CHAPTER 7: DOWN THE MOUNTAIN

The second day, the five of them went down the mountain to set off for Lutai Mountain. The important people of the other four sects either bid their farewells, or stayed as visitors. When the flower picking is done, the martial arts competition of the Flower Hairpin Conference will begin.

Accurately speaking, when they set off, all the disciples had gone with them all the way down the mountain, except Linglong. Because Chu Lei had said that she was forbidden to take even a step out of the backyard, she was angry, and really didn't go. But He Danping was really suffering. She was worrying for her younger daughter and heartbroken for her older daughter, and was in charge of leading the event. It was true that it was hard to be a virtuous wife and good mother.

Because Xuanji and Zhong Minyan didn't know how to fly on swords, Chu Yinghong and Dongfang Qing Qi each carried one of them on their swords, flying quickly and hurriedly. Zhong Minyan was fine, as he had secretly learned flying, but this was really Xuanji's first time. Chu Yinghong was worried that the little girl would be scared and held her tightly with both hands and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Auntie Hong is here. You will definitely not fall down."

She lowered her hand to look at Xuanji, but saw her eyes wide open, curiously looking at the sand-like clouds floating below her, not seeming to be scared at all.

She was a little surprised inside. She knew that the two daughters of the sect leader had different tempers; one was fidgety and the other was quiet. She was more familiar with Linglong, who would pester her everyday to practice with her. She was a lively and cheerful little girl, and also had the talent for practicing. She had almost never interacted with Xuanji and would usually hear that the sect leader would lose his temper because of her extreme laziness. She only thought of her as a nasty little girl, but who knew that when she actually was close to her, it was not the case.

Seeing Xuanji looking at everything interestedly, she smiled and said, "Aren't you scared? This is the first time you're flying so high."

Xuanji shook her head, saying, "You won't let me fall down."

Chu Yinghong was very interested in this kind of child, so she teased her, "So you're this sure? I'm not your father or mother."

But Xuanji didn't say anything and only lowered her head to look at the verdant mountains go up and down, and the milk-white layers of clouds above her, like the shawl of a beauty.

Chu Yinghong looked at her silently, then suddenly remembered a time when all the disciples had gathered together to drink wine and Heng Yang Junior Brother seemed to be drunk and had said while smiling and clapping his hands, "You guys always say that Chu Senior Brother's older daughter Linglong is a one in a hundred year prodigy, but as far as I see, that may not be true! Have you seen the younger daughter Xuanji? I won't talk about anything else, but her personality of never being surprised and having no dust under her eyes could be the building block to being a successful person!"

She had thought that those were only drunk words and had never thought much about it, but now, thinking about "never being surprised and having no dust under her eyes, she unexpectedly thought that it was appropriate.

Chu Yinghong suddenly started laughing and pulled the confused Xuanji to her chest and smiled, "Hey, do you want to do something fun?"

After speaking, she didn't wait for a reply and pushed forward with her left foot, and the Cloud Swallowing Sword under their feet was like a wild horse without reins, jumping up and down, then finally loosening up and falling from the sky. They were about to crash onto the ground and the sword's body was suddenly like that of a dragon's, swinging lightly and flying diagonally, lightly brushing the elm tree on the top of the mountain, branches and leaves flying all over the sky behind the sword.

A skylark that was resting on a tree didn't have time to fly away and just as it lifted its wings, it was swept by Chu Yinghong's sleeve and she softly grasped it in her hand.

"Here you go. Was it fun?" She cheerfully put the skylark into Xuanji's sleeve, while also controlling the Cloud Swallowing Sword, having it fly close to the top of the tree. As the sword auras touched the leaves, they fluttered and retreated to the sides, like lush green waves. It was just like walking threw the tree waves, the waves being the many leaves and branches.

Xuanji felt that everything felt new and interesting.

Flying on a sword, the feeling of looking down from a high place, the wind from all directions, blowing on her face without any obstruction and the soft feeling of the skylark trembling, with the panic and tenderness of a little creature. Everything around her suddenly became clear and even the tips of her hair could smell the scent of freedom. This was a different experience than staying behind Shaoyang Peak everyday, and she felt that she had understood more things, but she couldn't say exactly what they were.

So when Chu Yinghong asked her if she liked to play like this, she had nodded her head without hesitation. Chu Yinghong rubbed her head, smiling, "If you like it, then you will have to learn to fly on a sword. Only if you can fly can you understand the beauty of it."

Xuanji nodded her head ignorantly and suddenly felt that practicing wasn't so annoying. This was the time she wanted to learn how to fly on a sword.

She liked that kind of freedom, that kind of freedom to be herself, the freedom to do anything she wanted.

But of course, she didn't know, at night when they were resting in the inn, Chu Yinghong had found Chu Lei to ask him for a person.

"Sect Leader, I would like Xuanji to come to Yuyang Hall to learn from me, what do you think?"

Chu Lei was as surprised as he was delighted that Chu Yinghong had said that. Surprised because she actually chose Xuanji, as he thought that she would accept Linglong as her disciple. Delighted because she was very talented and a knowledgeable expert and Xuanji would definitely earn a lot from her.

He immediately smiled and said, "If so, then it is my daughter's blessing. It's just that Xuanji has been lazy and always tired since she was a child, so I hope that Junior Sister will supervise her more often because no there will be no talent without strictness."

But Chu Yinghong said seriously, "Sect Leader Senior Brother, it is true that some children require pressure to practice, but some children can't stand any pressure. I think Xuanji's very good, and in time, will become a great talent."

Chu lei knew that this junior sister had many strange opinions, and although he didn't agree with her, he didn't refute it, and only said, "Then my daughter is handed over to Junior Sister to teach. I'll call her to come over for the apprenticeship ceremony, ok?"

Chu Yinghong smiled and stopped him, "No rush. We'll talk about it after the Flower Hairpin Conference."

She was a little uncertain inside, as Xuanji had a lazy personality but was also smart. This kind of person could not be forced to do anything and could only be guided and tempted to be interested in practicing her skills. Fortunately though, Xuanji was still young because if she was a little older, it would be even harder to discipline her. If she chooses to accept her as a disciple now, she would probably be rebellious , so she should wait a while.

While Chu Yinghong and Chu Lei were upstairs discussing mentorship, Xuanji and the other two were drinking tea downstairs. Dongfang Qing Qi ordered more than a dozen dishes in one breath and then patted Zhong Minyan's shoulder, smiling, "This child is pretty good. It's not easy to hold on this long."

Zhong Minyan was hit hardly with that pat and fell onto the table, unable to move. Seeing that his face was a little black and bitterer than a bitter melon, Xuanji couldn't help but ask quietly, "What's the matter? Do you feel uncomfortable?"

He shook his head and hadn't talked yet when Dongfang Qing Qi smiled, "It is hard for him to try the special skill of Fuyu Island, Pian Ruo Jing Hong. Someone of my disciples who are much older than him would faint over when they encountered this stunt! This kid is not easy!"

Xuanji binked her eyes, not able to understand.

Zhong Minyan said weakly, "Dongfang Island Leader took me up and down and left and right and then spun around one hundred and eight times in place......I......vomit......I'm about to die......"

Xuanji looked at him sympathetically, saying, "Then you should go to bed now. We'll have to travel tomorrow."

Zhong Minyan shook his head, "I already made it up to this point. It'll be fine if I just sit here......"

Dongfang Qing Qi laughed loudly, "You are strong! I like it! It's not easy to hold up to this point! The disciple of Chu Old Brother is just different, much better than my useless disciples! How about you go back with me and become a disciple of Fuyu Island? I'll tell Chu Old Brother."

Zhong Minyan was frantic and was just thinking how he should refuse, but heard Chu Lei's laugh from behind, "Dongfang Brother is joking. All the disciples of Fuyu Island are like dragons and phoenixes (9), so how can my playful diciples compare to them."

As he was speaking, he walked over with Chu Yinghong, smiling cheerfully as he sat down, saying, "Sorry for the long wait."

Dongfang Qing Qi then said, "Chu Old Brother really is lucky. There are many talents in Shaoyang School, which really makes me jealous."

Chu Lei and him were lifelong friends, and he had long gotten used to his straightforwardness and boldness in speaking, so he smiled and said, "What are you talking about! Are there not many people in your Fuyu Island? Pian Pian and Yuning alone are enough for you to brag. A while ago, I had heard that the two of them had killed a demon that was doing evil in Lantian, and they had even complained of their hardships in front of me. They will come to this year's Flower Hairpin Conference, right?"

Hearing that he had mentioned the two disciples he was the most pleased about, he couldn't help but feel proud and nodded his head and sighed, "Is there any reason to not participate in the Flower Hairpin Conference......these two children are really good role models. In the future when Fuyu Island is handed over to them, I will also be at peace."

After talking he patted Zhong Minyan again, whose face was a shade of white-gray, saying, "This child is also pretty good! At such a young age, he can unexpectedly handle my Pian Ruo Jing Hong. Not easy! At next time's Flower Hairpin Conference, it will be the time for their generation to show off! Chu Old Brother shouldn't complain about them to me anymore!"

Everyone started laughing, but then heard a thump. It turned out that Zhong Minyan hadn't managed to hold on, and after being patted by him several times, he fell to the ground and passed out.

Chu Yinghong quickly helped him to get upstairs to rest and only after having Xuanji stay in the room to take care of him and said some orders did she go downstairs.

The jokes that people downstairs were saying could be heard and the wine smell was assaulting. Xuanji sat on the stool for a long time and her stomach was so empty that it was panicking and she was also longing to go down to listen to their fun stories. She looked back at Zhong Minyan, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, his face white. The whatever Pian Ruo Jing Hong sword skill was really scary.

She was so hungry that her eyes were starting to turn black and was delighted when she saw that there was food on the table, which was left by Chu Yinghong for them. She couldn't wait until Zhong Minyan's awoke, so she began eating the food herself.

She ate half of it, and suddenly felt that someone was looking at herself. Xuanji looked back to see Zhong Minyan's eyes wide open, and staring right at her. She swallowed her food and hesitantly asked, "Do you.....want to eat some?"

She had just said what Zhong Minyan was thinking and his face flushed and he shook his head, saying quietly, "I feel dizzy, you can eat it yourself."

Xuanji said "oh" and continued to eat with her head lowered.

Seeing that she was about to finish all the food, Zhong Minyan couldn't hold it in and said, "Um......can you bring me a bowl of soup......"

Xuanji finally understood that he actually wanted to eat and could only sigh, "If you want to eat, why don't you say it. There's still some food here. Stop arguing and come over here."

Zhong Minyan originally wanted to save face, but he was dizzy and had thrown up everything that he could have thrown up and now he was starving and could only push off the quilt and get out of bed. But who knew the softness under his feet was like cotton, and he had no energy, his feet threatening to fall over as soon as he set them down. He stayed there for a long time, and suddenly turned and layed back down on the bed, muttering, "I'm not hungry, I won't eat."

As soon as he finished talking, it seemed as if it was deliberately singing against him because his stomach rumbled loudly and made a loud groan.

He froze.

Xuanji was stunned.

After a moment, she walked to the bedside, pushed him and said, "Hey, eat dinner."

Zhong Minyan ignored her, pretending to have fallen asleep.

She pushed again, "Eat dinner. We'll have to travel tomorrow."

His stomach was now full with angriness, and he sat up tentatively and said, "I won't eat!"

He turned his head to see a big bowl in Xuanji's hand. Inside it was rice in some soup and there were also some vegetables on top of it. She sat on the bedside and mashed the rice with a spoon, saying, "I'll feed you then, open your mouth." She scooped a spoonful of rice with soup and put it in front of his mouth.

Zhong Minyan stared at the spoon, startled, as if it was some kind of ghost or demon. His eyes were widened and he looked murderous.

"Open your mouth." Xuanji seemed to be coaxing a child.

Zhong Minyan's face instantly exploded red. He felt embarrassed and annoyed, angry and embarrassed, now down at the point of having a little girl feed him. What was even more depressing was that he was attracted by the smell of the food and couldn't control his urge to open his mouth and swallow it down.

Ah, it's delicious.

But this wasn't the problem!

He directed all his anger at Xuanji, staring at her hatefully, hatefully swallowing the food, like they had a grudge against each other.

"Is it good?" Xuanji was slow to understand things, didn't notice his murderous gaze, and asked him kindly.

Zhong Minyan ignored her, and continued to eat ferociously, his mouth stuffed with food. The charm of the food was really great, and he now even thought that this little girl looked kind and cute. It was probably because he was full and now satisfied.

He found that her eyelashes were very long, like two small fans and were thick and dense. They were two curved shadows on her transparent face. Her eyebrows were curved, like a new moon and it is said that only open-minded people would have this kind of eyebrow. And this was right, she seemed to never have any worries and was always distracted.

She and Linglong are twin sisters and they looked alike, although Linglong was much more eye-catching than her and was liked by many. He didn't have any deep impression on Xuanji and if he didn't hear his senior brothers discuss the female disciples everyday, his knowledge of Xuanji would still be a blank piece of paper.

Those senior brothers said that Linglong was like a rose, colorful and charming. She would definitely grow up to become a beauty, a spicy beauty, the kind with thorns.

They then continued to name a few female disciples, who were all famous beauties under their halls. Someone unknown mentioned Xuanji, saying, "That is a real beauty, full of vigor and temperament and will definitely pity me in two years. Those you mentioned aren't even the thinnest of branches, and you must know that a real beauty is refined and elegant. If Linglong Junior Sister is a rose, then Xuanji Junior Sister is a glazed beauty, and you will need to savor it carefully to get the charm."

Glazed beauty.

He saw her crystal clear cheeks and for the first time, thought that this address was just too accurate on her. Of course, it would be better if she changed her lazy and stubborn personality.

Xuanji fed him the last spoonful of the food and suddenly saw that his face was as red as fresh blood, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you unwell? Are you going to have a fever? Let me call father to come upstairs and take a look at you!"

She threw the bowl and was about to call for them but he suddenly grabbed her wrist, saying frantically, "There's no need!"
His hand was as hot as a soldering iron. Xuanji was shocked and could only stare at him blankly.

Zhong Minyan immediately pulled his hand back and covered his head to sleep, and said in a low voice, "I'm ok, I just want to sleep for a while. Don't go. Master will worry."

Xuani knew that he had always been hot and cold and had an always-changing mood, so she didn't say anything and blew out the candle for him and then went downstairs.

As expected, on the second day, Zhong Minyan acted as if nothing had happened, and seemed to be even colder to her than before. If it wasn't that Chu Lei had come downstairs, he probably wouldn't even have greeted her.

Xuanji didn't think much about it, as she thought that he was afraid that Dongfang Island Leader would use the Pian Ruo Jing Hong to test him again. But her attention was swept over to Chu Yinghong, who was talking about the demons in Lutai Mountain.

"Five people have been eaten on Lutai Mountain just recently. I just don't believe that those two demons are so powerful!" Chu Yinghong put the news that she had collected earlier onto the table, and the three adults looked at each other, not saying anything.

Only after a very long pause did Dongfang Qing Qi say, "We must hurry up and get there quickly, or else more people will be eaten."

Chu Lei agreed with a "hm" and said, "If so, then there is no need to go to Zhangtai Mountain. We will first go west to Lutai Mountain. Ying Hong......we can also go visit your aunt next time."

Chu Yinghong nodded her head and said, "Of course, as eliminating demons is our top priority."

They then discussed the division of labor again and were about to leave after they ate breakfast when they saw a group of green-robed guests wearing an Asura mask on each of their faces. They were people of Lize Palace.

Xuanji froze when she saw their clothing, feeling as if she had seen it before.

They didn't think that they would encounter people of Lize Palace here, and were a little surprised. A group of them first went into the inn and first wiped the table and chairs with a hand towel, then took out a white porcelain tea set, a green bamboo wine set and a pair of silver chopsticks and set them on the table. This unusual pompous behavior caused everyone in the inn to stare at them, but they didn't seem to care.

After a while, someone called out, "Deputy Palace Master arrives."

They saw four green-robed people from outside carrying a cool bamboo chair into the inn. A person with long hair like clouds and a slender stature was sitting on it and was the person who had advised them on capturing demons in Shaoyang Peak, the deputy palace master of Lize Palace.

Seeing this situation, Chu Lei and the others wanted to pretend that they saw nothing and continue on their traveling but couldn't. When they were just about to go over and send their greetings, two green-robed children came over and said in unison, "Chu Sect Leader, Dongfang Island Leader, Chu Hall Master, Zhong Little Hero, Miss Chu. The deputy palace master has requested to see you." They methodically mentioned all five people at one time.

They followed the children over there. The deputy palace master had already been standing at the table waiting and seeing them coming, bowed and smiled, "Sorry for rudeness. I didn't expect that I would be able to see you guys here. I wanted to go back secretly."

Chu Lei was being polite, and said, "Does Deputy Palace Master need to go back to Lize Palace for some urgent matter?"

The deputy palace master sighed and said, "Logically, I should have stayed in Shaoyang Peak to help organize the events of the Flower Hairpin Conference, but I suddenly received some urgent news from the palace yesterday, and there are some private matters that require me to go back in order to deal with them. I have already bidded farewell to the madam and hope that Chu Sect Leader doesn't mind. I will hurry back to Shaoyang Peak as soon as I have dealt with these matters, and don't dare to delay."

Everyone said, "No worries, Deputy Palace Master's matters are important."

It was another greeting and the deputy palace master tried his best to keep them there to drink wine together. Seeing the sky, Chu Yinghong stood up, smiled and said, "We have to go to the back of Lutai Mountain to eliminate the demons, so I'm afraid that we will not be able to accompany Palace Master now. But we will definitely drink three cups with Palace Master!"

Hearing this, the deputy palace master couldn't force them to stay and only smiled and said, "Okay! I have important matters to deal with, or else I would go with you guys. How about this, my disciple Sifeng has some skills and understands how to eliminate demons. If you guys bring him along, the flower picking task will get twice the result with half the time. He will not drag everyone back."

Chu Lei wanted to decline, but thought that this deputy palace master was very strange and if he refused his kindness blindly, then things wouldn't be good when the time came, so he agreed.

The deputy palace master clapped his hands, saying, "Sifeng, go with Chu Sect Leader and the others to capture the demons. When the task is done you can go directly back to Shaoyang Peak. There's no need to go back to Lize Palace."

As soon as he finished his words, there was a blur in front of everyone and they saw a thin, young man wearing green robes who appeared out of nowhere. He half knelt in front of the deputy palace master and was bowing his head, "Disciple obeys."

Xuanji only felt that this name was very familiar. Sifeng......Sifeng......where had she heard it before? She tried to remember and suddenly saw the young man turn around and bow to her father, his hands folded in front of him. He wore an Asura mask and a golden flower skin sack dangled from his waist. That appearance made her recall it and she couldn't help but point at him with an "ah" and said, "It's you!"

The deputy palace master smiled and said, "So Miss Chu is acquainted with this playful disciple? He must have offended you before. This playful disciple has a weird temper, so Miss shouldn't argue with him."

Xuanji shook her head, saying, "No, that isn't it......"

Sifeng bowed slightly to her and said nothing. The indifferent and polite appearance was very different from last time, and made Xuanji think that she probably remembered the wrong person.

The deputy palace master said two more polite remarks and only after this did they bid their farewells and fly to Lutai Mountain on their swords.