The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, Part Four
The rain at the foot of Black Mountain came quickly and went quickly.
Pei Jiangxi and Han Yizhi, master and apprentice, huddled together under the small, four-cornered pavilion. Rain had soaked the earth, turning the originally grayish-white stones black. Only the ground beneath their feet remained grayish-white.
The alternation of light and shadow is most evident on the railings on both sides of the stone steps leading to the Four Corner Pavilion.
The top of the walking stick was completely wet with rainwater, a deep gray. The center of the uncarved balustrade still retained the original light gray of the stone. A clear transition layer could be seen between the two colors.
As the raindrops fell, the green of the forest behind the pavilion became even deeper.
As mentioned last time, Pei Jiangxi saw that the front pillars of this exquisite little four-cornered pavilion were engraved with the words: "Surrounded by mountains on all sides, two rivers flow, and a pool of stars and moon illuminates the lonely pavilion."
Now that she was in the pavilion, she could see the inscriptions on the back pillars very clearly.
On the stone pillars at the back, there are many more characters, and therefore they are much smaller. Perhaps for this reason, some of the characters are already blurred and illegible.
The stone pillar on the right is inscribed with: "Loyalty, Forgiveness, Integrity, Wisdom, Justice, Faith, Forbearance, and Public-spiritedness." The second and fifth characters are illegible, which is Pei Jiangxi's arbitrary assumption.
The stone pillar on the left is inscribed with: "博存仁慈觉即俭真礼和". The first and second to last characters are no longer confirmed, which is also Pei Jiangxi's deduction.
Pei Jiangxi reached out and touched the seventh character on the right stone pillar, just as the rain stopped.
"The competition is about to begin," Pei Jiangxi rebuked, "How long are you going to stick to your master?"
Wang Boyu, who was standing right next to his master, blushed at the remark and immediately replied, "I'm leaving now."
"Master." Wang Boyu looked at Han Yizhi with reluctance.
"Go."
He had only taken a couple of steps when he turned back.
“Here you go,” Wang Boyu said, taking out a small medicine packet and handing it to Pei Jiangxi: “There’s half left.”
“Keep it,” Pei Jiangxi said. “You might need it later.”
"I'm really leaving." Wang Boyu put the medicine packet back into his belt, turned around briskly, and ran towards the mountain path.
"Who is it for?"
“Du Taibai,” Pei Jiangxi replied knowingly.
"They meticulously stole the Shattered Star Sword," Han Yizhi said, looking at Pei Jiangxie and carefully observing her expression. "And now they've changed their tune and want to take over the He family's business?"
Pei Jiangxi looked into her brown eyes and smiled ambiguously.
On the distant horizon, two slender figures galloped on horseback.
"They're here."
Han Yizhi followed Pei Jiangxi's gaze and saw a man and a woman galloping on horseback.
One was tall and slender, the other was delicate and charming.
Upon reaching the Four Corner Pavilion, the slender man and woman dismounted.
It is like the image of Nana Lim.
They looked at the two people in the pavilion with some hesitation, exchanging glances.
"This must be our first meeting," Pei Jiangxi said warmly, taking Han Yizhi's hand. "Welcome back to Buwang Pavilion."
Xiang Wu suddenly remembered that he had met the girl who spoke once before. It was this girl who greeted him when he first visited the Unforgettable Pavilion.
"Miss Pei." He happily led Lin Zhenna forward. His eyes glanced at Pei Jiangxi, then at Han Yizhi.
"This is our Pavilion Master," Pei Jiangxi said knowingly, introducing him to the two.
"Sect Master." The two bowed respectfully to Han Yizhi.
"How is your recovery going?" Han Yizhi asked with concern.
"As the Pavilion Master said, the Qi has indeed condensed again." Lin Zhenna frowned slightly, hesitating to speak.
"Did something go wrong?"
Nana sighed and touched her chest. "There's just a feeling that's been churning inside me, and I can't get rid of it. It occasionally blocks the flow of my vital energy."
Pei Jiangxi stepped forward promptly. "Leave it to me," she said.
On the mountain path, Wang Boyu was about to turn the first corner. He turned back with lingering affection and saw Pei Jiangxi cupping Lin Zhenna's face and kissing her between the eyebrows.
The sun peeked out from behind the horizon.
The girl's complexion was more beautiful than the morning glow on the horizon.
*
At the top of the towering pavilion, the wind billowed Pei Jiangxi's robes.
She looked up, and a petal fell from the higher sky.
The thick, pure white clouds parted layer by layer. Delicate petals, seemingly heavy, left a straight trail in the sky.
Pei Jiangxi's gaze remained fixed on the falling petals.
Those were yellow daffodils in December, falling like shooting stars into Pei Jiangxi's field of vision.
Pei Jiangxi stretched out her hand and snapped her fingers. The petals fell continuously, their shapes resembling water droplets, deconstructing and then reassembling.
Those are red camellias in November.
Petals clashed against the clouds, causing the clouds to retreat in all directions, and the dense clouds were tinged with a vibrant red.
One sound after another swept across the entire sky, descending from the top of the endless pavilion. Those crisp sounds pierced through the stained clouds.
Pink hibiscus in October, light purple chrysanthemums in September, and golden osmanthus in August.
The sound pierced through time and again, catching up with the falling petals. The colors of the clouds behind us gradually faded, yet became increasingly captivating.
Crimson July crape myrtle, pinkish-white June lotus, and bright red May rose.
Pei Jiangxi also leaped, falling through the gaps in the clouds that the petals had parted, and from these colorful clouds.
White cherry blossoms in April, red peaches in March, and bright yellow forsythia in February.
After breaking through the last layer of clouds, the petals withered and shriveled up into a ball.
All the colors reappeared, swirling around the withered flowers and leaves. Finally, they knotted together and merged.
Those are seeds.
The seed fell straight down, breaking through the light and wind. A thunderous sound came continuously from below the clouds.
All the clouds seemed to respond by shimmering.
After Pei Jiangxi passed through several colors of clouds, the thunder finally stopped, and all the clouds instantly lost their light.
The seeds fell to the ground.
The frail sapling peeked out from the soil, its top tip bearing two tender green buds.
The sapling twisted and turned, struggling to grow upwards. Branches sprouted from the trunk, and new buds emerged from the branches.
One branch after another, leaf after leaf.
The tree trunk supports the crown as it rises, piercing through the clouds.
The tree canopy expanded outwards until it reached its farthest point. At that moment, the branches and leaves of this towering tree trembled. Golden light scattered in all directions.
The entire sky was bathed in a mesmerizing gold.
The emerald green leaves flew into the sky, half of them forming the shape of a hammock, with both ends dangling in the air, catching Pei Jiangxi as she fell.
The other half of the leaves clustered together like a cocoon. When they dispersed, Xin Shaobo was already there.
Two thin lines appeared between his eyebrows.
Pei Jiangxi's face stiffened. "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
*
"Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Those pupils were pitch black, calm yet filled with resentment.
Inside the tent, Kim Ji-won stood far away from Jo Jung's desk.
Zhao Zheng was overjoyed and put down his pen, standing up from behind his desk.
"Ji-won, you're back." Zhao Zheng walked around the table, immediately noticing something was wrong with Kim Ji-won's demeanor. "You're injured. Where's Yu-jung?"
"Why are you still with that old man?" Kim Ji-won asked coldly.
"Since you're alright, why haven't you sent me any messages?" Zhao Zheng's face darkened, and he preemptively questioned, "The old emperor is dead, and the court is in complete chaos, as you know."
Zhao Zheng stepped forward, grabbed Kim Ji-won's arm, and led her towards the fireplace. His tone softened as he said, "I have to deal with the ministers in the court and worry about your safety. I haven't been able to sleep at night these past few days."
Kim Ji-won stood still, staring into Zhao Zheng's eyes, and repeated her question: "Why are you still with Jia Dongye?"
"Do you want me to fight the other two major sword sects at the same time?" Zhao Zheng released his grip and met Kim Ji-won's gaze without flinching.
"Did you know that he intentionally concealed Wang Zimei's information?" Kim Ji-won's tone was calm, but her eyes were already red. "Yu-jung was killed just like that."
Zhao Zheng remained silent.
"He simply wants us to die with Wang Zimei!" Kim Ji-won became increasingly agitated as she spoke.
Zhao Zheng quickly stepped forward and covered her mouth. "What are you doing? Are you going to tell the whole world that the Hall of Longevity killed him?"
Kim Ji-won flung his hand away and said fiercely, "Either them, or me and Yoo-jung. You choose."
"What are you trying to do? Are you trying to force me?" Zhao Zheng flicked his sleeve. "Blood Palace and Misty Rain Pavilion are eyeing us covetously, and the three major families are eager to make their move. Right now, the only people I can rely on are you and Peach Blossom Spring."
“I can risk my life for you,” Kim Ji-won stared at Jo Jung, showing no sign of backing down, “but I can’t fight alongside these people who want to kill Yoo-jung.”
“You’ve always been the calmest one, haven’t you?” Zhao Zheng said softly, “Success or failure hinges on this moment; we can’t afford to lose their support.”
"The Hall of Longevity has never been a sect that needs to depend on others."
"We cannot abandon this ally until the Misty Rain Pavilion is destroyed," Zhao Zheng conceded, adding through gritted teeth.
"Even if the price is my and Yoo-jung's lives?" Kim Ji-won pressed on relentlessly.
"Even my own life is nothing compared to the future of our sect." Zhao Zheng extended his hand to Kim Ji-won. "I will definitely avenge my junior sister. But not now."
Kim Ji-won looked into Jo Jung's eyes and confirmed his determination.
"Where are you going?" Zhao Zheng called out to Kim Ji-won, who was about to leave the tent.
Kim Ji-won turned her head and glanced at him, but didn't say anything.
"Are you going to disregard your master's legacy?" Zhao Zheng paused, then said sadly, "Disregard me?"
"Rest assured, Your Highness," Kim Ji-won replied calmly, "I will not disturb you until your great undertaking is completed."
“Junior sister,” Zhao Zheng said, “you know that’s not what I meant.”
Kim Ji-won silently unfastened the two swords from her waist. These were the swords that Jo Jung had personally forged for her and Kim Yoo-jung when they left the mountain gate.
With a gentle toss, the two swords landed perfectly on the sword rack beside the table.
"Do you really have to leave?" Zhao Zheng was still trying to persuade him to stay one last time.
She lifted the tent curtain and walked away, her skirts falling to the ground. She didn't look back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
