It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 152

 

ITOTIABSAM | The Immortal on Liuyun Mountain | 152

With parents who lacked any culinary talent, Gu Cong had developed an extremely strong tolerance for various flavors.

So, when he obediently opened his mouth and bit into half of the fruit without changing his expression, the young man who was teasing him panicked instinctively, holding his palm up and making a gesture to catch it. "Are you crazy? Spit it out."

—He just wanted to make a certain child who was laughing at him also experience the sourness and say some sweet words. Who would have thought that the other person would actually eat it so sincerely?

But in the moment Xie Ye spoke, Gu Cong had already chewed and made a swallowing motion. Seeing that the other was about to take a second bite, Xie Ye quickly raised his empty hand and pinched the boy's chin.

But he was still a step too late.

"I'll taste it..." Agilely, Gu Cong used his teeth to snatch the wild fruit from Xie Ye's hand. Due to the young man's fidgeting, he tilted slightly, and his lower lip brushed against Xie Ye's fingertip. 

The scabbed wound healed completely, and the skin there was delicate and soft, causing him to stiffen for a moment. After several seconds, he continued in a muffled voice, "It's fine."

Amused and exasperated, Xie Ye couldn't help but shake the boy's stubbornly firm chin. "Sweet?"

Obeying the young man's teasing, Gu Cong hummed softly.

The fruit was indeed very sour, but at this moment, the taste Gu Cong experienced seemed to be more than just the fruit.

After several days of recuperation, Xie Ye's condition had visibly improved. Early the next day, Gu Cong went to the village head's house to bid farewell in person. Following their agreement, before departing, he brought Xie Ye to meet Ma Shitou.

Based on Xie Ye's usual behavior, Gu Cong thought that he probably didn't like children much and would just say a few perfunctory words. But unexpectedly, Xie Ye was unusually cooperative today.

"Thank you for the herbs."

With a calm expression and a straight back, Xie Ye didn't kneel down, but lowered his gaze and promised sincerely, "I will remember you."

"Are you leaving?" Ma Shitou glanced at Gu Cong, feeling a bit reluctant to part, but he didn't say much, only advising, "There are many Taoist priests in the city, be careful not to get caught."

Considering his own identity, in the eyes of other cultivators, he probably wasn't much different from a monster. Xie Ye nodded, flipped his sleeve, and handed Ma Shitou half of a puppet silk. "If you encounter danger, tie this thread around your hand and give it a pull."

"It's a one-time opportunity, so don't misuse it."

Upon hearing this, Ma Shitou quickly withdrew his index finger, stopping his urge to try it out.

Apart from the road they took when they arrived, there was another small path to the west of Ma's village. Following it would lead to the official road, which would then take them all the way to the city.

As the tiny black dot watching them leave from behind gradually disappeared, Gu Cong turned his head and said softly, "You don't seem to dislike it here."

But it was Xie Ye who urged him to bid farewell to the village head.

"Being too close to me will cause trouble," Xie Ye said calmly, accustomed to similar situations. "You're an unexpected factor, and I don't want to involve innocents again."

Gu Cong responded, "Who said that?"

Taking his hand, which was tied with the puppet silk, Gu Cong smiled, "I wasn't influenced by you. I volunteered."

"When your cultivation recovers, we'll go find Shen Qingshu," Gu Cong said, clear-headed about how the former host, Song He, was the one who ignited fear among the cultivators. "We'll reclaim my body and explain everything."

After giving the other a steady look, Xie Ye smirked, "Alright."

---

Three days later, on Wuming Mountain.

Wearing a spirit sword at her waist and dressed in a light blue Daoist robe, the girl sat on a large rock, massaging her legs and complaining, "Senior Brother, who are those two distinguished guests leading our group? Their cultivation is even higher than my father's, yet they insist on selecting disciples with us. They won't even let us use the celestial cranes, and my feet are about to blister."

Her so-called Senior Brother was a young man with a dignified appearance, also dressed in a light blue Daoist robe and holding a duster, looking very mature.

"Careful with your words." He lifted his eyelids, ensuring that the two distinguished guests were still at the forefront. He then performed a soundproofing technique with his fingers before saying, "From what I can tell, they seem to be looking for someone."

"Looking for someone? Can there really be a golden phoenix flying out of this mountain ravine?" The girl pouted, her face full of complaints. "They don't go to the cities, and now there's only one village left. I haven't even seen any good seedlings."

"Although our Qingfeng Sect may not be as famous as those renowned sects, we still have a history of several hundred years. If there were any geniuses nearby, wouldn't we have found them already? My father would have taken them in long ago."

However, the young man with the duster said, "Taking disciples?"

"I think they look more like they're seeking revenge."

Only those extremely vicious individuals could make the two of them so tense and vigilant all the way.

"Seeking revenge?" Before the girl in the green Daoist robe could finish her question, the two individuals at the front suddenly stood up. Among them, the one with a gentler demeanor raised his voice, "Everyone, there may be demonic cultivators causing trouble in the village at the foot of the mountain. Please stay here."

The village at the foot of the mountain?

Taking out a map casually, the girl in the green Daoist robe quickly glanced at it and saw a plain "Ma" marked on it.

Although she didn't know why the other party would say that, as the daughter of the Qingfeng Sect's sect master, she couldn't possibly back down at this moment. Standing up and clasping her fists, she changed her previous delicate demeanor and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't comply."

"Lin Yao is willing to go as well."

With her leading the way, the other disciples of the Qingfeng Sect also echoed her sentiments. The young man with the duster helplessly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had made a decision. "Lin Xuan too."

— He was an orphan, without parents, so he took the surname of his master.

Shen Qingshu found himself in a difficult position for a moment.

To be honest, he wasn't sure about the current situation in the village at the foot of the mountain. But the originally vague divination became clearer and told him that it was the place where Xie Ye had once stayed.

Acting under the name of the Qingfeng Sect was also to avoid alerting the enemy. With the attack on the Liuyun Mountain imminent, he had to find a reasonable explanation for discovering the trapped immortal in order to release the information and persuade the sect masters to search in the cultivation world, thus avoiding futile efforts.

In this sense, bringing the disciples of the Qingfeng Sect along might be a good thing.

Seemingly sensing his concerns, Qin Ji, who had been silent with his sword in hand for a long time, spoke up proactively, "Don't worry, I'll protect them."

...

"He'll protect them?" Walking at the end of the group, Lin Yao rolled her eyes disdainfully and muttered, "Who does he think he is? Does he think we're a burden?"

"And clearly there's nothing around here, it's perfectly safe."

Initially, she had her sword ready, prepared to draw it at any moment to eradicate evil and uphold justice. However, throughout the journey, she hadn't encountered any demons or evil spirits, not even a wild beast.

As she spoke, Lin Yao lifted her foot, passing by a stone stele engraved with the character "Ma."

The dozens of immortal elders dressed in Qingfeng Sect Daoist robes stunned the children playing nearby. Soon, the whole village became lively because of the appearance of the immortal elders.

However, the disciples of the Qingfeng Sect harbored doubts in their hearts.

The reason was simple: the Shen-named cultivator had appeared so convincingly, warning everyone about the danger in Ma's village. Yet, on their way here, they hadn't noticed anything unusual, and the villagers seemed perfectly clear-headed, not possessed by any evil spirits.

Especially when the other easily picked out a plain-looking boy from the crowd, they became even more convinced that the other party was taking advantage of his higher cultivation to deceive them.

Ma Shitou, who walked up to Shen Qingshu alone, was extremely excited.

Amidst the envious gazes of the children, he heard the elegant young man leading the group ask, "Have you ever seen two people who look exactly the same?"

The memories of Xie Ye, always accompanied by monsters, abstracted the image of the other party in Shen Qingshu's mind. Unable to depict the appearance of the immortal being, he could only approach the topic from the angle of the "personal puppet."

Although he didn't understand the meaning behind the question, Ma Shitou still honestly shook his head, "No, I haven't."

Lies.

He clearly saw the boy's appearance through the eyes of Song He.

"Are you really sure you haven't seen them?" The smile on Shen Qingshu's face remained gentle, but there was a hint of frost in his eyes as he spoke calmly, "If you tell the truth, I'll agree to any request you have."

Now, the gaze that fell on Ma Shitou suddenly changed. After all, Shen Qingshu's tone was so certain, making the skinny black-haired boy seem like a cunning liar.

"I haven't." The swelling joy in his chest was instantly punctured, Ma Shitou's words coming out slowly and deliberately, "I haven't seen them."

"The people who have come to the village, this old man knows best," the atmosphere became tense, and the village chief stepped forward to defuse the situation, discreetly shielding the boy behind him, "There truly are no siblings here, only a master and disciple."

"Master and disciple?" Shen Qingshu inquired.

"Yes, the master is quite young and ill, as for the young boy, he has yet to come of age and doesn't match the person you're looking for," the village chief explained.

Impossible.

Whether it's Song He or Xie Ye, neither could possibly look like a young man.

But his hexagram has indeed fallen here.

"Puppet?" Persistently, Shen Qingshu pursued, "Have you seen puppets made of wood and stone?"

Wood.

Stone.

Suddenly, Ma Shitou's shoulders shook.

"You've seen it, haven't you?" Under the enveloping divine awareness, any slight change couldn't escape Shen Qingshu's notice. Trying to appear gentle, he suppressed his impatience and kneeled before the boy, "You tell me, would you like to become a disciple of the Wuliang Sword Sect?"

Wuliang Sword Sect?

The leader of the righteous path?

Whispers immediately arose around them.

Unexpectedly, the boy who had a pie thrown at his head looked foolishly and said, "Wuliang Sword Sect? Never heard of it. I just want to join the Qingfeng Sect."

"Pfft." Lin Yao, who had just been unhappy about having her thunder stolen, burst into laughter immediately, feeling triumphant.

What's wrong with the Wuliang Sword Sect? Could they really dominate and snatch disciples from them?

Although she still couldn't see anything special about this boy.

"Then it shall be the Qingfeng Sect," Shen Qingshu, with a good temper, concurred without dwelling on such trivial matters, "Tell me everything you know, and I will surely fulfill your wish."

Fulfill?

She, the junior sister of the Qingfeng Sect, hadn't agreed yet. He spoke as if their sect could allow anyone to come and go as they pleased.

Before Lin Yao could voice her inner complaints, her sleeve suddenly felt heavier as she turned around. Lin Xuan, who understood some tricks, frowned at her disapprovingly and shook his head.

After three years of anticipation, even longer for some, the opportunity lay right before his eyes. 

With just a few words, he could seize it. Ma Shitou clenched his fists tightly, his lips trembling.

But in the end, what surfaced in his mind was not himself dressed in Daoist robes, but the hand of the elder named Gu who had placed on his head.

A hand that didn't mind his dirtiness, a warm hand.

Unconsciously licking his dry lips, he forced himself to lift his head and said, "No."

"I haven't seen them."

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The author has something to say:

Advancing the main storyline.