Chapter 6

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When Zhong Minyan heard that Xuanji had also been drawn, his face turned even paler. He sneaked a glance at his master. Although there was no expression on his face, a storm was brewing in his eyes.

When the crowd realised that there were only three masters in the group, and the other two were children, there was much discussion. Moreover, four of the five people in the group were from the Shaoyang Sect, so it can be said that this flower picking mission was just arranged for the Shaoyang Sect.

However, when Xuanji’s name was announced, while the others were alright, but He Danping is the one who reacted most strongly. She was shocked, surprised, and angry. She was shocked that the two juniors were chosen; surprised that Xuanji’s name appeared in the bamboo basket; and angry that if it weren’t for Master Song’s provocation, the matter would not have developed to this point.

Her heart as a mother ached when she thought that Xuanji, who was so weak and helpless, had to go on a flower picking mission. Xuanji can’t even do the horse stance[1]! This is a clear-cut way to get killed! Who put Xuanji’s name in there?

When Chu Yinghong saw that she didn’t look right, she hurriedly stepped forward to help her, and said softly, “Sister Ping, it’s alright. The Head Master and I will protect Xuanji and the others with our lives, so that these two children won’t be hurt.”

Linglong on the other hand, however, became alarmed, and said, “How can it be Sister?! My sister doesn’t know anything. How can she go? Why not me? Father, mother! I can go in her place! Let me go!”

Xie Lei’s face was ugly, he slowly shook his head, and said in a low voice, “You can’t go, stay in Shaoyang Peak to practice. Minyan – ” he turned back to the pale boy, “Go to Mingxia Cave and get Xuanji. Bring her here.”

Zhong Minyan could only agree, so he turned around and walked out of the Hairpin Hall.

He couldn’t figure it out.

He couldn’t figure out why the master would make him change Linglong’s name to Xuanji’s. He seems overly biased, even though they are both his daughters. Although he was good friends with Linglong and didn’t like the eccentric Xuanji, he couldn’t help but feel bad when he thought of the girl who was curled up on the stone bed in the dark, shivering. Could it be . . . could it be that the Head Master felt that it would be more acceptable for Xuanji to die . . .!

Zhong Minyan was so angry for Xuanji that he felt even more remorseful for having written her name on the bamboo sticks. He swore in his heart that he would do his best to protect Xuanji, even if he had to risk his life. She was innocently involved in all this, and he was also partially responsible.

Of course, he doesn’t know that the poor girl in his heart, who is “shivering in the dark” has eaten all the dried food because she can’t wait for her lunch, and is sleeping on her bed with a round belly.

Zhong Minyan’s loud paddling and shouting pulled Xuanji out of her good dreams. She sat up rubbing her eyes and was in a daze, but all she could hear was him shouting, “Xuanji! Xuanji! Come with me out of here!”

Xuanji panicked when she heard him shouting like a lost soul, and quickly lit the candle to see what had happened. But Zhong Minyan jumped from the boat and ran to her, pulling her by the arm and yanking her out of bed, saying anxiously, “Don’t just stay in bed! If you have any grievances, we can talk about it tonight, you can scold me and I won’t fight back. Come on! Come with me now!”

Xuanji thought something terrible had happened, so after being dragged a few steps, she staggered and pulled back, asking cautiously, “What’s going on outside? Have the other four factions attacked our Shaoyang Sect?”

“Bah! You . . . you can’t just say nonsense . . .” Zhong Minyan was about to scold her, but somehow held back, only saying, “You will have to go for the flower picking mission. We’ll know more when we go to the top of Shaoyang Peak.”

Xuanji was confused, but he seemed to want to take her away from here, which was good, because she had had enough of this cold cave. Afraid that Zhong Minyan would get angry and regret not leaving her here, Xuanji kept her mouth shut and didn’t say a word.

However, the Hairpin Hall at the top of the mountain was still in chaos. He Danping was so worried that she fainted, and Chu Yinghong is busy taking care of her. Linglong was still pestering her father to go in her sister’s place, but he refused to agree.

When he had asked Zhong Minyan to change Linglong’s name to Xuanji’s, he had his own idea.

How could he not know his own daughter? Linglong is so cheerful, loves to make a fuss, and is often over-ambitious. If her name is written but isn’t drawn, then it won’t matter, but if she wins, how can she not make a move when she sees the demon?With this child’s character, she would certainly not hide behind obediently. She is still too young and her power is too weak to fight with the demon, so she will die. How can he just stand and watch her die!

But Xuanji is different. The child is afraid of trouble, likes to hang back in everything, is lazy, and won’t go looking for danger. When he had asked Zhong Minyan to write Xuanji’s name, of course he didn’t want her to be drawn, but since her name was drawn, Xuanji was a better choice as compared to Linglong. At least she will hide and won’t rush to kill herself, so her life can be saved and he can fight without any distractions.

Besides, Xuanji is lazy and doesn’t want to improve, so it’s good to take her out to see the market and stimulate her a bit.

After a moment’s thought, he had made up his mind to suggest that Zhong Minyan should write Xuanji instead of Linglong. At this moment, the die is cast[2], and there is no room for regret.

Seeing how persistent Linglong is being, he frowns and says, “I haven’t even investigated you for going to the top of the mountain to peek at the ballot! How dare you be stubborn with me! From tonight onwards, you are forbidden to leave the courtyard, and you are to practice your martial arts at home!”

Linglong burst into tears, and Chu Yinghong hurriedly came over with a smile and persuaded, “Why are you crying on a good day? Keep your spirits up and enjoy the Flower Hairpin Tournament! Aunt Hong will definitely catch the biggest and best looking demon for you!”

Linglong didn’t listen to her and kept crying with a twisted face. Chu Yinghong pushed her and said softly, “Quickly, go see your mother! She’s worried sick! Don’t you want mother anymore?”

Linglong then ran to He Danping’s side, put her arms around her neck, and cried and complained about her grievances, not daring to make more trouble.

At this time, a cultivator with a childlike face and fascinated expression came over and said, “Master Chu, this flower picking mission is unusual, it is not easy to bring two juniors along, why not draw again? The demons are ferocious, and I fear for their lives, if proper precautions are not taken against them.”

Seeing that it was Master Hengsong of the Dianjing Valley, Chu Lei returned his greeting, and replied, “Thank you, Master, for your kindness. The drawing of lots must have been decided by God, so it is meaningless to do it again. I believe that with three of us, it would not be too difficult to catch a demon.”

Hengsong knows that he is proud, especially after the trouble with Master Song just now. At this time, asking him to draw lots again would be unacceptable. He sighed, and said, “The Shaoyang Peak and Fuyu Island are both major sects in the world and I do not mean to take them lightly. But the matter is important, and this poor cultivator has no choice but to say a few words. Does Master Chu know what kind of demons you have to deal with this time?”

“Isn’t it a Tiangou[3]?” Xie Lei said. “Suddenly it appeared at Lutai Mountain, and ate many people. This time, we will catch it and bring Heaven’s justice.”

Hengsong replied with a serious face, “The tiangou is one of them. According to my knowledge, there is now another demon named Gu Diao, which has a wingspan of five feet and a cry like a child crying at night. It usually hides underwater, rushes out to eat people, then retreats back to its lair. The people of Lutai Mountain invited many hunters and cultivators, and one time they managed to catch the Tiangou, but it escaped in the middle of the night, and from that day on, it started to hunt alongside the Gu Diao. He has now eaten no less than a hundred people, and no one has been able to subdue them any more. Now only three people are actually participating in this flower picking mission, and these three people have to subdue two large demons. Head Master Chu, please think twice!”

When Xie Lei heard his words, he couldn’t help but reconsider. However, a sneer suddenly came from the other side, and a voice that sounded neither like a man or a woman said, “So cautious! I was wondering what kind of powerful demon it was, but it turned out to be just a little tiangou and a Gu Diao. I can’t believe we have to draw lots again! Ridiculous! How amusing!”

When they looked, they saw that it was the Deputy Palace Master of the Lize Palace. Lize Palace was created not long ago, but in just a few decades, it has replaced the original Green Bamboo Mountain Sect and became one of the five major sects. They have their own way of cultivation which is different from the common people for the time being, but their dress code alone is eerie. No matter how old or young they are, all of them are dressed in blue robes and have a Shura mask on their faces, so they cannot distinguish between men and women, nor can they distinguish between juniors and seniors.

Everyone knows that the people of Lize Palace have this kind of temper, but in fact, are not malicious, and so they laughed immediately and were not offended. Ling Long, on the other hand, saw that they were all wearing ghost masks, some long, some short, and some scary, so she couldn’t help but hiding behind her mother and peeking.

Master Heng Song, asked, “If the Deputy Palace Master said that, he must have some way to deal with it. I hope you can enlighten us.”

The Deputy Palace Master laughed strangely and said, “How can I enlighten you! The Master is joking! When I was a child, I had heard of how to deal with some fierce demons of a similar partial description, I thought that the Master Hengsong and Master Chu’s must also have heard of it as they are so knowledgeable, so I dare not show my ignorance. However, If the two of you have never heard of it, then I dare not be be stingy.”

They spoke quickly, eloquently, and in a savage yet tactful manner, so they were obviously a woman. Seeing their appearance, they have broad shoulders, narrow waist, and an adam’s apple, so they were obviously a man. Linglong has never seen such a strange person before, so she was dumbfounded, and could not help but stare.

Hearing the words, both Masters looked at each other and couldn’t help but say, “Please enlighten us, Deputy Palace Master.”

The Deputy Palace Master did not hesitate, and said, “The Tiangou is afraid of vinegar, so if you splash its head with a pot of vinegar, it will pass out. The Gu Diao usually hides in water, so all you need is to use a few sacks to make it look like a human being, fill them with salt and throw them into the water. When it sees this, it will peck at it. But the salt water will sting its eyes, so it can’t see anything. When it flees out of the water, it will ready to be caught.”

This was the first time that even a knowledgeable man like Master Heng Song had ever heard of such a strategy, and although he was skeptical, the reasoning was sound.

The Deputy Palace Master added, “The Gu Eagles are very cunning and will be difficult to catch. If you are worried that you won’t be able to catch it out of the water, prepare a torch and go to its lair at night to catch it. Its eyes won’t heal within three days, and it will stay in its lair to nurse its wounds. You only need to throw a torch at it and seal the entrance to the den to prevent it from escaping, then you can catch it.”

Xie Lei bowed deeply to the Vice Palace Master and said, “Thank you, Palace Master. I am grateful to you!”

The Deputy Palace Master laughed a few times, but stopped speaking.

It was just as well, since Zhong Minyan had just brought Xuanji back. The little girl looked lazy. Her hair was not combed, and several strands were limply tugged out of place. Her expression was still sleepy, as she was forcibly awakened while asleep. She came in and looked at no one, just rubbed her eyes, suddenly realised Xie Lei was standing in front, was startled, and quickly knelt down with Zhong Minyan, saying, “Greet the Master.”

Although Xie Lei didn’t like her lazy look, but he hadn’t seen her for several days and she looked pale and thin, so she must have suffered a lot in Mingxia Cave. He couldn’t help but feel a little distressed, and his anger was unconsciously dispelled, so he said warmly, “Get up. Xuanji, you don’t have to stay in Mingxia Cave from today onwards. Tomorrow you will go down with us to do flower picking. Hurry up and pack your things in the evening, understand?”

He only said that, as all children like to go out and play, so they must be very happy. But who knew that Xuanji was stunned for a while before she whispered, “Huh? I’m going too? Why me…that…can I not go?”

Xie Lei said, “Don’t you want to go down to the mountain and see new places?”

She quickly shook her head: “I don’t want to.”

Only then did Xie Lei remember this little girl’s usual behaviour. Her sister and other seniors have gone down the mountain to many places, and whenever they want to take her there, she only replies in one way each time: ‘lazy, don’t want to move’. He couldn’t help but frown, and said, “Even if you don’t want to go, it doesn’t work that way. Winning the ballot is not a game. If you continue to be lazy like this, you’ll have to stay in the Mingxia Cave for the rest of your life!”

When Xuanji heard that she would have to live in the Mingxia Cave for the rest of her life, she nodded her head in fear and agreed. Xie Lei, who is full of love and affection, was so impatient that he waved his hand and asked her to leave, and started discussing matters related to the Hairpin Tournament with others.

When Xuanji slowly walked to the corner, she saw Linglong cuddling with her mother. When she saw her coming, she rushed over, grabbed her hand and called, “Good sister! You’re out! It’s been a hard, hasn’t it?”

Xuanji nodded, then shook her head, saying, “It was hard at first, but then I got used to it. Every day, I just sleep and eat, it’s nothing.”

As soon as He Danping saw Xuanji coming out, she burst into tears. She didn’t want to tell Xuanji how dangerous it was, so she could only touch her head and sigh silently, blaming Xie Lei for being so hard-hearted.

Linglong talked to Xuanji affectionately for a long time. Then suddenly remembering something, she took her hand and whispered, “Xuanji, if you don’t want to go down the mountain, you can tell our father that we can change and I will go for you.”

Xuanji shook her head like a rattle, “No, no, no. Dad just said that if I don’t go, I’ll have to live in Mingxia Cave for the rest of my life! I don’t want to live in that place for the rest of my life,” she said. It’s cold and wet, and it’s dark, and I’ve been here for a few days, and my body hurts.

When Linglong heard her say this, she stomped her feet severely, shook off her hand, and ran away.

Xuanji didn’t know where she had offended her elder sister, but she couldn’t go after her, so she could only sit in the corner in a daze.

She was just taking a nap, so it’s no big deal to call her over this time, but she can’t help but lean on her mother and doze off, her head drooping, and she’s about to fall asleep again. In her haze, there seems to be something moving underfoot, she did not bother to look, and closed her eyes to sleep. But the thing climbed up along the leg of her trousers. It felt cold and soft, like thin silk in summer.

She couldn’t help but opened her eyes, and saw a silver-white snake lying on her knees, the snake was writhing and its inverted triangular head was tilting side to side, a very simple and cute feeling. Xuanji was so shocked that she hurriedly called out to her mother, but when she turned around, no one was there, because all the adults were busy discussing flower picking and the flower pinning ceremony.

She was about to throw it down, but a cold voice overhead said, “Don’t touch it, it will bite you. It’s highly poisonous.”

Xuanji had already pinched the snake, but when she looked up after hearing the words, she saw a person about her own height standing opposite her, wearing a blue robe, thin body, and wearing a Asura mask on their face.

She didn’t know where they were from, so she just stared at their mask. The person saw the little silver snake being squeezed by her carelessly and it was about to die, so they said, “Let it go!”

“Is it yours?” When Xuanji looked at the little snake in her hand, it seemed to be dying, so she hurriedly threw it to the man and said, “Here you are.”

The person hurriedly held the small snake in their hands and looked at it, but fortunately it was still alive and breathing. They put the snake carefully back into their pouch and then turned around and said, “Why did you – squeeze it?”

Xuanji could hear that they was not very familiar with the language, and that they always used three words at a time, so they must not be from the Central Plains, so she decided to imitate their accent and said, “Because it climbed – over me. I thought it would – definitely bite me.”

The person said coldly, “It’s my fault – Little Yin Hua – for not watching. But you, too, – cannot kill it. You wicked woman!”

Xuanji was scolded as a wicked woman for no reason and was surprised. It is fortunate that she is lazy by nature and doesn’t want to spend any energy on this matter, so she just shrugs her shoulders and doesn’t take it personally when she is scolded. If it were Ling Long, she would have started the fight long ago.

When the person saw she not only didn’t respond, but had dozed off, they couldn’t help but feel more embarrassed, and said coldly, “Why are – they letting you – pick flowers.”

Xuanji suddenly opened her eyes and said, “Huh? You didn’t say three words just now! So you also say two words!”

The person felt they couldn’t communicate with her at all, and she was deliberately pretending to be a fool. They pointed to their mask and angrily said, “Who do you – think I am?! How dare you, mocking me!”

Xuanji absentmindedly asked, “Oh, who are you?

The person said angrily, “Look at the mask!

Xuanji was bewildered by their quarrel and could only look at their mask obediently.

The person sneered and said, “Now, do you know? Tell me, what do you think of it?”

The mask of Lize Palace is famous and frightening, and he doesn’t believe that anyone doesn’t know it.

Xuanji looked at it very seriously for a long time, and then she carefully and quietly said, “It’s ugly.”

Stabbing — He heard the sound of his own blood vessels bursting, “You… Give it to me, remember!” their fingers trembled at her nose, so angry that the voice changed, “You…what’s your name?! Name!”

Xuanji shook her head and was about to tell them, her mother said that she couldn’t let a stranger know her name without permission, when she heard a man in front of her shouting something with a strange syllable. The person immediately turned to leave, hesitated, then turned back. “My name is Yu Sifeng! Chu Xuanji. I remember your name! You give it to me and wait!”

Xuanji’s was confused as she watched him walk out of the Hairpin Hall with those men in blue robes and masks, but she still doesn’t understand why he was so angry.

It’s strange, it was him who asked her what she thought of the mask, and she told the truth…….

All these people and things outside are really troublesome.

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[1]: The horse stance (sometimes called horse riding stance) is a common posture in Asian Martial Arts and takes its name from the position assumed when riding a horse. It is called mǎbù (馬步) in Chinese, kiba-dachi (騎馬立ち) in Japanese, and juchum seogi (주춤 서기) or annun seogi (lit. sitting stance) in Korean. This stance can not only be integrated into fighting but also during exercises and forms. It is most commonly used for practicing punches or to strengthen the legs and back.

[2]: The novel says ‘the wood is carved’ , but I felt ‘the die is cast’ carried the tone better, so substituted a similar phrase instead of a direct translation.

[3]: Tiangou (Japanese: 天狗 (tengu), lit. “Heavenly Dog” or “Heavenly Sentinel”) are a type of legendary creature found in Chinese and Japanese folk religion. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods). The tiangou were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics.

[4]: Gu Diao – Demon Eagle

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