TGM Vol.1 Chapter 7 – Going Down The Mountain

On the next day, the five of them left for Lutai Mountain. The dignitaries of the other four fatcions left their farewells, as they were guests. They only waited for the flowers to be plucked and the Hairpin Tournament to officially begin.

When they set off, all the disciples were sent to the gate of the mountain, but Linglong was the only one who didn’t arrive. Since Xie Lei punished her by forbidding her to leave the courtyard, she really didn’t come out. He Danping is the one suffering. On the one hand, she has to worry about her youngest daughter, and on the other hand, she feels sorry for her eldest daughter, and has to manage arrangements for the tournament. It is really hard to be a good wife and mother.

Since Xuanji and Zhong Minyan do not know how to fly with a sword yet, Chu Yinghong and Dongfang Qingqi take one of them with them and hold them in front of them, flying fast and steady. Zhong Minyan was fine because he had practiced flying secretly before, but it was the first time for Xuanji. Chu Yinghong was worried that the little girl was scared and held her tightly with both hands, comforting her, “Don’t be afraid, Aunt Hong is here, I will definitely not let you fall down.”

She looked down at Xuanji and saw that her eyes were wide open, looking curiously at the floating clouds beneath her feet like a veil, and there was no trace of fear.

In her heart, she was amazed that the two daughters of the Master were so different in temperament. Ling Long knew her better and pestered her every day to practice her martial arts. She was a lively and quick-witted little girl with a talent for practicing martial arts. She has hardly been in contact with Xuanji before, and she often hears that the Master is angry because of her laziness, but she just thinks she’s an unruly and obnoxious girl.

When she saw that Xuanji was watching with great interest, she smiled and said, “Aren’t you afraid? First time flying so high.”

Xuanji shook her head and said, “You won’t let me fall.”

Chu Yinghong was very amused by her childish and old-fashioned attitude, so she teased her, “Are you so sure? I’m not your father and mother.”

Xuanji didn’t reply, she only looked down at the undulating green mountains below her feet, and the milky white clouds they were shrouded in, like a veil on a beauty.

Chu Yinghong was silently sizing her up, suddenly remembering a time when the brothers and sisters got together to drink, and Junior Brother Huan Yang probably drunk too much, clapping his hands and laughing, “You guys are always saying that Chu’s eldest daughter Ling Long is a rare genius. Has anyone seen that little girl Xuanji? Not to mention, her uncanny ability to adapt to changes and her uncorrupted eye is the stuff of great things!”

In the past, she only thought it was drunken talk and didn’t take it to heart, but now, when she remembered the phrase, “No surprise in the face of change, no dust under the eyes”, she surprisingly found it apt.

She laughed and clasped Xuanji tightly to her chest, laughing, “Hey, want to have some fun?”

After saying that, she did not wait for an answer, but pressed down with her left foot, and the sword that had been slicing through clouds beneath her feet flew up and down like a wild horse that had lost its reins, and finally, with a sudden release, it fell straight down from the sky. Seeing that it was about to crash to the ground, the sword swung lightly like a dragon, brushing the top of the elm tree on the top of the mountain and flying away, leaving leaves and twigs flying in the air behind the sword.

A lark resting on the tree couldn’t escape in time, and as soon as it raised its wings, it was lightly swept by Chu Yinghong’s sleeve, nd skillfully grasped in her hand.

“Here, for you. Is it fun?” She smilingly put the lark into Xuanji’s sleeve and controlled the Cloud Swallowing Sword so that it flew close to the top of the tree. When the leaves met the sharp sword energy, they collided. It was like breaking the waves on the top of a tree, and the dense branches and leaves were the waves of the sea.

Xuanji felt that everything was new.

The flying sword, the feeling of looking down from such a high place, the wind blowing in all directions, the feeling of the wind blowing from all directions without obstruction, and the feeling of the soft trembling of the lark in her sleeve, bringing with it the panic and tenderness of a small creature. Everything in front of her was open and clear, and even the tip of her hair could feel the taste of freedom. It was a completely different experience from being trapped in the courtyard at the back of Shaoyang Peak all day long. She felt that she had learned something, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

So when Chu Yinghong asked her if she liked to play like this, she nodded yes without hesitation. Chu Yinghong touched her head and smiled: “If you like it, you have to learn to fly by yourself. Only when you fly by yourself, can you understand the beauty of it.”

Xuanji nodded her head in ignorance, and suddenly felt in her heart that even practicing martial arts was no trouble at all. For the first time, she had the thought of learning how to fly by herself.

She liked the freedom, the freedom where everything was open and unrestricted.

Of course, she didn’t know that when she was resting at the inn at night, Chu Yinghong found Xiu Lei and asked him for someone.

“Master, I want Xuanji to come to Yuyang Hall to study with me, what do you think?”

Chu Yinghong’s request is both a surprise and a delight to Xie Lei, who is surprised that she has chosen Xuanji. He thought that she would take Ling Long as her disciple. He was pleased because she was a brilliant and knowledgeable expert, and Xuanji will definitely learn a lot with her.

He immediately smiled and said, “If so, it’s really my daughter’s good fortune. However, Xuanji has always been lazy since she was a child, so I hope that sister will supervise her more. One cannot become a talent by being lazy.”

But Chu Yinghong said, “Master, some children need heavy pressure to be trained, but some children cannot be pressured at all. Everyone has their own method of training. I think Xuanji is very good. With time, she will definitely become a great talent.”

Xie Lei knew that his younger sister had many strange and bizarre opinions, and although he didn’t agree with her, he didn’t refute them. “The little girl will be taught by my junior sister. I’ll ask her to come here to pay homage to her teacher.”

Chu Yinghong hurriedly stopped him with a smile, “There’s no rush. Let’s wait until after the flower pin ceremony.”

Chu Yinghong knows in her heart she has to be careful about this, Xuanji is lazy in nature, but extremely intelligent. This kind of person can’t be forced to do anything; she has her own ideas and can only guide her, tempt her and make her interested in practicing martial arts. Xuanji is still young, and if she were older, it would be even more difficult to teach her. If you force her to be your disciple, she will have a rebellious attitude and you should let her go.

When Chu Yinghong and Xie Lei were discussing her apprenticeship upstairs, Xuanji and the other three were having tea downstairs. Dongfang Qingqi ordered more than ten dishes in one go, and then he patted Zhong Minyan’s shoulder and smiled, “This kid is not bad. It’s not easy to survive until now.”

When Zhong Minyan was slapped by his palm, his whole body smashed on the table and he couldn’t move. When Xuanji saw that his face turned black and was more bitter than a bitter melon, she asked in a soft voice, “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

He shook his head, but before he could say anything, Dongfang Qingqi laughed and said, “It’s hard for him to try out the Fuyu Island’s special stunt, the Fluttering Dragon. Some of my pupils are much older than he is, and they faint when they encounter this trick. It’s not easy for the kid!”

Xuanji blinked her eyes, but she didn’t understand.

Zhong Minyan said, “The Master of Fuyu Island took me up and down, left and right, and finally turned around a hundred and eight times… I… vomited… I was dying…”

Xuanji looked at him sympathetically and said, “Then you should go to bed. There is still a long way to go tomorrow.”

Zhong Minyan shook his head and said, “We have come this far. I’ll just sit here…”.

Dongfang Qingqi laughed, “Spirited! I love it! It’s not easy to make it this far! Chu’s pupils are different, much better than my useless pupils! Why don’t you come back with me and become a disciple of Fuyu Island? I’ll talk to Brother Chu.”

But then I heard the laughter of Xie Lei from behind, “Brother Dongfang loves to joke, and all the disciples of Fuyu Island are the best of the best. How can we compare?”

Saying that, he and Chu Yinghong walked over together, sat down with a smile, and said, “Sorry for the long wait.”

Dongfang Qingqi said again, “Brother Chu is so blessed. There are many talents in the Shaoyang Sect, which really makes me jealous of you.”

Xie Lei and him are close friends of life and death. This person has always spoken so boldly and straightforwardly. He has long been used to it. He smiled and said, “What are you talking about! Are there still a few people on your island? Just Pian Pian and Yu Ning alone are enough for you to boast about. A while ago, I heard that they chopped up a vicious demon in Lantian, and even cried to me that they were broke. Will they come to the flower pin tournament?”

Dongfang Qingqi sighed with pride as he talked about his two best disciples, “How could they not participate in the Flower Hairpin Tournament? I’ll feel relieved if they can take over Fuyu Island in the future.”

After saying that, he patted a pale Zhong Minyan and said, “This child is not bad either! It’s amazing how a young man can withstand my Fluttering Dragon. It’s not easy! They will be the ones to take the limelight in the next hairpin competition! Chu, don’t pretend that you’re crying with your brother!”

Everyone laughed, but then they heard a loud thud, and it turned out that Zhong Minyan was unconscious.

Chu Yinghong hurriedly helped him upstairs to take a rest and asked Xuanji to take care of him in his room, giving him some good advice before going downstairs.

The sounds of people laughing and joking could be heard downstairs, and the aroma of wine assaulted her. Xuanji sat on the stool for a long time, hungry and itching to go downstairs to listen to their funny stories. He was sleeping soundly on the bed, but his face was pale, and he must have been really frightened by the sword fighting technique.

She was so hungry that her eyes turned black, and there was food on the table she liked that Chu Yinghong left for the two of them. She couldn’t wait for Zhong Minyan to wake up, so she ate on her own.

Halfway through the meal, she suddenly felt someone was looking at her. When Xuanji turned around, she saw Zhong Minyan staring at her with his eyes wide open. She swallowed her food and asked hesitantly, “Do you . . . want to have some?

Zhong Minyan blushed and shook his head, whispering, “I’m dizzy, you can eat it yourself.”

Xuanji said “Oh” and continued to bury her head and eat.

When Zhong Minyan saw that the food was almost finished by her, he couldn’t help but speak again: “That…can you finish the soup by yourself…”.

Xuanji finally understood that he actually wanted to eat, so he sighed, “Why didn’t you say so? There’s still some more food, don’t worry, come and eat.”

Zhong Minyan was so dizzy that he threw up everything he could, and now he was choked with hunger, so he pushed aside the covers and got out of bed. But his feet felt as soft as cotton, and he didn’t have the strength to step on the floor before he fell. He was dumbfounded for a long time, but then he suddenly turned over and lay down on the bed again, muffling, “I’m not hungry, I’m not eating.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, as if it was deliberately singing a different tune, his stomach screamed loudly and let out a long moan.

He froze.

Xuanji was stunned.

A little while later, she walked over to the bedside, pushed him, and said, “Hey, eat your food.”

Zhong Minyan pretended to be asleep and ignored her.

She pushed him again and said, “Let’s eat. We still have a long way to go tomorrow.”

He was so upset that he sat up and said, “No!”

When se turned around, he saw Xuanji holding a big bowl with rice in soup and a little green vegetables on top of it. She sat down on the edge of the bed, mashed the rice with a spoon, and said, “Let me feed you, open your mouth.” She scooped up a spoonful of rice and soup and passed it to his mouth.

He stared at the spoon as if it were some kind of demon, his eyes round and his body full of murderous rage.

“Open your mouth.” Xuanji seemed to be coaxing a child.

Zhong Minyan’s face exploded red with shame and annoyance, feeling angry and ashamed that he had been reduced to the point of asking a little girl to feed him. What’s even more pathetic is that he was so attracted by the fragrance of the rice that he couldn’t control himself and opened his mouth to swallow it.

Mmm, delicious.

But that’s not the problem!

He took his anger out on Xuanji and stared at her fiercely, swallowing his rice viciously as if he had a grudge against them.

“Is it good?” Xuanji was so dull that she didn’t even notice his murderous gaze and asked him nicely.

Zhong Minyan ignored her, his mouth is full of food and he is chewing fiercely. The charm of food is really great. He actually feels that this girl is tender and cute now, probably because she is full and satisfied.

He found that her eyelashes were very long, like two small fans, thick and dense, placing two curved shadows on her white and clear face. Her eyebrows are curved like a crescent moon, which is said to be the shape of an open-minded person’s eyebrows. That’s right, she seems to have nothing to worry about in the world, always so absent minded.

She and Ling Long are twin sisters. They look alike, but Ling Long is much brighter and more pleasant than her. He had almost no impression of Xuanji before. If he hadn’t overheard those brothers commenting on the female disciples one day, his knowledge of her would have been blank.

Those brothers said that Ling Long was like a rose, bright and charming, and that when she grew up, she would be a beauty, a hot beauty, with thorns.

Then they talked about a few female disciples who were all famous beauties. Finally, I don’t know who spoke of Xuanji, saying, “That’s a beauty, with that kind of bones and temperament, I’m sure we’ll see it after two years. None of the things you have said can be called exquisite, but you need to know that real beauty is exquisite. Sister Linglong is a rose, and Sister Xuanji is a glazed beauty, which needs to be tasted carefully to produce the charm.”

Glazed beauty.

When he saw her crystal-clear cheeks, he felt for the first time that it was the right title for her. Of course, it would be better if her lazy and mischievous temper could be changed.

Xuanji put the last bite of rice into his mouth and suddenly noticed that his face was as red as dripping blood, so she asked, “Are you feeling unwell? Are you getting a fever? I’ll ask my father to come up and take a look!”

She dropped her bowl and went downstairs to call for help, but he grabbed her by the wrist and said urgently, “No!”

His hands were as hot as a soldering iron, Xuanji was so shocked that she could only stare at him blankly.

Zhong Minyan quickly pulled his hand back, covered his head and went to sleep, whispering, “I’m fine, I want to sleep for a while. Go down and let the master not worry about me.”

Xuanji, knowing that he was known for his mood swings, said nothing and blew out the candles for him before going downstairs.

Sure enough, the next day, Zhong Minyan acted as if nothing had happened and treated her even more coldly than before, and if not for the fact that Xie Lei came down, he wouldn’t have even greeted her.

Xuanji only thought that he was afraid that the Fuyu Island Master would use Fluttering Dragon to try him again, and didn’t take it seriously. Chu Yinghong was talking about the demon incident in Lutai Mountain, and her attention was completely drawn to it.

“In just these two days, five people were eaten at Lutai Mountain. I don’t believe that those two demons are that powerful!” The three adults are speechless as Chu Yinghong spreads out the information they received this morning on the table.

The three adults were silent. After a long time, Dongfang Qingqi said, “We have to hurry up the journey to get there, or else more people will be eaten.”

Xie Lei gave a hum, then, he said, “I don’t think we can go to Mount Zhangtai, we must head west to Lutai Mountain. Yinghong…next time you can visit your aunt.”

Chu Yinghong nodded and said, “That’s alright, It’s important to get rid of the demons first.”

Then they discussed the division of labor, had breakfast and were about to leave, when they saw a group of blue-robed guests slowly walking in from the entrance of the inn, each wearing a Asura mask, they were from the Lize Palace.

When Xuanji saw this costume, she felt as if she had seen them somewhere before.

No one expected to meet the people of Lize Palace here and were surprised. However, as the guests entered, they wiped the table and chairs in the corner with hand towels, took out a set of white porcelain tea set, a set of blue bamboo wine set, two white jade bowls and a pair of silver chopsticks and placed them on the table. This unusual behavior caused everyone in the inn to stare at them, but they didn’t seem to mind.

After a while, someone called, “The Deputy Palace Master is here.”

They saw four people in blue robes walking by carrying a cool bamboo chair outside the door, and there was a person sitting on it, with long hair and a slim body. It is the Deputy Palace Master of Li Zé, who instructed them to catch the demons at the peak of Shaoyang.

They are planning to go over to pay their respects to him, but they see two children in blue clothes walking up to them, saying in unison: “Head Master Chu, Island Master Dongfang, Hall Master Chu, Zhong Xiaoxiao, Miss Chu. The Deputy Palace Master would like to talk.”

In such an orderly way, all five people have been invited.

The group followed the child, and the deputy palace master was already standing at the table waiting. Seeing them coming, he folded his hands and smiled, “I was rude. I didn’t expect to meet you all here. I wanted to go back quietly.”

Xie Lei returned the greeting and said, “Is it possible that the deputy palace master has something urgent to do?”

The Deputy Palace Master sighed and said, “Normally, I should have helped out at Shaoyang Peak with the flower pin ceremony, but yesterday I suddenly received an urgent message from the palace and had to rush back to deal with some personal matters. The palace has already apologised to your wife, so I hope you don’t mind. As soon as the palace office has finished its work, it will rush back to Shaoyang Peak and will not dare to delay.”

Everyone said, “It’s alright, the palace master’s business is important.”

Now they exchanged pleasantries and the Deputy Palace Master tried to keep them to drink with him. When Chu Yinghong saw the color of the sky, she got up and said with a smile, “We are in a hurry to get rid of the demons at Lutai Mountain, so I am afraid we cannot accompany the Palace Master to enjoy himself. In the coming Flower Hairpin Tournament, we will definitely drink three glasses of wine with the Palace Master.”

After hearing this, the Vice Palace Master did not force him to stay any longer and only smiled and said, “Good! The Palace has something important to do, otherwise I should accompany you. Let’s do it this way. Little Yu Sifeng is a bit more skilled in the art of demon control. You should take him with you, and it will be a little easier to pick the flowers. I wouldn’t want to slow you down.”

Xie Lei wanted to decline, but he thought that the Deputy Palace Master has always been odd in temper, so if he just refused his good intentions, it would be unpleasant, so he agreed.

The Deputy Palace Master clapped his hands and said, “Si Feng, you accompany Master Chu and the others to catch the demons. After that, you can go back to Shaoyang Peak directly, no need to rush back to the Palace.”

As soon as the words came out, everyone saw a thin, blue-robed young man fled out of nowhere, half-kneeled before the Deputy Palace Master, and bowed his head and said, “Disciple, obeys.”

Xuanji only felt that this name was familiar. Si Feng…Si Feng…where exactly have I heard it before? She tried hard to remember, but suddenly she saw the boy turn around and bow to her father, wearing a Shura mask on his face and a gilded leather bag with a flower pinned to his waist. She remembered his appearance and couldn’t help pointing at him, saying, “It’s you!”

The Deputy Palace Master laughed: “Does Miss Chu know this bad guy? He must have offended you before. That rascal has a strange temper, so Miss should not care about him.”

Xuanji shook her head and said, “No, not at all…”.

Si Feng gave her a slight bow and nodded his head without saying anything. His cold and polite appearance was so different from the last time that Xuanji felt that she might have misremembered someone.

The Deputy Palace Master said a few more polite words before everyone left the inn and flew to Lutai Mountain with their swords.

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