Chapter 12 The Return of the Beauty
Six years later.
At the foot of Fox Hill, Qianxia Town is planted with peach orchards. As far as the eye can see, the bright peach blossoms are as beautiful as brocade, spreading from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside. Together with the winding river in the mountains, Fox Hill looks just like a beautiful young girl wearing a pink gauze dress.
Walking slowly along the riverbed scattered with pebbles at the foot of the mountain, the faint milky fragrance of peach blossoms wafts through the wild mountain forest and grass, flowing along the riverbed with the warm breeze.
Then, Qin Wuyan crossed the river and entered the peach grove, where he heard a clear and cheerful laugh, like the sound of silver bells.
Under the peach tree, a girl of about eight or nine years old was casting a spell to make the fallen peach petals float up again. The petals, like pink butterflies, danced around her. The girl then circled her hands in front of her chest, focused her mind, and the peach petals suddenly floated down to her feet, gathered into a pink cloud, and slowly lifted her up, flying into the air.
"I've learned it! I've learned it!"
The girl was extremely excited. Looking down, she saw Qin Wuyan's figure and exclaimed with even greater joy:
"Sect Leader, look! I've learned to fly!"
She couldn't help but want to fly higher, but suddenly felt a difficulty in gathering her breath, and with a cry of "Ah!" she fell from mid-air.
With a flash of purple light, Qin Wuyan swiftly stepped forward, caught her, and gently landed on the ground.
"Yao'er, Yao'er!" Qin Wuyan called out to her anxiously. He knew she was alright, but seeing her eyes closed, he couldn't help but feel afraid.
The girl opened her eyes, let out a long sigh of relief in his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked at him with bright eyes: "Sect Leader Brother, why did you take so long to come? I've been waiting for you for so long."
Seeing that she was alright, Qin Wuyan relaxed, gently put her down, and looked at her tenderly: "I'm sorry, something delayed me on my way here."
"It doesn't matter!"
She looked up and said with a smile, "Father said that the sect leader is very busy and told me not to bother you all the time. But I still can't learn the flying technique you taught me last time. I finally managed to fly just now, but when I wanted to fly a little higher, I... just like I fell down."
The girl became increasingly frustrated as she spoke, pouting her lips in dissatisfaction.
Her appearance was so adorable that Qin Wuyan couldn't help but smile. He reached out and gently stroked her head, saying tenderly, "Your foundation is still very shallow, and you can't fully master the art of concentrating your energy. Naturally, you can't maintain the flight technique for very long. So, don't force yourself to fly whenever you run out of energy, or it will be too dangerous, understand?"
"Yes!" The girl nodded, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him again: "Sect Master, will you teach me any new spells today?"
Her eyes were full of expectation, but Qin Wuyan shook his head slightly, his expression becoming somewhat serious:
"Yao'er, I've come today to tell you that I have to go on a long trip and won't be back for a while. I won't be able to teach you any new spells during this time, so just continue practicing what I've already taught you."
This girl is the reincarnation of Biyao. Back then, Qin Wuyan made a deal with the Nine Netherworld Emperor to bring Biyao back to life, but her physical body was destroyed, and because she used the Love Curse in her previous life, her soul could no longer enter the cycle of reincarnation. So the Underworld Emperor used the Ruomu Divine Tree that grows in the Underworld to reshape her physical body.
However, the Divine Tree grows in the underworld and cannot absorb human yang energy in its adult form in a short time. Therefore, it can only seal her memories and transform Biyao into a three-year-old girl, living in the mortal world from childhood. As long as she grows up safely and turns twenty, the body of the Divine Tree can merge with her soul, and she can then truly live a good life in this world.
Qin Wuyan originally wanted to keep her by his side, but his newly established Tianli Divine Sect had made too many enemies, and he was afraid that she would bring him trouble. So he sent her to a childless farming family at the foot of Fox Hill to be raised. The family's surname was Mu, so he named her Mu Yao.
Over the past few years, Qin Wuyan would visit her every few months, initially just keeping a distance to see if she was doing well. Later, when she discovered him, he stopped hiding.
When Mu Yao first met Qin Wuyan, she thought he was much younger than her parents, so she called him "Big Brother" repeatedly. Later, after learning that he was actually the sect leader of the Tianli Divine Sect on Fox Ridge Mountain, she called him "Sect Leader Big Brother" and hoped he would teach her magic. Qin Wuyan also hoped she would be able to protect herself, so he came to teach her every now and then. However, a month had passed since their last lesson in flying magic. Mu Yao always hoped to learn something new, so she sent a message by carrier pigeon, hoping Qin Wuyan would come and teach her.
But now, as soon as Mu Yao saw Qin Wuyan, she heard him say that he was going on a long trip. She also remembered that he had gone on long trips before, and each time he was gone for two or three months. This time, she probably didn't know when he would be back. Her expectant eyes instantly dimmed, and she pouted and said "Oh" in disappointment before turning away with her head down.
Qin Wuyan couldn't help but laugh, squatting down and pulling her in front of him, "Yao'er, are you so reluctant to part with me?"
"Of course I can't bear to part with it!"
Her answer was so straightforward that Qin Wuyan felt a warmth in his heart. He felt that with her words "I can't bear to part with you," it would be worth it even if he really died for her.
He held her small hands, his voice gentle yet firm: "Yao'er, I promise you, I'll be back in half a month at most, and I'll teach you new spells then, okay?"
Mu Yao's eyes lit up: "So you're back in just half a month. I thought you'd be gone for two or three months this time, Sect Master."
Qin Wuyan smiled: "This time it won't be that long. But you must promise me that you will listen to your parents when I'm not around and not run around. Some righteous disciples have also infiltrated Fox Ridge Mountain now. If you see them, you must not cast spells in front of them, otherwise they might mistake you for a member of the demonic sect and kill you. Your current skill is too shallow to fight them. Do you understand?"
Mu Yao nodded: "Don't worry, Sect Leader, I won't cause any trouble. At most, I'll help out at Father's tea shop, and Father and Mother will protect me."
Qin Wuyan frowned: "You should also avoid going to your father's tea shop as much as possible. It's best to stay home obediently."
"Huh? Why?" Mu Yao was very disappointed. There weren't many places she could go to begin with, and the tea shop was a relatively lively place where she could hear a lot of interesting stories. If she couldn't even go here, wouldn't she be bored to death?
Qin Wuyan said, "Because what I'm going to do is quite dangerous, I'm afraid those people will come back to Fox Ridge Mountain to retaliate. It would be bad if they hurt you."
"Wouldn't the sect leader be in even more danger?"
Mu Yao couldn't help but worry: "What are you going to do? Can you not go? I don't want you to be in danger."
Qin Wuyan smiled slightly: "Yao'er, don't be afraid, they can't hurt me."
He looked at her, sighed softly, and said, "I'm just afraid they'll hurt you, so please don't run around. Stay home and wait for me to come back, okay?"
Mu Yao recalled the heroic deeds her father had told her about Qin Wuyan's battle against the three major sects, and knew he must be incredibly powerful. So she nodded and smiled sweetly, "Sect Leader Brother is the most powerful; he fears no one. I'll wait for you to come back and teach me magic, so I can become as powerful as you!"
Before parting, Qin Wuyan gave Mu Yao a few more pointers on the key points of flying techniques. She learned quickly and could generally maintain her balance in mid-air and land steadily. Seeing that she would no longer fall easily, Qin Wuyan was finally relieved and took his leave.
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