Chapter 15 Su Yang
Su Yang's magical tool wasn't a spirit ship or a spirit sword, but a withered yellow gourd. The gourd was tied to his waist with a black rope. If Su Yang hadn't taken it off, Yi Sanmei would have only seen a large gray sleeve.
Su Yang seemed unhurried. He enlarged the gourd and took Yi Sanmei aboard. They slowly left Feiyan Pavilion and sailed deeper into the sea of clouds. The flowing clouds automatically avoided the gourd, but they couldn't block the view of those atop it. Yi Sanmei had a feeling Su Yang had something to say, so she didn't dare to look out like she had on their arrival. Instead, she sat cross-legged, imitating Su Yang, and secretly observed him.
For various reasons, Su Yang had retained his fifteen-year-old appearance, a bright, gentle, and clear-eyed image of a boy next door who was a scholar. However, Yi Sanmei felt that he inexplicably resembled her father, who had spent his entire life in the village and was now aging beyond recognition. Their facial features were naturally not the slightest bit similar, but perhaps their hearts and minds were the same.
There is no hope, and the end of this life can be seen at a glance, but we still have to insist on living a calm life every day, so our hearts become numb.
I don't want this. So what should I do?
Yi Sanmei was lost in thought when Su Yang cleared his throat, snapping her out of it and making her listen carefully. She had to understand who held the power of life and death in the environment she was about to enter, and how to exploit the personalities and habits of those she could exploit to maximize her benefits. This was what life in the Third Valley had taught her.
Yi Sanmei vaguely guessed that what Su Yang had said to her earlier was a question to him through her. There must be something between them that resonated with Su Yang. Although Yi Sanmei couldn't know for sure, she suppressed her emotions, adhering to the idea that the more she spoke, the more mistakes she made, and waited for Su Yang to ask himself.
"From now on you will be my junior sister. Do you have your own name?"
Third Sister Yi thought of the three characters Shen Ranming that Jiao Xing had written carefully in the book, and shook her head somewhat sadly. She whispered, "Your Excellency, there is only one common name, Third Sister Yi."
Su Yang carefully asked which character it was, then held out his hand for Yi Sanmei to write for him to see. Yi Sanmei, somewhat trembling, held his palm with one hand, stretched out her right finger, and diligently drew the character Yi in her mind, like drawing a talisman.
Although the stroke order was all wrong, Su Yang finally understood that it was the character "Yi". He looked at the third sister Yi, whose hands were as cautious as if they were wrapped in fire, and her thin and petite figure, and he couldn't help but feel pity for her. He raised his hand and touched her head again.
"No need to call me sir, just call me Senior Brother. It's inconvenient to call me by my common name anymore. As for the name, I'll naturally come up with it when Master accepts you as his disciple." He withdrew his hand, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked, "Do you know Xuan Chengzhou?"
Seeing Yi Sanmei shaking her head, Su Yang smiled bitterly and couldn't help muttering: "Yes, it's been ten years, and I haven't seen anyone from outside again... If you were from Xuanchengzhou, I would be worried that there might be another war..."
After calming down, Su Yang stopped talking about this topic and began to slowly introduce Zang Yaozong and Danxin Pavilion to Yi Sanmei.
"Danxin Pavilion is a key location within the sect, so even if you're the only one here, there are only twelve of us, occupying Ruoyu Peak all to ourselves. Six layers of formations protect us from entering and exiting, and we must possess the corresponding tokens. Normally, we can't enter or leave Ruoyu Peak at will. We can only come out when Master is in seclusion researching the elixir formula or when he's out."
"Then, Master, is Master in seclusion?" Yi Sanmei asked, trying to imitate Su Yang's pronunciation. Su Yang patiently corrected her accent and wrote the word "Master" several times for her to memorize. He then instructed her, "You must remember, it's Master, not Master. Although the two words have the same pronunciation, their meanings are completely different."
After Yi Sanmei nodded in confusion, Su Yang explained, "Master is in seclusion researching a new pill formula. Before Master comes out, I will strengthen your bones and give you a crown initiation."
Third Sister Yi could hear the sincerity in his words. Although she couldn't grasp the meaning at once, she silently memorized it in her heart and asked again, "Is the bone-strengthening initiation like taking the Fumu Fruit?"
Su Yang was stunned after hearing this, and asked, "Taking the Fumu Fruit?"
Su Yang couldn't be blamed for being unaware. Although he was a disciple favored by Taoist Hua Shen, he had never received any specific guidance from Taoist Hua Shen, just like most other medicine-testing boys. All his knowledge of medicine was obtained through self-research in books in order to understand what kind of medicine Taoist Hua Shen had put on him and how to make him feel better.
The Fumu Fruit was an elixir that Taoist Hua Shen had perfected hundreds of years earlier. Naturally, it wasn't his turn to test it, so he didn't bother to find out. Furthermore, once the Fumu Fruit was refined, it was sent directly to the Yuangu Path. Therefore, although Su Yang had helped refine a few batches, he didn't know the specific uses of the Fumu Fruit.
Third Sister Yi was certain he wasn't from the Zang Yao Sect, but rather from the territory of what people called the Heavenly Dao's lackeys. She explained, "The Fu Mu Fruit is a kind of elixir refined by our master. Select women with good physiques and supplement them with the Fei Tian Soup to become mothers of childbearing in the valley. They can give birth to five to ten children a month."
"Although most of the children born died early due to various diseases, those who survived never suffered from any disease or disaster and could even survive without much food. However, they would still get hungry."
After saying this, Yi Sanmei felt a little embarrassed, yet also a little strangely proud, and didn't think there was anything wrong with it at all.
But when Su Yang heard this, his expression suddenly changed. He stood up and began to pace on the gourd. Yi Sanmei listened hard, but could only hear "If this isn't purgatory, then where is it..." "It's only a moment away!..." When Su Yang stopped and looked down at Yi Sanmei, she finally understood what he was doing.
He was sympathizing with me. Or rather, he was sympathizing with "us" who were different from him.
Yi Sanmei was a little puzzled. Isn't that the case in every household? If her qualifications hadn't been overlooked, she would have preferred to be a mother! At least she'd be supported her whole life, never worrying about food or clothing. Only after she came out did her thoughts gradually change.
It turns out that beyond those muddy, smelly walls, above the square gray sky, lies a vast world, and people who can live such different lives. If you've never heard of it, never seen it, you won't yearn for it. As long as you have a tiny spark, you'll never be satisfied with just that kind of "life."
Could it be that he had seen a freer sky, a better way to live? Although she suspected she was overthinking it, Third Sister Yi couldn't help but feel curious about Xuanchengzhou. What kind of environment could allow someone to possess such empathy for others? Or was Su Yang the only one who was special?
Regardless, Third Sister Yi was secretly delighted with Su Yang's attitude. Now it all depended on who the master in Danxin Pavilion was.
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