Chapter 10

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Upon arriving at the inn, Chu Yinghong immediately started explaining in detail the division of labor among the people.

The children are only responsible for lighting torches and other chores. Yu Sifeng has been to Lutai Mountain before, so the task of reading the map and navigating the way is left to him. Zhong Minyan and a few other hunters were in charge of lighting torches and throwing salt bags, and he was also in charge of splashing vinegar on the tengu.

“What about me?” Xuanji listened for half a day and didn’t hear them say anything about her, so she asked in a small voice.

Chu Lei looked at her indifferently, “All you have to do is to hide and watch from behind. Don’t run around.”

Does that mean she doesn’t have to do anything? Xuanji’s eyes are shining. For once, Dad is so reasonable and doesn’t want her to do anything!

When Chu Yinghong saw how happy the little girl was, she couldn’t help smiling and shook her head, saying, “Of course Xuanji has something to do. You are responsible for coating these two rabbits with honey and roasting them.”

She threw two rabbits to Xuanji which had not yet been skinned. They looked like they had just been hunted, and there were blood drops on their ears. Xuanji was shocked. Finally, with a bitter face, she took the rabbits and asked, “Do I have to even skin them?”

“Yeah. Here, this is for you.” Chu Yinghong gave her two small ceramic bottles with a red string attached to them.

Xuanji recognized them and wondered, “Oh, isn’t this Xiāng sū.[1]?”

It is one of Shaoyang’s home-made herbal medicines, which is very strong. Just a small spoonful of it put into rice or tea can make a person with more than ten years of cultivation power lose the power to even tie a chicken. It doesn’t have any taste or color, but once it is added into rice and tea, it will give off a sweet aroma that will tempt your appetite, hence its name.

Chu Yinghong laughed, “You, don’t forget to add some ingredients when you are roasting the rabbit. One bottle of Xiāng sū is enough for a roast hare.”

Xuanji had a flash of insight and said, “Ah, so it’s not us who are eating roasted rabbits! Aunt Hong, the rabbit is for the two demons, right?”

Chu Yinghong nodded, “Let’s use these two rabbits to lure them out, then we will take the initiative.” When she saw that Xuanji seemed to understand but also didn’t at the same time, her head just kept nodding, so she touched her head and said softly, “Why do you call me Aunt Hong? Even your sister Ling Long called me “Teacher”.”

Xuanji said, “Because Teacher doesn’t sound as good as Aunt Hong.”

She’s afraid she can’t understand this little girl’s thoughts. Chu Yinghong lost her smile and explained the task of catching demons in detail.

※※※

It is even more difficult to cross Mount Lu Tai at night than in the daytime. Someone once said that climbing over the whole mountain is even harder than climbing into the sky. From the foot of the mountain to the hillside, there are strange and jagged rocks and steep cliffs, so if you are not careful, you will fall down. There was not much else, but the ground was full of thorns. The sky was dark and it was hard to see clearly, so they often stepped on it and found that it was a large area of thorns and thistles only after it was drenched in blood.

After walking for less than half an hour, two of the porters carrying salt and vinegar were injured.

When Zhong MInyan saw Xuanji, he couldn’t help but say, “Hey, do you really not know any internal martial arts? I’m so tired!”

Xuanji shook her head, not knowing if she was admitting or not. She seemed to be too tired to speak.

“Wait! Don’t go that way!” When Zhong MInyan saw that she was leaning over the thorns, he hurriedly reached out and held her back. “Your physical strength is worse than a normal person!”

She looked up a little blankly, the moonlight was hazy at the time, and her face was also blurred, as if covered with a thick layer of yarn. There are only two eyes, clear and unbelievably bright, and the mist inside, seemingly obvious, not like the usual Chu Xuanji.

When Zhong Minyan saw it, he was startled, and suddenly reached out and touched her forehead lightly, said as his face changed color: “You have a fever!”

Xuanji herself also touched her forehead and whispered, “I… I just feel very tired… I can’t breathe… Is it a fever?”

Zhong Minyan remembered her dripping wet appearance. All of us were Cultivators, and our bodies were much stronger than normal people, so no one cared about this. But Xuanji was different. She was a half-witted immortal who couldn’t even memorize the complete Heart Technique, and her clothes were wet and took a long time to change.

“You can’t do this!” He said urgently, “Let’s go back! Catching demons is not a game. You’re so weak, what if you get hurt?

Xuange didn’t say anything.

When Chu Yinghong saw Xuanji’s pale face, she immediately raised her hand and touched her forehead, “The girl is sick! Master, why don’t we send her back?” She said worriedly.

Chu Lei looked up at the unseen mountains and asked, “How much longer do we have to walk?”

The first hunter said, “Nearly there, over this slope, there is a big pond ahead.”

He sighed and looked back at Xuanji, his eyes both reproachful and loving. This little girl has finally shown the bad consequences of her usual laziness and lack of practice, and she is dragging everyone’s feet at such a critical moment. If she encounters any demons on the way back, she’ll have to die.

He whispered, “Xuanji, hang in there. We’ll be there soon.”

She nodded and took a few steps forward, but then she heard Zhong Minyan say, “Don’t go that way!”

She was dumbfounded, and felt a sharp pain under her feet – she had stepped on a thorn in the ground!

The wound under her foot stepped on the ground, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Take off your shoes.” Chu Lei said, frowning as he held the little girl in his arms.

Xuanji had a bitter face, but she was really possessed by a bad luck star today. She took off her shoes and her feet are raised up.

The Sect Leader took a look at the wound, and then they pulled out a long, thin tweezer from the leather bag behind their waist.

Xuanji could only nod her head. Father was right, she knew nothing and was good at nothing but dragging her feet.

When she turned around and saw Zhong Minyan and Yu Sifeng standing behind her, she whispered, “I’m sorry… I’m always a nuisance to you guys.”

Zhong Minyan snorted, and because of Chu Lei, he could only mutter in a low voice, “You also know that you are trouble…”

Chu Yinghong picked out the thorns for her, applied some medicine and wrapped her feet tightly with her own handkerchief before saying, “I’m afraid Xuanji won’t be able to walk, so I have to find someone to carry her,”.

Chu Lei said, “I’ll do it.”

She shook her head and said, “No. The three of us can’t carry her. The demon will come out at any time, so we can’t be distracted.”

She turned back and waved to Minyan, “Minyan, carry your little sister on your back. When we get to the pond, we’ll keep an eye on our surroundings. I’m afraid the smell of blood will attract an attack.”

Zhong Minyan said that he was unwilling a hundred times, in his stomach, but it was not easy to refute what Master said, so he could only come over and gently lift Xuanji on his back, and whispered in a low voice, “It’s really a burden. How great!”

Xuanji had a fever and was injured, so she became weak and leaned on his back. The first time she heard him complain, she whispered, “It’s my fault… Next time, I’ll be good and stay in the inn.”

Zhong Minyan has always had a temperament that eats soft but not hard. Listening to her, the grievances in his stomach can’t be expressed anymore, so he can only whisper: “There will be another next time! I won’t take you out in the future.”

Xuanji was silent.

As she quietly leaned on Zhong Minyan’s back, following the gentle rise and fall of his steps, she suddenly remembered many things in her heart.

She had always disliked training, and was too lazy to practice martial arts or meditation, thinking it was silly. She also thought she could stay at Shaoyang Peak forever, never leaving her house, never seeing the waves outside. But she never thought that one day she would leave the shelter of Shaoyang Peak and the care of her parents, just like this time, for one reason or another.

She has just discovered that she is nothing but a nuisance and a burden, leaving behind everything she relies on for survival. She used to be able to tell lies, and she used to be able to say that she could handle herself. But now? Can she really save herself?

Ugh… she sighed in her heart.

How can we be lazy and save ourselves at the same time?

It was a serious question, and she pondered it solemnly for a long time, but she could not find an answer.

Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Xuanji felt confused for the first time. Everyone has their own pursuits. Dad wants to become an immortal, Linglong wants to rule Shaoyang, Zhong Min Yan wants to be recognized by her father… but what about her? What does she want?

She didn’t know.

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[1]: the term/name they use here is [香酥/Xiāng sū] which can be translated as “Fragrant( Xiāng) Crispy(sū)”, or “Soft biscuit”, or “soft pastry”. It’s not really a name so much as what it makes food smell like if added.

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