Chapter Forty-Three: A Narrow Encounter with an Old Nemesis

Lu Xue was comforted by Bai Ze and the senior disciples, yet despite her attempt at suicide, Master did not release her from her bedchamber. Master took Bai Ze away to handle urgent military affairs.

The next morning at breakfast, Eleventh Senior Brother praised me, saying, “Little junior, you truly are something! Only the child who cries gets fed. That leap into the Celestial Pool was both bold and clever.”

“I don’t need feeding! How about you try it, Eleventh Senior Brother?” I bantered with him as usual, thinking to myself that I would never commit suicide over such a matter; unless forced into desperation, who would choose death?

“Yes, Eleventh Senior Brother, stop serving tea and start learning to dive. Maybe Master will like you more,” Fifteenth Senior Brother joked.

Eleventh Senior Brother’s shrewd little eyes spun round a few times. “I don’t have that kind of courage, so I truly admire our little junior! As soon as Mistress Lu Xue arrived, she was poisoned, hanged herself, and clung to Master wailing, always teetering between life and death. But our little junior surpassed her—quietly running off to jump into the Celestial Pool, playing the white face to the senior uncle’s red face. The less you admitted it, the more anxious Master became. Fifteenth, tell us, didn’t Master instruct you before leaving to watch over little junior’s safety?”

Fifteenth Senior Brother smiled without speaking.

“This mistress of ours has plenty of tricks; ever since she arrived, Jade Purity Realm has known no peace. Master’s heart has been held by her for forty thousand years. It’s nothing simple,” Twelfth Senior Brother clicked his tongue in admiration.

“But there’s one thing she miscalculated. Master loves his disciples, loves all beings. He’s not hers alone. Little junior! You must keep at it! Next time you plan to jump into the river, let me know—I’ll play the red face for you. Don’t always let senior uncle take the credit.” Eleventh Senior Brother patted my shoulder.

“If you jump into the river again, it’ll just be old news. Why not switch things up—let her jump, and little junior hangs himself instead,” Kunpeng Senior Brother teased.

I nearly spat out my food, coughing for quite a while.

“Don’t tease little junior anymore. He would never commit suicide over this, nor cause trouble on purpose. It must be a misunderstanding!” Dongfang Mo helped pat my back.

Dongfang Mo always understood me best.

At noon, I cooked a sumptuous meal in place of Fourteenth Senior Brother, using “surviving a catastrophe and failed suicide” as my excuse to thank each senior brother for their care. I wept bitterly during it, much as I did on the day I first became Master’s disciple.

The senior brothers assumed I felt aggrieved and comforted me, offering countless suggestions on how to continue “winning favor” with Master. I cried even harder. I hated partings, didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to return to days without a home, and especially didn’t want to leave without even bidding Master farewell...

That night, I went once more to Immortal Remembrance Valley to check on the sapling I’d planted—it had already sprouted. I thought of Master and Lu Xue dancing together. The snow goose, though wounded and unable to use the Empty Mountain Flying Goose Palm, had finally returned...

I bowed deeply three times to the pear orchard beside Immortal Remembrance Lake, grateful for Master’s magnanimity in forgiving past grudges and allowing his greedy disciple to “occupy” these pears for two thousand years.

“Lu Xue, you have arrived, and I am leaving... You remain in the immortal mountains, and I shall go to the mortal world!”

The next day, I went to the back mountain under the pretense of continuing to plant trees. Halfway there, I changed into ordinary clothes and soared away from Jade Purity Realm...

I took one last look at the familiar scenery and roads. Two thousand years ago, when I was expelled from Jade Purity Realm, I could sing; two thousand years later, self-exiled from my master’s door, I can no longer sing that song. Living here, I never tired of it, but Lu Xue could not tolerate me, and neither do I wish to tolerate her any longer. I do not want to witness Jade Purity Realm descending into chaos!

I arrived at Immortal Pursuit Cliff. Azure celestial waters trickled down from the thirty-three heavens, winding along the Kunlun mountains, flowing far into the distance, reaching every corner of the Nine Provinces, Four Seas, Five Hills, and Eight Marshes. Traces of nascent spirits rose from the celestial waters, gathering together to form primordial souls. These newborn souls, carried by fate, would drift to unknown places, manifesting physical bodies—thus a new living being was born.

All living creatures under heaven are divided into three categories: birth by womb or egg, birth in dampness, and spontaneous transformation. Primordial souls that enter a mother become womb or egg-born. Masters like mine, possessing divine bloodlines, and those with immortal blood—royals, nobles, immortals, and underworld folk—are all womb or egg-born. If an immortal or deity perishes, their soul rises to the Nine Heavens, where, at the Immortal Birth Terrace, they are reborn into an immortal fetus. In such cases, the primordial soul remains intact; though memories are lost, traces of past and present lives can always be found.

Birth in dampness refers to ghosts born in the dark, moist regions of the underworld. Their bodies are formed from greed, desire, and resentment, gathering cold dampness to take shape—ugly and filthy. They are eternal slaves of the underworld, never seeing daylight, born and destroyed as needed.

Spontaneous transformation is highly special. When an immortal or deity perishes, their soul is lost, scattered into nascent spirits that merge in the celestial river of the thirty-three heavens. These blended nascent spirits become new primordial souls, giving rise to new beings. Such beings have no past lives, only the present and the future. Often, gods or demons born in response to calamity emerge in this way.

For two thousand years, Master has repaired the heavens and watched the celestial waters here, believing Lu Xue would never return. But heaven’s favor is mysterious. Master no longer needs to gaze at the trickling waters in sorrow while patching the sky. Though misfortune befell him and Lu Xue, they were ultimately blessed. Forty thousand years, and finally, they met again.

I lingered atop Immortal Pursuit Cliff, recalling time spent with Master watching snow fly over Kunlun. The sky grew heavy and cold, reminiscent of the first time I arrived here, yet no snow fell. For two thousand years, I watched the snow that never belonged to me—I ought to be content. Gazing at the cliff’s edge, I waved tearfully and called to the figure in my heart, “Take good care of yourself!” Then, without turning back, I descended Kunlun Xu.

Upon reaching Xu Huai Town, I passed a teahouse where an immortal storyteller was passionately recounting tales of Jade Purity Realm in Kunlun Xu. The guests inside and immortals outside listened with rapt attention.

“One day, Lord Yunxiao went hunting and caught a little immortal maid. On a moonlit night, the two poured out their hearts to each other, sealing their love with a kiss. Alas, Lord Yunxiao was always busy, and the little maid, unable to bear loneliness, secretly fell for Yunxiao’s elder brother, Lord Spring Wind. They became entangled day and night. When Yunxiao discovered this, he flew into a rage and killed the little maid. The brothers became bitter enemies, fighting atop Kunlun’s peak. To learn what happens next, stay tuned for the following episode.”

I was both amused and exasperated. Could they invent any more nonsense? The soul-bewitching spell behind that kiss had become “a kiss to seal love,” spawning such dramatic twists. No wonder Lu Xue saw me as an enemy the moment she arrived.

“Haha, if that were true, we wouldn’t have needed to come all this way to intervene.” Among the six listeners outside, one laughed.

“Silence!” A veiled immortal in a bamboo hat scolded quietly.

“Master!” The voice startled me—it sounded just like Master. But then I reconsidered; it couldn’t be him. Master was in Bingzhou, in the west. Why was my mind so full of Master?

“But why does his voice resemble Master’s so much? What are they planning?” I listened intently.

“Yes, Second Prince—” The speaker caught himself and quickly corrected, “Second Young Lord.”

“Fool! Come with me!” The veiled immortal turned to leave, moving incredibly fast. The wind lifted his hat’s veil, revealing a face masked in blackened gold!

Why wear both a hat and a mask? Thinking carefully, wasn’t that the face appearing again and again in my nightmares? Ming Zhong! He was Ming Zhong, the Second Prince of the Underworld! The ‘flower thief’ who abducted me years ago! Ming Zhong had come to attack Jade Purity Realm!

I realized disaster was imminent. With Master and Bai Ze away, Ming Zhong’s martial prowess was unfathomable—capable of taking on thousands. He wasn’t alone, either. Transforming into my cold crow form, I hurried after them.

Ming Zhong and his companions moved swiftly, ascending Kunlun Xu without being suppressed by the dragon vein’s energy! To avoid being tracked by the senior brothers, I had left all the Jade Purity Realm’s spiritual communicators on the mountain before my departure. I pulled six feathers from my body, sending the message: “I am Yu Fei. Ming Zhong is attacking. I’ll hold them off; reinforce quickly after setting up defenses.” I transformed the feathers into messenger birds—four sped to Jade Void Palace, two to Hundred Flowers Island. Not knowing where Master was in Bingzhou, I painfully plucked my heart-linked feather, turning it into a messenger bird and casting the heart-chasing spell to seek out Master.

The safety of my senior brothers in Jade Purity Realm, the sealed artifacts in the Hall of Deification, the many beasts in Beast Park that threaten the world... I could not let Ming Zhong succeed! I had to buy time for Master and my brothers, no matter the cost!

Exerting all my strength, I rushed ahead to Immortal Pursuit Cliff, claiming the advantage of the easily defensible position. I summoned the Zhenghe Zither, the magical instrument shared by Master and me, and sat cross-legged atop the cliff, blocking the way to Jade Purity Realm.

Though I’d cultivated diligently since escaping the Underworld a thousand years ago and my powers had greatly increased, I would not fare well in a direct confrontation with Ming Zhong. To delay him, I would need cunning. I emptied my mind, sitting calmly on the cliff and playing “Kunlun Flying Snow,” channeling the sweeping majesty of flying snow into every pluck, sweep, and trill of the strings...

As soon as I began playing, six underworld beings arrived at Immortal Pursuit Cliff. Seeing me on the cliff, Ming Zhong waved his black-bone whip to halt the others and cautiously stepped back two paces.

His figure closely resembled Master’s, yet his aura was dark and sickly.

I glanced sideways at Ming Zhong and the others, taking note of their positions, then lowered my gaze and continued to play. Master always said that winning without fighting was the highest strategy. If I could intimidate Ming Zhong and stall until my brothers and Master arrived, all the better. My messenger birds were as swift as flying cranes.

“You needn’t put on a show,” Ming Zhong said coldly, his tone mocking.

I smiled faintly, playing serenely, thinking, “I’ll put on as much of a show as I please.”

On Immortal Pursuit Cliff, Ming Zhong and I faced each other—one seated, one standing—in silent confrontation...

The biting wind carried the melody, the modal shifts of “Kunlun Flying Snow” drifting ethereal and cold... There was no snowfall, yet it felt as if snow filled the sky...