CH 8

In the guest room, Wu Xingxue suddenly opened his eyes.

He was a bit surprised that he had actually fallen asleep just now.

Almost everyone in Que City knew that he had a strange preference when sleeping-for most people, the quieter, the better. But not for him. If it’s too quiet, he wouldn’t get a second of sleep during the night. He liked it when it was slightly noisy.

He once joked to one of the old butlers in his manor, “I might as well raise a band and let them play their instruments and sing next to me.” That way, I’ll definitely be able to sleep until noon. “

The old butler’s face turned ashen as he listened, then said that “it wouldn’t be very safe to hire outsiders.” So, he tied some bells on the tree branches outside and raised all kinds of birds. That way, whenever a bird landed on a branch, the bells would ring.

Unfortunately, there were no band troupes here, nor birds. There was only an “attendant jailer” planted silently in the room, and somehow he managed to fall asleep. 

“Xiao Fuxuan.”

Wu Xingxue rolled over and sat up, hearing the gentle tinkling of a bell. He almost didn’t know where he was, thinking he had returned to Que City.

But Que City didn’t have the sound of chains.

Wu Xingxue looked down, finding that a thin silver string was tied to his wrist, and a bell of unknown origin was hanging on the string.

The other end of the string was connected to Xiao Fuxuan’s finger.

Isn’t this the flower bell found in my manor?

Is he treating me like a flower or like a bird?

Wu Xingxue lifted his head, wanting to ask the person who had tied the bell to him something. But he found that the other person was leaning against the wall with his head lowered, holding his sword, showing absolutely no sign of life.

This…….

***

This was called the separation of spiritual consciousness.

After nightfall, Xiao Fuxuan sent out his spiritual consciousness the second Wu Xingxue fell asleep.

The night on Peach Blossom Island was very dark, and a layer of fog formed a blanket over the water.

The Hua Sect’s patrolling disciples walked around with lanterns in hand.

“How many martial brothers do we have at Jianhua Hall?”

“Two, the Sect Leader won’t be happy if we send too many.”

“Good, how about Mr. Yi Wusheng?”

“There’s more over there, twelve.”

Did you inform the new disciples that Mr. must remain in seclusion until tomorrow at noon? During this remaining time, no matter what happens, he can’t leave seclusion. As soon as he leaves, all of his previous work will be in vain. Tell them not to bother him no matter what. “

“I already instructed them on that.”

They whispered to each other as they passed through Xiao Fuxuan’s spiritual consciousness, but none of them noticed.

Just like that, Xiao Fuxuan passed through the people and walked towards the depths of a bamboo forest.

He was quite familiar with Peach Blossom Island and still remembered where everything was.

Deep in the bamboo forest was the library, the one exclusively used by Hua Zhaoting. There were no guards at that place, only a few cleaning disciples carrying lanterns and buckets, busily working.

Xiao Fuxuan glanced around, then turned and left in a different direction.

As he was walking through an empty corridor, a hazy voice suddenly asked: [Are you looking for something?]

The night was deep and opaque, the hallway dismal. To Xiao Fuxuan, the appearance of this voice should have been sudden. However, he didn’t flinch at all. He continued to walk straight ahead, as if he had already gotten used to this.

[What might this Peach Blossom Island be like?] That voice mumbled, still extremely hazy.

Xiao Fuxuan still remained silent. He floated across the flowered pathway and entered a deep pavilion.

The pavilion’s door had the words “Jianhua Hall” written on it. This was where the Hua Sect’s Sect Leader, Hua Zhaoting, lived.

Peaceful and silent, there wasn’t a single disciple around. Light shone from one of the rooms; Hua Zhaoting hadn’t slept yet. He was holding a copper vessel with a narrow neck, watering a row of flower pots in the corner.

He was much more sensitive than the disciples.

When Xiao Fuxuan’s spiritual consciousness entered, he suddenly stood upright. After walking to the window side, it took a long time before he hesitantly withdrew his gaze. Then he shook his head and mocked himself, “I must be imagining it.”

And Xiao Fuxuan had already floated around his entire pavilion and was about to leave.

[Looks like it’s not here anymore], that voice sounded again.

This time, the always sensitive Hua Zhaoting didn’t show any reaction. It was as if only Xiao Fuxuan could hear this voice.

Without stopping, he quickly went towards the third place.

The voice asked in confusion, “What are you looking for?”

It didn’t seem to care whether Xiao Fuxuan would reply or not, and only said to itself: [Oh-I know.]

[I know what you’re looking for now.]

But so what if you found it?

Xiao Fuxuan, who hadn’t said a word yet, suddenly stopped.

He glanced at his waist, where a tiny silver brocade pouch hung. He nudged open the pouch with a finger, revealing a corner of the white jade divine statue.

It was the same one he was holding in his coffin.

The brocade pouch was tiny, but somehow, it was able to hold the statue that was the size of a palm.

Xiao Fuxuan looked at it for a while, then sealed the pouch tightly. After that, the hazy voice never sounded again.

He stood silently for a while, then took another step.

This time, he went towards the forbidden peach blossom grove. The yin energy there was thick, and the fog was dense. Disciples formed a circle along the outside of the grove, strictly guarding the grove.

But in front of his spiritual consciousness, there was nothing they could do.

***

Xiao Fuxuan looked around, still with no results.

When he left the grove, he suddenly felt that his ring finger moved, as if it had been lightly tugged at another place, accompanied by the gentle tinkling of a bell.

This was the thread he tied before leaving the room. The other end was connected to Wu Xingxue.

This way, if something happened, he could return immediately.

But this tug had a very frequent and unpredictable frequency. It didn’t seem like an emergency issue had happened, more like someone was trying to have fun.

Xiao Fuxuan looked at his ring finger and was about to return.

But suddenly, he heard the movement of a wave of bugs. The entire peach blossom grove seemed to have turned into a boiling pot. The devils buried here, along with Hua Sect’s disciples who came one after another, all rushed towards a single place like a soaring tide.

Xiao Fuxuan:”…..”

He sighed slightly, and then, in the next second, his spiritual consciousness returned to his body.

***

The lights in the room were flickering, and the patrolling disciples outside had long gone away.

The person on the bed had already gotten off. Though he had already been given shoes, he still wasn’t wearing them. He stood barefoot by the window with clothes draped around his shoulders.

He opened the window halfway, letting the frigid wind blow inside.

He squinted his eyes and listened for a while, then absentmindedly plucked the string with the bell in his hand. He turned around and asked, “Xiao Fuxuan, what’s going on outside? There’s so much activity, it’s scary.

Xiao Fuxuan:”… “

The Celestial Immortal looked for a while, not knowing how to describe the situation. After a while, he moved his lips, “I don’t know.” Probably a pilgrimage.1Pilgrimage is the journey people take to a sacred place to worship a god. In Chinese, it is literally translated as “towards God.”

Wu Xingxue: “…..”

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Would it sound a bit dumb if I asked which god?”

The devils underground were running fast, and the Hua Sect’s disciples also dashed as swift as river wind.

In an instant, there was already a cacophony outside the courtyard. 

Wu Xingxue leaned against the window frame and looked at him helplessly.

Xiao Fuxuan pinched his eyebrows.

***

Wu Xingxue suddenly felt a hard tug from the string.

The next second, he had tightly grasped his wrist.

“Close your eyes.” Xiao Fuxuan’s voice fell on him.

He felt a deep winter’s wind, along with the moist river air, sweep around them. When he opened his eyes again, he was already standing somewhere else.

“This is?” Wu Xingxue studied his environment.

“Peach Blossom Island’s Disciples’ Hall.” Xiao Fuxuan also looked around while still holding onto his hand.

Because all the disciples had gone to chase the devils, the whole hall was empty.

Wu Xingxue looked at Xiao Fuxuan and suddenly asked, “Just now, were you doing what they say in storybooks, meditating?”

“No,” I say.

“Oh,” Wu Xingxue nodded. “If not, then it must be that you went out to look for something.”

Xiao Fuxuan suddenly turned to look at him.

After a moment, he said quietly, “Mm”. 

“What were you looking for?” asked Wu Xingxue.

Xiao Fuxuan remained silent for a bit before replying, “A thing that was taken away a long time ago, and then returned.”

***

When Wu Xingxue killed Yi Wusheng’s father, brother, wife, and daughter, they were in the Immortal Capital. By the time he had rushed to Chunfan City’s Peach Blossom Island, he could only catch some word of the outcomes.

The rumors said that Wu Xingxue wanted help from Yi Wusheng only as an excuse.

He was an unscrupulous devil in charge of the entire Zhaoye City. With so many devils and demons under his control, what help could he seek from Yi Wusheng?

He changed his appearance and pretended to be a guest at Peach Blossom Island only because he was looking for something.

Legends say that the Hua Sect had a heavenly treasure. Ever since Wu Xingxue left Peach Blossom Island that year, the treasure has disappeared as well.

No one knew what that heavenly treasure was, and no one knew why Wu Xingxue took it either. All the people knew was that not long after, the Heavenly Treasure was returned to Peach Blossom Island.

And the second day after that happened, Wu Xingxue slaughtered his way into the Immortal Capital.

At that time, Xiao Fuxuan didn’t have any time to analyze the situation at all, and died along with the destruction of Immortal Capital.

Now that he was back at Peach Blossom Island, he wanted to find that treasure.

And ironically, the person who stole that thing back then was standing right in front of him. Yet Wu Xingxue had no idea of the past. He just nodded and said, “No wonder. I noticed that you’ve been looking around.”

As they were talking, another earth-shattering voice sounded outside the disciple’s hall. 

It must be that the devils underground, who found the guest rooms empty, were now coming towards the Disciples’ Hall on the east side. 

Wu Xingxue glanced outside and asked Xiao Fuxuan, “Where have you looked already? And where haven’t you looked yet? How about we just search the rest of the places? “

Xiao Fuxuan:”… “

“There’s still Punishment Hall, Meditating Hall, Sutra Hall, and Qiwu Pavilion left.”

……

So that night, under the suggestion of Devil Lord Wu Xingxue, Celestial Immortal Xiao Fuxuan went around in circles, also bringing all the demons accumulated in the Peach Blossom Grove for hundreds of years, as well as nearly a thousand Hua Sect disciples, with them. Under their lead, the entire Peach Blossom Island was plowed.

In the end, they stopped at Qiwu Pavilion, where Yi Wusheng was currently in seclusion. 

However, the Qiwu Pavilion that should’ve been filled with the scent of medicine was currently completely empty, without a trace of the person who should’ve been cultivating in seclusion inside.

“Where did he go?” Wu Xingxue looked around and asked after not seeing anyone.

Xiao Fuxuan suddenly remembered what he had heard on the road before.

That disciple said that Yi Wusheng must wait until tomorrow noon before leaving seclusion. Otherwise, all his previous hard work would be in vain. 

“What kind of seclusion is that brutal?” Wu Xingxue heard him and muttered, “Since it’s like this, then what kind of thing must have happened to make him suddenly end his seclusion?”

Just as he was about to search again, he suddenly heard Xiao Fuxuan say, in a solemn voice, “… found him.”

Wu Xingxue turned around, seeing that Xiao Fuxuan was standing by the second-floor window, looking downwards.

He looked over along Xiao Fuxuan’s line of sight, only to see that below the Qiwu Pavilion, countless tossing “earthworms” were directly rushing towards them. Within the splattering mud and thick fog, there was also a person clumsily charging over, along with the devils.

Wu Xingxue was stunned for a moment, “That’s Yi Wusheng? He’s—“

On a pilgrimage? Xiao Fuxuan answered his question before he could ask it.

It was said that during midnight, when foul energy was the strongest, or when a strong invader entered, all the devils on Peach Blossom Island would uncontrollably move towards that strong being.

That was the insuppressible natural instinct of devils.