Lady Cultivator

Now that she obtained approval from Daoist Kumu, Mo Tiange smiled and cupped her hands towards him. “Thank you.”

She was perfectly aware that Kumu and Tong Tianyun might’ve taken Qin Xi into consideration when they made their decision, but she also had confidence in herself. Even if she couldn’t be helpful to them, it was very unlikely she’d drag them down. Besides, who could be better than her when it came to escape plans?

After this round of tests, even the rowdy Lei Dongqing and Madam Feng also had nothing to say. Once they saw Daoist Kumu putting away his Heaven-Covering Cup and speaking again, both excused themselves and left, looking extremely disinterested.

Tong Tianyun watched the two of them then turned towards Mo Tiange. He smiled and said, “Fellow Daoist Qingwei doesn’t need to worry about them. Their tempers were like this from the start.”

Mo Tiange smiled back, but before she could say anything, Qin Xi already said, “Fellow Daoist Kumu, Fellow Daoist Tong, my junior martial sister and I have come from afar and we haven’t had rest; we should take our leave first.”

Since he put it that way, the two of them also found it inappropriate to keep them any longer. The two of them both assumed a “please” gesture and sent them off.

Mo Tiange followed behind Qin Xi. The moment they went downstairs, someone immediately came and greeted them then led them to a secluded courtyard.

Qin Xi laid a defense formation as he stepped into the courtyard then proceeded to take the lead towards a small sitting room.

This courtyard was extremely elegant. It happened to be a beautiful spring, and the courtyard had many peach blossom trees planted inside, so all the trees were full of peach blossoms whose fragrance was assailing their senses.

Inside the small sitting room were an exquisite wooden table, chairs, and several benches. The ceramic vases were filled with peach branches full of peach blossoms, thus increasing the elegance of the room. Every object had been arranged in the most appropriate place, and it was neat and spotless. Even the tea was still warm.

Mo Tiange looked around, but she then spotted Qin Xi casually picking a seat and pouring two cups of tea, taking one cup for himself.

After a moment of hesitation, she sat on the other side and slowly took the other cup.

Steam still rose from the tea, blurring their line of sight. Neither of them said anything.

A while later, Mo Tiange finally heard his voice. “Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun were both individual cultivators from Kunzhong City. Although they don’t belong to any cultivation group, their skills are extraordinary. Each of them has their own secret technique which puts them among the best Core Formation cultivators in all of Kunwu.”

Mo Tiange was silent for a while before she eventually let out a soft “en.”

Qin Xi continued to explain: “As for Lei Dongqing and Madam Feng, you also mustn’t underestimate them. In fact, Lei Dongqing is a cultivator from Tiandao Sect. Because he offended someone in his sect, he was sent to a remote area. Although his cultivation level is in the middle stage of the Core Formation realm, his supernatural power is extraordinary. As for Madam Feng, her means in doing things are grotesque; ordinary people usually have a hard time defending themselves against her. She doesn’t like you now, so if you’re alone with her, you definitely have to be careful.”

“…” Mo Tiange was silent for a moment before she finally asked, “Why doesn’t she like me?”

The corners of Qin Xi’s lips curved up, forming a small smile on his face. “Don’t judge Madam Feng based on how she acted flirtatiously. In fact, she’s an extremely proud person. Usually, she really despises female cultivators that don’t have any desire to improve themselves, especially female cultivators from big cultivation groups—they obviously have superb cultivating environments, but very few of them progress. She’s only met you for the first time and only knows your status, so she naturally wouldn’t like you.”

When Mo Tiange saw the smile on his face, she suddenly blurted out: “Senior Martial Brother, you like people like Madam Feng?” Right after that question was out, she found her questions was a bit out of line, so she immediately said, “That’s rude of me. Please forgive me, Senior Martial Brother.”

For a short moment, Qin Xi was stumped for words. “She… I’m not too fond of women normally, especially female cultivators who only focus on fighting over men despite having terrific aptitudes—it’s such a waste of their gifts. Even though Madam Feng’s character doesn’t suit mine, we both have the same viewpoints regarding this, so I was willing to be acquainted with her.”

“… I see,” Mo Tiange mumbled then turned to ask, “Senior Martial Brother Shoujing, just now, Fellow Daoist Tong said that if it wasn’t for Daoist Kumu’s Heaven-Covering Cup, you guys would’ve most likely fallen in Demonic Mountain more than eighty years ago. What was that all about?”

“Well…” Qin Xi mumbled to himself for a moment then said, “I’m not going to hide this from you—those people were people I met when I went out traveling sometime after I formed my Gold Core. Later, we made an appointment to go to Demonic Mountain. It was on that trip that we met your father…”

Mo Tiange raised her line of sight, fixating her gaze on him.

Under her gaze, Qin Xi continued on slowly, “In the beginning, we had many people in our group, but many of them died of accidents along the journey, leaving behind only seven or eight of us. Later, your father and I split up with them. They quit in time so they could preserve their lives. However, your father and I were trapped inside and couldn’t escape.”

This was her first time hearing her father mentioned by someone who was associated with what happened. Something flickered in Mo Tiange. She then asked slowly, “Senior Martial Brother Shoujing, my father… how did he die in the end?”

Qin Xi looked away, thinking it rather hard to face her. He tried his best to sound calm. “Your father and I were trapped in Demonic Mountain for almost ten years, during which we encountered countless dangers, so we also suffered many injuries. Your father’s injuries worsened after a while. He couldn’t hold on for much longer, while I couldn’t escape because I had been encumbered by my cultivation realm. Finally… your father really couldn’t hold on any longer, so he said he’d do his all to help me escape. If I could really escape and survive, I had to promise him a few things…”

He originally didn’t really care about this matter. After all, Demonic Mountain wasn’t the only danger he encountered in this life. Now, however, the significance of this matter for him was different. If he didn’t meet Ye Hai back then, if he wasn’t trapped with Ye Hai, if he didn’t agree to Ye Hai’s request… The two of them probably wouldn’t have had even the slightest relation with each other in this lifetime.

“…” After hesitating for a short while, he eventually said, “Tiange, regarding your father, I… For myself, I had…”

Mo Tiange’s gaze wavered, but she eventually shook her head. “Senior Martial Brother doesn’t have to be like this. Even without you, my father would’ve still been trapped and died on Demonic Mountain. Besides, you promised him many things, so you two can be considered even.”

Qin Xi was silent. At first, he didn’t think he did anything wrong in this matter. According to typical cultivators’ personalities, it wouldn’t be considered a big sin if he forcefully seized Ye Hai’s cultivation when Ye Hai’s injuries worsened. Nevertheless, he wasn’t the kind of person who’d do anything regardless of his mental state, so he preferred a fair trade. That way, his conscience would be clear, and he could also spare himself from an Inner Demon. However, since this matter was related to Mo Tiange’s life, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

A while passed with the two of them continuing to sit like this. Qin Xi was somewhat unable to endure this kind of silence, so he took the initiative to speak. “I remember very clearly the place where your father died that year. At that time, I didn’t bring his remains back—I wonder if they’re still intact after so many years. When we enter Demonic Mountain, we can go and take a look.”

Mo Tiange forcefully squeezed out a smile but said nothing in response. She originally shouldn’t care this much about her father’s remains. Just like that year when she couldn’t find Tianqiao’s ashes, Qin Xi said to her that cultivators shouldn’t be constrained by external matters; the person already died and burial matters were nothing but a consolation for the living, something to help their hearts feel fulfilled. However, the death of her father was a matter that had been gnawing at her mind for years. She still hoped she could carry the matter through, taking her father’s skeleton back and burying him and her mother together as husband and wife.

Seeing as she still didn’t say anything, Qin Xi took some time to think then spoke again. “On this trip, in addition to those four, there’s still a cultivator from Gujian Sect, but he hasn’t arrived yet. When he arrives, we can immediately depart.”

“En,” Mo Tiange softly replied. Anyway, he had his own plan regarding these matters—she couldn’t meddle much.

The two people indeed had nothing to talk about. After sitting in silence for another while, Mo Tiange asked, “Senior Martial Brother Shoujing, how long are we going to stay here?”

“Maybe three to five days. Gujian Sect isn’t far from here, and that person sent a message to us long ago. Presumably, he’ll depart in a day or two.”

“…”

In the end, Qin Xi still found this silence rather unbearable. He wanted to take the initiative to speak, but Mo Tiange stood up. “Senior Martial Brother, I’ll go and adjust my breathing first. May I know which one’s my room?”

Disappointment flashed in Qin Xi’s eyes. While pointing to the side, he said, “You can choose one as you wish; it doesn’t matter.”

“Alright.” Mo Tiange gave a short answer and left without further ado.

Qin Xi continued to sit by himself for a while, staring at the two teacups on the table. All of a sudden, he did something very ridiculous. He reached out to take her cup, the teacup that she basically hadn’t drunk from, drained the contents, and put it inside his robe.

After Lei Dongqing, Madam Feng, Qin Xi, and Mo Tiange left, Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun remained seated in silence inside the room. Daoist Kumu lifted his hand, placing a Sound-Insulating Barrier around them.

“Fellow Daoist Tong, what do you think about this?”

Tong Tianyun spent a while muttering to himself. He picked up a black chess piece then placed it on a completely empty chessboard. “What the matter is like, we’ll still have to go and see.”

Daoist Kumu stroked his beard then smiled suddenly. “Fellow Daoist Tong, it seems you regard that Master Daoist Qingwei quite highly.”

A smile emerged on Tong Tianyun’s dry, practically meatless, thin face. “For a cultivator who’s just formed her Gold Core to achieve this level is already difficult. As expected of an outstanding disciple of a famous school!”

Daoist Kumu nodded. “I unexpectedly couldn’t sense the fight between you two. Evidently, this Master Daoist Qingwei’s divine sense is also extraordinary. It’s indeed astonishing that an early stage Core Formation cultivator, whose realm might not be stable yet, could actually achieve this.” At this point, he suddenly changed the topic. “However, isn’t this too careless? Whether it’s Lei Dongqing or Madam Feng or even that Fellow Daoist Jing, all of them are famous Core Formation cultivators in Kunwu. Even though Qin Shoujing’s cultivation surpasses all of us, taking a novice who’s just advanced into the Core Formation realm seems a bit…”

“Brother Kumu, why are you worrying?” Tong Tianyun grinned. His face was already tiny and dried up to begin with, so when he smiled, it indeed looked terrifying. “Think about it this way—that Master Daoist Qingwei reportedly has a very terrific innate talent which far surpasses those of her peers. She’s still very young now, but she already succeeded in forming her Gold Core, thus making her known as Xuanqing School’s most talented cultivator. Such a person… her future must be limitless. Despite this, why are they willing to let her go to Demonic Mountain and brave the dangers inside? Bear in mind that we both don’t have much time left in our lifespans, and we’re individual cultivators, so we have no choice but to risk our lives. Madam Feng and Lei Dongqing, as well as Fellow Daoist Jing, all have their own difficulties. Even Qin Shoujing is the same; although he’s still very young and his cultivation level is very high, he’s failed his soul-formation three times. Each of us has our own reason that forces us to take the risk. But what about that Fellow Daoist Qingwei? Forget about what reason she could possibly have—why did Xuanqing School permit her to go? Maybe they believe Qin Shoujing can protect her, but if she’s indeed useless, she’s also unworthy of Qin Shoujing’s protection, right?”

“… You’re right.” Daoist Kumu held a white chess piece and placed it across the black one. “However, since she has such a divine sense, Fellow Daoist Qingwei must not be useless after all. It’s just that we don’t know if she lives up to her genius title.”