Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 188 - Travelling Companions (1)

After a good night’s sleep, when Zanxing woke up, it was already broad daylight. Hong Su was at the door feeding Mimi. Hearing Zanxing stirring, she turned around and quickly brought a cup of hot tea to the bedside.

Zanxing took the tea, and after just one sip, she heard Hong Su’s voice next to her ear: “Miss, have you captured Master Gu’s heart yet?”

Zanxing nearly spat out her water and looked up, asking, “What?”

“Didn’t you?” Hong Su seemed disappointed. “Last night, Master Mu was sent back to the neighboring Miao Kong Hall by Miss Liu, and you were brought back by Master Gu. I thought you had already decided to choose Master Gu between the two. So nothing happened?”

Zanxing pushed her head away and got out of bed while saying, “Of course, nothing happened.” When did it become her turn to choose between two men? This wasn’t some vulgar romance novel, and she wasn’t an emperor selecting concubines. Suddenly remembering something, Zanxing instructed Hong Su, “Also, don’t call Gu Baiying Master in front of him. He’s a virtuous man who won’t even let others see him undress. He’s more rigid than the ancient moral codes, reciting male virtues more fluently than the Heart Sutra. If he hears you slandering his reputation, he might beat you to death.”

“But…”

“But what?”

Hong Su swallowed her words, “…Nothing.”

Seeing Zanxing get up to dress, Hong Su asked, “Miss, are you going out?”

“I need to go to First Elder’s hall,” Zanxing patted her head. “You stay here and play with Mimi.”

Hong Su obediently agreed.

Zanxing dressed and, after a quick wash, grabbed a piece of rice cake and headed toward the Daoist Yueguang’s Hall. Passing by the Elysium Hall, she happened to see Gu Baiying standing under the Biyi Blossom tree outside the hall, lost in thought.

The handsome young man in a white robe, beneath the brightly blooming Biyi Blossom flowers, looked exceptionally clean and vibrant, truly deserving of being one of the Ten Scenic Spots of Gufeng Mountain.

Zanxing admired the scene for a while, feeling a bit puzzled. Despite Gu Baiying’s high cultivation, he usually noticed people passing by right away. Today, she had been observing him for quite some time, and he hadn’t noticed her at all, nor did she know what he was so engrossed in. With this in mind, Zanxing decided to greet him first: “Seventh Martial Uncle.”

Gu Baiying turned around.

As the wind blew, a Biyi Blossom Flower fell from the tree, landing perfectly in his hair. Zanxing walked over and reached up to touch his head. Gu Baiying instinctively stepped back, pressing his back against the trunk of the Biyi Blossom tree, and nervously stared at Zanxing: “What are you doing?”

“…You have a flower in your hair.” Zanxing removed the fiery-colored flower and waved it in front of him. “Why are you so nervous, Martial Uncle?”

Gu Baiying, annoyed, said, “Who’s nervous?”

Zanxing sighed: “Fine, I’m nervous, alright?” She turned to leave but suddenly remembered something and turned back to Gu Baiying: “By the way, Hong Su said it was you who brought me back last night. Thank you, Martial Uncle.”

The young man looked taken aback: “That’s it?”

Zanxing looked at him in confusion: “Is there something else?”

“Don’t you have anything else to say to me?”

“What should I say?” Zanxing was a bit puzzled.

Gu Baiying stared at her for a full moment, his expression quite complex. After a while, he turned away: “Nothing.”

Zanxing felt like he had something more to say, but she was on a schedule to go to the Daoist Yueguang’s Hall and couldn’t afford to delay. She said, “I drank too much yesterday and don’t remember anything. If I did anything wrong, don’t take it to heart.” Seeing that Gu Baiying didn’t react much, she decided to leave any further discussion for another time and went on her way.

After Zanxing left, Gu Baiying returned to the hall and sat down on a long bench.

In the Elysium Hall, apart from the occasional cleaning child, it was rarely visited, in stark contrast to the bustling Miaokong Hall. It often felt lonely and desolate. Now, sitting alone on the bench, he stared silently at the green bell in his hand.

He had thought that the Jie Xin Bell would never ring. For so many years, the bell had been as silent as a mere ornament by his side. He never expected the bell to emit such a passionate sound, one that even the binding spell couldn’t restrain.

It was hard to deceive oneself—just a moment ago, he had steeled himself to give up, and the next moment, he was surrendering in the face of the other person.

A child’s voice came from outside the door: “Seventh Uncle, Seventh Uncle!”

Gu Baiying looked up, distractedly asking, “What is it?”

“Master asked me to call you to his hall to discuss matters concerning the treasure location… Oh, what are you doing with the Jie Xin Bell?”

Gu Baiying quickly put away the bell: “Nothing.”

The child in a pink gauze outfit blinked and tentatively asked, “Yesterday, when we were at Doluo Platform, Sister Ziluo’s spoon landed on you. That disciple from the Xiang Ling Sect asked if you have someone you like… Martial Uncle, do you really have someone you like? But I’m with you every day, and I haven’t heard the bell ring.”

“Annoying. Mind your own business,” Gu Baiying said, his mood extremely sour, not wanting to engage further.

“You can always ask me if you don’t understand something,” Men Dong said confidently. “Although I’m young, I’ve delivered more than a thousand love letters for the seniors and junior sisters in our sect. Martial Uncle, I’m not boasting, but I know quite a bit about love. If you have any confusion, you can always talk to me. It’s better than trying to figure it out on your own.”

“You giving me advice?” Gu Baiying replied irritably. “You really know how to flatter yourself.”

“In a trio, there must be a teacher among them. Don’t underestimate me,” Men Dong said with conviction. “Our sect’s Junior Brother Ming and Junior Sister Ajuan, I was the one who delivered their love letters. I played a part in bringing them together. When they become a couple, they promised to give me a big reward.”

Gu Baiying raised his eyebrows slightly: “Is that true?”

“You can ask them if you don’t believe me,” Men Dong patted his chest in assurance.

After thinking for a while, Gu Baiying leaned in and asked softly, “Alright then, let me ask you. If a woman kisses a man one day, and the next day, when they meet again, she shows no reaction, neither mentioning what happened the previous day nor discussing how to proceed, what does that mean?”

Without hesitation, Men Dong replied, “What else could it mean? She doesn’t want to take responsibility!”

Gu Baiying was taken aback.

“Let me tell you, Martial Uncle, there are people like that in this world who take advantage of others, doing whatever they want, and after they’ve had their fill, they turn around and act as if nothing happened. Such people are typically scheming and underhanded.” Men Dong said with fervor, spitting out his words. “These people often get drunk, take someone’s purity, and the next day, they say, ‘Sorry, I drank too much yesterday and don’t remember anything. If I did something wrong, don’t take it to heart.’ How sneaky is that? If you encounter such a person, you don’t need to say anything. They are just morally corrupt scum. But…” He looked at Gu Baiying with curiosity. “Is there someone like that in our sect?”

Gu Baiying’s face darkened. “I don’t know!”

“Martial Uncle,” Men Dong said with a suspicious look, “the man you’re talking about, could it be you?”

“Of course not!” Gu Baiying quickly denied it, emphasizing, “It’s a friend of mine!”

“That’s good,” Men Dong said with relief. “I thought it might be you. Martial Uncle, tell your friend not to be fooled. It’s just using him for fun. He shouldn’t fall too deep into it.”

Gu Baiying’s expression changed slightly. After a moment, he awkwardly shifted the topic. “What did the Senior Brother call me for earlier?”

“Oh,” Men Dong recalled his purpose, “The Master asked you to discuss the selection of people to go to the treasure location.”

Weren’t the people chosen for the treasure location –  Yue Qin, Zhao Mayi, and Zanxing – supposed to be going with him?

Gu Baiying looked at Men Dong with suspicion.

Men Dong shrugged. “It seems the situation has changed.”

*

In the Daoist Yueguang’s Hall, Zhao Mayi, Xuan Lingzi, and Yue Qin were already present.

Shaoyang Zhenren had once again gone into seclusion. Out of the 365 days a year, he probably spent around 300 days in seclusion, rarely making an appearance. The others—Li Danshu and Cui Yufu—were occupied with alchemy and talisman-making respectively, seldom leaving their own halls. Yue Qin was busy assessing the swordsmanship of the disciples, and Yueguang often focused on organizing the Heart Sutra. Zhao Mayi spent most of her time accompanying Gu Baiying to search for herbs to repair the spiritual veins. Thus, Xuan Lingzi, left with little to do, seemed to wander about aimlessly.

However, even this idle person had recently become busy.

Tian Fangfang and Mu Cengxiao had already arrived. At that moment, Meng Ying walked in and, upon seeing Zanxing and the others, paused slightly.

“Why are Seventh Junior Brother and Men Dong still not here?” Xuan Lingzi glanced towards the door.

As soon as he spoke, Men Dong’s voice came from outside: “We’re here, we’re here!”

He dragged Gu Baiying into the hall, and after catching his breath, he said, “Everyone’s here!”

Gu Baiying, being pulled by Men Dong, staggered and immediately turned his head away when he met Zanxing’s gaze.

Zanxing was momentarily stunned.

On the other side, Xuan Lingzi cleared his throat and said, “Since everyone is here, let’s discuss the matter of going to the treasure location.”

“You all know about Baiying’s spiritual veins, so there’s no need for concealment. It was previously agreed that Baiying would go to the treasure location to search for the Sacred Tree. Yue Qin and Fifth Junior Brother were supposed to accompany him, and since the treasure map was given to Zanxing by the Snake Shaman Clan, Zanxing would also go. With four people, it would be just right. However…”

Gu Baiying asked, “However what?”

Yue Qin continued from where Xuan Lingzi left off, “However, recently in Li’er Country, demonic fiends have been attacking disciples of various sects and causing chaos among the common people. The cultivation world’s sects have decided to return to Li’er Country to thoroughly investigate the traces of the demonic fiends. As this concerns the demon race, which is of great importance, I and Fifth Junior Brother must also go to Li’er Country. We cannot accompany you to the treasure location.”

“But there are still Third Martial Uncle and Fourth Martial Uncle. If not, there’s also Daoist Yueguang, even if he is a bit old,” Tian Fangfang reminded.

“Our sect cannot be left unguarded. If this is a plot by the demon race to lure us away, these three must stay behind.”

“So?”

“This time, the search for the Sacred Tree at the treasure location will be up to you all.”