Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 217 - The Gift (2)

Gu Baiying’s gaze lingered on the hairpin in her hair for a moment. “Too vulgar.”

Jin Feicui: “……”

Swallowing back a curse, Jin Feicui smiled faintly and showed him several more hairpins on the golden tray. “How about these? The gem-inlaid Immortal Riding Phoenix Jade Hairpin, the red gold-inlaid emerald, ruby, cat’s eye, and lotus seed pearl phoenix hairpin, or the Yaochi Clear Offering Border Bead Flower… Is there nothing you find acceptable?”

Gu Baiying complained, “Do you think the longer the name, the better the item?”

With a sharp snap, Jin Feicui slammed her fan onto the table, her expression darkening. “If you don’t like these, and don’t like those either, let me tell you, the jewelry in Hua Jin Pavilion is well-known even in the capital. What exactly are you looking for?”

The young man’s brows furrowed slightly as if deep in thought before he asked, “These pieces are made from ordinary materials, not high-grade spiritual items…”

“They’re just jewelry! Jewelry!” Jin Feicui said, smiling tightly, “For a girl, do you really need to worry about how much spiritual power it can enhance? The most important thing is that they’re beautiful!”

“But I don’t think they’re very attractive.” Gu Baiying’s gaze remained critical. “They’re too flashy.”

“It’s your taste that’s lacking. Don’t blame my jewelry,” Jin Feicui retorted, snatching the golden tray away. “If you can’t find anything good here, don’t bother looking elsewhere. With your high standards, you should make one yourself. Our Hua Jin Pavilion doesn’t cater to picky customers like you.”

Gu Baiying’s expression shifted.

He didn’t say anything further, lost in thought. Jin Feicui, still grumbling, noticed Gu Baiying standing up. She paused and asked, “So, have you decided which one you want?”

Gu Baiying waved his hand, picked up the Xiu Gu spear the table, and said, “Forget it. The jewelry here isn’t up to par. I’m leaving.”

He left Hua Jin Pavilion with an air of decisiveness, leaving Jin Feicui with only his retreating figure to watch.

Jin Feicui sat in her chair, stunned for a moment. After a while, she came back to her senses. She looked at the disarrayed jewelry on the golden tray, patted her chest with her fan to calm her frustration, and said, “If it were my old self, I would have lost my temper just now.”

The attendant came to clean up, and the exquisite jewelry was returned to the cabinets. Jin Feicui touched the golden hairpin on her head, still annoyed by Gu Baiying’s “too vulgar” comment. She muttered, “Young men with a crush are truly the most annoying.”

*

The descent from the mountain was fruitless, but not entirely without gain.

As soon as Gu Baiying returned to the mountain, he saw a little attendant from the Li Danshu Hall wandering around the gate of Elysium Hall. When asked, the attendant said, “Seventh Uncle, Master asked me to tell you that the second pill has been refined. Please go to the Law Hall to collect it.”

There were four holy tree fruits brought back from the treasure site. One pill had already been refined and taken by Gu Baiying; this was the second one. Gu Baiying followed the attendant to Li Danshu’s Law Hall. Upon entering, Li Danshu came forward, adjusting his hat.

Recently, Li Danshu had been busy refining pills every day, rarely going out. He had lost some weight but appeared more energetic. He looked Gu Baiying up and down with evident pleasure. Only when Gu Baiying became somewhat impatient did he exclaim, “It seems the pills are really effective. Your complexion has improved a lot. Just now, I checked your spiritual pulse, and it’s much smoother compared to before.”

Gu Baiying glanced at him. “Are you testing the pills on me?”

“How can you be so rude at your young age?” Li Danshu scolded. “You and Fifth Junior Brother hid the damage to your spiritual pulse from me. I haven’t even held you accountable for that. If I had known earlier, I might have refined a pill that could restore your spiritual pulse sooner, rather than it taking so long.”

“Spare me,” Gu Baiying found a spot to sit in the hall. “It’s something even the Sect Master couldn’t handle. Telling you won’t change anything.”

“Don’t underestimate me. The Sacred Tree pill you took earlier, didn’t it help a lot?”

“That was probably due to the tree’s fruit,” Gu Baiying pointed out.

“You’re right, the fruit is indeed remarkable… Junior Brother, look, we have four fruits in total. We only need to refine three more pills to repair your spiritual pulse. How about…”

“Not a chance.” Gu Baiying interrupted coldly, “You will return the last fruit to me intact.”

Li Danshu: “……”

The old man’s face fell as he pulled a bottle from a cabinet beside the alchemy furnace. Without even looking back, he tossed it into Gu Baiying’s arms. “Take the pills and get out. Stop bothering me.”

Gu Baiying caught the bottle and, giving it a quick toss, said, “Alright.” As he walked toward the door, he stopped and turned around with a smile. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

“Get lost!”

Gu Baiying left the Li Danshu’s hall but didn’t return immediately to the Elysium Hall. He decided to visit the Daoist Yueguang’s hall first.

It was still early, before noon, and Daoist Yueguang was teaching scripture to his disciples. The hall was sparsely populated. Gu Baiying crossed the outer courtyard and immediately saw Men Dong standing on a stool in the hall, giving a grand speech to Mu Cengxiao.

“Very good, you’ve bought the gift. The next step is to present it to Senior Sister Meng. Presenting a gift also requires some skill. If it were you, how would you give it? Let me hear your thoughts.”

Mu Cengxiao, looking confused, instinctively responded, “Senior Sister Meng, I’d like to give you something…”

“Wrong! That’s too plain. If I were you, I would arrange a moonlit night on Duluo Platfom, with the stars shining brightly, and ask her: ‘Senior Sister, what do you want? Whatever it is, I will go all out to get it for you.’”

“Then Senior Sister Meng would reply: ‘Nonsense, you think you can get stars from the sky?’”

“Then you would say, ‘Of course, just close your eyes first.’ When she opens her eyes again, you’d have your gift in front of her.” Men Dong spoke with great enthusiasm, “At this moment, recite the poem I made you memorize. She’ll surely be very moved.”

Unable to listen any longer, Gu Baiying stepped out from behind the door and scoffed, “It seems you have some misunderstanding about Meng Ying. If you ask her what she wants, she would only say: ‘I hope the Taiyan Sect thrives and becomes the number one sect in the capital’s cultivation world.’”

“For Meng Ying, things like romance and affection are as superficial as makeup—flimsy and of no practical use.”

“Let me give you a piece of advice,” Gu Baiying said with a blank expression, looking at Mu Cengxiao. “If you don’t want Meng Ying to think you’re out of your mind, it’s best not to listen to this kid’s nonsense.”

“Martial Uncle!” Men Dong protested, “You really don’t trust me. Everything I said has been verified countless times. It’s foolproof. Our sect’s senior brothers and sisters…”

“Be quiet.” Gu Baiying interrupted, grabbing him and pulling him out of the hall. “I have something to ask you.”

Men Dong was dragged into the courtyard. Once there, he adjusted his robe and said with a pout, “If you have something to say, hurry up. I still need to teach Senior Brother Mu.”

“Your master teaches in the lecture hall, and you also teach in the hall,” Gu Baiying looked down at him, tugging at the corner of his mouth with a teasing tone. “What’s next, following in his footsteps?”

“Don’t get smug,” Men Dong glared at him. “Maybe in the future, when you’re looking for a Dao partner, you’ll want me to help too.”

“Alright,” Gu Baiying pinched his puffed-up hairpin and said, “I want to ask you, is there Tianhun Wood on the back mountain?”

“Tianhun Wood?” Men Dong was taken aback. “There is, but it’s guarded by a silver rhinoceros all year round. Even my master doesn’t dare to go near it easily. Why are you suddenly asking about Tianhun Wood?”

“I want to chop a branch and take it back,” Gu Baiying said succinctly.

“Are you crazy?” Men Dong was shocked. “The silver rhinoceros is one of the fierce beasts, known for its vicious nature. It used to eat people down the mountain. Senior Sister Yue Qin and Senior Brother Cui had a hard time subduing it and bringing it back to the mountain. They were going to kill it, but its saliva can be used to cultivate spiritual herbs and plants. So, the Sect Master specially kept it on the mountain to guard Mount Gufeng. The beast likes to eat Tianhun Wood leaves. Don’t even think about chopping a branch. If you go near the Tianhun Wood, the silver rhinoceros will definitely eat you.”

“Martial Uncle, your meridians aren’t fully repaired yet. It’s best not to take risks for now. If something happens when you go into the mountain, like getting injured or losing a limb, it would be a huge loss,” Men Dong advised.

Gu Baiying didn’t seem very concerned. “I didn’t say I’d go now. Li Danshu gave me the second spiritual pill. After taking it, my meridians will be mostly repaired. I’ll go to the back mountain later.” He looked at Men Dong. “Can Tianhun Wood really protect the soul?”

“Of course,” Men Dong replied as he tidied up his disheveled hair. “Tianhun Wood is a spiritual wood that protects the soul. Whether it’s the fruit or the branches, making them into spiritual tools and wearing them daily is beneficial for protecting the soul, especially for those with damaged spiritual power or injured souls. There used to be a disciple in the Yinfeng Sect who had a longbow made of Tianhun Wood. It was quite impressive, and he flaunted it at every sect meeting. But those things are very precious. Few people are as extravagant as the Yinfeng Sect, and most people use them for medicine or alchemy. Using a large piece to make a spiritual tool would be a waste.” Men Dong glanced at Gu Baiying curiously. “Uncle Master, you already have the Xiu Gu Spear. Why do you need another spiritual tool?”

“Given that, it can barely be used as material,” Gu Baiying murmured, not paying much attention to Men Dong’s words. He then grabbed a handful of Men Dong’s hairpin, making the child’s neatly arranged lotus hairstyle a mess. Men Dong, annoyed, said, “Martial Uncle, stop messing with my hair!”

“Continue with your lesson then,” Gu Baiying said with a cheerful tone, turning to leave the hall. “Thanks.”

The wind blew the leaves on the ground, making the child’s pink hairband flutter.

“Thanks?” Men Dong stood there, puzzled, watching Gu Baiying’s retreating figure. “Thanks for what?”