CH 61

Chapter 61: The Life of a Mortal



Song Qingshi took out the gifts for everyone to choose from. 



A lot of small things that weren’t worth anything in the immortal realm were considered valuable in the mortal world; like the Yanshou Pill, as well as various precious gems.



With the Medicine King Xianzun in “closed door cultivation” for ten years, the Medicine King’s Valley, too, entered a sealed state. Qing Luan also didn’t dare let these beautiful mortal children walk around. And so, they were all locked up in the valley, studying and cultivating every day. When they were at Yan Shan Sect, Xie Que never showed them the real treasures of the immortal real; merely coaxing them with things of little value. When they came to the Medicine King’s Valley, because Song Qingshi didn’t place much importance on enjoyment, save for precious medicinal materials and books, there wasn’t anything in the valley.



The huge pile of glittering gems and jewelry he brought back from Nanhai City dazzled the children’s eyes.



When they turned to look at Song Qingshi, it was like they had seen an emperor-like extravagant figure. His entire body was giving off a golden light. 



Was this a cultivator?



Rong Ye was shocked to the core. When he secretly glanced at Song Qingshi, his throat went dry and he gulped. Everyone was refusing and giving way out of politeness. Finally, they decided to let the younger ones pick first. Ming Hong never paid any attention to these things. Seeing that there was nothing related to martial arts, he took a set of pens and ink stones. He also took a pair of blue earrings and withdrew.



Sister Qing Luan liked painting and doing calligraphy. She also liked blue gems.



Everyone saw through his little scheme and smiled, but didn’t call him out on it.



Rong Ye and Ming Hong were of the same age. Rong Ye was honey-tongued and doted upon. He thanked all his brothers and sisters and happily stepped forward. He opened wide his beautiful peach eyes and looked at the gems on the table over and over. He hesitated many times in his mind. He thought that everything looked good and wished he could take all of them back. He suddenly found a small black wooden box in the corner. The quality of the box was out of the ordinary.



Song Qingshi followed his gaze and apologized, “I placed this here by mistake.”



This was something he had bought for Yue Wuhuan. Because he had bought too much, he accidentally mixed it up.



Song Qingshi picked up the black wooden box and handed it to Yue Wuhuan. “This is for you.” 



Rong Ye leaned over curiously and acting coquettishly, asked, “Master, what is this?”



He leaned a little closer. His neckline hung a bit low and revealed a faintly discernible beautiful collarbone. His clothes had the scent of a perfume that he had personally blended. He had a pair of skillful hands and he liked studying these things. The scent he had produced was quite elegant. The initial smell was very faint but after a long time, it had an indescribable sweetness. It was very enchanting.



Song Qingshi didn’t like having people too close, and his body went a little stiff. But then he remembered that a professor mustn’t be alarmed in front of his students and he forced himself to remain calm.



Yue Wuhuan took the wooden box, glanced at Rong Ye’s display, and couldn’t help but smile. 



Qing Luan was a very good subordinate, but her heart was too soft; especially for these children who were her fellow sufferers. She always pitied them for being so young, for almost being sold. She hoped to give them a happy life and for them to grow up healthy. She never let them come into contact with anything dark.



She said that it would be better if she were the one to suffer. There was no need for the children to suffer.



Yue Wuhuan felt that this behavior was foolish. But he was busy reorganizing the Medicine King’s Valley. His priority was on removing the spies and the disloyal and to have the valley servants in the palm of his hand. He paid no attention to these foundation-less mortal children. It was Qing Luan who tossed about for them. So long as they didn’t cause any trouble, that was good enough. Qing Luan was afraid that the things Yue Wuhuan was doing would affect the children. She never talked about anything terrible; depicting only a bright future, urging them to study hard and repay the Master’s kindness.



It’s a pity that children grow up and give birth to ambitions. This, she could not control. 



Yue Wuhuan smiled faintly. He opened the wooden box and showed it to everyone.



In the box was a perfectly golden Mermaid Pearl, about the size of a section of a thumb. It was radiant and full of brilliance, brightening up the room. It was so dazzling that all the gems on the table lost their color.



We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

The children showed stunned gazes and they were full of praise.



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Tef Qetejc ribkis mibrfv atf kbbvfc ybz. Vwlilcu, tf rjlv, “P ilxf la nfgs wemt.”



Vbcu Hlcurtl kjr tjqqs ktfc tf tfjgv atja tf ilxfv la. “Pa’r cbatlcu. Ktfs rjs atja qegqif Zfgwjlv Ufjgir jgf wbgf yfjealoei. Fcobgaecjafis, atfs jgf abb gjgf. P kjrc’a jyif ab olcv jcs atlr alwf. P’ii yes atfw obg sbe ijafg. P’ii yes j iba bo atfw.”



Yue Wuhuan smiled. “Okay.”



Qing Luan has followed Yue Wuhuan for many years. She immediately sniffed a dangerous aura from this unusual behavior. This was a prelude to using bait to hook the prey. She quickly noticed Rong Ye’s somewhat inappropriate action and saw through his foolish thoughts. Her heart was annoyed, angry, and anxious. She quickly bowed towards Yue Wuhuan, displaying a pleading expression, indicating that she would handle the matter. 



Yue Wuhuan didn’t even look at her. He bowed his head and continued to make the kite.



Rong Ye regained his composure from the shock of the treasure. He once again showed a very sweet smile. He then randomly chose a few precious jewelry and gems suitable for men from the pile of gifts, and happily stepped back. Once his companions had finished choosing their gifts, they huddled together and admired each other’s selection. From time to time, he would praise the others’ good eye. He looked no different from how he usual was. Unfortunately, the furtive glances he directed towards Song Qingshi and Yue Wuhuan betrayed his petty thoughts.



Yue Wuhuan paid a lot of attention to his image in front of the Master. He would not allow for his secrets to be exposed.



Therefore, the pieces of flesh and those fools tortured to the point of mental collapse in the dungeons of the Medicine King’s Valley were things that were absolutely forbidden to be spoken off. 



Qing Luan was biting her nails. She was extremely anxious. She was worried that Rong Ye would do something stupid.



Yue Wuhuan gave her another warning look.



Qing Luan immediately put down her hand. She forced herself to smile, not daring to reveal the cloven foot.



With much difficulty, she managed to endure until the evening. After all the classes were finished, she immediately grabbed Rong Ye and pulled him out to give him a talking to. She once again reminded him of the debt of gratitude they owed the Master for saving their lives. She explained Wuhuan Ge’s importance to the Master and ordered him not to, under any circumstance, entertain any thoughts he shouldn’t have; or else, he will only have himself to blame if things went badly. 



“Qing Luan Jie misunderstood. I’m not,” Rong Ye denied, and then, trying to curry favor, said, “I just think that Master’s amazing and he’s very gentle. I have come to respect him greatly and I wish to get closer to him to learn more skills from him.”



The Underworld Ghost Fire was for killing people. Everywhere it touched, skin would splinter and flesh would burst, bones would break and the muscles would melt. The pain would be excruciating and there was no means to break away from it. Finally, it would turn all to black ask.



The Medicine King Xianzun’s fierce reputation and the fear of valley servants stemmed largely from the horror of Underworld Ghost Fire.



Qing Luan had witnessed Xie Que’s death, and even if Song Qingshi was normally gentle, she was still afraid and didn’t dare approach. 



A good-tempered tiger was still a tiger. That it didn’t want to eat people didn’t mean that it couldn’t eat people.



The gentle tiger should be handed over to someone strong and had no regard for his own life, like Wuhuan Ge…



He must never be provoked.



Qing Luan wished could break off into pieces everything she could say to Rong Ye, pry open Rong his head, and poured them all in. She wanted to make him understand these principles that were a matter of life and death. 



“I see,” Rong Ye grew impatient with her harping, and couldn’t help asking, “Is it really that scary to serve a cultivator?”



Qing Luan felt that the child was somewhat nit-witted. He didn’t understand the viciousness of the human world. She remembered that after the Xie Que’s incident broke out, Rong Ye, who was the same age as Ming Hong, unexpectedly didn’t cry or vent. Instead, speaking soft with a gentle voice, he comforted his frightened elder brothers and sisters. Although they felt that he might not have fully understood these dirty matters, his courageous demeanor brought everyone a lot of encouragement…



Everyone got along with Rong Ye; even Ming Hong, who was getting more and more withdrawn, would laugh a bit when he was with him.



Over the years, Rong Ye’s older brothers and sisters have acceded to his every plea. They spoiled him into becoming undisciplined and out of control. In particular, Rong Ye coaxed He Qingyun to the point of becoming confused and disoriented. If Rong Ye pointed east, he would not go west. If he wanted the stars, he would not give the moon. If he ate grapes, He Qingyun would peel and pick the seeds off them for him. No pet was doted upon as much as he was. He was so doted upon that he himself no longer knew his own weight. 



Qing Luan felt sick at heart…



She forced Rong Ye to promise not to be approach the Master again and not to provoke Wuhuan Ge.



Rong Ye thoughtlessly agreed, and asked with a casual smile, “Just how beautiful was Wuhuan Ge before? He has already been disfigured but the Master still holds him so deeply in his heart?”



Back then, when everyone arrived at the Medicine King’s Valley, he’d been too young and he couldn’t resist his exhaustion. He fell asleep in a daze. He hadn’t followed everyone to pay their respects to him. Later, listening to everyone discussing Yue Wuhuan’s beauty, he became a little curious and wanted to have a look. However, Yue Wuhuan was very busy, and Qing Luan kept them from leaving the yard and so he never got the chance to see. 



Later, by the time he saw Yue Wuhuan, his face was already covered in Devil Mask Snake Venom. It had been strange and terrifying.



Rong Ye had never seen such a horrifying face before. He’d been so scared, he had nightmares for the next two days. Since then, he never dared to see Yue Wuhuan.



Afterwards, Yue Wuhuan started to put on a mask and he felt a little more comfortable.



Now that the Master has finished his closed door cultivation, Yue Wuhuan changed into an exquisite golden mask. His entire body carried with it the breath of beauty. But whenever Rong Ye saw him, he still remembered the horror under his mask. The more Qing Luan emphasized the deep sentiments between the Master and Wuhuan Ge, the more he felt that Master was a very resolute person, to be able to be gentle towards and dote on such a face… 



He felt that waiting upon cultivators was a very good thing. What little that fell from between their fingers was more than enough for any ordinary person to be extremely comfortable.



Rong Ye looked at his reflection in the mirror. Everyone acknowledged that he was very beautiful, and only Ming Hong could rival him. However, Ming Hong’s temperament made him unlikable and he devoted himself completely to cultivation. Everyone knew that, in his heart, he admired Qing Luan Jiejie. And though he didn’t dare to say it, he deliberately imitated Wuhuan Ge’s style of dress, to try to attract her attention. It was really ridiculous.



Just how beautiful was Yue Wuhuan? How attractive?



Rong Ye listened to Qing Luan harping on. In his heart, he became even more unreconciled. 



He coaxed her repeatedly and finally managed to send Qing Luan away. He couldn’t help but laugh.



At Yan Shan Sect, Xie Que, in order to raise his merchandise’s identity, but nominally for his own good, had told everyone that he came from a family of intellectuals. Because he had a good knowledge of the literary classics, knew a bit of how to play the guqin and how to play chess, and was very polite in his words and deeds, everyone, including Qing Luan, believed this lie. He simply decided to follow everyone’s idea of him and pretended.



In fact, he had been born in the red light district. His mother was a popular flower lady, and his father, an unknown benefactor. People in this ancient profession belong amongst the lowest of the low. For many, inclusion in this profession was passed down from one generation to another. There are only three ways to leave — by encountering a heroic, sentimental benefactor, by escaping into religious life once your beauty fades with age, or by being carried out in a flimsy coffin.



Rong Ye grew up in a place like this. He seen a lot of welcoming and sending off, and scenes of tragedy, comedy and farce. 



He was born a xiao guan, how could he have any pure thoughts? How could there be anything he didn’t understand?



His mother’s temper had been at times, good and at times, bad. When she met with a generous and gentle benefactor, she would be in a good mood as she sang and played games to him. When she met with a bad-tempered benefactor, she would be irritable and anxious, and then would severely reprimand him, “Why did I have to give birth to a worthless being like you?”



His mother forced him to learn how to curry favor by showing obeisance, to observe the words and expressions of other to gleam their thoughts, to learn the four arts, and to accept misfortunes as decreed by fate.



He was terribly scared at first but later, he wasn’t afraid anymore. 



His mouth was sweet, and whenever his brothers and sisters got a huge tip, they would share some it with him in the form of snacks. He spent his days very comfortably off.



Everyone praised him for being beautiful and clever. When he grew up, he was sure to be a star amongst the xiao guan’s.



His mother would then scold him even more violently, “Worthless!”



Later, Xie Que accidentally discovered his beauty. He made known his identity as a cultivator, and offered a price to buy him, saying that he wanted to take him back to be his disciple. 



His mother was a master at the wind and moon. She seemed to realize something, but she still sold him.



He had been reluctant to leave his mother. He cried and kicked up a ruckus, refusing to leave.



His mother had beaten him mercilessly. She forced him to stop crying, and then she dressed him up beautifully, groomed him to look like the pampered son of a wealthy family. She then handed him over to Xie Que. Xie Que, with kind brows and pleasant eyes, told him that the mortal and immortal realm were different, and he feared that it would be difficult for them to see each other in the future. He let mother and son say a few words of farewell.



Rong Ye would always remember his mother’s expression at the time. There was no sadness of parting, no reluctance to let go. She was like a fierce tigress, pushing her cub step by step to the edge of the cliff. Voice low, she snarled, “With this worthless life of yours, is there anything you wouldn’t dare to bet?! No matter how dangerous it is, you must gamble!” 



He was so scared that he embraced his mother, wanting to cry once again.



“Get out!” His mother resolutely pushed him out the door. “If you live, then good. If you die, then so be it! You are not allowed to come back here!”



He had no choice but to follow Xie Que and leave the world he was familiar with. As the ship flew into the sky, he couldn’t help but glance back.



His mother stood in front of the window, crying. She cursed softly, “Worthless…” 



…



Rong Ye looked at himself in the mirror. The eyes of the young man in the mirror were a little red, affecting the romantic quality of the peach blossom eyes.



He kneaded it dissatisfiedly, planning on applying a warm stone as a hot compress to it later.



After Xie Que’s matter was exposed, everyone was very scared, but he wasn’t afraid. Even if he was sold as a slave to serve men, it was nothing more than returning to his past life. 



When Sister Qing Luan asked the valley servants to send everyone home, he found an excuse to go with them. He then secretly left while on the road. Using what little magic he learned, he disguised himself and took a detour to the red light district. He wanted to give the Yanshou Pill to his mother only to then find out that his mother had died of illness during the second year after his departure.



The life of a mortal is as cheap as ants and mole crickets. How very ridiculous…



Rong Ye didn’t cry. As he originally planned, he told the valley servants that he’d forgotten his family’s address and had nowhere to go. So, he successfully returned to the Medicine King’s Valley.



What was the difference between serving a cultivator of the immortal realm and serving a mortal benefactor? 



What Wuhuan Ge could do, why could others not?



His aptitude was not as good as Ming Hong’s. It would be difficult for him to make any progress on his cultivation. Foundation Building was far in the indefinite future. If he were successful in currying favor with the Master, he might be able to acquire a precious pill and reach Foundation Building, becoming a true cultivator, right?



Although Qing Luan Jiejie had said a lot of scary things, but…



What could he not bet this worthless life on?