Zanxing

Chapter 43 - Love Line (1)

At night, a layer of autumn mist rose over Gufeng Mountain.

Before long, winter would arrive. In the Duzhou continent, within the realm of cultivation, the distinctions between cold and heat were not clear. 

Cultivation focused on the heart's path, and the cycles of nature—spring blooms and autumn leaves, the coming and going of cold and heat—were but brief moments.

However, the founding master of the Taiyan Sect, Saint Yushan, had a playful disposition and was unwilling to live a dull and monotonous life. He thus lifted the seasonal restrictions on Gufeng Mountain, making it indistinguishable from the human world throughout the year. With spring flowers, autumn moons, summer rains, and winter snow, there was always some scenery to enjoy.

A young man sat by the window, his hands resting behind his head, gazing at the distant peaks. The night wind tousled his hair, blurring his gaze.

Someone knocked on the door from outside. After a few knocks, Gu Baiying did not turn around and said, "Come in."

The person entered.

It was a handsome little boy, about eight or nine years old, looking lovely and delicate. He wore a pink gauze robe, which had an embroidered pink-purple rose on the chest, and his hair was tied with a matching headband. Although he was a boy, he appeared even more refined than a girl.

This was the direct disciple of Master Yueguang, Men Dong.

"Martial Uncle," Men Dong walked to the window, looking up at the young man sitting by it. "Now that we've returned, your spirit meridian..."

Gu Baiying, the son of Fairy Qinghua, was exceptionally talented, having formed his Golden Core at the age of fourteen and now being at the later stage of Dividing Spirit (or Spirit Separation). Although he was at this stage, his true strength was far beyond that. Everyone said that not only had he inherited the beauty of Fairy Qinghua, but he had also inherited her spiritual roots. It was possible that he would become the second genius to ascend in the Duzhou continent in the future.

Moreover, he was still so young.

However, what ordinary people did not know was that Gu Baiying's spiritual meridian was inherently damaged. If he did not cultivate, the backlash from his meridian would surely threaten his life. But if he kept cultivating, the stagnation in his meridian would eventually lead to it being devoured by his own techniques.

Not cultivating meant death, while cultivating merely meant a slower death.

Thus, over the years, Gu Baiying rarely appeared in the sect, not because he was arrogant or proud, but because most of the time, Zhao Mayi and Men Dong accompanied him in searching for spiritual herbs and medicines to repair his meridian.

Men Dong was the direct disciple of Master Yueguang. Although his cultivation level was not very high, he possessed a natural "spiritual celestial aperture," allowing him to recognize and sense various spiritual herbs and pills. For any disciple in the sect suffering from difficult ailments, as long as they were not severely ill, Men Dong could brew a few doses of spiritual medicine, and most of the time, it would work wonders.

Last year, Zhao Mayi and Men Dong went to Xizhou with Gu Baiying, but they returned empty-handed, wasting a year of time. Even if Gu Baiying did not want to, his elemental force would continue to accumulate within him, and soon he might break through again. However, now, every breakthrough for Gu Baiying was merely closer to death.

"Fifth Uncle is really something." Men Dong said with irritation, "He keeps saying that a demon star has appeared and insists we hurry back, but what happened? Nothing at all. Every time the divination doesn't work, why doesn't the master expel him from the sect? Such bad luck!"

"You should say that in front of the master." The young man snorted, "What good does complaining to me do?"

"I'm just thinking of you." Men Dong pondered for a moment before looking at him again. "But Martial Uncle, don't be discouraged. The 'Qin Insect' we've raised in the black swamp should be maturing in a few days. The timing of our return is just right; once we plant the 'Qin Insect' in your body, it will repair a portion of your meridian. At that time, it will be much easier for you."

"Let's hope so." Gu Baiying replied absently, picking up a teacup from the table and taking a sip.

"Martial Uncle!" The little boy grabbed Gu Baiying's sleeve, nearly pulling him down from the window. "Why have you been so distracted these days? They say you have your eye on a new female disciple named Yang Zanxing. Is that true?"

"Pfft—" Gu Baiying spat out a mouthful of tea, looking at Men Dong with an angry gaze. "Who did you hear that from?"

"Sixth Uncle." Men Dong replied. "Sixth Uncle said you've been secretly watching that female disciple. Martial Uncle, is she really very beautiful?"

"That scoundrel Xuanling." Gu Baiying slammed the teacup onto the table and shouted angrily at Men Dong, "If you're curious, go look for yourself!" He then stormed out.

The little boy stood behind, staring at his back, and murmured, "If you don't want to say, then don't say it. Why get so angry?"

...

Meanwhile, Zanxing stood in Li Danshu's alchemy room. A little boy came out holding a box and handed it to Zanxing. "Senior Sister, the Pure Skin Jade Beauty Pill is ready."

Zanxing took the box, her gaze landing on the pill inside.

The pill looked like a chocolate bean and had a fragrant herbal scent. She asked Li Danshu, who was sitting in front of the alchemy furnace, "Martial Uncle, should I chew this pill or take it with water? Should I eat it all at once or in several doses?"

"Do as you wish." Li Danshu waved his hand dismissively. "There are no strict rules. Just eat it however you like."

"Then," Zanxing asked again, "After I take this pill, when will the scars on my face disappear?"

Li Danshu glanced at her. "Not long, at least a year, at most two years."

"Two years?" Zanxing exclaimed in surprise. "Why does it take so long?"

Li Danshu adjusted his hat that was about to slip off, clearly unhappy with her exclamation. "Of course! What do you think this is, a miraculous elixir?"

Zanxing replied, "Isn't it?"

"Cough," Li Danshu shook his fan. "The scars on your face were caused by the demon beast's demonic aura. A regular person couldn't recover to their original state. This pill works slowly, and it's already great that it can help you regain your original appearance. Besides, a woman should cultivate inner beauty; outer appearance is not something to worry too much about."

Zanxing looked at Li Danshu, whose face was covered in ash and whose gauze robe was scorched, and felt that his words were quite unconvincing.

However, at this moment, she had no other options. Inner disciples could only receive thirty spiritual stones per month, and thirty spiritual stones couldn't even buy intermediate spiritual herbs, let alone anything else.

Zanxing could only bow to Li Danshu and say, "Thank you, Uncle Master. I'll be going back now."

"Go on, go on." Li Danshu waved his hand.

After leaving the alchemy room, Zanxing walked towards the small wooden building. She had nearly finished her recovery these past few days, and starting tomorrow, all the inner disciples would begin group cultivation classes. In some ways, she had finally entered the key training program of the Taiyan Sect, becoming a prioritized talent.

However... Zanxing looked at the red mark on her hand. Not to mention the past, ever since Mimi had hatched from the egg, the red mark in her palm had deepened significantly, vaguely outlining the shape of a flower.

She felt a sense of unease in her heart.

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly sensed a strong wind approaching from behind. Zanxing instinctively dodged, drawing out the iron staff at her waist and countering the attack, only to meet a flash of silver light.