Chapter 61 The Fall: So this is what the plot was all about.

As autumn turned into winter, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Every winter, Shen Cangyu felt uneasy, as if winter never brought her any good fortune.

She watched as snowbirds outside the window pecked at the red berries on the branches, shaking off shards of ice that littered the ground.

"Oh, Kunlun Sword Master, you're here so early in class again today." The disciple on duty early in the morning saw Shen Cangyu sitting in his seat as soon as he entered the classroom.

"My name is Shen Cangyu," Shen Cangyu pointed out, but the disciple didn't seem to care.

Since Shen Cangyu inherited the Kunlun Sword, more and more people have been calling her the Master of the Kunlun Sword instead of by her name.

Similarly, people no longer called Shen Qingyan by his given name, but instead called him the Sword Master Who Weeps Ghosts and Gods or the Weeping Ghosts and Gods.

Perhaps they were just watching the spectacle, seeing the two of them as the former Kunlun Sword Master and Sword Pavilion Master, wanting to see them fight and compete for supremacy.

But Shen Cangyu didn't like being addressed that way, as if she only became famous because of the Kunlun Sword. But clearly, without her, the Kunlun Sword wouldn't have reappeared; she should be more important than the Kunlun Sword.

Mingzhao thought for a moment and said, "Your name and Shen Qingyan's name sound similar, so they can't tell you two apart. That's why they use these nicknames to distinguish between you two."

Shen Qingyan was mentioned, and Shen Cangyu fell silent.

Since he consumed the Spirit Building Platform and filled the gaps in his cultivation, his speed in learning mental techniques has increased rapidly. In every class, he either dozes off or stares blankly... while others practice, he never lifts a finger.

But no matter how clumsy he was in class, after just one night, he would suddenly have an epiphany and be able to learn even the most difficult mental techniques.

As a result, many disciples secretly followed him, hoping to see if he was working hard in his room at night so that he could master the art of mind in just one night.

Since learning about Shen Qingyan's strange trait, his teachers stopped targeting him, and even stopped interfering when they saw him sleeping in class. They figured he'd master the art of mind manipulation in a day, so they didn't need to waste their breath instructing him.

After this strange phenomenon spread, many people came to see Shen Qingyan, this extraordinary person. Some even taught him some complex mental techniques to test him and made bets with him to see if he really had the ability to "understand everything overnight".

From then on, more and more people began to interact with Shen Qingyan, and his charming and charismatic personality began to emerge.

Shen Cangyu never expected that he would become famous in this way.

Indeed, his starting point was disappointing enough for everyone, so no matter how much he improved afterward, it always brought surprises. It seems that they were particularly lenient towards underachieving students.

After all, as long as you're at your lowest point, no matter which way you go, you're on the rise.

But Shen Cangyu was different. She had very little room for advancement, and she also realized that people's attention was gradually being taken over by Shen Qingyan, and fewer and fewer people were paying attention to her.

If Shen Qingyan is allowed to continue developing, in the end, Shen Cangyu will become just like before, relegated to the background and her name will be erased.

Do we really have to do that?

Shen Cangyu was still hesitating.

She has found a way to grab people's attention, which is to do all the evil things that Xu Qiubai did in the past, to rot and stink, so that people hate her.

But... is that really what she wants?

"Mingzhao, you are a disciple of Wenxin Diaolong. Have you heard the news that Fang Bushou has fallen ill?" Lu Yuan asked Mingzhao behind him while leaning against the table, keeping an eye on the teachers and students in the classroom.

"Even you've heard about it?" Mingzhao replied softly, "It's said that Elder Fang caught a cold a few days ago, and the cold got worse and worse, so he had to go into seclusion to rest."

"I thought it was some serious illness, but it's just a cold?" Lu Yuan muttered. "It seems Fang Bushou has really gotten old. Back in the day, he was seriously injured, with broken ribs, unable to move his hands or feet, and he still needed someone to push him in a wheelchair to class."

Fang Bushou has an almost obsessive passion for teaching.

Unexpectedly, a simple cold has defeated him.

You know, that old man has boundless energy every day. When he's cursing, it's like he has inexhaustible strength. It's said that he teaches during the day and studies the art of mind all night long. You can't tell that he's already over sixty. Maybe if he were given a few more decades, he could really attain immortality.

Some disciples said that Fang Bushou's Taoist arts had reached a high level and he was no longer like ordinary people. Now he was in a hurry to leave behind all his experience and knowledge, and to find his last disciple, all so that he could pass on all his life's learning before he ascended to immortality.

After all, with the Kunlun Immortal Master as a cautionary tale, the elders of various Daoist sects valued the inheritance of their disciples even more, fearing that the knowledge of Daoist arts might be lost along the way if they were not careful.

Fang Bushou was also such a person. For so many years, he tirelessly wrote books, studied the art of mind, and taught disciples, all in order to pass on the knowledge of Wenxin Diaolong.

Although Fang Bushou had a terrible temper and was very annoying, everyone still admired him from the bottom of their hearts. After all, it was rare to find someone as passionate about studying as him and so selflessly sharing his knowledge with everyone.

"Didn't Fang Bushou go to Xingxiangtang to get his medicine?" Lu Yuan asked, puzzled.

“I ate it, but it didn’t help,” Mingzhao said, then suddenly looked at Shen Cangyu, “Cangyu, you’re close to the people from Xingxiangtang, you should know that, right?”

"What do you know?" Shen Cangyu had been frequently visiting Xingxiang Hall lately, always looking for Xu Qiubai to discuss ways to deal with Shen Qingyan. She hadn't noticed what was happening at Xingxiang Hall.

"The incense at Xingxiang Hall is no longer burning properly. It is said that... the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess is about to perish."

*

Shen Cangyu burst open Xu Qiubai's door, and thick smoke billowed out of the room. Amidst the swirling mist, she saw the remnants of incense sticks scattered all over the floor.

"Xu Qiubai!" she called out to the person kneeling in the room.

Xu Qiubai clutched his chest, his face pale, and said, "I can't hear her voice anymore."

Shen Cangyu looked at the incense box that had fallen to the ground, on which were written three words: Incense for Descending to the Gods.

If even the incense of divine intervention cannot bring back the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess, then she may have truly perished as the rumors say.

The incense at Xingxiangtang suddenly stopped burning. People's prayers for incense no longer came true, their blessings were no longer effective, and even the medicinal properties of Xingxiangtang were greatly reduced.

In the past, Xingxiang Hall was always bustling with people, but now that this news has spread, the number of worshippers that Xingxiang Hall has accumulated over the years has suddenly decreased dramatically.

Some people are still willing to believe in the Goddess of Heavenly Fragrance. But many more either walk away or kick her when she's down.

The disciples of Xingxiang Hall are working hard to save her and try to find a way to bring back the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess.

The Heavenly Fragrance Goddess rarely descends to the mortal realm, but she is always very generous to her disciples and believers, and she always grants their requests.

Even those disciples of the Xingxiang Hall in the past, despite their low cultivation levels, could still receive messages from the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess.

But now, for some unknown reason, their connection with the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess was severed overnight, and they could no longer even use the Daoist method to glimpse the secrets of heaven.

Before the disciples of Xingxiang Hall could even figure out what was going on, rumors were already spreading outside. They were anxious to clarify the rumors, but the people outside questioned, "If the Heavenly Incense Goddess did not perish, then why is the incense no longer effective?"

The Heavenly Fragrance Goddess disappeared so suddenly that they had no idea what had happened.

Elder Xu Mei knelt in the first hall for a long time, but still did not hear any news from the Goddess Tianxiang. She looked at the statue of the Goddess Tianxiang for a long time, and then said, "Is Xingxiang Hall still unable to hold on?"

Elder Xu Mei locked Xu Qiubai up and looked at him with unfamiliar eyes for the first time, saying, "Ever since you returned from that training trip, the fortune of Xingxiang Hall has changed. You keep saying you want to leave, so why can't you just leave decisively? Why do you have to stay and bring trouble to Xingxiang Hall?"

Each disciple who peers into the heavens can see destiny, fate, and some future events. Elder Xu Mei had seen Xu Qiubai's fate and knew he would die young.

But she never expected that Xu Qiubai would actually return alive from that disciple training trip.

This result was beyond her expectations. After all, Xu Qiubai was a child she had raised herself, and she had developed a lot of feelings for him. It was a good thing that he was able to come back alive.

However, his calamity was resolved, and instead became the calamity of Xingxiangtang.

Elder Xu Mei used the Heavenly Insight technique many times, trying to see the connection and find a solution, but the cause and effect involved were too complicated and intricate for her to resolve with her level of understanding.

Elder Xu Mei finally understood why Tianxiang Niangniang hadn't allowed her to intervene when Xu Qiubai was facing a life-threatening ordeal.

Because of the principle of retribution, Xu Qiubai survived, Xingxiang Hall could only perish, and Tianxiang Niangniang and Daofa Kuitianji could only be destroyed.

"Are you crazy? What does this have to do with you? Hasn't the faith of the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess been declining? Her fall was inevitable. Why blame it on you?" Shen Cangyu raised his hand and summoned the Wind God, blowing all the smoke out of the room and dispersing the turbid air inside.

“Over the years, the faith in the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess has been waning, her power has been weakening, and her connection with us has been weakening, but she wouldn’t suddenly disconnect like this. If she has lost contact, there is only one possibility…”

Shen Cangyu grabbed his collar, forcing him to raise his head and look directly into his eyes, repeating what he had just said: "I know those things, but what direct connection does that have with you? Did you destroy the faith? No. Did you smash up the Xingxiang Hall? No. So why should this karma involve you?"

Xu Qiubai stared blankly at her, only to hear her say, "You said it yourself, that the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess had been in contact with you disciples who peered into the Heavenly Secrets, but now, your contact has been severed overnight. There must be a reason for the sudden break in contact, and we need to find out the reason."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and the light at the doorway was blocked by the crowd, casting long shadows.

Shen Cangyu turned around and saw a group of Xingxiang Hall disciples leading several Xunjie Hall disciples to surround the entrance.

The leading disciple of Xingxiang Hall pointed and said, "Elder Xu Mei said that Xu Qiubai's misconduct angered the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess. The Heavenly Fragrance Goddess's anger caused the incense at Xingxiang Hall to cease burning. As long as he is driven out of Kunlun, everything will return to normal."

Shen Cangyu looked at the Xingxiang Hall disciple with a grim expression.

Shen Cangyu remembered this person.

Her name is Dongtang. She is a member of the Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance) and also one of Shen Qingyan's targets.

So, this was part of the plot that was waiting for her.