After the rain in the empty mountain, Autumn ushered in a late arrival.
The ninth month was the turn of Summer into Autumn.
It had rained for quite a while last night, but today the sky had cleared up. The green grass and trees on the four peaks of Xuyun were still growing vigorously towards the white clouds in the sky, but a hint of coolness had quietly arrived, and the clouds and mists lingering on the peaks seem even more ethereal.
The morning was a little chilly, and countless round dewdrops glistened on the three black iron chains that everyone in Xuyun Sect was familiar with.
There was a young man in plain clothes, as light as a swallow, stepping on the iron chain. With each sound, dewdrops splashed down.
The main peak in the middle of the four peaks of Xuyun was the most respected, and the scenery was also the most beautiful and magnificent. The master and his three most beloved disciples had opened caves here. A Heaven and Earth Gathering Array covered the entire mountain range from top to bottom, forbidding cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage to fly in the air with swords.
There were only three long chains made of fine iron that allowed disciples to travel between the main peak and the other three peaks.
However, the iron chain was suspended in the air and it was impossible to steer the sword here. If one slipped and fell off the cliff, there would be no body left to be found.
Therefore, unless something serious happened, few disciples would dare to climb these cold, hard, black creatures.
His cloth shoes clattered as Shen Xiaojiang concentrated on feeling the landing point with his feet, his fairly handsome face full of seriousness.
Shen Xiaojiang, 14 years old, was one of the thousands of registered outer disciples in Xuyun Sect. He had very poor spiritual roots and mediocre comprehension. He relied on diligence and hard work to reach the third level of Qi Refining. But with the help of a light body technique called Traceless, he had the capital to step on the iron chain.
The mountain breeze blew, and the corners of his clothes fluttered.
Shen Xiaojiang raised his head, as if realizing something. He lifted his gaze upwards from his feet and uttered a “Huh” in surprise.
At some point, a young man in white had appeared on the other side of the iron chain.
That young man had a slender figure that looked pure and elegant. His head was slightly raised, as if he was looking at the sky, and he seemed calm and indifferent, like a transformed ethereal immortal.
He was wearing a loose white robe and over his shoulders draped a soft and fluffy mink fur coat. The tassels on the silver cords hung down, shining brightly against the sunlight streaming through the clouds.
Shen Xiaojiang was so stunned that his eyes became dazed and his steps became disordered.
The iron chains rattled, and he lost his balance. Pale-faced, he flailed his arms. “Ahh, I’m done for…Ahhh?!”
Suddenly, a light and pleasant voice came from somewhere:
“Relax your muscles and bones, sink your qi into your lower body; move in accordance with circumstances, without leaving any trace. Like willow catkins riding the wind, they will not break when they encounter a hurricane; like duckweed floating on the current, they will not sink when they encounter waves…”
The few words he recited were the core essence of Traceless. The voice seemed to have a magical power that penetrated into the heart like a cool spring. Before Shen Xiaojiang’s brain could react, his body was already doing it, and his feet miraculously regained stability. He looked up gratefully, but suddenly froze.
The young man in white on the other side of the iron chain turned around, and his face, which had been unclear in the morning light, was suddenly revealed.
His eyes and brows and his long hair that was loosely and elegantly tied was a deep, pitch black. His clothes and skin were spotless as snow, with the only color being his soft pale pink lips. He looked extraordinary, like a beautiful immortal unstained by the dirt of the secular world.
It was like a small wolf-hair brush carefully sketching an ink painting on a half-rolled rice paper scroll, with its wash shading blooming abundantly and astonishing the eyes. It was the most beautiful thing Shen Xiaojiang had ever seen in his life.
The young man in white smiled, his hands behind his back. “Are you a kid from the outer sect? What are you doing on the main peak?”
Shen Xiaojiang woke up from his momentary trance and quickly clasped his fists to salute. “I am Shen Xiaojiang, an outer disciple of Xuyun. Today is the day of the sect’s test. According to the custom, if I have the courage, I can ask several shixiong and shijie to come out of seclusion for guidance. Greetings to this little immortal!”
The young man in white asked with great interest, “Do you know which of your shixiong and shijie live on this main peak?”
Shen Xiaojiang said, “Yes… it’s da shixiong, second shixiong and shijie!” His face turned slightly red and he added, “Disciple, disciple would like to see the Lin Da Shixiong…”
“Oh.” The smile in the eyes of the white-robed youth deepened. “Is this the intention of all the new disciples in this sect test, or is it just your selfish motive?”
Shen Xiaojiang clenched his fists fiercely and said with shining eyes, “Of course, it’s everyone’s opinion! In our Xuyun Sect of Xuyun Peak, from the cultivating disciples to the sweepers, who doesn’t admire our da shixiong!”
As he said this, he puffed out his chest and seemed extremely righteous.
He wasn’t talking nonsense. You had to know that “Da shixiong is extremely talented and unparalleled in the three realms” – this was the first unwritten rule of the Four Peaks of Xuyun.
Speaking of the deeds of Lin Fuqing Da Shixiong, even if all the people in Xuyun gathered together and talked about it for three days and three nights, they still would not be able to finish.
Xuyun’s Sect exam was held only once every five years. Shen Xiaojiang had been waiting for a long time. He wasn’t hoping for a chance to enter the inner sect and ascend to the immortal path – he knew that his spiritual roots were mixed and he could not become an immortal. He just wanted to see the demeanor of the eldest senior brother with his own eyes, so that he would have no regrets in this life.
“…”
At the other end of the long iron chain, Lin Fuqing glanced at the child and laughed secretly.
After the laugh, he felt a little melancholy.
Fortunately, the forbidden rebirth technique he’d performed in the previous life was successful.
Having shed that old body that was tortured by the backlash of yin qi day and night, and having gotten rid of that past life where the world was devastated and the people were living in misery, after using the power of the Xuyun Spiritual Vein to go back more than a hundred years, everything that had happened yesterday seemed like one long dream.
…At this time, it seemed like he had not yet reached adulthood, and he was still the carefree and leisurely little immortal in white on Taiqing Island. He was the “da shixiong” doted on by everyone in Xuyun Sect.
The situation in the outer sect was even crazier, as almost all the disciples there were little kids who were infatuated with “Lin Da Shixiong.” The one in front of him was actually quite normal and so there was nothing to be surprised about.
Lin Fuqing thought to himself: He’s just a little stupid and couldn’t even guess my identity.
Just as he was thinking about how to tease the little guy, he suddenly felt that the spiritual energy of the world around him seemed to have changed.
In the next moment, a burst of energy exploded from the main peak and soared into the sky!
The incident happened without warning, and the three black iron chains shook violently. This time Shen Xiaojiang didn’t even have time to struggle. He screamed and was about to fall.
Lin Fuqing slid forward silently to catch him and lifted the child up by the back of his clothes.
The iron chain dangled in the air, and mist drifted by.
Shen Xiaojiang woke up as if from a dream. “Thank you very much, little immortal, for saving me!”
Lin Fuqing smiled and shook his head.
It gradually got darker.
The sky was clear just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, dark clouds began to gather at the top of Xuyun Peak, and the fluctuations of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became more and more chaotic.
Shen Xiaojiang looked up and said in surprise, “It’s thunderclouds! What’s going on? Someone on the main peak is about to break through!?”
Lin Fuqing’s face softened a little. “A’Yuan has come out of confinement.”
Shen Xiaojiang was stunned, “Who?”
Lin Fuqing said, “Fang Zhiyuan, your second shixiong. This is the tribulation cloud of a Golden Core cultivator. He is about to break through and enter the realm of Golden Core.”
“…”
Shen Xiaojiang’s face suddenly turned pale, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. “Second…Fang Shixiong?”
Help! He didn’t want to watch second shixiong overcome his tribulation! God knows if a thunderbolt will hit his head in the next moment!
After all, the second “Ironclad Rule” of the Four Peaks of Xuyun says: Fang Zhiyuan, the second shixiong, has a very bad temper, so you must absolutely not provoke this god by doing things you shouldn’t do and saying things you shouldn’t say, unless you’re tired of living.
But in a moment, thunderclouds had formed in the sky, covering the mountain in shadows and the surroundings were dark and gloomy.
Shen Xiaojiang had never seen a cultivator undergo a tribulation before, and with the iron chains hanging in the air under his feet, he broke out in a cold sweat and subconsciously grabbed Lin Fuqing’s sleeve.
In the next moment, there was a loud bang in his ears!
Shen Xiaojiang snapped his head in the direction of the sound in astonishment, and his eyes widened and his jaw nearly dropped.
It was not thunder.
But…the mountain had collapsed.
On the main peak, a young man walked coldly through the falling rocks to the edge of the cliff, holding a pitch-black and long, single-edged sword in his hand. His messy hair was tied casually behind his head, and his figure was slender and straight under his black clothes, the corners of which were rustling in the wind.
He swung his sword.
As a result, a small corner of the cliff visibly collapsed.
Shen Xiaojiang’s calves twitched. “Oh my god…”
Immediately afterwards, the young man in black took a step forward, weighed the long sword in his hand, raised his arm high again, and chopped down diagonally from top to bottom.
The first cut was just a test.
The second cut faced the sky and slashed towards the thundercloud.
—The sword intent was extremely strong and fierce, and an energy like rainbow and flames hit the tribulation cloud directly.
With a loud bang, it exploded in raging fire!
The dark clouds were sizzling with mist, and showing signs of being torn asunder. Electric currents snaked around in disarray, and golden lights flashed, pricking the eyes.
The young man holding the sword was shrouded in lightning, but he was fearless. He held the sword in front of his chest with both hands, and his momentum surged.
Dark clouds roiled overhead, and suddenly there was a flash.
Shen Xiaojiang couldn’t help but shout, “Thunder is about to fall!”
Thunder suddenly struck.
The young man’s third sword strike had already come out.
Wherever the blade passed, lightning was torn in half, crackling in the dark.
The sword intent was not yet exhausted. It went straight up into the sky and slashed at the tribulation clouds. All of a sudden, a crack appeared in the middle of the dense dark clouds!
The crack yawned wider in the blink of an eye, and the entire dark clouds were split in two, with light pouring down through the crevice. Soon after, the tribulation clouds gradually dissipated.
Lin Fuqing calmly praised, “Good sword.”
“……”
Shen Xiaojiang opened his mouth in confusion.
He pinched his cheek and grimaced at the pain. Then he realized it was not a dream.
Shen Xiaojiang was in a state of confusion, feeling as if all the cultivation knowledge that he had accumulated over the years had been overturned.
So… So a cultivator could overcome a tribulation like this? The thunderbolt just fell, and the tribulation clouds were split apart!?
They all said that Fang Shixiong was a demon…Indeed!
The little immortal beside him suddenly leaned forward and called out, “Zhiyuan.”
For some reason, the black-cloth young man holding the black sword trembled slightly when he heard this voice, and he suddenly looked up–
Showing a pair of deep, cold eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips pursed into a sharp and firm line. Although he was very handsome, his temperament appeared cold and ruthless, keeping others at bay, like the sharp, unfeeling edge of a blade.
Fang Zhiyuan raised his head and looked at the two people in the distance. His thin lips touched each other and he uttered two words in a low, hoarse voice, “Let go.”
Let go? Let go of what?
Shen Xiaojiang’s mind was dizzy and he fell into confusion. Suddenly, the person next to him coughed lightly, and he realized that he was still tightly holding onto the sleeve of this little immortal lord.
This was also because Lin Fuqing’s appearance was too delicate and charming, and his words and manner were very gentle, without any airs or dominance.
In fact, Shen Xiaojiang had never really seen Lin Da Shixiong before, so he thought that this person next to him was a beautiful youth who served his senior brothers and sisters on the main peak, or maybe he was a transformed immortal beast or an immortal grass spirit that protected the mountain. At this moment, he hurriedly said, “Disciple, my apologies,” and belatedly let go.
But the kid had just been frightened by the lightning and Fang Zhiyuan’s sword strikes, and his legs went limp. As soon as he let go, he fell forward involuntarily…
And landed right into Lin Fuqing’s arms.
“…”
__________________________
The author has something to say:
Fang Zhiyuan (sneers): You little brat, you’re doomed.
__________________________________________
Translator Notes:
da shixiong = Big senior brother, eldest senior brother
shixiong = Senior Brother
Shijie = Senior Sister
Xixi: I’m not sure whether to translate these into English or keep the pinyin. I might alternate between the two, depending on narrative flow. If you have an opinion, please let me know.
Aww he calls him a-yuan! 🥺