Chapter 100: Even Dogs Show Affection
Upon returning to the guild hall, Venerable Xueqiao noticed that Song Chi was silent and preoccupied with something, and he didn't seem to be going out.
He secretly guessed that this girl had probably truly settled down this time and would no longer go out and flirt with other men. But in doing so, Venerable Xueqiao worried that Song Chi's feelings were too strong, and what would happen if the two were ultimately not meant to be.
On the third day, Venerable Xueqiao discovered that this brat got up early in the morning, full of energy, and asked the boy to send her a letter to Xie Lanqing, the young master of Ziyan Divine Palace.
Upon hearing this, Venerable Xueqiao was unsure whether to breathe a sigh of relief or continue to worry about this fickle and unpredictable nature.
Song Chi has actually been a little busy these past two days.
After collecting all eight types of immortal and demonic spiritual roots, the Primordial Immortal Music Technique showed her a new piece of music called "Expressing Affection." The melody was tender and affectionate, clearly a combination of water and wood spiritual roots—or rather, a combination of spiritual power that had undergone a complete transformation of the five elements, ultimately becoming water and wood. Moreover, the use of the water spiritual root was extremely concentrated. This kind of music… just one glance at it made her chest tighten.
It felt like this was a technique I couldn't master; the Ancient Immortal Melody Technique had clearly been given the wrong instruction. But to my surprise, after a few tries, I actually managed to play a small part of it. The flow of water elemental energy within it no longer had that elusive, melancholic feeling I usually felt; instead, I seemed to be able to grasp its pulse.
Song Chi nearly jumped eight feet away from the zither.
The fact that she could use the water elemental root in this way proves something self-evident. This person, who usually has no emotions, seems to have developed a little bit of feeling.
Thinking about the reasons... it's not hard to find the crux of the problem.
That was the glance they exchanged when she pulled Mo Shubai into the lotus-scented bath. It had actually surfaced a few times in the past two days.
So much so that Song Chi didn't bother to avoid it and instead provided a detailed analysis.
That eye contact, to be honest, wasn't ambiguous at all. Even Mo Shubai's expression at the time was serious—or rather, not serious, but rather possessing a tension, as if a warm energy field was permeating the rising mist from the water. The problem, that wasn't the most captivating part. It was mainly his eyes. At that moment, Mo Shubai's gaze was even quiet, yet exceptionally deep, as if it could pierce straight to the heart. Song Chi thought this was probably what they called 'looking at a dog with deep affection'.
In short, what made her uneasy was that look in his eyes and the face of that handsome man full of charisma.
Song Chi then concluded that it wasn't that Mo Shubai was poisonous, though he was somewhat poisonous; he was simply too handsome, and she was probably bewitched by his good looks.
The current situation is that, because of this lust, she can now practice magic with a bit of emotion. This is something she used to crave, but now… she suddenly feels that being emotionless isn't so bad after all. Being a little weaker isn't so bad; it's not like she can't live.
At that moment, the golden scroll moved.
"Go to the Purple Evolution Divine Palace and lead Xie Lanqing to the Immortal Tomb Holy Land to obtain the weapon-refining inheritance key."
Sure enough, there was a mission here. The golden scroll also included a small note: the evil spirits would be focusing their attacks on this weapon-forging inheritance, so to prevent them from taking advantage, missions would be issued on short notice, allowing her to adapt to the situation.
Song Chi: "..." This mission feels extraordinary. However, considering that all those destined to unseal the Flying Immortal Platform, whether they are protectors or not, must possess immortal magical treasures crafted by master craftsmen of their generation to withstand the heavenly lightning. Therefore, even if a family like the Cloud Pavilion Holy Land might have left Cui Xue Ruo one or two immortal artifacts, they are unusable.
Her situation was even more dire. The immortal magic treasure needed to withstand that heavenly lightning strike and achieve the Ascension Realm had to be forged from Xie Lanqing's hands.
This is a crucial task that could determine whether she gets struck by lightning and nearly killed. And since she's very afraid of pain, she should be determined to complete the task diligently.
Moreover, Xie Lanqing was a great handsome man. Song Chi felt that being struck by a beauty of the same caliber would make him forget the unsettling feelings he had for Mo Shubai.
In short, after receiving the golden scroll's hint early in the morning, she immediately perked up and had her servant deliver an invitation to Xie Lanqing, indicating that she would visit him that morning.
She barely considered the possibility that Xie Lanqing might disagree. Now that her master had given the Carefree Grass to the various powers, they would generally give her, their master's disciple, some face no matter what.
In fact, Xie Lanqing's reply arrived at her almost exactly fifteen minutes later, carried by a small purple sparrow. He was extremely pleased with it, and it was delivered in a very beautiful orchid-scented note.
Song Chi quickly dressed in a light yellow shirt, tidied herself up, and went out. This time, her makeup was especially exquisite, with small rhinestones placed around her eyebrows and eyes, making them appear even brighter.
Come on, Xie Lanqing, quickly use your handsome charm to overwhelm me.
As Song Chi boarded the glass palace carriage, he thought to himself.
When Xie Lanqing received Song Chi's invitation, she happened to be in the side hall of her master, Venerable Xuanji, discussing matters with her senior brother. Xie Lanqing also presided over some of the affairs of this sacrificial ceremony.
When Xie Lanqing saw that post, she choked on her tea.
Venerable Xuanji and Xue Rongzhan also glanced at his post, and Venerable Xuanji couldn't help but smile.
She was one of the few from the Purple Evolution Divine Palace who successfully ascended to the Immortal Realm through the righteous path. After ten years, she had stabilized her divine essence. Therefore, she came to pay attention to this sacrificial ceremony as soon as she emerged from seclusion.
"Why is that child so close to you, Lanqing?" she asked with a smile.
Xie Lanqing shook her head with a smile, "I don't know either." Then she looked at Xue Rongzhan and said with a forced smile, "I would like to see her, but I don't know if you mind. If you mind, I won't see her. Otherwise, rumors of us brothers fighting will soon spread throughout the cultivation world."
These words made Venerable Xuanji chuckle twice.
Xue Rongzhan simply smiled helplessly. "If you want to see her, then go ahead. Besides, I also want to know her purpose in coming here, why she abandoned Shubai to come to you."
The news that Song Chi, dressed in a lotus-patterned jade brocade, recently visited the Mo family with Mo Shubai has spread widely in the cultivation world. Everyone believes that this top social butterfly of the cultivation world will finally fall into the hands of the Mo family. After all, even ten years later, the story of Song Chi going to great lengths to seize Mo Shubai's Love Lotus at the Mortal World Romance Lantern Festival is still talked about with great interest.
But who would have thought? Just three days after Song Chi returned to the sect's guild hall from the Mo family, he actually sent an invitation to his junior brother Xie Lanqing.
Lan Qing was handsome and gentle, and indeed had many admirers.
Moreover, when Song Chi was a young girl, she was almost stunned by Lan Qing's beauty the first time she saw her. This caused Ye Qingyu and a few others to be extremely jealous at the time. Xue Rongzhan had naturally heard about this as well.
Xie Lanqing didn't hesitate either, and immediately replied with a carefully crafted Lanxiang note.
Then he stood up with a smile. "Since Junior Sister Song has come to visit, I shouldn't leave without preparing a proper welcome. Master, Senior Brother, I'll head back now."
Upon reaching the entrance of the side hall, a member of the Mo family came to report. It concerned some minor details regarding the arrangement of the drums and musical instruments for the sacrificial dance, matters handled by Mo Shubai on the Mo family's side. In the past, for such matters, Senior Brother Rong Zhan would naturally descend the mountain to deal with it together with his friend Mo Shubai, and then go for a drink to relax before returning.
At this moment, Xie Lanqing heard Rong Zhan's voice coming from inside. "This matter is a bit complicated. Why don't we ask Brother Shubai to come up the mountain to discuss it?" So he sent the Mo family steward down the mountain.
Xie Lanqing couldn't help but smile. This senior brother probably wanted to make Young Master Shubai a little jealous.
As for Song Chi's purpose in coming to see him, Xie Lanqing thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with anything. However, he was indeed very welcoming of Song Chi's arrival, even though once he got involved with this person, there would inevitably be a lot of gossip in the cultivation world. But, becoming one of the seventy, eighty, or ninety lovers in those rumors, he didn't mind.
Previously, the cultivation world had always regretted that Song Chi was missing one of the four beauties of cultivation among his rumored lovers, which was a source of great sorrow.
Now, their fantasies can be fulfilled.
Knowing that Song Chi was fond of beautiful women, Xie Lanqing's first choice upon returning to her Xinglanwu was to bathe and change clothes, carefully tidying up her appearance.
Then he had time to prepare tea and wait for Song Chi to arrive.
Of course, when Song Chi arrived at the mountain gate, he made a special trip to greet her.
The two then moved with the grace of flowing clouds and stars, traversing mountains and rivers amidst the astonishment of the disciples and the floating filming of jade mirrors everywhere, arriving at the sacred site by the Purple Forest Stream in the northeast of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace.
Today, Song Chi was impeccably dressed, her pale yellow shirt complementing the sparkling white diamonds around her eyes, truly radiating pure and beautiful innocence. According to Xie Lanqing's aesthetic standards, Song Chi was indeed at her most beautiful at this moment.
It seems this person has indeed come to formally visit him; he wonders what important matter she has to discuss. To be honest, Xie Lanqing still didn't know her true purpose until he led Song Chi to Xinglanwu for tea. All the way there, Song Chi had only been praising the magnificent scenery of Ziyan Divine Palace.
To be honest, it seemed to be her first time visiting the Purple Evolution Divine Palace. Although her senior brother admired her, he had never had the chance to invite her to the palace. The main reason was that after she had so easily captured his heart with a single stroke of her charm, she had simply turned and happily returned to the Azure Sword Sect. She had completely forgotten that someone had once been so deeply moved by her. Speaking of which, her senior brother was truly heartbroken.
Xie Lanqing's Xinglanwu is built on a small island in the lake, surrounded by water on all sides and surrounded by green mountains in the distance. It is a quiet and beautiful place.
After having a cup of tea at Xinglanwu, Song Chi felt that he should be able to achieve both of his objectives on this trip.
First of all, Xie Lanqing's beauty was truly extraordinary. His beauty was unique in that it was genuinely radiant, like a manga protagonist making his entrance; a mere smile evoked a sense of radiant sunshine and a backdrop of blooming lilies, making it impossible to look away.
Furthermore, Xie Lanqing's gaze, always carrying a faint smile, held no arrogance whatsoever. It seemed that in his eyes, all beings were equal. Therefore, he made it very easy for people to feel close to him. However, this closeness also carried a slight sense of distance, naturally due to the elegance that emanated from his very being.
In short, this guy truly lives up to her perception of Libras, and is probably a Libra in a group. He constantly displays his fair and just, yet approachable and distant, qualities.
Today, he was dressed in a flamboyant pink brocade robe, meticulously styled and anything but understated. He simply looked stunning.
Sure enough, the moment the allure of her beauty hit her, the unease she felt vanished. Song Chi was immediately delighted; she had indeed been bewitched by beauty, so all was well. With her inner turmoil resolved, the task at hand was now of course more important.
"Senior Brother Xie, I've heard that you're in charge of many sacrificial ceremonies. I apologize for the intrusion and for disturbing you so much," she said politely.
Xie Lanqing smiled and said from the other side, "It's alright, I've already finished all those things."
"In that case, Senior Brother Xie, I've heard that the Purple Evolution Divine Palace is as beautiful as a fairyland, especially the pine trees and waterfalls, which are the most magnificent and unparalleled on the entire continent. I wonder if I could have the honor of accompanying Senior Brother Xie to see it?"
The sacred burial ground mentioned in the golden scroll is not far from the Pine Waves Immortal Waterfall, one of the most magnificent sights of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace. This sacred ground is actually the burial place of an ancient and powerful figure from the Purple Evolution Divine Palace, or some say, the place where he ascended to immortality. This powerful figure is said to have been an extraordinary master craftsman.
Indeed, the cultivation world is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a weapon-refining inheritance. However, the weapon-refining genius everyone is speculating about is definitely not Xie Lanqing. This is because Xie Lanqing has always upheld the righteous path of the sword, and her interest in weapon refining is merely out of personal enjoyment.
Among the weapon-refining geniuses that the big shots in the cultivation world have been focusing their attention on, there are two main groups: firstly, the talented young disciples of the weapon-refining sect of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace; and secondly, the weapon-refining geniuses of the Ji family royal family of the Southern Li Canghai Kingdom who possess the Phoenix Fire bloodline.
No one could have imagined that the one who would truly inherit the skills was Xie Lanqing, an amateur.
This is probably one of the tricks used by the Ascended Ones to seduce evil spirits.
The book doesn't mention what key Xie Lanqing obtained from the Immortal Tomb, which was probably unique to this secret mission.
"Since this is a place Junior Sister Song longs to visit, I am naturally happy to lead the way for her. Junior Sister Song, this way please!"
Xie Lanqing readily stood up with a smile and gestured for him to proceed.
Song Chi didn't hesitate and immediately joined him, fan in hand, heading west. Along the way, Xie Lanqing, as the host, showed her around various places.
It took half an hour of walking and stopping before they finally arrived at the place where countless waterfalls seemed to cascade down from the distant mountains like silver dragons, as if flying down from the sky. The wind here was strong and the land was vast, causing the pine forests around the countless waterfalls to churn like a raging sea.
The scenery was indeed magnificent. It was said to be the training ground for sword cultivators of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace, and Song Chi did indeed see quite a few disciples sitting quietly under the waterfall. Many simply had a white cloth wrapped around their chests; sword cultivators, regardless of gender, certainly had very good physiques.
However, Song Chi had only lingered for a few moments when Xie Lanqing glanced at him sideways for some reason.
That gaze felt no different from scrutinizing an old pervert.
She nearly choked on her own blood. Actually, she was mainly curious about the impact of the waterfall; she wondered if it could really train swordsmanship or willpower, which was why she took a second look.
However, it's estimated that no one in the cultivation world can think of her in any good light right now, including the person beside her.
“Brother Xie, these waterfalls are getting a bit noisy after seeing them so many times. Why don’t we go to a quiet spot ahead to find some peace and quiet? I’m actually a little tired from walking all this way.”
Song Chi immediately pointed to the towering, majestic stone walls of the desolate mountains beyond several peaks and said, "That is the place of the Immortal's Tomb."
She instantly teleported to the westernmost part of the stone forest and stood on one of the stone pillars.
Xie Lanqing followed and reminded her, "This place is the sacred ground of our sect's Immortal Tomb. Occasionally, earth fire will spew out. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator who accidentally falls into it will not be able to withstand the scorching fire. Junior Sister Song, please be careful."
Song Chi naturally knew this. In fact, all the disciples of the Refining Sect of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace would come to the Immortal Tomb to seek an opportunity. Although hundreds of thousands of years had passed and no one had yet gained the favor of that great refining master, it did not stop the disciples from coming to try their luck.
I just flew over and saw a disciple of the Weapon Refining Sect almost have half of his eyebrow burned off by a sudden burst of earth fire. He screamed and dodged away in fright.
But Song Chi was actually hoping the subterranean fire would come out quickly, because the golden scroll indicated that the moment the fire appeared, it would seal the place.
What she had to do was to push Xie Lanqing into the underground fire before the evil spirits realized it, so that he could obtain the key.
Just as I thought that, a scorching heat shot up from beneath my feet.
"Junior Sister Song, be careful!"
When Xie Lanqing reminded him, Song Chi actually turned around and landed about ten feet away from the spot where the ground fire had spewed out.
"Quick!" The golden light from the scroll burst forth, enveloping several feet of the stone forest. This shout came from his junior brother, Zuiyun Sanren, but he seemed rather weak.
Xie Lanqing probably couldn't see those golden lights. He was staring intently at the two patches of earth fire that had sprung up in front of him, his eyes gleaming.
“This subterranean fire has a mysterious rhythm,” he murmured.
Of course, that's an opportunity given to you.
"But which one should we choose?" Xie Lanqing asked hesitantly.
Indeed, two spots of subterranean fire emerged, both flashing with dazzling, breathtaking light; one could tell without even looking that it was an opportunity.
The golden scroll indicated that both earth fires were fine, and indeed, dark energy from evil spirits began to rush towards the golden light.
Song Chi immediately ignored it. He saw flames suddenly erupting from behind the two of them!
"Oh no, Senior Brother Xie, danger!" She rushed over and used her spiritual power to seemingly lead Xie Lanqing, who might have trouble making decisions, away from danger. In reality, her spiritual power veered off course and knocked him into the fire ahead.
"Senior Brother Xie—!" she cried out and rushed over to grab Xie Lanqing's hand. Her acting skills were probably still on point.
However, the subterranean fire suddenly contracted, naturally catching Xie Lanqing in its net. She was nearly burned on the back by the subterranean fire rushing from behind, but managed to dodge at the last moment with a quick movement, leaping several feet away with a burst of golden light.
The key was obtained quite quickly. Before long, Xie Lanqing burst out of the subterranean fire.
What's truly baffling is that this guy probably has the most obsessive-compulsive tendencies of all the handsome men. His outer robe was practically tattered from the fire, but his first thought was to put on a cloak, then wash his face with a handkerchief in the spiritual spring, and only then did he swallow a healing pill…
How could I not be thrilled?
"Senior Brother Xie, are you alright? That underground fire was too powerful just now. It rushed out from behind us, and in my haste, I accidentally bumped into you and fell into the fire. I was so worried about you."
Song Chi waited until he finished his beauty before going to Xie Lanqing's side.
This person is quite extraordinary; he must have obtained the key, yet he shows no sign of it. He said weakly, "I'm fine, but I'll need to trouble Junior Sister Song to help me back to Xinglanwu."
Song Chi immediately helped him up and flew all the way to Xinglanwu. To satisfy Xie Lanqing's love of beauty, she directly chose to make the two of them invisible.
However, once inside the sacred barrier of the Purple Forest Creek, Xie Lanqing dispelled the invisibility spell, saying she felt stuffy.
This was the first time Song Chi had ever heard of invisibility spells being so boring. This woman only appeared flawless; once you got closer, you realized she had far more quirks than the average person. Beauty, it seems, is truly best admired from afar.
As the two turned a corner around a mountain, two more people suddenly appeared on the tree-lined path surrounded by a stream.
These two handsome figures, one in purple and one in blue, were none other than Xue Rongzhan and Mo Shubai.
"Senior Brother..."
Heaven and earth can bear witness, meeting Mo Shubai's gaze. His gaze was truly utterly calm, yet for some inexplicable reason, that profound, almost ethereal quality, that look of deep affection even when gazing at a dog, returned. "Damn it!" Seeing the creepy feeling welling up again, Song Chi couldn't help but curse. "Xie Lanqing, are you impotent?"
"Third Junior Sister, what's going on here...?"
"Junior Brother Lan Qing, what caused your injury?"
Mo Shubai and Xue Rongzhan were both taken aback.
"I accidentally fell into the fire of the Immortal Tomb and was injured. It's not serious..." Xie Lanqing's mouth bleeds slightly before she could finish her sentence.
And he leaned towards Song Chi as if he had no bones. Song Chi: "..." She had a feeling that this kid was doing it on purpose.
He was definitely not that badly injured!
"It seems I was overconfident; my injuries are indeed quite severe. I'd like to trouble Junior Sister Song to lend me a hand, as I must hurry back to meditate and heal." Xie Lanqing spoke in a sorrowful tone, her eyes seeming to convey some emotion.
But what kind of feelings could she possibly have for him? Song Chi resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but to avoid Mo Shubai's venomous, affectionate gaze, she ultimately didn't leave Xie Lanqing to Xue Rongzhan, but instead helped him continue his flight.
"I'll take Senior Brother Xie back to his room first."
"I'll go to Xinglanwu to pick up my third junior sister as soon as I'm done with my work," Mo Shubai's voice came from behind.
Song Chi immediately thought, "Please, please don't!"
"Senior Brother, please make yourself at home. I was the one who accidentally injured Senior Brother Xie. I will wait until Senior Brother Xie has finished healing before I go down the mountain."
Mo Shubai responded with a smile, "It's alright. This matter is rather complicated and will take one or two hours to finish."
Song Chi: "..." There's no need to be so considerate now. Senior Brother, until you change those toxic eyes of yours, she'll have to stay away anyway.
Since that's the case, she might as well go down the mountain and return first, without waiting for Xie Lanqing to finish healing.
Song Chi brought Xie Lanqing back to Xinglanwu and watched him go into the training room to meditate and heal his injuries, with two young boys standing guard outside the door.
She sat for only a short while, then excused herself by saying that her master needed to see her, waved her sleeves, quietly bid farewell to the two attendants, and left.
Xie Lanqing heard Song Chi's departing voice in the training room and couldn't help but smile slightly.
With a flick of his finger, an ancient bronze key appeared in his hand. The key's spiritual power subtly guided its direction, undoubtedly pointing towards the sacrificial hall of Changge City at the foot of the mountain. Whether it was an opportunity related to swordsmanship or weapon crafting was unknown. After all, this powerful figure from the Immortal Tomb was not only a remarkable master weapon crafter but also a formidable swordsman. The latter was something only those of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace, such as himself, at the level of young palace master or higher, were somewhat aware of.
Regardless of the reason, an opportunity had indeed come seeking him. However, he guessed it was an opportunity related to the sword, after all, he was a sword cultivator.
Of course, regarding this opportunity, Song Chi's appearance was somewhat coincidental. However, her hasty appearance when she bumped into him, and the earth fire that surged out from behind her, left Xie Lanqing with no reason to doubt. It was probably truly an accident.
Of course, he didn't care about opportunities or such. As a Heavenly Spiritual Root possessing all five elements, he could easily learn any technique. This made him not even particularly ambitious when it came to immortal arts. If it weren't for his identity as a protector of the Dao, and the fact that he was the only one in the entire cultivation world with all five elements, he actually wouldn't have had much interest in protecting the Dao or ascending to immortality.
Let's leave those aside for now.
What interests him now is that there seems to be some trouble between Song Chi and Mo Shubai.
It's highly likely they've had a fight and are now estranged. Their eyes rarely meet, especially Song Chi, who consistently avoids Mo Shubai's gaze.
This aligns with the rumors. After all, Song Chi visited the Mo family but didn't hear any news of a marriage agreement. It seems there might be some problems with their marriage; regardless of which side disagrees, the two have become estranged.
Senior brother should have noticed this; he looked slightly surprised at the time, then his eyes sparkled slightly. Senior brother undoubtedly considers Young Master Shubai a friend, but if Young Master Shubai fails to capture Song Chi's heart...
Xie Lanqing was certain that even if it meant the breakdown of their friendship, her senior brother would do everything in his power to win her heart.
There's definitely going to be a good show.
Of course, healing is the priority right now. Only after I'm fully recovered can I go see the show; there are actually quite a few good shows to watch at the sacrificial ceremony. I can't wait to see them!
Xie Lanqing couldn't help but chuckle softly before happily closing her eyes to heal her wounds.
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Author's Note: [doge][doge] Update delivered~
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