Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 214 - Birthday (1)

At night, the wind rose on Gufeng Mountain.

The wind rustled through the leaves, casting the shadows of the persimmon tree’s branches on the ground, making the moonlight seem mottled.

Mimi found a box at the door, curled up inside, and fell into a deep sleep. Hongsu went next door to ask Liu Yunxin for embroidery lessons. Zanxing and Mu Cengxiao went down the mountain frequently, leaving fewer people in the hall. The two girls gradually became familiar with each other. Liu Yunxin was exceptionally skilled at embroidery, and Hongsu often sought her guidance. After learning the craft, she made small clothes for Mimi.

Zanxing sat on the doorstep, staring at the stars in a daze.

Shaoyang Zhenren had returned to the sect with his group from the secret realm of Li’er Country, where many disciples had perished. Additionally, Aunt Yue Qin brought back terrible news: the Demon King’s seal had appeared, indicating that the Demon King, Gui Diaotang, might have been resurrected. Several small sects had already been annihilated, and there was a fear that Gufeng Mountain could be next.

Sect Leader Shaoyang Zhenren strictly forbade the disciples from leaving the mountain and set up the Dragon Flame Array at the base of Gufeng Mountain. Despite these measures, the sect was still filled with unease. After all, Gui Diaotang had almost single-handedly destroyed Duzhou years ago. If he returned, even a united cultivation world might not be able to withstand him.

Amid the worry about the demon clan’s return, Zanxing was deep in thought. However, her concerns were different. She looked down at the begonia flower in her palm, now understanding it was the Demon King’s seal.

Currently, only she could see the mark on her palm, but if some restriction triggered it and others saw the mark, she wouldn’t be able to explain it away.

With the Xiao Yuan Pearl and the Demon King’s seal, and now the demon clan causing chaos, the cultivation world was deeply resentful of the demon clan… Zanxing sighed deeply. If only she had known, she wouldn’t have put herself in this situation.

“Why are you sighing deeply instead of sleeping?” a voice came from the courtyard.

Zanxing looked up to see Gu Baiying emerging from behind the persimmon tree, scolding her, “You didn’t even notice me arriving. If it had been the demon clan, you’d be dead by now.”

Zanxing, in a bad mood, retorted, “Why are you wandering around Elysium Hall in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

Gu Baiying choked for a moment and then suddenly threw a green staff to Zanxing.

The staff felt cool and smooth in her hand, like holding a bundle of green bamboo, or like molten moonlight.

“The Wuyou Sword?” Zanxing’s gaze fell on a crystalline frost flower on the hilt of the staff. This frost flower was familiar, it was forged by Chai Sang.

“The craftsmen hired by Hua Jin Pavilion forged a sword into a staff for you. They thought it would be a pity to melt the frost flower, so they preserved it,” Gu Baiying raised an eyebrow. “How about it? Give it a try?”

The staff was beautiful, though made of iron, it was very light. Perhaps because it once housed a sword spirit, the moment it was in her hand, it felt as if the staff and person were one, mind and body in harmony. It felt as if this staff was meant to be in her hand. Zanxing stood up, gripped the long staff, and lightly swung it at the persimmon tree in the courtyard. Suddenly, a fierce wind rose from the ground, and with a restrained sharpness, it sliced through a cluster of leaves, cutting them neatly in two.

“This staff…” Zanxing’s eyes showed a look of surprise.

The staff was actually sharper than a sword.

The tip of the staff was rounded, seemingly harmless at first glance, but when swung, the green glow condensed into a phantom, and the tip of the staff became a sword edge.

It was both a green staff and a long sword. The Wuyou Sword had not disappeared, it had melted into this long staff, existing in another form.

“Not bad, right?” Gu Baiying’s face showed a hint of satisfaction, seemingly very pleased with the newly forged spiritual weapon. “Your old Panhua Staff is beyond repair. Outsiders might think the Taiyan Sect is mistreating you. This staff is barely worthy of your status as a direct disciple. When something better comes along, you can replace it then.”

After saying this, Zanxing remained silent for a long time. Gu Baiying turned his head and saw Zanxing looking down at the green staff in her hand, her gaze complicated.

After a while, Zanxing looked up at Gu Baiying, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Martial Uncle, how about… we forget about this staff.”

The young man’s handsome brows gradually furrowed as he asked, “What are you going crazy about now?”

“I was thinking,” Zanxing began slowly, “whether this staff, being such a top-notch spiritual weapon, is really appropriate for someone like me who’s just recently joined the sect… When I first came here, I was full of ambition and fearless. I wanted to show off and get treasures. Now, as the game of ‘Heaven’s Dao’ gradually unfolds, I find myself hesitating. Initially, I thought I was just passing through—immortality, demon clans, it all seemed unreal. But now, living among my sectmates and visiting so many places, I’ve unconsciously become part of this world, with many concerns.”

Accepting this green staff, she wondered if she might be committing some taboo. What if her true identity was revealed next moment? How should she handle it? After all, this was a story, and the development was always abrupt, with every part determined by the writer’s pen.

Gu Baiying stared at her quietly. After a while, he asked, “Yang Zanxing, do you have something on your mind?”

Zanxing replied, “What do you mean?”

“You’re the one who said you wanted to change your fate, but now you’re hesitating and even afraid to accept a staff.” His tone carried a hint of mockery, but his gaze was sharp as a blade. “When did you become so timid?”

Zanxing was taken aback.

Back in the Li’er Country’s secret realm, she did declare her intention to struggle against her destined fate. But at that time, the Xiao Yuan Pearl wasn’t a treasure of the demonic realm, and she hadn’t glimpsed her other identity. Some things are much harder to do than to say.

She sighed, sitting down on the threshold with the staff in her arms, gazing at the persimmon tree branches and leaves that had been severed by the staff’s edge. She spoke wistfully, “Martial Uncle, I initially went to the Gufeng Mountain because I was poisoned by a Yu toxin on my face. I never intended to join the sect, I planned to leave after healing my face.”

“So? Are you regretting it now?” Gu Baiying asked, sitting down beside her on the threshold.

“I’m not from here,” Zanxing said softly. “So, many times, I feel like I don’t belong here.”

“Have you lost your mind?” The young man knocked on her head without any courtesy. “You’re now a direct disciple of Xuan Lingzi and a member of the Taiyan Sect. How could you not belong here? If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have let you learn any illusion techniques. You can’t even distinguish reality from illusion yet.”

His rare bout of nagging strangely eased Zanxing’s melancholy. It was as if some of the ethereal emptiness she felt became more tangible due to his small, persistent complaints.

“Martial Uncle,” she suddenly asked, “do you dislike the demon clans?”