Privy Council
On the second day, Changxia went with her Sixth Junior Sister to pick up her Youngest Junior Sister. Her fellow Junior Sisters each had their own hobbies. The Sixth Junior Sister enjoyed reading storybooks, admiring beautiful women, and making beautiful things: clothes, jewelry, ornaments, and even exquisite, beautiful snacks. Changxia had received a ton of gifts from the Sixth Junior Sister over the years—everything. She didn't know what the Sixth Junior Sister couldn't make.
Because she had mentioned making new clothes for Li Bai yesterday, Zhu Lingyao came early in the morning with her tools. However, she lingered at the gate for a long time, hesitating several times before daring to knock. Fortunately, Changxia arrived early, so she didn't have to worry about it any longer.
Li Bai went to bed early yesterday and got up early today. When Changxia pushed the door open, she was drawing water from the well in the yard with a wooden bucket, preparing to wash.
Chang Xia rushed over and quickly picked up the little girl and put her under the eaves. While helping her fetch water, he scolded her, "You're not even as tall as a bucket, and you dare to come fetch water?"
Li Bai retorted softly, "Senior Sister, I'm taller than the bucket."
Changxia hummed twice casually, wet the clean handkerchief in water, wrung it dry and handed it to Li Bai.
"Too much happened yesterday. I wanted to teach you these things today, but I didn't expect you to get up so early. I'll teach you how to draw energy later. With spiritual power, you can easily control the five elements, and fetching water won't be so difficult in the future."
Li Bai's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"
"You won't be able to practice even if you don't want to by then." Chang Xia turned his head and said to Zhu Lingyao, "I'm going to take Junior Sister to the Privy Council for a walk. Lingyao, do you want to come with us?"
Zhu Lingyao thought about the hustle and bustle of people in the Privy Council and was frightened, shaking her head quickly, "Senior Sister, I won't go." After Li Bai finished washing up, Zhu Lingyao immediately took out a tapestry ruler to measure her body. After noting down the measurements, she said goodbye to Changxia and left, as if she was afraid that if she was a quarter of an hour late, her senior sister would take her to the Privy Council.
Changxia sighed at her back. After so many years, Sixth Junior Sister was still so shy.
The way down the mountain was still the same one, but Song Libai had been sleeping in his senior sister's arms before, so it was the first time for him to see the scenery of Cangfeng Mountain.
Cangfeng Mountain is the territory of sword cultivators. Perhaps it is nourished by the majestic sword energy day after day, the whole mountain has a sharp temperament, with strange peaks and rocks everywhere. From a distance, it looks extremely dangerous.
There were disciples practicing swordplay in many places on the mountain. The narrow-sleeved black uniforms looked good, but Li Bai did look miserable. Pointing at one of the disciples, she asked, "Senior Sister, do I have to wear clothes like this from now on?"
Chang Xia pointed to the light yellow clothes on her body and said, "Not necessarily. Look, Senior Sister is not wearing a school uniform, but..."
She recalled the time when she taught her fellow disciples swordsmen how to practice swordplay, and the cabinets full of torn clothes. She said to Li Bai, "Your Sixth Senior Sister made you beautiful clothes, and you're willing to let them be torn by a sword in just a few strokes?"
Song Libai quickly shook his head.
"So when will I be able to wear nice clothes while practicing swordplay?"
Chang Xia smiled and said, "Then you have to become as powerful as Senior Sister first."
If you ask where the most central place in Yunting is, it must be the Yunshang Pavilion, but if you ask what the busiest place in Yunting is, most of the disciples of Yunting will answer that it is the Privy Council.
It’s simple, the Privy Council deals with human affairs.
Chang Xia still remembered that a long time ago, the Privy Council wasn't called the Privy Council, but the Demon-Suppressing Pavilion. Back then, the Demon-Suppressing Pavilion was a rather idle government office. Although it still contacted the human world, the missions it issued were simple and easy to deal with, such as eliminating a few minor demons and exorcising evil spirits. Only disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage would take them.
Since the Human Emperor's defeat in the Heavenly War, the state system was abolished, and the cultivators took full control of the mortal world. The once idle Demon-Slaying Pavilion was transformed into the Privy Council, and its tasks became increasingly complex. Although the number of matters requiring Yunting's decision has decreased significantly due to the Privy Council's reports being passed up through the various levels, the number of mortals in the Northern Territory remains high, no matter how much filtering is done, and the daily tasks required are considerable.
Changxia pushed open the Privy Council's door. Li Bai had never seen a place like it before. The towering bookshelves seemed endless, almost reaching the curved dome, crammed full of files. In the corridors separated by the shelves, circular elevators shuttled back and forth in the air, and on the ground, students in purple school uniforms came and went, each clutching a stack of books, their expressions serious and hurried. The surrounding sounds were a cacophony: voices, the rustling of books, the clatter of books against the shelves, even the rustling of clothing, each a unique sound.
The little girl was not used to such scenes and shrank closer to Changxia, who gently stroked her shoulders to comfort her.
They took many turns along the way, and there were always busy servants who stopped to greet Changxia, and she responded with a smile.
After turning countless corners, before Li Bai was about to hang onto Chang Xia, she finally stopped at a desk. A man in white was hunched over his desk, reviewing documents. Chang Xia tapped the desk gently, and the man, without even looking up, said, "Now that you're here, find a table and help me review. Don't just sit there."
Changxia didn't respond. She just held Libai's hand and continued to look at him.
After listening for a long time without any response, Shen Siyan finally put down what he was doing. He glanced at Changxia, then at Li Bai, and finally fixed his gaze on Changxia. He asked, "It's only been a short time, and you and Xie Fengxue already have a child?"
The corner of Chang Xia's mouth twitched, "My master took it."
Shen Siyan was surprised and said: "He is still as sharp as ever."
The corners of Chang Xia's mouth twitched even more. "Don't play dumb with me. This is my junior sister."
Shen Siyan laughed heartily, took out a jade pendant from his sleeve, handed it to Li Bai, and said, "Junior sister, call me senior brother."
Li Bai had gained experience in receiving gifts. He took it with both hands and said sweetly, "Thank you, senior brother."
Shen Siyan sighed, "Junior sister is still the best."
Chang Xia said: "It's not like you don't have a junior sister."
Shen Siyan said: "I also have a troublesome junior brother."
Chang Xia said: "Can they be as troublesome as those people on our mountain?"
Shen Siyan thought about it and answered seriously: “That’s indeed not the case.”
. . .
Changxia felt that he was asking for trouble. He must be crazy to discuss the affairs of his junior brothers and sisters with Shen Siyan.
She cleared her throat and said to Li Bai, "All the disciples of Yunting will come to the Privy Council to serve. You will be familiar with this place in the future. Do you want me to take you to Qianren Peak to see the sea of clouds?"
Li Bai naturally agreed.
As soon as he turned around, Shen Siyan's sour voice came into his ears: "You have no conscience, you have no conscience, you just accepted the gift and left."
Li Bai did not change her pace, as if she had not heard anything.
After leaving the Privy Council, Li Bai asked, "Senior Sister, is this okay for us?"
Chang Xia said expressionlessly: "When you come here to work in the future, you will know that having any conscience towards Shen Siyan is a lack of conscience towards yourself."
Qianren Peak and the Privy Council weren't actually far apart, but they were much higher. Too impatient to take a detour, Changxia flew Li Bai directly up on his sword. A magical formation at the summit bounded the four seasons, leaving the scenery perpetually a rime-covered, bitterly cold winter. Li Bai shivered from the cold, and Changxia cast a protective shield spell over her, then pulled out a fox fur cloak and draped it over her.
The sea of clouds is certainly beautiful. At the junction of the clouds and the sky, the rising sun paints the distance into a brilliant golden color. Those rich colors gradually fade along the edges and finally turn into pure white. The continuous undulations on the top of the mountains are like a huge painting unfolding before your eyes.
but. . .
Li Bai blew a breath of white air into her palms, and after feeling a little warmth, she looked up and asked, "Senior Sister, why is it so cold here?"
Changxia's expression is hard to describe.
This magic circle was actually created by Xie Fengxue.
Just like her master was a swordsman but loved fortune-telling, none of the six sisters and brothers in their sect, except her, had a hobby of practicing swordsmanship. The third sister loved mechanical engineering, the fourth brother loved spells, the fifth brother spent every day refining weapons in Cangfeng Mountain, and the sixth sister did even more miscellaneous work.
As for Xie Fengxue, he enjoyed everything besides swordsmanship. He was proficient in everything from medicine and divination to weaponry. Although these skills weren't considered essential for a swordsman, they were occasionally useful, such as with this Qianren Sword.
Qianrenfeng was not called Qianrenfeng in the past, and the climate was not like this either. The four seasons here are distinct. Every spring and autumn, the disciples of Yunting like to come here in pairs to talk about feelings and discuss important things in life.
Changxia was different; she loved coming here during the cold winters. Because this was the highest point in Yunting besides the Cloud Pavilion, and lacking the perpetual spring-like formations of the Cloud Pavilion, the winters were exceptionally cold. Changxia felt that this chill sharpened her mind and was a perfect match for her Kan Sword, so she came here often.
Until one day, she went up the mountain again, only to find that the winter of Qianren Peak was gone. Before her was the spring day with flowers in full bloom and butterflies fluttering among the flowers. It was very beautiful, very pretty, but it was not what she wanted.
Changxia was dumbfounded. She inquired privately and found out that it was her senior brother from Chenxing Mountain who used a formation to turn winter into spring in order to please the female cultivator he liked.
Changxia felt wronged. "Even if you pursue a female cultivator, you can't destroy my winter." So she found the senior brother and asked him to withdraw the formation.
However, the senior brother thought that she was young and easy to bully, so he challenged her to a duel. If he lost, he would withdraw. If he won, he would make Changxia agree to a series of harsh conditions, including but not limited to giving her thirty years of cultivation resources.
Changxia thought about it and agreed.
As the only disciple who seriously practiced swordsmanship at Cangfeng Mountain, Changxia was best at fighting against opponents of higher rank. She won the match at the cost of a broken hand. She asked her senior brother to remove the formation, but he said, "Junior sister, aren't you that capable? If you have the guts, go and remove it yourself."
If it were the current Changxia, she would have countless ways to make this person cry and shout to withdraw the formation, but Changxia was only a teenager at that time, an inexperienced little girl. All she could do was go back to Cangfeng Mountain and cry. That day, Xie Fengxue had worked so hard to learn a new dish, but she didn't even eat it.
Xie Fengxue scratched his head for a long time, and finally assured her, "Don't cry. If you are willing to eat, I will help you remove the formation."
Chang Xia asked, "Really?"
Xie Fengxue pursed her lips and said after a while: "But you have to wait for me. Master is not here, and I am not very powerful now."
"But I will definitely do what I promised you."
Changxia believed it, and that day she ate the sweet and sour fish made by Xie Fengxue.
A few years later, just as she was about to forget the incident, Xie Fengxue was suddenly summoned away by the Sect Leader. Unaware, Changxia went to the Cloud Tower and discovered that he had modified Qian Ren Feng's formation to imprison the winter sun. He was then reported to the Sect Leader by a couple who had gone to Qian Ren Feng for a date.
The Sect Leader asked him to change it back, but Xie Fengxue gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't the people from Morning Star Mountain so capable? If you have the guts, just go and retreat on your own."
If we could have withdrawn, this wouldn't have come to this.
Just because no one from the younger generation of Morning Star Mountain could retreat didn’t mean the older generation couldn’t. Several elders were planning to take action, but a flying sword from the master came flying from the sky and stood firmly in the center of the hall of the Cloud Pavilion.
The old man's nonchalant voice reached the ears of everyone present clearly.
"You are just bullying my apprentice, right?"
No one dared to move now. The only sword immortal in the world, a blow from his sword could truly kill someone.
Qian Renfeng's chill remained. From then on, whenever Xie Fengxue's attainments in formations improved, he would come and strengthen the formation here. To this day, no one except Xie Fengxue could break this formation.
New disciples were unaware of these past events; they simply felt the cold wind slashing like a knife, and so they called this place Qianrenfeng, meaning "sharp as a thousand knives cutting through the face." This became the mountain's new name after generations passed it down.
But Chang Xia didn't intend to tell Li Bai this. She said seriously, "A sect always needs places to sharpen the mind. Don't you think this sea of clouds will be even more beautiful after overcoming the cold?"
Li Bai exclaimed in admiration: "So that's how it is! Senior Sister, I've learned it!"
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