novelraw Chapter 123 : “Does It Look Good?”
Chapter 123 : “Does It Look Good?”
Chapter 123: “Does It Look Good?”
The little fairy in white had eaten her fill. Content and satisfied, she left, her eyes shining as she waved with a beaming smile.
Lu Changyuan let out a sigh of relief—finally, he could sleep at night without worrying about his clothes being stripped off.
Heavenly Mountain became utterly silent, the only sound being the occasional fall of snow from the bamboo onto the ground.
When he turned his head, he saw Qiu Yuehan walking up the mountain.
The fairy’s face was expressionless. The black dress she wore outlined her graceful figure, while a snow-white fox fur was draped over her shoulders, loosely fastened. The stark contrast of black and white made her as unforgettable as a black-robed fairy upon the snow.
“The owner of the clothing shop gave it to me,” she said.
When Qiu Yuehan had returned, she stopped by the shop and bought a few more garments. The owner, pleased with his profits, had gifted her this valuable fur cloak.
To shear wool for a long time, one must occasionally offer a little benefit to the customer—only then would there be returning patrons.
She walked up to Lu Changyuan and parted her lips. “What will you do next? Senior Sister Wedding Garment must watch the mortal world atop Heavenly Mountain day and night. Now, only you and I remain.”
On the words “only you and I,” the fairy emphasized her tone slightly.
Lu Changyuan chose to ignore the hidden meaning within Moon Fairy’s words. “I’ll go home once, then find a way to locate the other half of the Blood Demon.”
He had eaten only half of the Blood Demon; the other half was still in the Blood Demon Palace.
Qiu Yuehan didn’t seem interested in the matter of the Blood Demon. Instead, she frowned. “Which home?”
Which other home could it be? Of course, it was that home deep in the mountains—before he left the mountain.
Qiu Yuehan remembered. It had been less than a year ago, yet it already felt as though ages had passed.
Back then, she had told Lu Changyuan, “I suppose I count as yours.” And now, the words had turned prophetic—their relationship had become so tangled that even Qiu Yuehan was too tired to care.
Perhaps from the ancient era until now, their fates had already been intertwined. What happened at Cihang Temple was merely the continuation of that bond.
Softly, Qiu Yuehan asked, “Why are you going back?”
“To pay respects,” Lu Changyuan replied with a smile. “I was raised by an old doctor. He passed away many years ago. According to custom, one should still visit and pay respects during the New Year.”
“So he was your foster father?”
Lu Changyuan hummed in response. In his memory, he had never called the old doctor “father.” After all, when Lu Changyuan was very young, the old doctor was already quite old. If he had called him “father,” the villagers would’ve gossiped. Besides, the old doctor had never told him to use that title, so he usually just called him “old man.”
Qiu Yuehan said, “I’ll go with you.”
Before Lu Changyuan could refuse, she took out that bone and began recounting what had happened down the mountain.
Lu Changyuan took the dragon bone and examined it carefully. It was cold to the touch, emitting a dark gleam.
He had never seen such a bone before, and even using the Blood Demon’s technique to sense it yielded nothing—it must have been dead for a long time.
“Do you remember if dragons ever existed?”
“For now, I still can’t recall.”
Then that was that. Even the Lord of the Nether couldn’t remember; naturally, Lu Changyuan wouldn’t know either.
“Dragons probably did exist,” she murmured.
“Keep it for now,” Lu Changyuan said. “As for that fake antique dealer identity, we’ll discuss it later. Did you examine the wound on that green-robed cultivator?”
“Not clearly. He died too fast—his chest was pierced through in an instant by some kind of weapon.”
While Lu Changyuan lowered his head, lost in thought over the bone, the Moon Fairy had drawn so close that her cheek brushed against his. In his eyes appeared a pair of delicate, white feet.
The fairy stood barefoot upon the snow—her small feet looked all the more dainty and endearing.
Lu Changyuan paused his thoughts. “Aren’t you afraid of catching a chill without shoes?”
Qiu Yuehan’s lips were nearly at his ear, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe. “Does it look good? I saw you seem to like Junior Sister quite a bit.”
How did she know that too?
Just how many people had been outside that night? Su Youwan, and her… surely Jiang Jiayi hadn’t been watching too, right?!
“It’s time you taught me swordsmanship,” the Moon Fairy’s voice whispered into his ear, carrying a faint tingle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xia Lianxue let out a small sneeze.
There was a strange feeling.
But she couldn’t quite say what it was.
Forget it.
After several days of travel, the little fairy finally returned alone to the Jade Palace. Gazing at the ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps before her, she felt a vague sense of discomfort.
Compared to the Dao Sect, her Jade Palace seemed far too detached from the mortal world. The little fairy didn’t dwell on it and flashed into the palace.
The damage caused by the reversal of Han Ze’s formation had already been repaired by her reversal of time. Those disciples who would have been engulfed by Han Ze’s demonic body were mostly saved thanks to her timely action.
Xia Lianxue walked into the grand hall, paved with crystal-like glazed bricks and filled with a chill air.
True Person Han Qiu immediately came forward. “Palace Mistress.”
“Mm. How are things?”
“The palace hasn’t suffered much damage, only a few elders perished at the hands of the three sects.”
Jade Palace had lost much of its mid-to-high-level strength—cultivators of the Fifth and Sixth Realms—but most of the younger generation remained. Given time, they would recover.
Xia Lianxue nodded her delicate chin. “Canglan Sect, Blood Demon Palace, Corpse Puppet Sect—give it some time, and I’ll go ask them for an explanation myself.”
Han Qiu hesitated, cautiously saying, “Palace Mistress, your body—”
“I’m injured, but it’s nothing serious.”
Hearing this, Han Qiu grew anxious. The Palace Mistress cultivated the Dao of Time—she could stretch time to heal herself. Even so, she still carried wounds; the injury must have been severe.
She could only say, “I hope the Palace Mistress restores her realm soon; otherwise, the foundation of our palace will be unstable.”
Only with Xia Lianxue standing firm could the nine divisions and twelve palaces of the Jade Palace remain secure. As long as she appeared once in a century, showing that the Palace Mistress was alive and well, how could the three sects dare invade?
Xia Lianxue waved her hand. “No matter. Even injured, they won’t dare come.”
Before was before.
Now was now.
The former Palace Mistress of the Jade Palace had stood alone. But the current Palace Mistress had the Dao Sect behind her.
Seeing this, True Person Han Qiu dared not speak further.
Suddenly, Xia Lianxue asked, “Ancestor Red Luan came out of the painting in the Scripture Repository. Where is that painting now?”
At that time, during the Heavenly Tribulation, everyone’s attention had been focused on the tribulation itself. Since Ancestor Red Luan had died, no one had thought to check on the painting.
But the little fairy suddenly remembered it.
The three thousand great demons—those easy to kill had been slain; those difficult to kill were sealed. The Painting Demon had been suppressed by Ancestor Red Luan, not killed.
So where had Ancestor Red Luan suppressed the Painting Demon? Now that she was dead, what had become of it?
“The painting…”
It seemed even True Person Han Qiu didn’t know where it had gone. The scene back then had been chaos, one event after another—who would’ve noticed where the painting went?
Xia Lianxue frowned. “Has there been any rain like ink within the palace?”
True Person Han Qiu shook her head. “None.”
Then where had the painting gone?
Xia Lianxue furrowed her brow, but soon relaxed.
If it was gone, then it was gone. As long as it wasn’t lurking inside the Jade Palace, it didn’t matter where it exploded.
~~~~~~~~~~
Unlike most sects built deep within mountains, the Blood Demon Palace stood upon an island overseas.
The place was perpetually shrouded in dark clouds, without a trace of sunlight. At the center of the encircling reefs stood the palace’s main hall.
Blood Nishang had already returned to the Blood Demon Palace.
Elder Zhen said, “Since we can’t find the other half of the Blood Demon’s body, our chances of completing the Dragon Transformation Bone have greatly decreased.”
The Blood Demon Lord had decreed—whoever could accomplish the Dragon Transformation Bone would become the next Young Master. Thus, aside from Blood Smoke Rakshasa, the more than twenty other heirs had gone mad in pursuit of it, Blood Nishang included.
Initially, Blood Nishang had received secret news that the Spirit Clan had suppressed half of the Blood Demon’s body. She had gone there intending to seize it for the Dragon Transformation Bone—but Lu Changyuan had gotten there first. Now, she was out of options.
A thick, bloody mist suddenly gathered nearby, slowly solidifying into a man.
True Person Qingxue of the Blood Demon Palace.
He hadn’t died—he had escaped from the battle at the Jade Palace.
Blood Nishang smiled. “True Person Qingxue.”
Across his withered body was a terrifying split. Even though he had survived, it had cost him dearly.
“Take this. Don’t disappoint me,” True Person Qingxue said faintly, tossing her an item.
It was a scroll—a painting. The very landscape painting from the Scripture Repository of the Jade Palace.
He had taken advantage of the chaos to flee and even stole the painting on his way out. Moreover, it was he who had informed Blood Nishang about the Spirit Clan’s suppressed demon. As the Blood Demon Lord’s most trusted old minister, it wasn’t surprising he knew such secrets.
Elder Zhen, standing behind Blood Nishang, sighed inwardly. He hadn’t expected True Person Qingxue to support her.
True Person Qingxue continued, “The Young Master’s Order of Blood Smoke Rakshasa is also in my possession. The Lord asked me to keep it safe. Do you understand what I mean?”
At that time, at the inn at the foot of the Jade Palace’s mountain, Blood Smoke Rakshasa had instructed Bai Wei to hold the token at the village gate. Later, Bai Wei claimed it had vanished suddenly—it had been taken by True Person Qingxue.
That was what led to his later appearance at the Jade Palace’s mountain gate.
Blood Nishang put away her smile and nodded solemnly. “Nishang understands.”
With someone of such weight standing by her side, and with her own cultivation second only to Blood Smoke Rakshasa, the position of Young Mistress was practically hers.
True Person Qingxue uttered a soft “good” before dissolving into a mist of blood and vanishing.
Elder Zhen, who had also been part of that battle, asked curiously, “What do you want with that painting?”
Blood Nishang did not answer. Instead, she led her people to the edge of the island.
As if waiting for someone.
Another day and night passed.
A long ink-colored boat glided over the sea, carrying an old man wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat, holding a brush in his hand.
Only then did Blood Nishang explain, “This is True Person Zihua of the Azure Painting Palace.”
One of the Nine Sects and Twelve Palaces—the Azure Painting Palace.
Elder Zhen’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You managed to invite him? That painting?!”
A sect that cultivated through paintings—of course they would be deeply interested in any painting connected to the Painting Demon.