Liu Zhuang Xian

“Brother Wuxi, do you have some grudge against Ling Nianwu?”

“In the past, it was he who took you away from my side and hid you everywhere,” Shu Wuxi’s voice was low and deep.

Lu Xiaochan blinked his eyes and suddenly burst into loud laughter.

He reached out and pinched Shu Wuxi’s cheek. “Oh my! I know now, Brother Wuxi is jealous!”

Shu Wuxi’s face remained cold, not saying a word.

“I don’t like him at all. Even if he looks good, I would never go with him!”

Unexpectedly, the killing intent around Shu Wuxi became even more intense.

“You think he looks good?”

Lu Xiaochan choked, realizing he had said the wrong thing…

“Well… he should have over a thousand years of cultivation… saying he doesn’t look good would be lying to you. But he’s not as good-looking as you, far from it!”

Lu Xiaochan hurriedly hugged Shu Wuxi, kissing his chin several times.

Shu Wuxi remained cold, seemingly unable to dispel his anger.

The earlier confrontation between Shu Wuxi and Ling Nianwu had already attracted much attention, so they could only find a secluded spot in another part of the city to settle down.

However, Lu Xiaochan was no longer worried about sneaking into Chongluan Palace, as Mo Qianqiu had already appeared, and would certainly come looking for them. Once they met, they could discuss and follow Mo Qianqiu into Chongluan Palace.

At this moment, Ling Nianwu was still looking in the direction where Lu Xiaochan and Shu Wuxi had left.

Mo Qianqiu sighed with a smile.

“Villa Master Ling, with your sixteen hundred years of cultivation, if you did not have this attachment, you would have likely entered the ‘great power’ realm.”

“What good is entering the great power realm if this attachment is gone?” Ling Nianwu’s lips curved helplessly.

He remembered more than thirteen hundred years ago when he had been infected with a disease, lying weakly on a bed.

Rumors said that the blood of the spirit bird Jiaosi could resolve the disease, so his parents used the “Lead Flower Bell” artifact of Zhiwu Mountain Villa to exchange for a spirit bird from the Zhuxu sect.

However, after drinking the bird’s blood, his condition did not improve but instead worsened.

His internal organs were almost turning to pus and blood. His parents infused him with hundreds of years of spiritual energy to sustain his life.

Just as they were about to exhaust their energy, a young disciple from Tailing Pavilion who had lost his way requested to stay overnight at Zhiwu Mountain Villa.

This young disciple had a young Jiaosi bird with him.

He told Ling Nianwu’s parents that the blood of the dead Jiaosi carried her hatred and would only make the disease worse.

He asked Ling Nianwu’s parents to prepare roasted soybeans, feeding and soothing the young bird.

“Little Soybean, look how nice the people of Zhiwu Mountain Villa are. They aren’t shouting or fighting, and they’ve prepared food for you. Their young master is sick and needs your blood to be saved. I’ll just prick you once and take a drop of blood, okay?”

The young bird curled into a ball but extended one claw.

The young man took out a silver needle and pricked the bird’s ankle, collecting a drop of blood in a teacup. He also picked several immortal herbs from the bottles and jars on his body and steeped them in the tea.

Ling Nianwu drank the tea and woke up three days later.

He looked at his parents, whose bodies had become thin and haggard, and remembered the hazy days of his illness when he had been close to death multiple times. Just that one cup of clear tea had pulled him back.

As if awakening from a long dream, he dragged his weak body to thank the young man.

But the young man was neither in the guest room nor in the backyard.

The people in the villa told him that the medical boy from Tailing Pavilion was a mischievous fellow who couldn’t stay still, always wandering in the back mountain and would only return when hungry.

Ling Nianwu went to the back mountain and saw a young boy in the forest.

He had one foot on a stone, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, intently watching a pair of crickets fighting on the stone.

When he moved, the bottles and jars on his body made a tinkling sound.

That sound was different from the “Lead Flower Bell” of Zhiwu Mountain Villa – it was a sound of happiness and openness.

Ling Nianwu would never forget it in his entire life.

He stood there watching the young boy until the pair of crickets jumped into the grass and disappeared. Only then did the boy turn around, looking intrigued.

He saw Ling Nianwu and smiled.

It was as if endless morning light was contained in those eyes.

“Oh? You’re awake! Hey, no wonder you have hundreds of years of cultivation! You recovered so quickly!”

He approached Ling Nianwu and casually slapped his shoulder.

“Thank you for saving my life!” Ling Nianwu cupped his hands in gratitude.

The young boy just laughed. “Look at you, looking light as a feather. Do you know what I want to do?”

“What does the benefactor want to do?” Ling Nianwu looked up and asked.

“Tie a rope around your waist, and when the wind blows, you’ll fly away!”

Ling Nianwu then understood the other was joking about how thin he was.

“If the benefactor truly wants to make me into a kite, I would be delighted.”

The young boy suddenly stopped laughing and, frowning, leaned close to Ling Nianwu’s face. “They say you’re just three hundred years old, but you sound like an old man! One would think you’re a thousand-year-old elder!”

Ling Nianwu opened his mouth but couldn’t find words to say.

The young boy saw his awkward expression and burst into laughter again.

“Don’t call me benefactor! It sounds so awkward.”

“May I know your immortal name?”

“My immortal name? My master gave me the name ‘Liche’. Li means ‘life and death separation’, and che means ‘clear and transparent’. The meaning is hoping I would see through the life and death separations of the human world.”

“Truly a name with profound meaning, Lord Liche.”

Ling Nianwu was about to bow again but was stopped by the other’s arm.

“Hey, I didn’t say I like this name. If one truly sees through life and death separation, wouldn’t the heart become empty? How could one then cherish everything one possesses?”

Ling Nianwu was stunned.

The young boy patted Ling Nianwu’s shoulder and said: “Just call me Lu Xiaochan! Like the cicadas singing endlessly on the roadside trees – I love this name!”

Ling Nianwu followed two or three steps behind him. Lu Xiaochan turned back and winked at him, looking incredibly cute.

“Nianwu, they say ‘summer cicadas cannot speak of winter’, and I think being a summer cicada is wonderful. Living under the scorching sun, never needing to understand winter’s cold.”

“Xiaochan.” Ling Nianwu carefully pronounced his name.

“Yes!” Lu Xiaochan turned around, walking backward while waving, urging him to catch up.

Those were the happiest days of Ling Nianwu’s life. He would take Lu Xiaochan to taste delicacies from various places, row boats and pick water chestnuts in drizzling rain, and even visit gambling houses to watch cricket fights.

Until one day, Lu Xiaochan was sent to Wuyi Jingtian.

Kunwu said he would bring him back in three days.

So Ling Nianwu waited, but three days turned into more days, then months passed, and Lu Xiaochan never returned.

Kunwu went to Wuyi Jingtian nine consecutive times, always returning empty-handed.

Ling Nianwu had a vague premonition that Lu Xiaochan would never return.

He could only chat daily with the Jiaosi bird Lu Xiaochan had left behind, losing all interest in cultivation.

Until one day, Kunwu’s spirit beast brought Lu Xiaochan back, along with a message from Kunwu to hide Lu Xiaochan in Zhiwu Mountain Villa.

Ling Nianwu’s emotions at that moment were indescribable – a kind of secret joy, as if Lu Xiaochan had returned and he could openly hide him away from everyone else’s sight.

But Lu Xiaochan never smiled again.

He no longer played in the back mountain, no longer watched cricket fights, no longer searched for delicious things.

What he did most was search through ancient medical texts in the quiet room, looking for a medical spell that could eliminate ultimate evil.

He was thinking of another person, and Ling Nianwu knew this.

A rumor was spreading that the Dongxu Sword Master had fallen into demonic possession, attempting to draw down the Wuyi Sword Sea.

Ling Nianwu’s parents, along with other sects, went to Wuyi Jingtian and perished in this immortal-demon war.

He was in immense pain, and Lu Xiaochan stayed by his side. He did not wipe away Ling Nianwu’s tears, just hugged him and said, “I’m here, Nianwu. I’m here.”

The evil god Chaos within the Dongxu Sword Master was forced out of the body, and the immortal sects finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But Sword Master Yang Cang left Wuyi Jingtian and headed straight for Tailing Pavilion.

At that time, Kunwu had just succeeded as the medical lord of Tailing Pavilion. He had thought Yang Cang was coming to observe the succession, but unexpectedly, Yang Cang destroyed the entire pavilion, even seriously injuring Kunwu.

Upon hearing this news, Lu Xiaochan begged Ling Nianwu to take him to Wuyi Jingtian.

Ling Nianwu knew that if he did not help Lu Xiaochan, he would lose this friend forever.

So he could only use his sword to take Lu Xiaochan to where he wanted to go.

But… the last thing he saw was Lu Xiaochan’s body being burned by chaos’s karma fire, falling from the Wuyi Sword Sea.

He realized his own insignificance and helplessness for the first time.

He could not grasp Lu Xiaochan.

Could only watch helplessly… as he turned to ash in the flames.

That was the most painful moment of his life.

“Villa Master Ling? Villa Master Ling?”

Mo Qianqiu’s voice rang out.

Ling Nianwu came back to his senses, realizing his face was covered in tears.

“Pavilion Master.”

Ling Nianwu turned to look at Mo Qianqiu.

“I know what you’re thinking. I still remember when I flew on my sword from Dongxu to Wuyi Jingtian, only to watch him perish. I understand that pain.”

“If you care for him, why could you tolerate him staying with Yang Cang?”

“If even being burned by karma fire cannot stop his heart from thinking of that person, then that person is his everything. How could I make him leave his everything?”

Mo Qianqiu smiled faintly, and rode his sword away.

Ling Niangwu closed his eyes, raising his hand to press tightly against the place where his heart was beating.

****

Lu Xiaochan propped his chin, looking out the window, thinking to himself: What was going on with this Mo Qianqiu? Why hadn’t he come yet?

Then, he noticed something was not quite right with Shu Wuxi.

Because he was gripping Lu Xiaochan’s hand tightly.

“Brother Wuxi, what’s wrong?” Lu Xiaochan asked.

“The Immortal-Locking Ribbon was stolen by Lord Lianyue Yuan.”

Lu Xiaochan tilted his head, leaning on Shu Wuxi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere except by your side!”

At this moment, a teasing voice rang out.

“Oh, oh, this is so sickeningly sweet! I’m about to throw up my day-old meal.”

Mo Qianqiu rode his sword and arrived, easily jumping through the window, his sword gracefully returning to its sheath.

“Pavilion Master Qianqiu, why are you only coming now! I was about to fall asleep waiting!”

Mo Qianqiu didn’t stand on ceremony, pouring tea for himself and sitting down.

“Tell me, why did you come to Xiyuan? I don’t believe you’re interested in the sword master selection.”

Lu Xiaochan laughed. “Pavilion Master Qianqiu, can’t I just want to see some excitement?”

“If you continue to talk nonsense, I’ll leave.”

Mo Qianqiu was about to stand up when Lu Xiaochan quickly stopped him.

“I want the heart of the ‘Earth Listener’ tree!”

Mo Qianqiu was stunned, then let out a hmph.

“You might as well say you want the heart of the ‘Fengtian’ tree!”

Lu Xiaochan waved his hand. “The heart of the Fengtian tree has already been used as Brother Wuxi’s sword hilt.”

Mo Qianqiu stood frozen, unable to speak for a long time.

Lu Xiaochan waved his hand. “Mo Qianqiu? Pavilion Master? What’s wrong with you?”

Mo Qianqiu finally came back to his senses, tapping his finger on the table.

“You little fellow, don’t tell me… the great earthquake in Yechuan… was that supreme sword yours?”

Lu Xiaochan hadn’t expected Mo Qianqiu’s mind to work so quickly, being able to connect his desire for the “Earth Listener” tree heart to the supreme sword in his hand.

He knew that although Mo Qianqiu appeared unrestrained, his inner self was upright and honest, so he didn’t mind frankly admitting it to him.

“Yes.”

“Alright then, I’ll help you get in.”

Mo Qianqiu agreed so readily that Lu Xiaochan was surprised.

“You… you agreed just like that? Aren’t you worried that we’ll take the tree heart and cause you big trouble?”

“I already have plenty of trouble daily,” Mo Qianqiu spread his hands. “Anyway, the three disciples of Haofu are always talking bad about me and looking for trouble.”

“Oh! I understand! You’re eager to stir up chaos! You’d love for us to fight with the people from Xiyuan Jingtian and teach those three Haofu disciples a lesson!”

“Yes, indeed!” Mo Qianqiu nodded, with a matter-of-fact expression.

“You… you’re so bad!”

But I like how bad you are!

“Are you unhappy?” Mo Qianqiu raised his chin.

“Happy! Happy! When my Brother Wuxi makes a move, one knows immediately!”

Mo Qianqiu let out a light snort. “If you have the ability, go annoy someone else, annoying me is nothing special.”

“Hehe.” Lu Xiaochan rubbed his nose.

“Tonight I’ll have my disciples deliver two sets of our Thousand Autumn Pavilion’s clothes. But those righteous sects have never had a good face for our Thousand Autumn Pavilion.”

Mo Qianqiu narrowed his eyes, looking like a beautiful fox with a belly full of mischief.

Before Lu Xiaochan could say anything, he had already ridden his sword away.

“Enjoy your time at Chongluan Palace!”

Lu Xiaochan curled his lips. “More like you’ll enjoy watching.”

Indeed, by evening, the Thousand Autumn Pavilion’s disciples arrived to deliver the clothing.

Lu Xiaochan didn’t know if the style was good-looking, but he knew the fabric felt soft and smooth, which was quite nice.

Lu Xiaochan didn’t change immediately, just propped his chin watching Shu Wuxi take off his outer garment and drape the Thousand Autumn Pavilion’s long robe over his shoulders, then slip his arms into the sleeves.

Every movement carried an effortless elegance.

“Xiaochan, let me help you change your clothes,” Shu Wuxi walked over, but Lu Xiaochan shook his head.

“Brother Wuxi, can you promise me something?”

“What is it?”

“Take off these clothes. Then put them on again and let me watch?”

Lu Xiaochan’s eyes narrowed into a smile.

“Stop playing.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t play.”

On the morning of the second day, Lu Xiaochan hadn’t fully awakened, sitting with closed eyes at the edge of the bed, letting Shu Wuxi dress him.

When they arrived before Mo Qianqiu, he was still in a drowsy state, his head drooping.

Mo Qianqiu curved his lips in a smile. “I say, did you two go too far last night?”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Lu Xiaochan barely opened one eye, looking at Mo Qianqiu.

“Spiritual cultivation,” Mo Qianqiu said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the female disciple beside him coughed softly.

“Spiritual cultivation?” Lu Xiaochan’s eyes lit up, leaning close to Mo Qianqiu and whispering, “Do you know how my Brother Wuxi and I can cultivate? Whenever he gets too passionate, the bone-clinging garment will…”

Lu Xiaochan had only said half of his sentence when Shu Wuxi grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.

The female disciple behind Mo Qianqiu blushed even more deeply.

“In broad daylight, why talk about spiritual cultivation!”

At this moment, a female sect leader walked past Mo Qianqiu, glancing at him.

“Pavilion Master Qianqiu is still as romantic as ever. It seems I must watch my disciples carefully.”

Lu Xiaochan could tell that this female leader looked down on Mo Qianqiu.

“Sect Leader Yu, your disciples are of average looks. If I, Mo Qianqiu, were to cultivate spiritually, I’d need a stunning beauty.”

“You… I bet you’ll end up like Lord Lianyue Yuan someday!”

“No, no, no!” Mo Qianqiu quickly waved his hands. “Lord Lianyue Yuan pursued the Evil God Chaos for exactly eighty-one days. I’ve always wondered, was that Evil God Chaos also a beauty? Otherwise, wouldn’t Lord Lianyue Yuan be exhausted? Lord Lianyue Yuan is so obsessed with beauty that I, Mo Qianqiu, cannot compare. I don’t like pursuing beauties, I prefer beauties throwing themselves at me.”

“You… how ridiculous!” Sect Leader Yu swept away.

Driven by a gossip-hunting spirit, Lu Xiaochan sidled up to Mo Qianqiu. “Looks like you have rich spiritual cultivation experience! Thousands of fairy maiden companions on the bed, if not ten thousand, then at least eight!”

“Want to try?” Mo Qianqiu just said this before sensing killing intent all around, and quickly added, “Even if you had the courage, I have no such desires.”

The light in Mo Qianqiu’s eyes traced a smile on his lips, looking untrustworthy no matter how you looked at it.

Lu Xiaochan stretched his neck and turned around, indeed catching Shu Wuxi’s gloomy atmosphere. He hurriedly grabbed Shu Wuxi’s sleeve, speaking with a pleading tone. “I’m just exchanging notes with Pavilion Master Qianqiu, so I won’t look weak in front of you!”

Mo Qianqiu hmph’d, gently tapping Lu Xiaochan’s forehead with his sword hilt.

“Little one, since you’ve put on these clothes, you’re now my disciple. When you enter Chongluan Palace, you must listen to me.”

“Understood, Pavilion Master.” Lu Xiaochan deliberately emphasized the last two words.

“Good.” Mo Qianqiu then turned towards Shu Wuxi and slightly bowed, “Apologies for the inconvenience.”

“No matter,” Shu Wuxi answered.

The group rode their swords and headed towards Chongluan Palace.

Chongluan Palace was built into the cliff of Xiyuan, carved into one face of the steep cliff.

Lu Xiaochan flew to the sky of Xiyuan, looking at the palace emerging and disappearing among the misty clouds, and couldn’t help but marvel at its magnificence, truly a work of divine craftsmanship.

On the western side of Chongluan Palace, there was a massive protruding cliff, like a giant’s hand, which was the Immortal Inquiry Platform for this selection of Xiyuan’s Sword Master and inter-sect competitions.

Below the Immortal Inquiry Platform was a bottomless abyss.

It was said that beneath the abyss was the “Hopeless” realm. (TL: 无望 ‘Wuwang’)

Lu Xiaochan stood on the Wuhen Sword, but couldn’t help looking down at this abyss.

His keen eyes actually couldn’t see a single trace of life in this abyss.

“Brother Wuxi, where did this abyss come from? How long has it existed?” Lu Xiaochan couldn’t help but ask.

Mo Qianqiu turned back and laughed. “Little one, you don’t even know about such a famous ancient immortal site? I’m starting to regret letting you pose as my Thousand Autumn Pavilion disciple.”

Lu Xiaochan couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Shu Wuxi spoke up. “This abyss was created by a single strike from the first Sword Master of Wuyi Jingtian.”

Lu Xiaochan was shocked. “What? A single strike? I know he held the world’s first supreme sword, but its power was actually so grand?”

Is this not a god?

“The first Yang Cang had ten thousand years of cultivation,” Mo Qianqiu added.

“Why did he cleave an abyss?” Lu Xiaochan was intensely curious.

“Because of True Lord Lingyuan,” Shu Wuxi answered.

True Lord Lingyuan?

Lu Xiaochan remembered that True Lord Lingyuan was the founding master of the Tailing Pavilion.

He had died after the Evil God Chaos stole his elixir core.

“Evil God Chaos stole True Lord Lingyuan’s elixir core and hid it within the Demon Capital’s purgatory. His demon lords collected countless worldly evil desires and pain, and refined them together with True Lord Lingyuan’s elixir core. Once the refinement was successful, Evil God Chaos’s power would greatly increase.”

Lu Xiaochan touched his own elixir core, thinking that this Evil God Chaos was truly annoying. Why did he always want others’ elixir cores? Wasn’t this just stealing someone’s cultivation? He was truly hateful and despicable.

“The elixir core is connected to a cultivator’s heart. Even if separated from the body, if the elixir core is invaded by evil energy, the person’s heart would be contaminated by that evil energy.”

Lu Xiaochan finally understood. “So Evil God Chaos was going to refine the world’s evil desires and pain together with True Lord Lingyuan’s elixir core!”

“Yes. True Lord Lingyuan cultivated the medical path and never harbored thoughts of killing. Moreover, he was broad-minded, without desires for victory or attachment, and had nearly ten thousand years of cultivation. Even when his elixir core was roasted by karma fire, his heart remained unshaken. But he was in great pain.”

“So back then, Lord Yang Cang…..did he want to split the Demon Capital open with one sword and retrieve True Lord Lingyuan’s elixir core?”

“Yes.” Shu Wuxi nodded.

“So did this sword… split open the Demon Capital?”

“It did. However, when the Sword Master retrieved his elixir core, True Lord Lingyuan’s body had already perished due to extreme weakness.”