu out of the forest and arrived at a small town.
The town was desolate, with wild graves everywhere and crows circling around. Their eyes gleamed with unusual light, making Lu Xiaochan feel uneasy.
“Senior… Brother…”
Lu Xiaochan quickly caught up with Kunwu, who just snorted.
“Now you’re scared?”
“Mm… what’s going on?”
“What’s going on? Recently Linzhou has been plagued by an epidemic. As disciples of the Tailing Pavilion, we’re here on Master’s orders to check the situation, treat patients, and prevent the epidemic from spreading!”
What? I’ve become a disciple of the Tailing Pavilion? What’s going on?
Outside the town, many bodies of the sick were being burned. The people doing the burning had cloth wrapped around their faces, their eyes showing dull expressions, seemingly numb to it all.
The town was filled with sickness, and even the wind carried an obscure scent of death.
There were almost no pedestrians on the streets, everywhere was the smell of burning belongings or medicinal herbs.
“These herbs are useless,” Kunwu sighed.
“Senior Brother… what’s causing the epidemic?”
“It might be the work of evil spirits that feed on illness… but the entire Linzhou is infected…”
“Could it be not just ordinary evil spirits, but a Demon Lord?”
“Oh, so you remember about Demon Lords?”
“Yes! The Demon Lord who feeds on killing intent is Luli, and the one who feeds on obsession is Wangcha!”
“Then who feeds on illness?” Kunwu raised an eyebrow, looking at Lu Xiaochan.
“I… don’t remember.”
How would I know which Demon Lord feeds on illness when I just woke up after a fall and became a disciple of the Tailing Pavilion and your junior brother!
“Yichuang.”
“Oh…”
Then his head got smacked again. Lu Xiaochan really wanted to buy him a watermelon to smack instead.
Kunwu didn’t reveal their identities to the townspeople, because once people knew they were from the Tailing Pavilion, they would swarm around them, making it harder to understand what was really happening here.
They arrived at an inn in town. The innkeeper and waiter showed little interest in serving them, bringing them two bowls of plain noodles and warning them not to contact any patients before letting them rest in their room.
“Are there any famous immortal sword masters in Linzhou?” Lu Xiaochan asked while slurping his noodles.
Clearly, Kunwu was picky about food, staring at the bland bowl of noodles without picking up his chopsticks.
“Linzhou belongs to the Nanli Jingtian region, there aren’t many famous immortal sects… perhaps Zhiwu Mountain Villa counts as one…”
“Oh.” Lu Xiaochan thought, isn’t Zhiwu Mountain Villa where Jiang Wuchao’s sect is?
And it’s a famous immortal sect in Nanli Jingtian.
“Isn’t their leader Ling Nianwu?” Lu Xiaochan casually mentioned, and got another knock on his head.
“Ling Nianwu is the young master of Zhiwu Mountain Villa! I heard he’s caught the epidemic too! Zhiwu Mountain Villa has already sent a message to Tailing Pavilion by blue bird, so our priority is to treat him.”
“Are we ignoring the common people? We’re treating him first because he’s from an immortal sect?”
Seeing Kunwu about to hit his head again, Lu Xiaochan quickly covered it, dodging the blow.
“What nonsense are you talking about! Ling Nianwu has formed his elixir core and entered the power, yet he still caught the epidemic and can’t cure himself. This proves the epidemic carries evil energy!”
“That makes sense, Senior Brother is so wise!” Lu Xiaochan quickly flattered him.
Kunwu snorted, and as soon as Lu Xiaochan lowered his hands, Kunwu hit him with chopsticks.
Lu Xiaochan couldn’t take it anymore. He stopped eating and thrust his head toward Kunwu. “Hit it! Hit it! Just break it and get it over with!”
Kunwu was taken aback and returned to their inn room.
Leaving Lu Xiaochan alone still eating noodles.
“If you’re not eating your noodles, I’ll eat them!”
Lu Xiaochan had a great appetite and finished both bowls of noodles.
Back in the room, he saw Kunwu burning incense, and the smoke transformed into a blue bird that flew out the window.
“What are you doing, Senior Brother?”
“I’m reporting today’s observations to Master. What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep asking about everything?”
“I’m not ashamed to ask and learn,” Lu Xiaochan replied.
“Ask and learn? Are you higher in cultivation than me, or older than me? What learn? Here,” Kunwu pushed the incense burner in front of Lu Xiaochan, “your turn, tell Master what you’ve observed.”
Lu Xiaochan stared blankly at the incense burner. How would he know how to turn smoke into a blue bird message?
“I don’t know how,” Lu Xiaochan pushed the burner back.
“Why are you so lazy? I’ll teach you one more time! Watch carefully!”
Kunwu taught him everything from how to concentrate energy into the incense burner, how to transform the smoke into a blue bird, and how to send messages. Lu Xiaochan found it fascinating and learned eagerly.
“Where is Master now?”
“In Wuyi Jingtian. Sword Master Yang Cang just broke through the third level of the Great Power realm two days ago.”
“There are that many levels in the Great Power realm?”
“One level, one heaven. After ascending nine heavens, one can become a god.”
At this moment, in Wuyi Jingtian above, the Medical Lord of Tailing Pavilion raised his hand, and two blue birds formed from smoke landed on his fingertips.
The Medical Lord touched the first blue bird, and it opened its mouth with Kunwu’s voice, detailing the recent epidemic situation.
The other smaller blue bird hopped around on the Medical Lord’s fingertip, restless.
Perhaps tired of waiting, before Kunwu’s blue bird finished speaking, it flew away, going further and further until it entered a quiet room.
Inside the quiet room, a man wearing moon-colored robes sat upright at his desk, holding a scroll, when the blue bird landed right on his scroll.
The man lifted the scroll slightly, and the blue bird flew up, then landed back down, opening its mouth to reveal the clear voice of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old youth.
“Master! Let me tell you! I didn’t see anything on my way here, so I have nothing to report. Do you want to know why I didn’t see anything?”
The man flicked the scroll, throwing the blue bird off.
But the persistent blue bird flew back, though this time instead of landing on the scroll, it perched directly on the man’s shoulder, rubbing its little head against his chin.
The man paused, his expressionless face turning slightly to look at the little blue bird.
“Master! It’s because Senior Brother kept hitting my head the whole way! Hit me until I was dizzy and seeing stars! When I asked him questions, he wouldn’t even answer properly!”
The little blue bird curled up pitifully against the man’s neck.
It had hardly any weight to begin with, and when silent, it was as if it didn’t exist at all.
The man lowered his head and continued reading his scroll.
Until the Medical Lord arrived at the door of the quiet room and bowed. “Sword Master, did my young disciple’s soul-gathering blue bird accidentally intrude into your quiet room?”
The man lowered his eyes, gently touching the blue bird at his neck. It woke from its sleep and flew out.
Outside the door, the Medical Lord retrieved the blue bird and said softly, “Now that Sword Master has broken through the third level of the Great Power realm, you no longer need my care. I shall take my leave.”
“Until we meet again.” The man merely nodded slightly, as if gatherings and partings were all natural and not worth dwelling on.
However, on the second night after the Medical Lord left, another little blue bird flew into his quiet room, hopping twice on his desk.
“Master– Today your disciple and Senior Brother snuck into the home of a seriously ill family, and saw a four or five-year-old child. His parents and grandparents had all passed away, but he still thought they were alive, so he kept sleeping in his mother’s arms. This epidemic is contagious, so why hasn’t he fallen ill?”
