CH 2

There was a thick fog in front and the surroundings were extremely cold. The body seemed to be laying inside a tight space, with a translucent slate right just above the tip of the nose. The white breaths of air in front was somewhat dispersed, condensing into small water droplets that created fine ice particles.

Xiyun’s body was stiff and the arms were too heavy to lift. He tried to move his legs and pressed a knee against the slate. He applied more force. The slab made a “kacha” sound as it cracked and shattered on one side.

When his arms regained some strength, and with the help of his knee, he shoved aside the whole slab with difficulty, sat up, and discovered that he was inside a cave.

It was unlike the dim scene he had previously seen inside his consciousness. There were lights lit and it was quite bright. It’s just that the cave was filled with fog and cold air. Mu Xiyun looked down at himself, he was wearing a white robe with silver cloud patterns embroidered on the hem and cuffs. This is… Moyun Mountain disciple uniform. Was he back at the mountain?

Suddenly, sounds of hurried footsteps were heard, and a figure in white robe suddenly entered inside the cave. It was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, he was short in stature and tiny beads of sweat were oozing out from his chubby face. He couldn’t help but shiver as he stepped inside.

“Oh my God, you’re finally awake!” The middle-aged man was astonished for a moment before dropping the book and a clump of hay he was holding and stepping forward to stop Mu Xiyun. “Don’t get up yet. Please pay attention to your body!” 

Although he didn’t know the other party’s intention, he didn’t notice any malice. Xiyun sat back down as he said and waited attentively. The visitor’s left palm pressed against his back, sending a soft and warm spiritual energy into his body. 

The body gradually warmed up. After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the middle-aged man stood up and walked slowly to the side of the cave. Only then did Mu Xiyun finally get a clear view at everything around him.

This was a small stone room, which was constantly pervaded by frigid air. A cold jade coffin with its lid opened, sat in the center of the stone room, where he had just exited from. Beside it, was a small topaz bottle, a tool used to gather and store souls. At this time, the middle-aged man opened his mouth. “If I may take the liberty to ask, can you tell me your name?” With a dry throat, Mu Xiyun tried several times, and finally made a sound, “…”

“Sure enough, it’s you.” The middle-aged man seemed to be relieved. He helped him sit down and added, “Brother Mu, I’m Mo Zhiqi, Tianji Peak’s elder. “

Moyun Mountain was a big mountain with five peaks: Tiankui, Tianxiang, Tianliang, Tianji and Tianxian. Ancestors of Moyun Mountain discovered this place in the early years, and realized that five peaks of this mountain towered into the skies, and the people’s life below the mountain was relatively simple. What made this mountain even more significant was that it’s full of spiritual energy.

They cultivated here, absorbed the spiritual essence of heaven and earth and got twice the result with half the effort. Later, they decided to just settle here and took root. At the start, there was only Tiankui Peak, but as time passed, the sect grew in size and number of disciples increased. As a result, they agreed that each of the five peaks should be occupied by an elder.

Each one of the five peaks specialized in a different area, and medicine was Tianjin Peak’s expertise.

The current elder, Mo Zhiqi, took over Tianji Peak from the previous elder, who enjoyed wandering around the world, ten years ago. He was indifferent by nature, and was even more of a medical fanatic than the former. In addition to completing the usual routine work of teaching disciples, he was either buried in ancient medical books all day, or studied herbal medicines in the alchemy room.

However, every first and fifteenth day of every month, Elder Mo would go to Tianji Peak’s rock caves. Tianji Peak had wide varieties of medicines. Many medicinal herbs and ready-made medicines that were even sensitive, that sometimes required a cool place to be stored. The Tianji rock caves were natural caves which had countless small compartments. The cave’s temperature was warm in winter and cool in summer, and it used spiritual stones to separate the chambers of varying temperatures for storing various types of medicinal herbs.

When he took over Tianji Peak ten years ago, the former elder Huang Zelin brought him here and gave him a confidential task. Mo Zhiqi was shocked by what he had discovered, yet he still remained silent as he assumed the position of Tianji Peak’s elder.

Twice a month, he would come to this cold room and spend three or four hours exploring with his spiritual power the Soul Gathering Bottle that contained Xiyun’s soul.

The two generations of elders had worked hard for over a thousand times during the last fifty years, but the Soul Gathering Bottle still had not made any movement. Mo Zhiqi no longer had any hope. Yet he stayed diligent because he did not want to betray his master’s trust. He would come here every first and fifteenth of the month without fail and eventually treated it as a meditation practice as time went by.

Mo Zhiqi sat quietly in front of the jade bottle today with that same mentality, and suddenly realized that in the medicinal book he had read yesterday, there was a summary of the curative ability of different portions of Chengfeng herb. He hastily left and headed to the next door medicinal room to look for that specific herb medicine, however Xiyun unexpectedly woke up at that point.

Xiyun was still a little weak, and said with a little difficulty. “Thank you!” Then he wondered. “I remember that the elder of Tianji Peak was surnamed Huang, I don’t know where he is now?”

Mo Zhiqi wiped the sweat that was almost frozen on his face, and replied, “No need to thank me, Elder Huang was my master, and he resigned from the position of elder ten years ago.”

“Ten years ago…” Xiyun remained silent for a moment before raising his eyes to look at Mo Zhiqi and asked softly, “How many years have I been lying here?” Mo Zhiqi looked into his eyes, “It had been fifty years since the battle at Linmo Yuan.” Fifty years, converted into an average person’s lifespan, it was nearly a lifetime of reincarnation. “It’s been so long, things remained as what they were, yet the people are not…” Xiyun sighed in his heart.

“But brother Mu eventually woke up. If Master knows about it, he will definitely be very happy.” Mo Zhiqi’s voice was filled with joy. “Don’t say it’s just him, even me, it’s been ten years since I waited for this day and I finally saw you regain consciousness today. I finally fulfilled my promise to my master.”

“Elder Mo has worked hard.” Xiyun secretly suppressed the sadness in his heart, and instead said with concern, “Elder’s face is pale, I am afraid that the loss of spiritual energy just now was too great. You might as well rest first. Although there are still countless doubts in my heart, fifty years have already passed, and there is nothing to worry about at the moment. It’s not too late to ask Elder Mo for advice in the future.”

Mo Zhiqi was indeed a little exhausted, and the cave was so frigid that he couldn’t help but tremble a few times.

He cast a glance at Xiyun. The disciple’s uniform appeared to be unsuitable on his body. He fetched a spare cotton robe from a cabinet on the side, handed it to Mu Xiyun to put on, and swiftly led him out of the rock cave.

The cold, humid winter air outside rushed into Xiyun’s lungs as he took a deep breath as Mo Zhiqi brought him to a disciple’s room in Tianji Peak.

“It so happened that I was very busy and didn’t make any preparations. Brother Mu, you rest here first. It’s just…” Mo Zhiqi hesitated, Although there aren’t many disciples on the peak these days, it will be difficult to explain why there is one more person. If you encounter them, please hide and don’t be seen.”

“Okay.” Xiyun saluted, “This elder will now take a rest.” Mo Zhiqi was no longer polite, turned around, walked out of the disciple’s house, and went back to his own room.

Mu Xiyun remained standing inside. Fifty years have passed, and yet the disciple’s room was still the same as it was back then. He reached out and brushed the edge of the window, looking up at the full moon in the sky through the open window.

The full moon was undisturbed, sprinkling silver frost to the world. It had been so long since the last time he saw something like this.

He didn’t sleep well that night.

He didn’t know if it was because his soul had been floating in the void for so long that there was some kind of resistance when it entered this body. Blood vessels across his body were tingling, and his sea of consciousness was even more excruciating. It seemed that there were thousands of thorns crawling left and right across his body.

Mu Xiyun lay down for a moment with his eyes open, then sat up after a while. There was another stir in his body. He coughed a few times, sat cross-legged in meditation, and peered inside his body.

The meridians have not yet been widened, the spiritual power is low, and… this body hadn’t yet formed a golden core! Mu Xiyun was taken aback for a while. Fifty years ago, his golden core was already established, his sea of consciousness was vast, and his swordsmanship was at its pinnacle. Even if it’s fifty years of deep sleep, the body should not be like this, narrowed meridians and depleted sea of consciousness.

After pondering for a while, Mu Xiyun sighed, walked out of the room and arrived in front of a large mirror stone.

There was a rule in Moyun Mountain that every disciple should be upright in mind and body. Etiquette and manners were also strictly enforced. In fact, Moyun had been famous for having cultivated a large number of modest gentlemen. Mirror stones were placed in front of the disciples’ rooms in each peak which had been polished with a spell so that the disciples could get their clothes correctly.

The large stone reflected the morning sun, and the smooth mirror clearly reflected his image. He saw a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, hair as black as ink and draped like soft satin on his shoulders; a face as white as jade, but pale and bloodless; light and shallow brows, and its ends were like smoke; light colored eyes, with a hint of youthful softness, and was as calm as the sea; grecian nose and a slightly pointed chin. His slender and small frame was faintly outlined behind his oversized Moyun disciple uniform.

The face resembled his, but the entire person feels entirely different.

Fifty years ago, Xiyun was one of Moyun Mountain’s most remarkable disciples, with sharp and resolute eyes, his whole person was cold and lofty, like a bright sword. However, as he gazed at his reflection, there was no trace of sharpness. Just like a sword sheathed back to its scabbard. For no apparent reason, the individual appeared soft and gentle.

Tianji Peak disciples were already in their morning lessons, and there was no one else nearby. Mu Xiyun stayed in front of the mirror stone for a while before noticing Mo Zhiqi walking over.

Before Mu Xiyun could inquire, Elder Mo had already said, “This body is not yours.” Xiyun did not appear surprised. He had suspected it for some time. He didn’t say anything and just silently waited for Elder Mo to continue. “I have no idea what happened back then. I merely followed my Master’s orders. How much do you remember?” Mu Xiyun closed his eyes. Memory fragments appear one after the other, but they were exceedingly jumbled and mixed together.

“Sorry, my memory is a bit confusing. Was it Elder Huang who saved me?”

“When Master treated you back then,” Mo Zhiqi explained, “you had already ruptured your sea of consciousness, your meridians were damaged, and your spiritual energy was drained. He tried his best and barely protected your body from disintegrating. Fortunately, your soul has not yet scattered, and can still be collected using the soul gathering jade bottle in time. The Master returned your body, along with your sword, to Tianji Peak and hid it in a rock cave. He attempted to re-establish your meridians. But he was unable to do so in the end. He could only bury you a year later.”

“After exhausting the spiritual energy until the golden core is shattered, the body and the sea of consciousness would be in irreparable damage, and the soul would simultaneously be scattered. This is a warning that every cultivator has received when he starts his path in cultivation.” Mu Xiyun’s eyes were clear, ” It is impossible to save a person in that kind of state, yet Elder Huang has gone against the laws of heaven for me.”

“It’s good that you understand.” Mo Zhiqi breathed a sigh of relief, “However, Master, he was not reconciled, but became more persistent. For decades, he has traveled all over the world, searching for spiritual stones and ancient medicines. Finally, twenty years ago, in an iceberg cavern in the far north, he found a piece of spiritual jade. He used the spiritual jade as the base, the mountain spirit plum at the back of Tianji Peak as the bone, plus a body nourishing elixir and your preserved blood, it took him thirteen years to finally cultivate a body. The body was kept in a cold jade coffin for seventeen years. It’s a pity that your soul hasn’t awakened over the previous seventeen years and hasn’t been able to enter the body sooner. You must feel a tingling sensation throughout your body, as well as some pain in your sea of consciousness, right? “

“Well,” Xiyun replied, “I just woke up yesterday, so it should be. But it would certainly get better with time.”

“It would have been preferable if the soul had been incorporated into the body seventeen years ago, but several years have passed now. The spiritual plum needs some time to get adapted to the soul, but this is not a considerable issue. With the improvement of practice, it should become better slowly.”

“Yes.” Xiyun coughed a little. Elder Huang had worked so hard, Xiyun was ashamed of himself. 

“Alas,” Mo Zhiqi sighed, “Master, why did he want to save you so much? He didn’t tell me the reason. He just said that when things were suspicious back then, you were deeply involved in it and saving you was just a matter of obeying the mandate of the heavens.” 

Xiyun looked at him and said respectfully, “No matter what. For decades, Elder Huang has been running around and Elder Mo had been patiently waiting. For Xiyun, it is a big favor.”

“Don’t thank me, I just followed Master’s instructions.” Mo Zhiqi stood up and walked around the room while saying, “You are originally a disciple of Tianliang Peak. I don’t know if your old friends are still there, you might as well come and study medicinal skills in Tianjin Peak than be an outer disciple of Moyun Mountain.”

Although Moyun Mountain had five great peaks and five elders, all disciples learned the same fundamental Kung Fu skills. The difference only lies in the direction of cultivation. After all, each individual had their own strengths. When disciples first entered the mountain, there was not much difference in what they knew and what they learned.

Unlike other sects, Moyun does not have factional disputes. Instead, it encourages the disciples to study and practice more. Whichever peak someone wants to go to learn from, they will just have to go directly to its master. The master will also consider the disciple’s qualifications and recommend them to other peak masters. 

Tianji Peak mainly focuses on medicinal skills, and it’s a place where disciples come to exchange and learn the most. No matter which skill was cultivated, basic healing skills must be mastered before traveling down the mountain in the future. As a result, the disciples of Tianji Peak had grown accustomed to seeing unfamiliar faces. Instead, they acquired an open-minded and pleasant disposition that allowed them to better interact with newcomers.

“I think that’s all. Also, before I forget, it’s not good to address you using your old name. The Linmo Yuan battle had a big impact, and storytellers in teahouses were still telling your story up until now.” Mo Zhiqi pondered for a moment, “How about the name ‘Mu Yun’? ‘Mu’ as in ‘admiration’ and ‘Yun’ as in ‘luck’.”

“Mu Yun..?” Xiyun’s soft eyes showed a smile, “Thank you, elder!” 

The author has something to say:

Sorry, because of the overhaul, the first four chapters have changed a lot, please bear with me! Love you!