novelraw Chapter 39 : Xian Qingqiu
Chapter 39 : Xian Qingqiu
Chapter 39: Xian Qingqiu
“It’s the Corpse Puppet Sect, Young Master.”
Corpse Puppet Sect, what kind of sect was that?
Xia Lianxue had already grown used to Lu Changyuan not knowing the structure of the cultivation world, so she explained naturally: “One of the Nine Sects, a demonic sect, and also newly established. In the past, it should have been called the Human Puppet Sect.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Because before the chaos, it was still just a very small sect. It’s normal that Young Master hasn’t heard of it.” Xia Lianxue spoke softly: “But the Corpse Puppet Sect is extremely far from this place. If they had come for the Heaven-Mending Pill, yet we never saw their traces, what does it mean for them to launch a sneak attack on us now?”
Lu Changyuan said: “Probably because they saw you alone and intended to conveniently eliminate you, this fairy. But they never expected you to have reached the Fifth Realm. Amazing, Fairy Lianxue!”
Xia Lianxue’s earlobes flushed red: “Do not tease me.”
Lu Changyuan knew when to stop, so he pointed to the palace not far away: “Your senior sister had a mutual-wounding fight with the Heart-Eating Monk right here, and I was the one who carried her home.”
He had no idea when, but somehow they had already flown to this mountain.
“Young Master, this is a Cihang Palace.”
The statue inside left Lu Changyuan with quite a vivid memory—it was a Buddha that embodied both divinity and demonic nature, looking extremely strange.
That’s right, earlier he had heard the Heart-Eating Monk say that the Cihang Palace of the Black Domain had even gathered incense offerings here. How could the Black Domain’s Cihang Palace establish a palace in the White Domain?
Xia Lianxue said: “In recent years, Cihang Palace has liked to establish palaces among the mortals. Inside, they always place a Thousand-Hand Cihang statue. For those with cultivation, it appears as a White Jade Cihang. For mortals, it appears as a bronze stone statue.”
Lu Changyuan asked in puzzlement: “Do you know what Cihang Palace is trying to do?”
“Incense to ascend the immortal path. It’s said that the Palace Mistress of Cihang Palace wants to borrow mortal incense offerings to glimpse beyond Jade Radiance.”
Gathering mortal incense to break through—it was indeed a method. Yet it was extremely easy to have one’s Dao blurred by the dust of the mortal world. It could only be considered a risky gamble.
Xia Lianxue turned her back so Lu Changyuan could not see her face, then said: “The people of this palace are all strange. In the past, the True Persons and Elders of our palace would always remind us—if we ever encounter people from Cihang Palace, it is best to stay far away. So, Young Master, in the future it is better you also stay away from that Third Princess.”
How had the topic circled back to Su Youwan again?
Lu Changyuan had no way of knowing what mindset Xia Lianxue was speaking from, so he could only reply helplessly: “I had no dealings with her anyway. Just regard it as watching a junior. Neither she nor I took Noodle Granny’s words seriously.”
The two continued conversing as they walked toward the Cihang Palace.
Though they looked to be chatting and laughing, in reality Xia Lianxue already had her sword at the ready, prepared to destroy the entire palace at any moment.
Boom!
Before either of them could strike—
The entire Cihang Palace suddenly exploded, and a clear, ringing rebuke sounded: “Do not flee!”
A clear sword cry reverberated. A female immortal in a green dress held her sword as she broke open the air, then cast out a magic circle, attempting to confine the scattering black qi.
Bang!
Something fell in front of Lu Changyuan—it was a gigantic blood spider, about the size of a human head. The swarm of black creatures from just now had been composed of blood spiders.
A sword descended from the air, piercing through this spider.
“Thief… forget it. Fellow Daoists, are you unharmed?”
The female immortal in a green dress slowly landed from the air. Her appearance was that of a celestial beauty.
She did not treat the two as enemies. Instead, she approached with light steps and clasped her hands in greeting: “Canglan Sect, Xian Qingqiu. And you two are?”
Because of her interruption, the thieves of the Corpse Puppet Sect had already fled far away. It seemed there was no way to continue pursuit.
Thus Xia Lianxue returned the salute politely: “Jade Palace, Xia Lianxue.”
“Lu Changyuan, a countryside cultivator.”
“Ah, so it is Fairy Lianxue and Young Master Lu.”
“Why has Daoist Xian come here?” Xia Lianxue asked: “Why to the White Domain?”
“Above Canglan, clouds drift freely without care.” The Canglan Sect was also one of the Nine Sects and Twelve Palaces of the righteous path. But its base should have been in the Black Domain, so why had they come to the White Domain?
Xian Qingqiu instead looked rather surprised: “Fairy Xia doesn’t know? My sect and your palace have a debate arranged. My sect takes this matter very seriously.”
Xia Lianxue truly did not know.
The debate had been arranged after she went to investigate the Heaven-Mending Pill, and since she had not returned to the palace since then, she had just happened to miss it.
Xia Lianxue asked again: “Since it is a debate, why is Daoist Xian… here?”
Xian Qingqiu then smiled as she explained: “I happened to be traveling in the White Domain. Upon receiving the news, I could only head to the Jade Palace on my own. But on the way, I saw a demonic cultivator refining corpses from three villages of people. I could not endure it, so I chased him all the way here.”
It seemed that a demonic cultivator from the Corpse Puppet Sect had been chased into a panic and fled here, even releasing the Heart-Eating Monk from control, which led to Lu Changyuan and Xia Lianxue encountering the corpse puppet by accident.
“Unfortunately, I failed to capture that demonic cultivator. He used a substitute technique to escape!”
Xian Qingqiu sighed, looking quite guilty.
This story sounded rather familiar to Lu Changyuan.
On the way to some important place, encountering a demonic cultivator slaughtering the people, then chasing him all the way into this Cihang Palace…
Lu Changyuan could not help but ask: “Fairy Xian, the corpses refined by that demonic cultivator you pursued—were they all disemboweled, with no hearts or livers?”
Xian Qingqiu blinked: “Exactly so. How did Young Master know?”
“Those three villages were slaughtered by the Heart-Eating Monk. I killed him, but never thought he would also be refined into a corpse puppet.”
Good and evil always found their recompense.
Do too many evil deeds, and even in death one could not rest, one’s body refined into someone else’s weapon.
Xia Lianxue clearly realized this point: “The demonic cultivator Daoist Xian chased must have been from the Corpse Puppet Sect.”
Xian Qingqiu nodded knowingly: “Unfortunately, I could not keep that demonic cultivator. By the way, are the two of you returning to the Jade Palace?”
“That is so.”
“Why not travel together?”
Xia Lianxue was about to refuse.
She did not much like traveling with others—especially not with a beautiful woman.
Moreover, her immortal boat was very small.
It could only seat two people.
Any more, and it would be cramped.
But Lu Changyuan spoke first: “Alright.”
“Young Master!?”
Lu Changyuan said: “Since it’s on the way, we may as well travel together.”
Xia Lianxue called him Young Master again.
Seeing the playful look on his face, she finally nodded: “Then let us travel together.”
When the immortal boat set off again, Lu Changyuan leaned even closer against Xia Lianxue.
This made the fairy’s reddened ears tremble—her hands nearly slipped, almost losing control of the immortal boat.
She could almost feel Lu Changyuan’s warm breath, tickling her lower back.
What was Young Master doing?
Xia Lianxue wanted to murmur another “Young Master,” but found Lu Changyuan smiling at her. So she kept silent. She did not actually mind Lu Changyuan being so close.
Lu Changyuan, of course, was doing it on purpose.
After all, this fairy was soft and fragrant, far better than the faint scent of Desire Demon lingering around Xian Qingqiu.