Chapter 34 The Bell Rings Through Mountains and Rivers, Tracing Cause and Effect 4 Even Knowing One's Fate...
Mingying hadn't had such a beautiful dream in a long time. She stood on a tree branch, looking at the moon, then looked down at her claws, shook her fluffy fur, and fluttered into the air.
She transformed into a little white titmouse, gliding merrily through babbling brooks and flower-covered grassy slopes until her body was covered in petals. She flew into the clouds, and as she passed the ceaselessly flying swifts, she said, "I'm going on a journey!"
Swift glanced at her and said, "Go ahead."
Mingying flew with all her might, over mountains and over seas of clouds, until she flew over a tall pavilion. A crisp knocking sound came from inside the pavilion, which attracted her. Curious, she landed on the window frame and tilted her head to look at the scene inside.
Wait, why didn't Xiao Jingze turn into a bird?
Xiao Jingze sat by the window, like a princess locked in an attic, waiting for her, this brave little bird, to come and rescue him.
The "princess" showed no sign of worry. Xiao Jingze, wearing a half-glove, held a part in his hand, looking very focused as he made another little bird.
The bird had long tail feathers, and Mingying recognized it at a glance; it was her bluebird.
Mingying shuffled over to his hand with her little paws, stared curiously at the bluebird in front of her, and pecked at it to show her friendliness: "Hello."
The bluebird wanted to bow in return, but before its sharp beak could land on her, Xiao Jingze lifted her up with one hand. The two stared at each other, and he said helplessly, "If you want to say hello, just flap your wings."
Mingying pecked at his gloves again: It's fun.
Xiao Jingze placed her on his shoulder and continued carving the runes on the bluebird's forehead.
Mingying tugged at his hair, glanced at his expression, then stepped on his head and pecked at his hair ornament. Xiao Jingze put down his carving knife and placed her and the hair ornament on the cushion: "Is there anything else you want to play?"
Mingying looked at his disheveled hair, bit his outer robe and pulled it back: "I want this too."
Xiao Jingze sat back down, wearing only a thin shirt with a large expanse of his chest exposed, and acted with remarkable good temper. Ming Ying flapped her wings, thinking back to when she was still a human; he wasn't like this at all.
Xiao Jingze's outer robe was piled on the couch. Mingying nestled among his robes, peeking out her fluffy head from the cuffs. Her fluffy head still carried his cool and pleasant scent, which instantly reminded her of many things, such as peeled oranges, clear streams, and golden sycamore leaves swept up and falling by the wind.
She hopped forward a few steps, blinking her bean-sized eyes. Xiao Jingze had finished the last few strokes of carving. The moment the rune took shape, a layer of light blue light flowed around the bluebird, and its tail feathers seemed even more agile and light, circling around her head several times.
Mingying looked up, feeling a little dizzy from the spinning. She took a couple of steps and then collapsed onto her robes with a thud. She shook her head, opened her eyes, and saw the dark blue canopy.
She reached out her hand and moved it; she became human again.
Mingying turned her head and picked up the talisman from the pillow to examine it. Xiao Jingze was sitting at the table, wearing the same gloves as in her dream, repairing a broken mirror.
She sat up, still feeling unsatisfied; it seemed like she had only slept for a short while before dawn broke, but...
Mingying stared curiously at Xiao Jingze's face. Did cultivators not get dark circles under their eyes even when they didn't sleep? She seemed to have never seen Xiao Jingze sleep. It seemed that geniuses were geniuses because they worked hard while others were dreaming. For example, Xiao Jingze always seemed to conjure up something while she was sleeping.
Mingying slipped on her shoes, let her hair down, and leaned closer to take a look. She had seen this mirror a few months ago. She asked, "Isn't this the Love Mirror? How did it end up here?"
Xiao Jingze naturally knew she was awake, and while finishing up his work, he replied, "I made a deal with Doctor Shen in the military camp."
Who is Doctor Shen?
"Shen Huai'an, the creator of the Heart-to-Heart Mirror, the junior brother of the Immortal Venerable nine hundred years ago, the first Lord of Heavenly Fire, and the legendary saint who stopped the war single-handedly."
Mingying sat opposite him and rubbed her eyes: "It sounds like there are a lot of people. What did you all talk about? Why didn't you wake me up? I still want to see him."
Xiao Jingze suddenly asked, "How did you sleep?"
Mingying smiled and handed him the talisman: "I had a wonderful dream, it was so magical."
However, she suspected that Xiao Jingze had ulterior motives, as there were some scenes she had never seen before.
Xiao Jingze smiled and explained, "The Thousand Machine Guide was made from the dragon's meridians and is an accompaniment to the dragon. It is still inside the spiritual vein at this time. The entrances to the four spiritual veins were unknown nine hundred years ago. Presumably, only heavenly fire could burn an entrance out."
Mingying hesitated and said, "In other words, we have to wait until he... sacrifices himself to quell the war before we can return to our time."
Xiao Jingze nodded, then raised an eyebrow as if he had just thought of something: "In that sense, we've also participated in history."
The magical artifact he obtained nine hundred years later might have been made by him nine hundred years ago. Ah, destiny.
"Does this mean that the ending is predetermined...? Perhaps we can change something?"
Xiao Jingze's expression was extremely cold: "Do you want to do something to stop his death? But if there were other ways, Shen Huai'an would naturally not choose such a tragic method."
Mingying rested her chin on her hand, looked to the side, and pursed her lips: "Will he know his own fate?"
Xiao Jingze smiled slightly and said calmly, "Perhaps he foresaw it, perhaps he didn't. Even knowing his fate, he would still do what he set out to do."
Mingying squeezed the candy in her sleeve, her emotions unreadable: "When will this end?"
Xiao Jingze put down the repaired concentric mirror: "It will be done soon."
——
The palace walls stood tall, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. Song Xijia sat alone in the courtyard, pouring tea. Her black hair was tied up, and she held the teapot in her delicate hands, appearing gentle and approachable.
Seeing Xiao Qingyi approaching slowly, she gently pushed a cup of tea towards her: "Sit down."
Xiao Qingyi did not sit down, but simply gazed at her quietly for a long time: "Princess, nothing should be forced."
Song Xijia's lips curled into a mocking smile, and her eyes sharpened: "Is this your reason for letting Huai'an go on your own? Xiao Qingyi, you're meddling too much. Isn't it said that destiny has been decided? Why is the Imperial Advisor so busy every day?"
Xiao Qingyi's expression remained unchanged: "All living beings are like chess pieces; I cannot escape this fate either."
Song Xijia squinted at her for a long time: "That's really pitiful."
She took a sip of tea, then, as if recalling something pleasant, gracefully put it down: "Teacher, you misjudged me back then."
Xiao Qingyi remained silent, her gaze fixed on her like still water.
As a princess of Dongzhou, Song Xijia possessed an innate arrogance. From a young age, she commanded absolute authority in the palace, and nothing ever went against her wishes. During her first birthday celebration, she showed no interest in jewelry or fine clothes, nor did she care for intricate mechanisms or gossip; instead, she was drawn to swords, spears, and halberds.
Xiao Qingyi observed her fate: the celestial orbit was abnormal, her heart was clear and pure, and her thoughts were muddy and stagnant.
She made an exception and accepted him as her disciple, taking him under her wing to practice. Song Xijia lived up to everyone's expectations. She left the palace at the age of twelve to cultivate, eliminating evil and protecting the righteous path. She left a great reputation along the way and was revered as a deity by the people of Dongzhou. They offered incense and prayed that she would attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven as soon as possible.
The princess was traveling in the mortal world when she happened to see a wealthy young master bullying a poor child. The child clearly possessed spiritual roots, but looked pitiful, allowing a mortal to beat and scold him, groveling and timid, which was annoying to watch.
Song Xijia stood on the pavilion, observing coldly for a moment, then threw down a pebble: "Why didn't you fight back?"
Shen Huai'an covered his forehead and looked up blankly. When his gaze met hers, he lowered his head and looked away, replying, "But I am just a servant."
A cultivator willingly becomes a servant to a mortal? Even with low cultivation, defeating a mortal is just a matter of lifting a finger. Song Xijia raised an eyebrow and sized him up for a moment, then suddenly said, "In that case, why don't you become a servant to this princess?"
After saying that, she took out a bag of silver from her spatial storage and threw it down, her tone leaving no room for argument: "I'm buying this person."
From that day on, Shen Huai'an followed behind her, becoming the princess's shadow.
The shadow became inexplicably talkative. When he saw the carriage, he exclaimed, "Wow, a princess!"
He saw the princess wielding a sword and exclaimed, "Wow, amazing!"
Song Xijia found him annoying and said impatiently, "Starting today, you are forbidden to speak. If I hear you, get out of here."
Shen Huai'an indeed fell silent, dutifully serving as the princess's silent shadow.
When Song Xijia returned to the palace after her training and casually lay down on the couch for a short rest, he would stand beside her and fan her. If the princess spoke, he would serve her tea and water; if she frowned, he would bend down and massage her legs. He was very obsequious and very sycophantic.
Xiao Qingyi soon strolled over, her gaze lingering for a moment on the servant beside the princess for the first time: "Who are you?"
Shen Huai'an bowed silently, and Xiao Qingyi said in a low voice, "A mute?"
Shen Huai'an shook his head and waved his hand.
Xiao Qingyi couldn't detect any hidden ailment in him, and frowned, asking, "Why can't you speak?"
Shen Huai'an glanced at the princess quietly. Song Xijia spoke in her usual tone, lazily propping up her chin: "I told him not to speak."
Xiao Qingyi nodded slightly, her gaze returning to Shen Huai'an, and said expressionlessly, "Your aptitude is good; you can cultivate alongside the princess in the future."
This was the first time Song Xijia had heard Xiao Qingyi use the phrase "good aptitude," let alone someone personally accepting her as a disciple. She had always thought herself exceptionally talented, a true exception, but seeing this, she finally straightened up, turned around, and scrutinized him from head to toe, her tone strange: "You want to cultivate?"
Shen Huai'an hesitated, glancing at the Imperial Advisor before looking back at the princess. Song Xijia sneered and lay back down: "What are you looking at me for? Speak up if you've thought it through."
Could a coward who doesn't even fight back when bullied by ordinary people possibly pose a threat to her?
After considering it all night, Shen Huai'an found the Imperial Advisor and solemnly bowed three times: "Imperial Advisor, please accept me as your disciple."
He pursed his lips, seemingly a little embarrassed: "I want to protect the princess."
Song Xijia once asked Xiao Qingyi, "Why did you take him as your disciple?"
Xiao Qingyi simply said, "He possesses divine qualities; he is the one chosen by Heaven."
Song Xijia found it laughable: "Does having a divine status mean you can become a god?"
She disdained to discuss Tao with Xiao Qingyi. If there truly was a first person in the world to attain Tao and become a god, that person would only be herself.
Now, Xiao Qingyi stood before her again, her tone calm: "You have no divine status. Cultivating with evil methods will only bring you backlash."
"Absurd! Does becoming a god or not really depend on fate, and only requires your, Xiao Qingyi's, glance?"
Xiao Qingyi said, "Just like the difference between mortals and cultivators, it is already predetermined from the day a person is born."
Song Xijia laughed loudly, the teacup shattering in her hand. She stared straight ahead and said, "Then I will defy fate."
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Author's Note: *Added a little more! Why do I even have to rush to meet deadlines when I'm writing? [question mark]
Because the author has been quite busy lately, preparing for exams, updates will be somewhat irregular (approximately once every three days). Readers who are following along can save this for later.
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