Chapter 10
Yu Shuang brought Fei Xing back on a crane.
The journey was silent, save for the occasional cries of the crane, seemingly protesting that Fei Xing was hurting it by clutching its feathers.
After returning to Yu Shuang's cottage, Yu Shuang stood with her hands behind her back, while Fei Xing stood behind her.
"What were you doing with Yang Chun just now?"
"She asked who I was and where I came from, so I told her how the Master brought me here."
"She's a clever and mischievous one; she might try to play some trick on you. If you're going to interact with her, be cautious."
"Alright."
"At the end of the year, Penglai Immortal Island will hold the Plum Immortal Gathering. The Sect Master has ordered me to accompany them to oversee things..."
Yu Shuang paused, falling silent.
"I've read about it in books. It's a major event in the cultivation world, right?" Fei Xing said, thinking to himself that it must be a spectacular event, but the Master preferred tranquility and probably didn't look forward to it.
Yu Shuang closed her eyes.
It wasn't surprising that Sect Master Liu Xi would have her accompany them, given her diligent, responsible, and calm demeanor.
After the three candidates were selected, Yu Shuang confirmed the relevant details with Liu Xi and, at the end, asked a question.
"Sect Master, I've had a doubt in my heart lately that I cannot resolve."
"What is this doubt?"
"Those demonic cultivators wreak havoc in the mortal world. Some demonic artifacts don't cease their mischief even after their master's death. If one encounters a mortal possessed by such an artifact, should one help the mortal expel it, or..."
"Naturally, you cut them down with a single sword to eliminate future trouble." Liu Xi said with a slight smile, "Besides those great altruists from the Green Lotus Immortal Sect, I'm afraid most people would act this way."
"What do you mean, Sect Master?"
"As long as you are certain you can bear the consequences, just follow your heart." Liu Xi said, "Why? Have you encountered such a person?"
"No... I was just thinking about this situation... Thank you for clearing my doubts, Sect Master." She had said this back then, lowering her gaze.
Yu Shuang opened her eyes and looked back at Fei Xing behind her. He was curiously touching the topknot and hair ribbon on his head.
Fei Xing seemed to sense something and asked, "Master, do you have something to say to me?"
"You are quite perceptive."
Yu Shuang let out a long sigh, as if she had made some kind of decision.
A breeze swept through her sleeve, and a book floated in the wind, landing in Fei Xing's hands.
The cover was blank. Fei Xing opened it to find the pages brand new. The first three lines read:
The immortal path begins with the opening of perception,
With perception opened, one observes the heart.
When the heart connects with life essence, a Golden Core is formed;
When the Core is settled, a Nascent Soul's body transforms into a Spirit.
Unite with the sun and moon to gain divine powers;
Merge with heaven and earth to achieve Great Ascension.
This described the eight realms of the immortal path: Opening Awareness, Heart Observation, Life Essence, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Divine Power, and Mahayana
"Master, this is...?"
Yu Shuang stepped in front of Fei Xing and reached her hand towards the top of his head.
Her jade-like hands, with slender fingers like scallions, touched his crown, and a spark of awareness was ignited.
"Today, I shall teach you the arts of cultivation."
Specks of immortal energy, like swirling starlight, flowed into Fei Xing's celestial spirit. They circulated through the meridians all over his body along with his blood, before finally emerging out from his chest.
Fei Xing realized that Master Yu Shuang was personally cleansing his marrow for him.
Elders in a sect often performed marrow cleansing for new disciples with excellent aptitude and bone structure to aid their cultivation. For instance, Sect Master Liu Xi had done it for Yang Chun.
"You must remember, once you step onto the immortal path, you must regard the protection of the heavenly dao and the mortal world as your duty. You must slay demons and eradicate evil, and you must never bring harm upon the common people."
"My sect does not accept male disciples. I will not teach you the immortal arts and sword techniques of my sect, only some basic, useful immortal arts. You need not regard me as your master."
A few breaths later, Yu Shuang withdrew her hand and returned to her jade bed, sitting cross-legged.
"Today, you will cultivate here. If you have any questions, ask me."
Teaching him immortal arts meant that if anything went wrong with him in the future, if he caused troubles or brought calamity due to the demonic artifact hidden within him, Yu Shuang would not be able to escape responsibility.
She had been thinking the entire way about what she should do, and in the end, she couldn't bear to choose the option of "cutting him down with a single strike to eliminate future trouble."
Fei Xing carefully savored the changes in his body. He felt that his body, already robust from practicing the breathing technique, became even lighter and more agile. He felt incomparably refreshed from the inside out, as if he had been reborn.
Slaying demons and guarding the dao was his duty. Not only had Yu Shuang not killed him, but she had even taught him the art of longevity. Her kindness weighed as heavy as a mountain.
Fei Xing looked at Yu Shuang, bowed to the ground, and performed a grand salute with utmost sincerity.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Master."
Yu Shuang did not speak.
She didn't know if what she was doing was right or wrong. She said to herself in her heart that since she had met him three months ago, brought him back, and kept him by her side, then all of this was cause and effect.
And so, Fei Xing opened the book and began to cultivate.
The second page taught how to sense immortal energy and the method of drawing it into the body.
Nearby, Yu Shuang, already at the Nascent Soul realm, naturally caused the immortal energy from all directions to gather towards her when she cultivated. This was a great help to Fei Xing's cultivation at that moment.
He closed his eyes and tried according to the method described in the book...
That very night, he opened his six senses.
In an instant, he felt as if a hundred apertures had opened on his body, able to absorb the essence of heaven and earth. His soul ascended to the nine heavens, able to gaze upon the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon.
Over the next few days, he stayed in Yu Shuang's room to cultivate every day. Whenever he had questions, Yu Shuang would carefully answer them for him.
Perhaps because he had entered the immortal path and the absorption of immortal energy suppressed the demonic flower, it had not acted up since that day.
Yu Shuang thought this was a good sign, but she also told Fei Xing not to let his guard down, as the demonic artifact might just be lying dormant.
Some time later, Yu Shuang brought a white crane to Fei Xing.
"This is a Lingchen Immortal Crane, raised by the Green Lotus Immortal Sect. It understands human speech and has a human-like nature. It will be your mount from now on. Treat it well."
Fei Xing named the crane Lingfeng. Every day, besides cultivating, he often spent time with Lingfeng to strengthen their bond.
Ten days later—
The winter plums had bloomed, and the end of the year was approaching.
Inside the Clear Heart Hall, Sect Master Liu Xi was discussing matters with several Masters. At the end, she asked:
"Have any of you seen Yang Chun?"
The Master all shook their heads.
"Never mind, that girl must have gone off to play somewhere again."
Liu Xi looked towards the northwest, the direction of Penglai Immortal Island.
"The rewards for the Plum Immortal Gathering are substantial. I hope we can gain something this time."
At that moment, Yu Shuang brought Fei Xing to a certain coastline.
Twenty junior disciples participating in the Plum Immortal Gathering were already waiting by a sword-boat.
The other two accompanying Master were Master Dan Feng and Master Chang Yi, the later of whom had a beautiful and gentle disposition.
Master like Guangsha and Hongyun, who had strong or cold and difficult personalities, were not selected. This was naturally to prevent conflicts with other sects and avoid unnecessary trouble.
Yu Shuang brought Fei Xing over and signaled for him to board the sword-boat as well.
The twenty female disciples on the boat were all outstanding talents, carefully selected from among their peers. Seeing Fei Xing, although they found it strange, none of them rejected him. Some even giggled and chatted about his appearance, and the boat was soon filled with their cheerful chatter.
"Senior Sister, is he coming with us too?" Dan Feng pointed at Fei Xing behind Yu Shuang and suddenly sensed a few traces of immortal energy from him, "Huh? How does he have..."
Yu Shuang said, "I saw he had some aptitude, so I taught him some introductory methods. This is a good opportunity to take him out to broaden his horizons, so I can feel more at ease when he leaves in the future."
In reality, it was to prevent the demonic flower inside Fei Xing from acting up while Yu Shuang was away. If no one was there to supervise him, it could lead to disaster. If he were left in the sect and discovered, he would probably be cut down with a single sword strike.
"This..." Dan Feng blinked, a bit surprised that Yu Shuang, who was usually so cold and indifferent, had changed her nature and become so kind and benevolent.
"It's not a problem." Chang Yi, who was standing nearby, said, "But he is a man, traveling with our sect. If outsiders see him, it might damage our sect's reputation."
Yu Shuang and Dan Feng nodded, and they all looked at Fei Xing.
Dan Feng's beautiful eyes flashed, and she suddenly said with a smile, "He is so handsome. If we dress him up as a woman, it wouldn't be obvious unless one looks closely. He's just a bit tall."
Fei Xing subconsciously objected, "Master, this isn't appropriate, is it?"
"What's inappropriate about it?" Yu Shuang said, looking at Dan Feng, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Junior Sister."
Seeing Dan Feng take out a few boxes of rouge with great interest, Fei Xing quickly hurried to Yu Shuang's side and transmitted his voice with immortal energy:
"Master, if I have to stay among those women, I'm afraid the demonic flower will be stimulated and act up!"
"Then what do you propose?"
Fei Xing said to Dan Feng and Chang Yi, "The Master has already prepared a crane for me. I will ride it and follow behind."
Yu Shuang acquiesced, and Dan Feng seemed a little regretful.
Chang Yi reminded him, "The sword-boat is not slow. You'll have to keep up."
Fei Xing nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Master."
And so-
The air rippled, and the sea waves surged.
Seabirds took flight in alarm, and fish dove away in shock.
The sword-boat set sail, floating some thirty meters above the sea's surface, flying towards the northwest.
Three white cranes were positioned at the front, left, and right of the sword-boat, escorting it.
Fei Xing mounted Lingfeng, patted its neck, and whispered, "This journey is a bit long. You'll have to work hard."
Lingfeng let out a high-pitched cry and spread its wings to fly…
"Hmm~"
From behind a rock, a figure suddenly emerged.
Yang Chun watched the direction the sword-boat flew, holding a small creature in her arms that looked like a cat.
The little creature was pure white. It jumped from her arms to the ground, and its body suddenly grew, transforming into a magnificent beast.
A dragon's tail, silver scales, golden eyes; a tiger's whiskers, a wolf's claws, and a golden horn.
It was actually a Qilin! And it was identical to the one on the hair ribbon Yang Chun had given to Fei Xing.
Yang Chun sat on its back and said, as if coaxing a child,
"Good boy, let's go out and play, okay?"
The Qilin raised its front leg and let out a roar.
"Great! You can sense your fur, right? Follow that, let's go!"
The Qilin then soared into the clouds, turning into a streak of light and flying towards the northwest—
*****
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