Chapter 60: This Venerable One Discovers a Secret

Boosted by the spells cast upon it, the ferry traveled quickly. By

the next morning, they had reached the Port of Yangzhou. Envoys were at the

harbor to receive them, with well-bred horses at the ready.

The party ate breakfast at the harbor, but since the feathered tribe

didn't require sustenance, their escorts sat by the edge of the harbor with

their eyes closed to rest their spirits. Dawn had only just broken, and there

weren't many merchants around conducting business. Conversely, the

deckhands had risen, and they gathered in threes and fives to chow down on

porridge and steamed buns, as well as to peek and steal curious glances at

the newcomers from time to time.

As these beefy fellows in simple laborer's garb chewed their meals,

bits and pieces of their conversation fell upon Mo Ran's ears.

"Oh hey, I recognize their clothes. They're people of the lower

cultivation realm."

"The lower cultivation realm is so far away, and they don't interact

much with the sects from this area. So how would you know?"

"Just look at the emblem on their vambraces. Isn't it exactly the same

as the one on a Holy Night Guardian?"

"You mean one of those wooden devices that repel evil?" One fellow

crunched on pickles as he peered at Xue Meng's sleeve. "Aiyoh, that's right,"

he exclaimed. "Who was the one who made the Holy Night Guardians

again?"

"I heard it was the Yuheng Elder of Sisheng Peak."

"Who's the Yuheng Elder? Is he as powerful as our Guyueye Sect

Leader Jiang?"

"Heh heh, who knows. Who's to say anything about the world of

cultivators?"

The deckhands spoke in a heavy Su dialect and Mo Ran couldn't quite

comprehend them, but Chu Wanning understood what these people were

saying. When he heard that his invention, the Holy Night Guardian, was being

successfully distributed throughout the common world, he could only feel

comforted. It made him start thinking about the future. After they returned, he

would work on prototypes for lighter wheelbarrows that were easier to use

and thereby do more good.

Once breakfast was done, the group left with haste. Not four hours

later, they reached the foot of Mount Jiuhua. It was still early in the day, and

the winter sun had only just reached its zenith. Millions of threads of golden

light came kissing down from it like silk. They imbued the snowy summit

with a crystalline luminescence, making it glitter magnificently. Upon the

slopes of the peak were hundreds of luscious ancient pines that remained

evergreen. Each stood resolutely in the frost, much like a hermit cultivator

with an immortal air, sleeves lowered and eyes half-lidded, deadly silent

where they towered on either side of the mountain path.

It wasn't for nothing that the mortals called the summit of Mount

Jiufeng the "Unmortal World."

At the foot of the mountain, the envoys of the feathered tribe whistled

thrice. At the sound, a little golden sparrow with vibrantly charming feathers

flew out of the white, snowy scenery and landed lightly before them. The

group followed the sparrow's lead, heading west the entire way, until they

came to the curtain of a turbulent, tempestuous waterfall.

"Will the xianjun please step back?"

The leader of the feathered tribe envoys stood at the fore, her hand

imitating the hand of Buddha, and she silently recited a spell. Then she

pursed her scarlet lips and gently blew into the wind. A shocking beam of

flames appeared in midair and streaked toward the waterfall, where it

divided the water curtain in half.

The women of the feathered tribe breezily turned around and smiled.

"We cordially invite you to enter Peach Blossom Springs."

They followed their escorts and passed through the barrier. After

crossing it, the scenery before their eyes suddenly brightened. The scene

before them was vast with no end in sight, as if it was an entirely different

world, one filled with pink blossoms.

Peach Blossom Springs was a sheltered land with few connections to

the cultivation world. While it couldn't be compared to the real Land of

Immortals, much less spoken of as its equal, it was nonetheless rich with

spiritual energy. The scenery within the springs looked as if it had come out

of a painting, its colors elegant and delicate.

After walking for a while, the group realized that here, the four

seasons seemed to change and blend into one another in a manner wholly

unlike they did in their own world.

With the women of the feathered tribe leading the way, they first

passed through a wilderness where the sound of coursing rivers roared in

their ears, accompanied by the cries of monkeys coming from both shores.

Then they approached the outskirts of a city and saw vast farmlands of

crisscrossing field paths where wheat swayed with the breeze. Finally, once

they had entered the city fortress, they found immaculate and detailed

buildings as far as the eye could see, with eaves both tall and grand.

The capital of Peach Blossom Springs was magnificent and beautiful,

and in terms of size and amenities, it was comparable to the lively city

centers of the mortal realm. The only differences lay in the spring petals and

drifting snowflakes that danced together overhead, the blue birds and white

cranes that took flight together in flocks, and the passing folk of the feathered

tribe. These beautiful people carried themselves with ethereal grace, flowing

and picturesque, and every one of them looked like an otherworldly celestial

who had just stepped out of an illustration.

However, though this was a sight that the disciples had never before

beheld, they had already laid eyes on the fantastic sights of Jincheng Lake, so

this was no longer quite as awe-inspiring.

They came to a fork in the road and met one of the feathered tribe folk

who wore a grand feathered cloak—white with gold embroidery depicting a

phoenix. She stood by an ancient tree so tall it reached the skies. The flame

mark on her forehead was a much richer red than that of her peers, signaling

that her powers were far greater than the rest of them.

The envoys leading the way brought the group before her, then each

bent one knee to the ground to bow as they greeted her. "Great Immortal

Lord, the four xianjun of Sisheng Peak have come."

"Thank you for your labors. You may stand down."

"Understood."

The beautifully dressed feathered tribe woman smiled softly, and her

voice was clear and stirring, like the cry of a young phoenix.

"I am called Eighteen. By the grace of the Elder Immortal of my

family, I was granted the grand title of Great Immortal Lord of Peach

Blossom Springs. We are most thankful that my lords have been willing to

show us the courtesy of coming to train in our humble abode. Should the

xianjun find their reception to be in any way inadequate during their stay

here, please do forgive us, and do not be afraid to let us know."

Such beauty! And such grace when she spoke. She certainly gave a

good impression.

Xue Meng didn't like it when men were better-looking than him, but he

was at the age when he was beginning to become aware of the fairer sex, so

naturally he didn't dislike ladies who were so beautiful that they seemed to

have emerged from paintings. He smiled. "Xianzhu is too kind. But this name,

'Eighteen,' certainly is odd. Might I ask after Xianzhu's family name?"

"I have no family name," she replied, gentle and courteous. "I am only

Eighteen."

Mo Ran laughed. "If you're called Eighteen, then is someone here

named Seventeen?"

He'd meant it as a joke, but to his surprise, Eighteen smiled. "Xianjun

is wise. Seventeen is my zizi."

Mo Ran blinked, stunned.

"We of the feathered tribe are born from the fallen feathers of the

Vermillion Bird," Eighteen explained. "When our cultivation was still weak,

we took the forms of the crested ibis. The first to cultivate a human form was

the Elder Immortal of my family. The rest of the feathered tribe are thus

named in order of when we attained human form, starting with One, Two, and

so forth. I am the eighteenth, and so I am named Eighteen."

Mo Ran had absolutely no words. He had originally thought Xue

Zhengyong was as bad as it got when it came to doling out names. Never had

he expected to find someone who was even worse, let alone people who

referred to themselves with numbers.

Then Eighteen said something that left him even more thunderstruck.

"Come, let's get down to business. This is your first visit to our lands, and

you aren't yet familiar with the training rules of Peach Blossom Springs. In

the mortal realm, cultivation has for centuries been divided by schools and

sects. In this place, things are different. We of the feathered tribe have always

been very clear in our division of labor. There are those who specialize in

Defense, those who specialize in Attack, and those who specialize in

Healing. There are three divisions in all, and your training will thus also be

conducted accordingly."

Mo Ran smiled. "That's brilliant."

Eighteen nodded toward him. "Much appreciated, Xiao-xianjun. When

the cultivators from Guyueye who came here several days ago heard of this

training method, they were quite displeased."

Mo Ran was mystified. "Defense is defense, Attack is attack, and

Healing is healing. Isn't such a clean split a good thing? What were they

unhappy about?"

"You see, there is a Duan-gongzi from Guyueye who belongs in

Defense and was thus supposed to reside with the other xianjun of that

division. However, his shijie belongs to Attack and will therefore need to

train and live with the xianjun of the Attack Division. While I don't quite

understand the affections and relationships of mortal-kind, I could tell that the

gongzi was quite unwilling to be separated from his sworn sister."

"Ha ha, what's up with that—wait, hold up!" Mo Ran abruptly stopped

laughing as realization dawned on him, his eyes wide. "Not only do the

different divisions train separately, they have to live apart too?"

"That's right," Eighteen replied, confused. She didn't understand why

his expression had so suddenly changed.

Mo Ran's entire face turned green. Was this some kind of bad joke?!

An hour later, Mo Ran—who had failed in his bargaining with

Eighteen—stood dumbfounded before a bright and spacious little four-sided

courtyard residence and sank into a long, deep silence.

Mo Ran, Xue Meng, and Xia Sini belonged in the Attack Division and

had thus been sent to the east side of Peach Blossom Springs. The "east side"

wasn't just any small allotment of land, but the region where all the xianjun

who belonged in the Attack Division resided. There were more than twenty

of these courtyard residences, each large enough to house four, and there

were also mountains and lakes, as well as streets and markets built very

much like the ones in the mortal realm. It seemed that because the feathered

tribe knew their guests were going to live here for a long time, they had

constructed these to alleviate homesickness.

As for Shi Mei, since he belonged in the Healing Division, he had

been sent to the south side of Peach Blossom Springs. It was exceptionally

far away from where Mo Ran and the others lived, and they were even

divided by a barrier that could only be traversed with an access token. This

meant that although Mo Ran and Shi Mei were both within Peach Blossom

Springs, they would essentially have no chance to see each other outside of

daily training—for which all three divisions gathered to learn the basics of

the feathered tribe's cultivation method.

This wasn't even the worst of it.

Mo Ran looked up and eyed Xue Meng past his thick curtain of lashes.

Xue Meng was circling the whole yard, obviously planning to pick the most

comfortable residence for himself. Mo Ran could feel the veins on his

forehead pop in spite of himself. Xue Meng…

That's right. Fucking hell. From today onward, he had to live in the

same courtyard as Xue Meng for the entire stay! For the next long while, he

would in all likelihood have to be thoroughly steeped in two of the eight

great sufferings of life: separation from loved ones, and the meeting of

enemies…

The feathered tribe had gone from the upper cultivation realm to the

lower to find their chosen few, and by the time they reached Sisheng Peak,

they had been at the end of their journey. Thus, those sent from the other sects

had already settled in, and Xue Meng soon discovered that one of the

residences of their little four-sided courtyard was occupied.

"Weird. I wonder who's settled here," Xue Meng mumbled as he

glanced at the mattress cover being hung to dry in the yard.

"Whoever it is, it must not be someone who makes much of a fuss,"

Mo Ran said.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me ask you this: Which residence are you picking?"

Xue Meng's expression grew immediately guarded. "What are you

planning? I've already made my choice—the one in the north that faces south

is mine. If you're gonna fight me for it, then I'll—"

Xue Meng hadn't yet figured out what he was going to do before Mo

Ran cut him off with a laugh. "I don't like rooms that big, so I'm not fighting

you for it. But here's what I want to ask: If this residence was still empty…"

He pointed at the modest abode that had already been claimed. "Would you

swap with him?"

Xue Meng gazed at that simple little thatched cottage before glaring at

Mo Ran. "Do you think I'm dumb? Of course I wouldn't swap."

Mo Ran laughed. "That's why I said that person isn't someone who'd

make a fuss. See, when he came, all four residences in this courtyard were

empty, but he didn't pick the best one, he chose that itty-bitty hovel. If this

fellow isn't a fool, then he's a humble gentleman."

Xue Meng fell silent. This analysis certainly wasn't wrong, but he felt

like his face had been ripped open by the hidden knife in Mo Ran's smile. If

this other man was a gentleman, forgoing the best residence to pick a

dilapidated hut, then didn't that make Xue Meng a stinking, vulgar, common

man? A petty cheapskate?

But Mo Ran hadn't called Xue Meng out by name, so Xue-gongzi

couldn't very well yell at him. However, neither could he endure this. His

entire face flushed red. "Whatever the case…I'm used to living well," Xue

Meng choked out resentfully, expression dark. "I can't stand for rundown

accommodations, so whoever wants to be a gentleman can go right ahead. I

don't care."

Having made his statement, he turned and left.

Thus the four differently styled residences of the courtyard residence

were claimed by different masters.

Xue Meng chose the exquisite residence in the north, with pale walls

and black shingles and a threshold lined with gold, the most luxurious abode.

Mo Ran picked the stone cottage to the west, which had a peach tree planted

by the entrance, its flowers at the height of their bloom. And so Chu Wanning

picked the bamboo building on the east side, where the tender, gentle bamboo

trees were illuminated by the setting sun to gleam with a brilliant, jade-like

splendor.

And on the south side was that humble, simple thatched cottage

reserved for the "gentleman" whom they had yet to meet.

Chu Wanning had not yet recovered from his cold, and his head still

spun wickedly, so early on he excused himself to rest. Xue Meng stayed with

him for a bit, but this little shidi didn't know how to play it up and act pitiful,

nor did he want to listen to stories. Instead, he only cared to wrap himself up

like a small, sticky rice ball in its leaf wrapper and sleep in muffled peace.

Xue Meng sat on the edge of his bed for a bit but eventually got bored and,

dusting himself off, left.

In the yard, Mo Ran had pulled out a chair and was putting his legs up,

his arms pillowed behind his head as he watched the golden sun sink in the

west, the blazing rays peeling leisurely away. When he saw Xue Meng

emerge, he asked, "Is Xia-shidi asleep now?"

"Mn."

"Has his fever gone down?"

"If you care about him, why don't you go inside and see for yourself?"

Mo Ran laughed heartily. "The little guy probably isn't too deeply

asleep yet. My clumsiness might rouse him."

Xue Meng gave him a look. "Well, at least you're aware of yourself.

And here I thought you were just like Mom's cats and dogs, who only know

how to idle about in the yard and be lazy."

"Ha ha, and how do you know I'm being lazy?" Mo Ran twiddled a

peach blossom between his fingers and looked up with a smile. "The time I

spent here sitting in the yard allowed me to discover a major, shocking

secret."

Xue Meng obviously didn't want to ask, but he was nonetheless

curious. After bearing with it for a good while, his face stiff, he worked up

an expression of indifference and muttered, "What major secret?"

Mo Ran waved him closer and grinned. "Bring your ear closer and I'll

tell you in confidence."

Though he was incredibly unwilling, after a long pause for

consideration, Xue Meng lowered his gracious ear.

Mo Ran leaned in close and chuckled quietly. "Heh heh, got you.

Dumb Mengmeng."

Xue Meng's eyes went round in shock, and he exploded in outrage,

seizing Mo Ran's lapels. "You lied to me! How immature can you get?!"

Mo Ran laughed. "How have I lied? I did discover a secret, but I also

don't want to tell you. That's all."

Xue Meng's dark brows hardened. "If I continued to believe you, then

I'd truly be a fool!"

The two bickered like a bird pecking a dog and a dog snapping at a

bird. Mo Ran was about to teasingly say something else to provoke his

cousin even further when an unknown voice came from behind them, laced

with confusion.

"Mn?" it said. "Are the two of you new trainees as well?" This man's

voice was clear and crisp, smoother than that of your average youth.

Mo Ran and Xue Meng turned their heads back to see a man dressed in

practical, close-fitting clothing standing there against the wind, lit by the

crimson bloodred of the remnant sun.

This fellow had a striking appearance, with inky black brows and

handsome, spirited features on his honey-colored face. He wore a hair crown

of black jade fastened atop his head, and though he was neither towering nor

burly, he carried himself with tall, upright dignity and a noble bearing. His

pair of long legs were especially noteworthy; strapped as they were into

those close-fitting trousers, they looked even more shapely and powerful,

straight and gallant.

Mo Ran's expression instantly changed, and it felt like the blood and

sins of a past lifetime were flashing before his eyes.

It was as if he was looking at a silhouette kneeling in a tempest of

blood, the body's collarbones shot through with a steel chain,

11

 half the face's

flesh ripped away. Yet this person refused to yield, willing to die rather than

surrender.

Mo Ran's heart trembled, like a crystal dew drop that hung from a leaf.

He couldn't describe what it was he was feeling. If there was anyone whom

he had respected and admired in his previous life, then the person now

standing before his eyes was definitely one of them.

So the honorable gentleman who was to live with them…was actually

this fellow, huh?