Zanxing

Chapter 127 - The Lovebirds Tree (2)

Zanxing once thought that even if Gu Baiying were to poke a hole in the sky one day, he'd still wear that indifferent expression.

But sometimes, Zanxing felt that this young man was hiding countless secrets, just as she had once told Mengdong—concealing all his vulnerabilities deep within.

At this moment, he, too, seemed lost in the face of "fate," to the point where he was asking questions of her, a junior disciple he wasn't even close to.

"Nothing has changed, has it?" she murmured, then suddenly spoke, "Not necessarily."

Gu Baiying was startled.

Yanxing turned her chair to face him, her tone light, "Yinli did indeed vanish into dust, but before that happened, he met Princess Lizhu. Though Princess Lizhu had lost her memory, she called out Yinli's name before forgetting. Even if it's a tragedy, at least our 'struggle' brought a bit of comfort within the tragedy. Martial Uncle," she said, looking gently at Gu Baiying, "even the smallest change is still a change. Mortals cultivate immortality to defy the heavens, to avoid being at the mercy of fate, don't they?"

He didn't respond immediately. After a long pause, he asked, "Why do you seek immortality?"

Zanxing: "Huh?"

He waited patiently for her answer.

"For freedom."

"Freedom?"

Zanxing smiled, "Martial Uncle, let me tell you a secret. I'm also trying to resist my predetermined 'fate.'"

Gu Baiying chuckled softly. For once, the laughter held no trace of mockery. He asked, "By 'fate,' do you mean marrying the young lord of Yue City?"

"That's just one aspect," Zanxing replied, "There are many others. Even if I don't marry Wang Shao, according to 'destiny,' I'd end up marrying Li Shao or Qian Shao. I don't want my fate to be in someone else's hands. In Duzhou, where the pursuit of immortality is widespread, only through cultivation can I have a chance to break free from destiny." She stood up, walked over to Gu Baiying, and returned the empty wooden box to him. "It's difficult, with countless visible and invisible obstacles, and sometimes things backfire."

"In truth, I don't know how it will all end. Perhaps everything will return to the way it was in the beginning," she said, bending down to look the young man in the eye, "But I have no regrets."

It was rare for her to be so serious. Most of the time, she seemed to take things as they came, with a calmness that could be either ignorance or confidence.

But...

But here, in this vast wilderness, inside the lone thatched hut, under the dim, warm light, her casual yet resolute words, especially the phrase "I have no regrets," somehow lightened the mood.

After a long while, Gu Baiying let out a simple "Oh" and placed the now-empty redwood box aside.

Zanxing looked at him and asked, "That's it?"

"What do you want?" he took a sip of the water that Zanxing had poured for him earlier.

"I thought you had some deep-seated issue that was hard to talk about, and that's why I patiently shared all these insights with you, hoping to bring you some comfort. Even if your bell won't ring, shouldn't we at least have grown a bit closer by now?" Zanxing replied. "Shouldn't you share your biggest secrets with me next, like a tragic past or an insurmountable weakness?"

Gu Baiying was mid-sip when he choked on her words, coughing several times before angrily glaring at Zanxing. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly have any weaknesses?"

"Really?" Zanxing gazed at him. "But just now, your expression looked like you were facing something tricky, almost as if you were about to give in to fate."

Gu Baiying slammed the cup onto the couch with a loud "clang." Luckily, the cup was carved from stone, so it didn't shatter. He stared at Zanxing, and whether out of embarrassment or because she hit a nerve, he warned her, enunciating each word carefully: "Yang Zanxing, I have no weaknesses, no tragic past, and certainly no difficult problems. If you dare talk nonsense again, I'll have Xuan Ling expel you from the sect."

"And the reason?"

"For disrespecting your elders, lacking reverence for your teachers and the Way," he added, seemingly still unsatisfied, "and for presumptuously speculating about others!"

Zanxing: "...That's a trumped-up charge."

He sneered, "You'd better watch yourself."

Seeing that he had regained his spirit to argue, Zanxing figured he had worked things out. Just a moment ago, Gu Baiying seemed stuck in some stubborn thought, but despite his impulsive and irritable nature, he guarded his inner secrets tightly, leaving no clues for others to see. Then again, the minds of the young are always hard to fathom. There's no need to dwell too deeply on his occasional confusion with life—he'd figure it out eventually.

Realizing he might have overreacted during their argument, Gu Baiying coughed lightly, "Stop bothering me. I need to get back to my cultivation." With that, he closed his eyes, paying no mind to Zanxing's reaction.

Zanxing shrugged.

She wanted to cultivate too, but there wasn't a trace of spiritual energy in this wilderness. Her Xiao Yuan Pearl was as lifeless as could be, and with her thoughts preoccupied by the situation outside, she couldn't focus like Gu Baiying. The owner of the thatched hut still hadn't returned, and it was getting late. Could they have stayed somewhere else overnight? But in this vast plain, apart from that stone mountain, there wasn't even a single hill in sight—where could they be staying?

Zanxing, bored out of her mind, glanced out the window and froze.

"Martial Uncle," she called to Gu Baiying, "come quickly and look!"

Annoyed, Gu Baiying opened his eyes. "What now?"

"That tree..." Zanxing pointed out the window. "That tree is moving!"

Gu Baiying followed her gaze.

About ten meters from the thatched hut stood a tree that, in the pitch-black night, appeared as nothing more than a blurry silhouette. However, the shape of that silhouette was gradually expanding, as if it were growing.

Gu Baiying picked up his embroidered bone and rushed out the door. "I'm going to take a look!"

Zanxing quickly called out to Mimi to follow him.

The night in the wilderness was a bit chilly. The giant tree was the only prominent feature in the vast expanse, making it especially noticeable. Zanxing took out a few illumination talismans and hung them on the tree. In an instant, the scene before her stunned her.

The tree was blooming.

The interwoven branches stretched and grew, with soft buds sprouting from each segment. It wasn't the kind of rapid blossoming that happened overnight; rather, it resembled butterflies breaking free from their cocoons... no, it should be said they were like birds.

First came the fluffy, petite heads, followed by the bodies springing out, long tails, and then the unfurling wings. Those crimson feathers sparkled as if sprinkled with glistening moonlight, flamboyantly perched at the tips of the branches. A cold wind blew across the plain, making the giant tree's branches rustle, while thousands of fiery red Luan birds filled the night like a cloud of crimson, lively, noisy, and dazzling.

"This flower tree..." Zanxing turned to Gu Baiying beside her.

"Biyihua..." Gu Baiying was also taken aback.