Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 141 - An Unexpected Incident (1)

The group of people finally met in front of the cave.

Men Dong rushed over, first taking a good look at Gu Baiying up and down, and asked, “Senior Uncle, are you alright?”

Gu Baiying replied nonchalantly, “What’s there to be worried about?”

Only then did Men Dong relax and finally turned his attention to Zanxing, “You…” He hesitated, as if wanting to ask something, but held back. After stuttering for a while, he managed to say three words, “Are you okay?”

“Not bad.” Zanxing knew how awkward this kid could be, then looked at Tian Fangfang and the others, “Senior Brother, how are you guys?” She noticed that Mu Cengxiao’s left arm seemed to be injured, “How did you get hurt, Senior Brother Mu?”

“Don’t mention it,” Tian Fangfang looked frustrated, “After you guys fell, that beast wouldn’t stop chasing us. The people from Chihua Sect ran faster than anyone else. We hid in a stone pool near the tiger’s den. We wanted to come back and find you, but the others from the sects refused, so we had to come back on our own. On the way, we encountered that Jinhua Tiger again.”

They were all covered in dust, looking a bit tired, even Meng Ying’s skirt corners had some mud on them. It didn’t look like it had been an easy journey.

“But Junior Sister, you won’t believe it, our Junior Brother Mu, worthy of being tied with you for first place in the sect’s assessment, actually used his old, tattered sword to slay the Jinhua Tiger!”

The Jinhua Tiger’s cultivation level wasn’t very high, but the difficulty lay in its fire having intelligence, and its bones were extremely hard, making them difficult to break. Therefore, most ordinary cultivators would hide from the Jinhua Tiger rather than kill it.

“The Jinhua Tiger bones that even Senior Sister Meng couldn’t cut through,” Tian Fangfang still looked incredulous, “were taken down by this guy with a single stroke! Isn’t that amazing?”

Zanxing thought, That sword isn’t old and tattered. It’s the God-Slaying Sword, which is feared even by immortals. It seemed that although Mu Cengxiao accidentally had his Xiao Yuan Pearl taken by her and lost his inheritance, his luck hadn’t changed. The God-Slaying Sword hadn’t fully shown its power yet, however, it would become more formidable as Mu Cengxiao mastered his blade skills over time.

“I’ve collected the tiger bones and skin, we’ll divide them when we get back. Don’t fight me for the bit of tiger fire essence, though. I’m a fire-element spellcaster, and it will be perfect for my Qianyang Axe.” His face was full of the joy of a bountiful harvest, like a farmer returning home with a full load.

“All yours.” Zanxing was speechless. “No one is going to fight you for it.”

Meng Ying asked, “Junior Sister Yang, after Junior Brother Mu killed the Jinhua Tiger, we re-entered the tiger’s den. The abyss had disappeared, and we couldn’t find any trace of you. What exactly happened?”

Zanxing glanced at Gu Baiying, who looked back at her with a slight flicker in his eyes but said nothing.

Knowing that this couldn’t be kept a secret forever, Zanxing said, “Actually, we found a painting.”

“A painting?” Mu Cengxiao’s expression changed. “Is it the painting that Yin Ying mentioned earlier?”

Zanxing nodded. “That painting… contained a trace of the Fairy Qinghua’s spiritual consciousness.”

Everyone was stunned.

She then briefly recounted what had happened in the secret realm. Gu Baiying didn’t say a word throughout, walking to the side to sit down as if it had nothing to do with him.

After she finished, everyone was silent for a while, processing what she had just said. After a moment, Tian Fangfang sneaked a glance at Gu Baiying and then leaned in to whisper, “So, Junior Sister, does this mean you now have the inheritance of Fairy Qinghua?”

“Because it’s just spiritual consciousness, my cultivation and Qi are the same as before. I just have a lot more mental techniques in my mind.” Zanxing sighed. “But this isn’t something that can be mastered overnight. I’ll need to return to the sect and train slowly.”

It’s like someone forcibly gave her a bunch of reference books—impressive to have, but she still needed to read them first.

“Well, you’ve hit the jackpot!” Tian Fangfang was excited. “Think about those mental techniques, each one is priceless. Fairy Qinghua didn’t just give you cultivation methods, she gave you a treasure trove! Wait, no,” he snapped back to reality, “why didn’t she leave it to her own son and instead gave it to you? Just because you are the ‘destined one’?”

At the mention of the ‘destined one,’ the others looked at Zanxing with a peculiar expression.

After all, Gu Baiying seemed more like the savior than she did.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Zanxing felt frustrated. “I didn’t want this either.”

A side character without a protagonist’s halo forcibly stepping up to be the ‘destined one’ resulted in even the protagonist’s spiritual treasure, the Xiao Yuan Pearl, turning into an evil object. Who knows if the original story would dig her a deeper pit, but the words ‘save the world’ sounded incredibly daunting.

Meng Ying said, “Since Fairy Qinghua chose you and personally passed on her mental techniques to you, it means you must have some destined fortune. Junior Sister, do not belittle yourself. When we return to Gufeng Mountain, I will inform the headmaster of this matter. Even if it takes the entire sect’s strength, we will ensure you successfully master the Qing’e Flower-Picking Staff techniques.”

Zanxing felt both thrilled and terrified.

“It’s best to discuss this later,” Mu Cengxiao interrupted. “The person behind Yin Ying sent him into the secret realm to find this painting. Now that Fairy Qinghua suspects it’s a demonic plot, we should return to the sect immediately and inform the elders.”

“Yes,” Men Dong said, his small face worried, “according to Fairy Qinghua’s divination, isn’t it next year? If the demons really make a comeback after this year… Fairy Qinghua is no longer here, and although the various sects seem to be holding up, we don’t even have anyone decent… Even someone like Tan Tianxin can represent the sect in the secret realm. If we really face the demons, we might as well wait for death.”

“Junior Brother,” Meng Ying shook her head in disapproval, “how can you harbor defeatist thoughts before the battle has even begun?”

Men Dong mumbled, “I’m just speaking the truth.”

“Are you done talking?” Gu Baiying glanced at them, appearing impatient. “If so, let’s head down the mountain.”

They had come to the secret realm seeking fortune, and now that they had obtained the inheritance of Fairy Qinghua, slain a Jinhua tiger, and Mu Cengxiao’s God-Slaying Sword had unlocked its first seal, it was already an unexpected boon for the Taiyan Sect.

Moreover, considering the time they had spent in the secret realm, it was just about right to head back.

“Let’s follow the same route we took to get here,” Mu Cengxiao suggested. “We’ll descend the mountain, cross Lanying Lake, and use the teleportation array near the thicket.”

Everyone agreed.

The descent was much easier than the ascent, but their pace was slow. After battling the Jinhua tiger, Tian Fangfang and his group had sustained various injuries, and they weren’t as spirited as when they arrived. Zanxing, having been beaten several times by Fairy Qinghua in the painting realm, didn’t have any serious injuries but was still in a lot of pain, causing her to walk with a slight limp. Gu Baiying wasn’t walking quickly either, even though he hadn’t seemed to be injured much. Zanxing guessed that the young man might still be feeling down about the whole Fairy Qinghua incident, thinking that she would find an opportunity to counsel him once they returned to Gufeng Mountain.

After all, she had received Fairy Qinghua’s inheritance and was now practically half a disciple of the fairy, so she felt obligated to care for the fairy’s son. However, this did make her and Gu Baiying’s seniority quite confusing.

Lost in these thoughts, they reached the foot of Wudong Mountain. Lanying Lake was as beautiful and serene as when they had first arrived, nestled among the mountains like a hidden gem.

A bird chirped as it flew by, leaving a faint trail like smoke in the blue sky. Its wings spread wide, reminding Zanxing of the fiery color poised to take flight from the branches of a giant tree in the wild.

She looked down and continued walking, hearing Tian Fangfang’s voice complaining ahead, “Don’t you think those other sects are pretty disgusting? Back at the Starry Sky Terrace in Li’er Country, if it weren’t for Junior Sister Zanxing and Seventh Uncle, they would have been done for. They owe us their lives, but what happened? As soon as Jinhua tiger showed up, they ran faster than rabbits! I think the Chihua Sect is so pathetic now, they’re bound to fall apart sooner or later.”

Men Dong chimed in, “That Yin Feng Sect isn’t any better! They speak politely, but they’re just opportunists. I think they’re just waiting for our sect to make a mistake so they can take our place!”

“Exactly, exactly! I can’t stand their Senior Brother Nie either,” Tian Fangfang, glad to find someone who shared his opinion, said. “He always shows off—so what if he’s rich? The Xiang Ling Sect, on the other hand, is quite decent. They even spoke up for us earlier. If it weren’t for the Yin Feng Sect interrupting, I think they would have stayed to help.”

“Could it be that Lady Rongshuang, the head of the Xiang Ling Sect, still has lingering feelings for our master?” Men Dong wondered aloud, then sighed in an old-fashioned way, “Our master leaving romantic ties everywhere isn’t the behavior of a true gentleman.”

Zanxing: “…”

She was listening to Men Dong and Tian Fangfang’s nonsense when she noticed that Gu Baiying, who was ahead of them, suddenly stopped walking.