Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 173 - Treasure Map (1)

When Zanxing woke up, it felt as though she had been in a deep sleep. The sky was already bright.

She lay on a soft, peach-colored mattress, surrounded by the familiar fragrance of magnolia. This was the sleeping quarters of the Taiyan Sect. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up. This movement startled the person napping beside her. Hong Su jolted awake and, upon seeing Zanxing, exclaimed with delight, “Young Miss, you’re awake!”

Before Zanxing could respond, Hong Su’s eyes filled with tears. She grasped Zanxing’s hand, her voice choked with sobs, “Young Miss, you were unconscious for seven days and nights! I was so scared! Boohoo, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

“Seven days and nights?” Zanxing was astonished.

Hong Su nodded vigorously.

Zanxing found it strange. That day, after she and Gu Baiying broke the illusion created by the mirage woman, the Wudan Desert returned to its original state. Xuan Lingzi and Ziluo came to pick them up, and at that moment, she felt a sharp pain in her palm before losing consciousness. It felt like a brief nap, yet seven days had passed?

She looked down at her palm, and her heart skipped a beat. The flower-shaped red mark on her palm had now become complete and vibrant. Every time she violated the predetermined “Heavenly Dao” and altered the course of events, this flower mark would become more complete. When she had no choice but to burn the Xiao Yuan Pearl in Wufan City, intervening at a moment she shouldn’t have, it had once again been recorded by the “Heavenly Dao.”

It wasn’t a good sign.

Seeing her actions, Hong Su asked curiously, “Young Miss, what are you looking at? Does your hand hurt?”

Zanxing retracted her hand and changed the subject, “Where are the others?”

“When you returned, Shaoyang Zhenren summoned them to the Hall of Law and talked for a long time. They’ve all been quite busy these past few days. Last night, a few of the Immortal Elders came to see you, but they left when they saw you were still unconscious.”

Zanxing asked, “How is Seventh Uncle?”

Gu Baiying had been the most seriously injured. As the mirage woman had said, his spiritual veins had been damaged before, and in Wufan City, he had forcefully mobilized his spiritual energy to fight her, which could be life-threatening. Although the snake shaman had given her the treasure map, they had yet to find the holy tree and its fruit, so Gu Baiying’s spiritual vein damage remained. She wondered about his current condition.

“Young Immortal Gu?” Hong Su thought for a moment. “I haven’t seen him for the past few days. Last night, he came with Young Master Tian, and he looked the same as usual.”

Looking the same as usual meant he should be fine for now. Hearing this, Zanxing felt a bit relieved.

She got out of bed, and Hong Su asked, “Young Miss, what are you going to do?”

“I haven’t been out of bed for seven days,” Zanxing replied. “I’m going out for a walk.”

Just as she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw Xuan Lingzi rushing in from outside, nearly tripping over Mimi, who was lying at the door. Zanxing helped him up, and Xuan Lingzi held her hand, sighing, “Zanxing, as soon as I heard you woke up, I came to see you immediately. How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?”

“Thank you, Master. I’m not feeling any discomfort.”

“This time, when you all went to Li’er Country for the trial, I was careless. I didn’t expect someone to tamper with the teleportation array, sending you to Wufan City. I thought everything would be fine with Seventh Brother there, but who could have known his spiritual veins were problematic. Meng Ying said we were fortunate to have you this time. However, you took a big risk, burning your own spiritual energy. When you returned, the Grand Master checked you over, and fortunately, your spiritual energy didn’t seem to be seriously damaged.” He looked at Zanxing worriedly, “I wonder if there will be any lasting effects in the future.”

Zanxing’s heart sank. That day, everyone was trapped in the mirage woman’s illusion, and on the surface, she was the only one left with spiritual energy to burn. But in fact, she had burned the power contained within the Xiao Yuan Pearl. Shaoyang Zhenren was highly skilled; she didn’t know if he had noticed anything.

“If I had known Seventh Brother was injured, I wouldn’t have let him go. It would have been better to take Zi Luo instead…” Xuan Lingzi was still rambling.

Zanxing interrupted him, “Master, how is Seventh Uncle now?”

Xuan Lingzi snapped back to reality, “As soon as he returned, the Grand Master treated him. Now he can run, jump, and curse, even more energetically than you. He’s in the Elysium Hall. Do you want to go see him?”

Zanxing thought for a moment, “Okay.”

*

Behind the Elysium Hall, in the sleeping quarters

In the courtyard, the Biyi Blossom trees were blooming more brilliantly than usual, and the vibrant red birds spread their wings as if ready to take flight, adorning the otherwise desolate hall with splendor.

A young man sat by the window, absentmindedly gazing at the flowering trees outside. In his hand, he held a delicate, green bell.

A red petal fell from the tree, swaying gently to the ground like crimson snow, disrupting his thoughts.

Gu Baiying looked down at the bell in his hand, his brows gradually furrowing.

The bell was the same as always, translucent, ancient, and cold to the touch.

But on that night in Wufan City, in that stone chamber, the Jie Xin Bell had rung.

The sound of the bell was faint and soft, like the shy confessions of a young lover, yet to his ears, it was earth-shattering.

The Jie Xin Bell rang, stirring his heart.

Had his heart been moved? Because of whom? Yang Zanxing?

Suddenly, an image of the woman appeared in his mind. In the dim, gloomy stone chamber, at the end of their rope, she had stood protectively in front of him.

Gu Baiying’s heart began to pound.

From outside came a familiar call, “Seventh Uncle!”

The young man jolted back to reality and tossed the bell away as if it were a hot potato. Zanxing, who had just appeared at the window, caught it perfectly. Holding the Jie Xin Bell, she exclaimed in surprise, “Uncle, you’re actually throwing things around?”

Gu Baiying composed himself, quickly snatched the bell from Zanxing’s hand, and deftly shoved it into a drawer, closing it seamlessly.

Zanxing asked, “Uncle, why did you…”

“It’s broken,” Gu Baiying interrupted her.

“But I just heard it ring…”

“Impossible.”

Zanxing paused, then said, “I was just joking, Uncle. Why are you so nervous?”

Embarrassed and angry, the young man pressed her shoulders and began pushing her out. “Who allowed you into my Elysium Hall?”

As Zanxing was pushed out, she joked, “Uncle, aren’t you a bit too irritable this early in the morning? I am your savior, after all. Where’s your respect?”

“Shut up!”

Their noisy bickering was interrupted by another voice from outside. Tian Fangfang’s loud voice echoed through the courtyard, “Junior Sister, you’re awake!”

Both of them stopped in their tracks. Tian Fangfang walked over to Zanxing and patted her shoulder in relief, “Junior Sister, I just got back to the hall and Master said you woke up. That’s great! I knew someone as blessed as you wouldn’t be in trouble.”

Gu Baiying, impatient, said, “Are you done? If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”

Tian Fangfang grabbed his arm, “Uncle, don’t go yet. Master wants you to go to the Jinhua Hall.”

“For what?”

“You don’t know?” Tian Fangfang asked in surprise. “Someone from the Xiang Ling Sect has arrived.”