Chapter 21
"Master Yang Chun..."
On Meishan Mountain, Yang Chun and Fei Xing were making their way through a forest.
To be more precise, she was the one running through the forest, holding Fei Xing up in her hand. Due to the inertia, Fei Xing was fluttering through the woods like a flag.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To play with me, of course! What's so interesting about that Plum Immortal's gathering?"
"But Master Yu Shuang and the others will be looking for me soon."
"Then I'll just send you back later."
Yang Chun ran to the peak of an extremely high mountain and set Fei Xing down.
"See? The view is much better from here."
Penglai Immortal Island was already floating in the sky, and from here he could not only see the rivers and streams on the island but also vaguely make out the vast ocean beyond it.
The rivers were vast, the seas immense, the streams frozen, the mountains were lofty, the peaks majestic, the valleys deep.
But…
Fei Xing asked, "What's so great about this view?"
Yang Chun raised an eyebrow.
Fei Xing couldn't understand. As a Golden Core cultivator, Master Yang Chun could fly through the skies at will. If she wanted to climb high for a view, couldn't she go anywhere?
He also didn't see anything particularly special about these mountains and rivers.
Yang Chun said, pointing ahead, "Seeing the vastness of the mountains and rivers, the immensity of heaven and earth... don't you feel anything at all?"
Fei Xing blinked. He really didn't.
Moreover...
He felt he had seen even more desolate and vast landscapes.
Yang Chun shook her head and sighed, "You truly are unteachable. However…"
Her eyes sparkeled, and she leaped into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. When she came down, she was holding a large bird the size of an eagle.
The bird had a red head, green feet, and black feathers. Its neck was twisted by Yang Chun, and its body was still twitching a few times from nerve reflexes.
She hadn't come here for the scenery in the first place.
"You're in luck. A stupid bird just happened to fly right into us."
A flash of sword-flame swept over the bird's body, burning away all its feathers and revealing the tender white skin and flesh.
Her long sword at her waist unsheathed and she slit the bird's throat, letting it bleed while she disemboweled it. In a few swift movements, she had the bird meat and organs cleaned out.
"Firewood… Firewood…"
Yang Chun muttered. Her long sword shuttled through the forest, and in no time, she had chopped down a pile of thin branches and long logs, bringing them over along with dead leaves and twigs.
Fei Xing asked, "Master, why not use your sword flame?"
"You wouldn't understand!" Yang Chun said with a raised eyebrow and a wagging her finger. "Sword flame is too hot and hard to control. It's best to roast it properly with a wood fire!"
***
Several miles away, at the foot of the mountain, the disciples were each contemplating the river, while the sect elders in the sky were also discussing what they had seen.
"That fierce beast in the river is trapped in a cage, covered in wounds, unable to escape. Could it be a metaphor for one's restless heart?"
"Fierce beast? The river is surrounded by lush peaks, where did you see a fierce beast?"
"Hmm? I only saw a thousand troops and horses, with flying swords like stars in the river."
"Could it be that everyone sees something different?"
"If that's the case, then what is the correct interpretation of it?"
They were baffled and began to ponder deeply, just like the disciples below them.
Suddenly, someone pointed to something floating on a distant mountaintop.
"What is that?"
"It looks like... smoke from a cooking fire."
"Smoke from a cooking fire?"
***
On the mountaintop, Yang Chun pulled Fei Xing over, making him help her blow on the kindling.
Tendrils of light smoke rose with the wind, and the bird meat was slowly roasting on her flying sword.
Fei Xing now had a pretty good idea how those smudges of grime got on Yang Chun's face.
He suddenly noticed something and looked down. Snow-white skin was peeking from beneath Yang Chun's skirt, her bare feet resting on the snow.
There was no need to question, she had probably lost her shoes while playing around.
"Alright, just wait a bit."
Yang Chun gathered some snow from nearby, and wiped it on her face and hands, cleaning off the soot and grime.
Fei Xing imitated her, gathering snow from beside him.
"Hey!"
But Yang Chun saw his movement and quickly stopped him with a shout.
"That's the spot I just stepped on!"
"What's wrong?"
"You don't think that's dirty?"
Fei Xing said, "Master, you are an immortal cultivator with a jade-like body and purity. Besides, I just saw that your immortal feet are as clean as snow. You need not worry."
He was peeking at my feet just now!?
Yang Chun's pretty face flushed slightly. "Th-that's still not allowed!"
She formed a snowball and tossed it into Fei Xing's hands.
After they both washed their hands, Yang Chun, seeming as if she hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time, started chattering about all the big and small things she had encountered on the immortal island these past few days. Gesturing animatedly, she talked for nearly half an hour without stopping.
Fei Xing would interject with a word or two from time to time to show he was listening.
"I also wanted to go see how the 'Phoenix and Qilin' rankings are decided, but that Qungyue Pavilion wouldn't even let me in!" Yang Chun said, putting her hands on her hips in a huff. "Even the two guards at the door were at the Nascent Soul stage! Isn't that ridiculous?"
"In that case, the Azure Pavilion must be a considerable power. Its master must be a great expert of the Mahayana stage."
"That's right! Otherwise, how could their eyes and ears be all over the Carefree Sea, and they can keep tabs on so many people!"
Yang Chun nodded, took the bird meat off her flying sword, and cut off half for Fei Xing.
The skin was crispy, golden, and glistening, while the meat was tender, fragrant, and dripping with juice.
Although not as exquisite as the dishes prepared for the Plum Immortal's gathering, it had a unique charm of its own.
After finishing half the roasted bird, Yang Chun washed her hands with snow water and patted her slightly bulging belly in satisfaction.
Suddenly, her ears twitched. She turned her head to look toward the mountain range behind them.
"What's wrong, Master?"
"Shh." She made a silencing gesture.
Fei Xing fell silent. His eyes and ears detected nothing unusual, but his immortal sense perceived a surge of immortal energy in the distance, and its scale seemed quite large.
"This is getting interesting," Yang Chun murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly, a smile playing on her lips. She got up excitedly, pulling Fei Xing along as she rushed toward it.
...
At the foot of a certain mountain,
A man holding a greatsword stared at the figure a hundred meters away, his expression extremely solemn.
Across the stream.
A woman was dressed in simple white clothes, with a green garment underneath. Her hair was tied up simply, without any pearls or jade ornaments.
Her features were bright and clear, her expression natural and serene. Her face was not only beautiful but also had a heroic air.
Among his peers, there were only two people under the heavens that the man knew who could make him feel as if he were facing a great adversary.
This woman was the first of them.
The man said coldly, "You've chased me for two days and two nights. What on earth do you want!"
He had fled for two days and two nights on Penglai Immortal Island, deliberately creating the illusion that he had left, only to secretly return to the Plum Immortal's gathering. Yet, he was still caught.
The woman smiled and said, "If you didn't come here to spar with me, then why did you come to the Plum Immortal's gathering?"
The man said angrily, "Do I need your permission just to enjoy the scenery!"
"Is that so? But since we've run into each other, why not take this opportunity to see who is superior?" The woman smiled slightly. Her sleeve moved, and a seemingly plain long sword appeared in her hand.
The man's eyes narrowed. He cursed the madwoman in front of him in his heart.
At that moment, on a mountainside in the distance,
Yang Chun pulled Fei Xing down to hide in the snow under a tree.
Gazing at the scene taking place by the stream, she lowered her voice and said, "Look, that's the Heaven-grade, A-rank Eight Wastelands Sword! That woman is Qing Chen! Who is she facing off against?"
Fei Xing also recognized the man. "That's Zheng Huaien of the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect."
"Zheng Huaien!" Yang Chun's eyes lit up even brighter. She excitedly tugged on Fei Xing's sleeve. "Good thing we didn't miss this show!"
Recalling the old grudge between the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect and the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect that he had just learned of, Fei Xing asked, "Are they evenly matched?"
"One is ranked first in the 'Phoenix and Qilin' review, the other is second. They shouldn't be that different." Yang Chun reached out and pushed Fei Xing's head down. "Just watch and you'll find out!"
By the stream, Zheng Huaien was still contemplating how to escape when the figure across from him suddenly flashed—
In the next moment, Qing Chen appeared before him like a gentle breeze, her Eight Wastelands Sword slashing horizontally!
Zheng Huaien raised his sword to block. The cliff face behind him instantly shattered into countless pieces, scattering in the wind and snow.
He used the force to flick his greatsword upward, its tip aimed directly at Qing Chen's throat.
Qing Chen calmly took a step back to evade the sword tip. Her wrist turned, and the Eight Wastelands Sword shifted to her left hand, slashing upward at him from below!
Zheng Huaien held his greatsword vertically in front of him, using its broad blade to continuously parry her strikes.
However, the force of her sword strikes was like the weight of a great mountain, coming one after another. Amidst the howling wind, the frequency grew faster and faster!
Zheng Huaien parried and retreated with each blow, finding no opportunity to counterattack, and was soon forced toward the base of the cliff.
"Hey, I can't see from this angle!"
Yang Chun on the mountainside seemed more anxious than Zheng Huaien. She craned her neck, repeatedly patting the snow pile.
With a great crash of a crumbling rock, the two by the stream emerged from the smoke and dust. They continued to exchange sword techniques in mid-air. As they fought back and forth, immortal energy flowed wildly, and sword qi scattered in all directions!
Yang Chun was so startled she quickly ducked her head, pressing herself close to Fei Xing. A faint, soft fragrance drifted into his nostrils.
Fei Xing's attention was entirely focused on the battlefield, so he didn't perceive that the Drunken Immortal's Love Flower within him had quietly begun to stir.
In mid-air, Zheng Huaien had mobilized all the sword qi in his body, unleashing his techniques with all his might.
Yet Qing Chen, who was fighting him, still wore a relaxed and carefree expression.
Bang!
After a clash, the vast sword qi sent a powerful shockwave far and wide.
Yang Chun buried her head in the snow like a rabbit.
Fei Xing, however, was completely unafraid, because he could precisely sense that the sword qi and immortal energy would not reach them.
The two fighters on the other side distanced themselves.
Zheng Huaien was panting. Wave-like ripples flowed across his greatsword, a sign that he had fully activated the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect's techniques.
Aside from a few of his ultimate moves, he was already going all out.
Yet, every time Qing Chen saw him use a new sword technique, not only did her expression not turn serious, but a hint of joy even appeared in her eyes. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this fight.
Zheng Huaien gritted his teeth.
What a madwoman!
Qing Chen waved her sword with a flick of her wrist and said with a slight smile, "Tired?"
Zheng Huaien said nothing, just gripping his greatsword tighter.
"Then rest for a bit. Let's have someone else take your place." Qing Chen flicked her sleeve, and a burst of immortal energy flew out at high speed and shattered a large snow-covered boulder not far away.
Dust and snow flew into the air.
The Eight Wastelands Sword vanished. Qing Chen placed her hands behind her back and said in a clear voice, "You've been watching for so long. Why not come and try your hand?"
Yang Chun peeked out and said in surprise, "There's another expert?"
The snow and mist on the mountainside paused, then instantly dispersed.
Snow-white hair fluttered in the wind, her ice-like robes untouched by a speck of dust. Holy Maiden Sui Ri was standing on the snow.
She had been hiding there and watching the whole time.
And it seemed Qing Chen had noticed her long ago.
"Hey."
Yang Chun suddenly tugged on Fei Xing beside her.
"Hm?"
"Do you think they've already discovered us?" Yang Chun whispered.
Fei Xing said, "Master, you need not worry. Their immortal senses are only lingering between those two mountains."
"You know the range of their immortal senses?"
"I... guessed. It should be like that."
Yang Chun looked at him suspiciously.
Fei Xing said, "Think about it, Master. They're fighting so intensely; their attention must be focused on their immediate surroundings, not at things far away. Besides, with so many people here now, everyone else's attention is on the Plum Immortal's gathering. They would never think someone would be spying here. Moreover, if they carelessly release their immortal sense and it's detected by a great expert above the Spirit Transformation realm, it might attract their attention."
Yang Chun looked at his sincere expression and thought what he said made some sense.
"You're quite smart after all. No wonder Martial Aunt Yu Shuang wants to keep you by her side."
Fei Xing smiled, but then remembered that his master had ignored him for two days and he became disheartened.
On the other side of the mountain, Sui Ri glanced indifferently at Zheng Huaien.
The latter, even though he was unwilling, knew that if he continued to fight, he would only lose more face.
It was precisely because he had foreseen this situation from the start that he had been so reluctant to fight Qing Chen.
When two once-in-a-generation prodigies are pitted against each other, if one is constantly and firmly suppressed, they probably won't be very happy.
And for someone with a proud disposition, it would be all the more frustrating.
Zheng Huaien turned to sheathe his sword and leave, but Qing Chen suddenly said, "I never said I would let you go."
Zheng Huaien turned and glared at her.
"Hehe, in that case, why don't you two come at me together?" Qing Chen said with a carefree laugh.
She wasn't being sarcastic; she genuinely meant it, and she certainly had the capacity to back it up.
And so, Zheng Huaien became even more enraged.
It was just as the poem said
The babbling stream accompanies the winter snow,
the howling cold wind rustles the plain white clothes.
Under the Heavenly Dao, all living beings are equal;
a heroine too can reach the very peak.
"Truly worthy of being Qing Chen!" Yang Chun said excitedly, looking as if she couldn't resist applauding for her.
Fei Xing asked, "Master, you seem to admire her greatly?"
He was a little surprised. He had thought that given Yang Chun's personality, she would just be enjoying the spectacle and might even find Qing Chen too arrogant. But instead, her expression was full of admiration.
Yang Chun nodded vigorously. "Of course! Master Qing Chen is a role model for our generation!"
Fei Xing gave a faint smile. Looking at Qing Chen's confident and heroic face in the distance, his own calm expression suddenly changed.
A strong desire to conquer surged from the depths of his heart!
He immediately clenched his fists, lowered his head, and his face gradually flushed.
That demonic flower was acting up again!
Noticing his unusual state, Yang Chun beside him asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Is it the aftermath of their battle affecting you? Should I take you away from here?"
Fei Xing took a few deep breaths. The desire in his heart receded slightly, and he waved his hand, "It's nothing. Please don't worry. The immortal energy in my body was just a little chaotic. I just need to meditate for a moment to regulate it."
As he spoke, Fei Xing closed his eyes, slowly forcing the desire back.
While they were talking, the three standing on the mountainside began to fight again. For a moment, rocks fell, cliffs shattered, branches flew, and snow swirled.
This was with them deliberately restraining their power. Otherwise, the two nearby mountains would certainly have been devastated.
The positions of the three fighters constantly changed, moving from the mountainside to the stream, from the stream into a cave, and after breaking out of the cave, they happened to fight their way straight toward Fei Xing and Yang Chun's location.
Yang Chun was engrossed in the spectacle and didn't react in time.
After feeling the desire in his heart recede, Fei Xing let out a long breath. He opened his eyes and saw that the three were already less than six hundred meters away from them.
No wonder the sounds of the fight seemed to be getting louder and louder!
"Master!"
"Ah!"
Yang Chun was snapped back to her senses by Fei Xing's shout, and finally realized their current situation was not good.
"Master, let's go!"
"It's... it's too late! If we leave now, we'll be discovered!"
The three were getting closer and closer. In her panic, Yang Chun grabbed Fei Xing and pushed him down.
The two of them pressed tightly together and buried themselves deep in the thick snow.
*****
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