Editor: Sahloknir

Without waiting for him to repeat a second time, Yuchi Xiao promptly unsheathed his sword, releasing a bright sword glare followed by the golden light of?Taiji Bagua?as the powerful martial arts move sent a shockwave roaring outwards in all directions!

Boom!

The grounds around the Prince’s Residence trembled and Gong Wei was pushed straight onto the bed by the air current, as he heard Yuchi Xiao angrily shout, “Next time, you have to warn me of such things immediately! Are you trying to get me killed?”

Gong Wei also rasped, “I also want to observe before I act alright? Sword cultivators like you are too rough!”

The surrounding bricks and stones crumbled and fell, without looking back, Yuchi Xiao conjured eight talismans which burst into blazing golden flames when they came into contact with the air. The flames swiftly spread out into an energy grid, forming a massive net which turned up empty.

Nothing?!

Yuchi Xiao’s eyelid twitched as his energy net dispersed and his sword glare vanished. Other than him and Xiang Xiaoyuan, there was no one in sight. “Where’s the evil spirit?”

Gong Wei lay with his back on the bed, his pupils reflecting the ghostly figure as it moved closer and closer towards him. A little surprised, he said to Yuchi Xiao, “You can’t see it?”

This ghostly figure seemed to be seeping out of thin air, slowly and silently. Its entire body appeared to be a grey robe made up of smoke. Under the huge, hooded robe there was no body.

—It had no face, not even a head. But deep within the hood was a small, flickering blood-red shimmer.

It slowly leaned in, as if to carefully examine the face of ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’. Somehow Gong Wei sensed that it was laughing, but it was definitely not a comforting laughter. Then, the wide sleeves of its robe flared open..

Gong Wei suddenly realised what it wanted to do, “Yuchi Xiao! Untie me!”

His cry had barely left his throat before Yuchi Xiao had already darted across the room and swung down his blade into the ghostly figure. But it was as if he was slashing through nothing, half the surface of the wall was destroyed with a loud bang instead. The bricks and stones fell like rain and the dust scattered like a cloud of smoke. Meng Yunfei suddenly emerged illuminated in a green light. With a palm supporting his?guqin,?which was now in a? horizontal position, he began to pluck at the strings, creating an explosive rhythm.

With an oppressive air of bloodlust, the ghostly figure let out a silent roar of fury. Its smoke-like body violently spiralled and twisted as it fiercely rushed towards the?guqin?cultivator.

With the exception of Gong Wei, no one could see it, but just as he thought it was too late, Meng Yunfei’s fingers swept across the string with savage force, and the sounds transformed into a wave which gushed forwards and stopped the ghostly figure in its tracks. The ‘wave’ was blocked in mid-air and formed a human-shaped depression, Meng Yunfei shouted, “Brother Yuchi, over there!”

Yuchi Xiao’s longsword ‘Gou Chen‘?was already raised up between his brows. The bright sword reflected his own sharp features and he whispered,”Return of Ten Thousand Swords“.

He was indeed the worthy heir of the Golden Gate. At the young age of twenty, he had already mastered the art of this sword move. The next moment, the sword spirit of?Gou Chen?was awakened and released a burst of bright golden sword glare which was cast on Yuchi Xiao like impenetrable gold armour. He lunged towards the human shape in the ‘wave’ and swung his blade, which instantly burned the ghostly figure into ash!

Yuchi Xiao landed heavily, without turning his head, he asked Xiang Xiaoyuan, “—Has it left?!”

Gong Wei stared at the void where the ghostly figure had disappeared, his pupils contracting little by little, “..No, it’s still here.”

Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei’s expressions changed and at the same time all the fire torches and lights within the massive prince’s residence flickered violently and a ghastly cry could be heard from all directions. Now, larger and clearer than before, the ghostly figure appeared in mid-air and pulled out a dazzling longsword with a crisp?clang.

How could a mere evil spirit wield a sword?!

The situation did not allow Gong Wei to think carefully and he shouted, “Yuchi Xiao!”

However, it was too late this time. Yuchi Xiao sensed a vast murderous aura charging towards him. Fortunately, his numerous life threatening encounters led him to move instinctively, and then—clang!

The?Gou Chen?Sword Art was so combative that once it was activated, Yuchi Xiao was turned into a powerful weapon. Yet, at this moment, as the two swords collided with enormous force, the air current around spun wildly and actually swept Yuchi Xiao aside.

The?bang?that came after was earth-shattering. Yuchi Xiao was thrown against the red wall of the residence and collapsed most of it under the immense pressure of his body. Meng Yunfei activated his?guqin?which glowed with a verdant green light, but the ghostly figure suddenly disappeared into nothingness, then apparated at the edge of the bed, and with its ghost sword raised high towards Gong Wei—

All these events happened in a flash.

Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei came flying in from different directions, but their actions were doomed to be in vain..The ghost sword had already begun to swing down and the three familiar characters on the hilt were instantly reflected in Gong Wei’s stunned eyes.

Bai Taishou - Bai is my Master...

The pupil of Gong Wei’s right eye suddenly dilated, and no one noticed that it had turned blood red. At the same time, a mouthful of blood spurted out from between his lips.

The ghost sword stopped moving, the tip of its blade was half a centimetre away from his bloodshot eyes.

Immediately after, smoke emerged from the sword which was now sprayed with a mist of Xiang Xiaoyuan’s blood. The smoke spread rapidly, enveloping the ghostly figure completely.

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Meng Yunfei pressed two fingers onto Gong Wei’s wrist, using his?qi?to quickly examine the spirit meridian circulation of his whole body. When he was reassured that everything was normal he said, “It’s fine, you are not injured. Why did the evil spirit disappear?”

“..”

Gong Wei had closed his eyes amidst the gleaming stares, which were intently examining him. When he opened his eyelids again, his right eye had returned to normal, no longer leaving any trace of the changes from before. His face, however, was so pale it was as if he was drained of blood.

“I don’t know.” He gasped and said hoarsely,”That’s not..that’s not an evil spirit, it had a sword.”

Yuchi Xiao was stunned. “What?”

Gong Wei tightly pursed his cold lips and did not say the name of the sword.

Bai Taishou, this mighty sword that shook up the nine heavens clearly should have disappeared after his death. No one knew where it ended up, and even more so, no one could extract and use its unique sword spirit. How could it appear in the hands of a ghostly figure?

Where is my corpse??Gong Wei couldn’t help but think.

Xu Shuangtze dismembered my corpse at Cang Yang Mountain, my blood then seeped into the peach trees which now bloom all year long..and then what?

Where did they leave my remains?

—–

Late at night in the Cang Yang Mountain...

Xu Shuangtze opened his eyes. There were fallen flowers scattered everywhere, and the sky was brimming with peach blossoms.

He exhaled slowly and like the same dream which he had countless times before, he stepped out once again into the vast peach blossom forest before him and heard Ying Kai’s voice in the distance.

“There it is! Hurry up, Shuangtze, that thing is getting away!”

Don’t go over there..?he thought.

The tragedy began from this very scene, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it as he watched his younger self walk from his side to go ahead.

“Here it comes!”

The waist-high grass rustled in the distance and there was no wind, the prey hidden inside was clearly frightened and leapt out in desperation. But Ying Kai was already prepared, throwing out four burning talismans with his hand. The white gold flames charged towards it, and the ‘prey’ turned around abruptly in fright, and dashed towards a hot spring with shimmering waves in the opposite direction.

Ying Kai said, “Shuangtze! Don’t let it go into the water!”

Because these two have been friends since they were young, travelling in the mountains and cultivating immortality together, their collaboration was impeccably flawless. Before Ying Kai’s words reached him, Xu Shuangtze had already unsheathed his sword and swung it through the air. The water from the hot spring splashed upwards and rained down as countless sharp blades. The prey was blocked from recklessly leaping into the water.

Ying Kai conjured an energy net with glowing red grids which fell on its head with precision. Near the edge of the water, a sharp hiss and growl of the beast could be heard.

Ying Kai said, “Gotcha!”

The two of them walked towards the struggling figure in the net partially hidden in the grass. Ying Kai laughed and said, “I would like to see what creature dares to break into the Cang Yang Sect and steal the peach wine made by Lord Xu. It’s not a little monkey is it..Hmm?”

Ying Kai squatted down, and his voice suddenly stopped.

Behind him came Xu Shuangtze’s voice, “What’s wrong?”

“..” Ying Kai looked back, his face was full of shock. “It’s..it’s a person.”

The ‘prey’ in the net finally turned around towards Ying Kai and revealed itself. Xu Shuangtze took a few steps forward and came face to face with a pair of frightened eyes.

It was a teenager.

He was very young, and could not be more than sixteen years old. Like a newborn baby, he was naked, with snow-white skin that looked almost demonic. He huddled in the net, shivering, holding on to his thin shoulders so hard that his fingers were turning blue. The pair of rounded eyes reflected the figure of the two men. His right eye was blood red and both his pupils were dilated due to fear.

Xu Shuangtze was silent for a long time before he heard his own voice say, “No. It can’t be human.”

Ying Kai, ignoring the boy’s whimpers and struggles, placed his thumb between his brows, closed his eyes for a few breaths and was stunned, “Three souls, seven spirits, seven chakras are all intact, he really is a human.”

Xu Shuangtze stepped forward, half kneeling down, he reached out towards the teenager’s forehead but was met with a sudden sharp hiss before he rolled backwards and was about to fall into the water. Ying Kai reacted swiftly and held on to him. With a few movements he released the demon-catching net, took off his outer robe and wrapped it around the boy’s body, while asking, “What is your name? Where are you from? Why have you come to Cang Yang Sect?”

“..”

The boy clutched the corner of his robe, his gaze couldn’t stop flicking between the two men. His mouth was slightly open for a long time, but only a few meaningless syllables came out before he clenched his teeth.

“Do you know how to talk? Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Shh.” Ying Kai kept repeating soothingly and cautiously attempted to put his hand on the boy’s wet hair. He patted the top of his head and smiled, “Don’t be afraid, how long have you been hiding in the peach blossom forest? Do you want to go out?”

Perhaps it was his kind smile which worked wonders, the teenager who had been violently trembling finally calmed down. He vigilantly looked back and forth at the both of them, then suddenly closed his eyes. When he opened them, his strange right eye colour had already turned to the same black shade as the other.

“He’s watching us.” Xu Shuangtze looked down on him from above and said softly, “He’s learning how to be human.”

It’s not strange for little sprites and creatures to be born in places with abundant spiritual energy such as Cang Yang Mountain, but Ying Kai shook his head, “Demons and sprites can’t transform or possess human souls, but this boy’s soul is intact. Maybe there’s some other reason for this—I’ll take him back to the Immortal Alliance and ask Brother Mu of the Medical Sect to take a look.” As he said this, he extended his hand towards the teenager and asked gently, “I’ll bring you out, okay?”

This action made the newly calmed teenager’s body edge backwards, seemingly ready to speed off at any moment. But Ying Kai’s smile remained unchanged, his unguarded palm spread upward, and after a while, the teenager finally leaned over inch by inch, hesitantly raised his hand, then turned his head to look at Xu Shuangtze.

He seemed to be waiting for something, but Xu Shuangtze saw his younger self just standing there, slightly narrowing his eyes without saying a word.

The young man finally turned back and placed his hand into Ying Kai’s palm.

The moment they touched, the transparency of the boy’s skin, which was rarely seen on other creatures, suddenly disappeared, turning into an unusually white but warm and solid appearance. The change was subtle and almost imperceptible. Ying Kai held his hand to support him as he stood up and found out that he couldn’t balance on his feet at all, so he had to pick him up and carry him down the hill.

Xu Shuangtze followed behind closely and saw the teenager glance over Ying Kai’s shoulder. The boy stared at him and tilted his head, the corners of his mouth moved, as if he was imitating Ying Kai’s expression earlier, to carefully reveal a pleasing smile.

That was the first expression that Gong Wei learned.

Before that the boy did not know how to express his will through expression, demeanour and language. So Xu Shuangtze could not be sure that, as the boy huddled at the edge of the water, he might have wanted to say that he wished to stay in Cang Yang Mountain within that peach blossom forest.

Xu Shuangtze opened his eyes again, and the darkness crept into the bed through the layers of curtains.

He got up from his bed, walked down nine jade steps, and swung open the heavy door of his bedchamber. His disciples were nowhere to be seen. The moonlight lit up the starry sky and the peach blossoms were everywhere, like a snow blanket under the moon.

In the distance, the tree tops rustled and sprite-like whispers could be heard from the wind.

“..Our Sect’s peach blossoms are so glorious, why do they never wither?”

“Have you heard the rumour?”

“What rumour?”

“It was sixteen years ago..”

Xu Shuangtze’s eyebrows twitched as he searched for the sound.

“Sixteen years ago, the death of the great Chief Gong drove our Master mad. He dragged the body over a thousand miles here and dismembered it. The blood splashed all over the branches and flowers, which then caused these peach blossoms to bloom all year-round. It is a strange phenomenon and it is said that this sea of ten million flowers is the embodiment of the sixteen-year-long resentment of Chief Gong!”

One person let out a sigh, “But why? How do two Immortal Sect Masters come to this?”

The voice behind them was soft and shallow and spoke treacherous words under the moonlight, “Who dares to mention the past? Who knew that twenty years ago, Lord Xu was to marry a mute lady but on the day of the wedding ceremony, Chief Gong suddenly arrived and killed the bride with his sword!”

The sea of trees swayed and rustled, the sound of breathing could be heard from all directions.

In the forest clearing, two disciples with their heads down were whispering. But the breeze made it sound like countless sprites within the forest were echoing the hushed words of the disciples. “But the marriage of Lord Xu is big news, how can the world not hear of it?”

“Hasn’t Lord Xu always been at Cang Yang Mountain, how could there be legends about his marriage?”

“Why did he choose to marry a mute lady?”

The voice, carrying a tone of arrogance spoke, “A portrait of a woman in red is enshrined on the inner chamber’s wall of the Xuan Ji Hall. It was hand-painted by the Master. The Master had experienced many deaths and killings when he was young, legend says..?ah!”

The noise of countless sprites in the wind abruptly stopped and the two disciples knelt down at the same time, shivering in terror, “Lord Xu!”

Xu Shuangtze did not say a word, his eyes shone with a layer of frost under the moon and he closed them for a long while.

The two disciples simultaneously bled from all seven orifices and could not even beg for mercy. With muffled noises, they both fell to the ground in pain. The bed of leaves under the tree were crushed under their struggling and writhing bodies, and they were emitting a heart-stopping sound.

Xu Shuangtze turned around and stepped over the blood-soaked leaves, crossing a long flight of steps that were dazzling in the moonlight.

The jade pillars were high and the chambers were wide. On one of the walls, a portrait of a woman was barely visible, hidden behind a light veil. The ‘woman’ was painted with her back facing the viewer and under the wedding dress was portrayed a slender and graceful figure.

Xu Shuangtze stood still and looked at ‘her’ quietly.

“Is this what you drew, Xu Bai?” He heard Gong Wei’s frivolous laughter from the void at his side, and the familiar figure slowly emerged. He was standing in front of the portrait with his hands behind his back, peeking out to take a closer look for a long time. He then smiled and turned back.

He said, “There is no resemblance, not at all. Did you do this on purpose?”

Gong Wei was born very thin, always giving the illusion that he was going to be blown away by the wind. But every time he appeared, he looked so vividly clear, as if he had never left.. Each syllable he spoke carried a smile that struck at the heart.

Xu Shuangtze asked, “Who allowed you on Cang Yang Mountain?”

Gong Wei gently turned back, his rouge-coloured robe, with finely embroidered maple leaves looked like shimmering wings under the moonlight. The next moment he poked his head out from the other side of Xu Shuangtze and said excitedly, “Xu Bai, Xu Bai, you are a strange person. For such a sentimental and deeply emotional person you look so cold on the outside..are you still angry with me?”

“..”

Gong Wei lustrous eyes turned and he moved closer. His right pupil imperceptibly and slowly turned red and his lips were now almost touching Xu Shuangtze’s ear as he said, “I’ll help you paint another, I know what ‘her’ face looks like after all. Don’t you want a front portrait? I..”

Xu Shuangtze suddenly drew his sword, and a cold light shot up into the sky.

In response to the electrifying attack, Gong Wei rapidly retreated backwards, his back collided with the stone pillar of the bedchamber with a thump and he slid to the floor. He tightly clutched his right eye and blood seeped out through his fingers!

Xu Shuangtze drove the sword into ground beside him with a?clang?and looked at him from above, “Gong Wei Yu.”

No Way Out?reflected the light onto Gong Wei’s fair face and blood continued to meander down his fingers, then from his wrist into the wide sleeve of his robe.

“They say that you’re human, but I know that you can’t be.” Xu Shuangtze leaned down and stared at him, his voice soft, yet ruthless, “If you dare to use those non-human tricks on me again, don’t blame me for not treating you as a human being in the future.”

The air seemed to have frozen, the large, empty stone walls of the hall reflected a cold, eerie light and the darkness in Xu Shuangtze’s eyes appeared like a bottomless abyss.

Gong Wei looked up at him in a daze, a smile crept in after a long while. He dropped the blood-stained hand to reveal his demonic right eye, which had now returned to normal. At the corner of the eye there was a wound inflicted by?No Way Out, the wound was extremely deep and blood continued to gush out.

“Lord Xu, you’re hurting me.”

He tilted his face, and whined with the peculiar naiveness of a teenager, his lazy and lingering voice was like a moth fluttering in the moonlight.

Xu Shuangtze looked down at him. After repeating this particular dream countless times, he already knew what would happen next, the last trace of his consciousness was desperately alerting him to pull away immediately. Yet, he stood there fixedly, without moving—

A burst of peach blossom scented breeze rushed towards his lips.

At that very moment, Xu Shuangtze suddenly sat up from his bed.

“Lord!”

“Lord!”

Xu Shuangtze passed through several heavy drapes and walked out of the Ninth Gate Hall. Outside, the vast night sky was a shade of deep blue with two or three stars few and far between, and there was a faint glow marking the distant horizon.

The two disciples guarding the hall in white robes and silver armour finishings were completely unaware that they had just appeared in his dream world, and hastily bent down on one knee to greet him. It was only after a long time that a low voice was heard coming from above their heads

“When one wakes up from a dream, how does one tell that he has woken up to reality or has merely traversed to another layer in the dreamscape?”

Both disciples froze and couldn’t help but stare at each other, and the one who was higher ranked hesitantly said, “I humbly reply to your Lordship, when one dreams..one should not feel sadness or pain. If it is not painful even after being injured, then it should be a dream.”

The earth was usually quiet before dawn, only the mountain wind rustling through the trees could be heard and lifted the sleeves of Xu Shuangtze’s robe.

The two disciples stared at the jade floor in front of them, and their spines tensed up. It felt like a long time before they finally heard Xu Shuangtze’s low and almost muted laughter. Although it was not possible to tell what emotions it carried, they could vaguely make out a tinge of mockery.

—–

Sahl?: Oh man. I’m getting Lan Zhan playing enquiry for thirteen years vibes..at least we have a picture this time.. Xu Shuangtze, do you need a hug? Also, a belated hello to our lovely readers from me. *waves*