Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 221 - Guishou Flower (2)

Gu Baiying snapped back to reality and pushed aside the hand she placed in front of him. “Don’t move.”

“Coming to my courtyard late at night, surely you didn’t come just to stare at this tree, right?” Zanxing followed his gaze to the trees. “The one here is different from the one in your hall. This one is real. Even if you want to eat persimmons, you’ll have to wait a few more months.”

Her expression was teasing, seemingly no different from usual.

“That flower pot today…” he slowly began.

“Aren’t you the one who told me not to bring it up? Why are you bringing it up now?” Zanxing asked curiously.

“The flower you saw, what did it look like?”

“Blue, very large, and very bright. It looked quite extraordinary,” Zanxing answered honestly.

She spoke frankly, without any hint of concealment, yet it made the young man’s gaze instantly complex.

Being able to see flowers instead of white bones indeed confirmed her as a demon clan member, but if she were truly a demon, why would she be so straightforward and unguarded about it? Doesn’t she know that once the cultivation world discovers she’s a demon, especially at this time, no one will be able to protect her, and her fate would be even worse than that of Gui Diaotang?

The cultivation world’s fear and hatred of the demon clan would leave her no escape.

In an instant, many moments from the past suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The old servant Niu from Yue City said that Zanxing had no dietary restrictions, but when the silver spoon on Duluo Terrace spun to her, she clearly stated that she never ate scallions. In the secret realm of Li’er Country, she said she wanted to escape her predetermined fate. What exactly was that so-called ‘fate’?

On that snowy night in the treasure trove, she stammered to him, “If a person like me were to be found out to have a tragic past, a terrible background, and unavoidable hardships, what do you think would be the outcome??” It was only now that he understood the hidden meaning in her words.

That night, when she suddenly asked, “Do you dislike the demon clans?” he answered without hesitation, “Of course,” perhaps missing a moment of her true feelings.

The young man silently looked at the woman in front of him. Perhaps his gaze was too complex, and Zanxing hesitated for a moment before suddenly asking, “Martial Uncle, do you have something on your mind?”

Gu Baiying was a straightforward person, with everything written on his face. It was rare to see him so hesitant. Zanxing kindly comforted him, “If you’re facing some difficulty, you can tell me. Maybe I can help you find a solution.”

Her expression was sincere, with no hint of concealment, making his suspicions feel unfounded.

Gu Baiying turned away. How could he ask, ‘Why, as a member of the demon clan, did you painstakingly infiltrate the Taiyan Sect?’ or ‘Why hide it from everyone?’

Back then, in the Xumi Mustard Seed Diagram, Zanxing could defeat the Mo Sha instantly. And in the treasure trove, when even Meng Ying was helpless against the Wuyou Sword, she could easily erase the sword spirit. It all seemed inseparable from her demon clan identity. Perhaps… it also involved the Xiao Yuan Pearl.

As he was thinking, he suddenly saw a hand stretch out in front of him. Zanxing’s hand was clenched into a fist right in front of him, and she softly said, “Look.”

He followed her gaze.

The fist slowly opened, and from her palm, a flower suddenly grew. The flower was bright and fiery, resembling a red phoenix about to take flight, burning brilliantly in her palm in the deep summer night.

A blooming Biyi Blossom.

He was slightly stunned.

A cheerful voice came from in front of him, “I’ve been practicing illusions every day lately, so you won’t think I’m not making progress. I’ve practiced for a long time. Although I can’t conjure a whole Biyi Blossom tree like you, it’s still good to be able to create a single flower. Here,” she pushed the flower towards Gu Baiying, “this is for you. Don’t be upset.”

The Biyi Blossom was fake, a flower created by an illusion, just a trick to deceive the eyes, not worth being moved by. Yet, at this moment, he seemed to smell the fragrance of the flower, the dazzling red, as if it was flying straight into his heart.

Zanxing was still holding the Biyi Blossom, teasing him, when Gu Baiying suddenly grabbed her arm. The young man looked down into her eyes, his gaze clear and deep.

The summer night’s wind had stopped.

She was holding a flower in her hand, looking up at the young man before her. His grip on her arm tightened slightly, and his gaze was as calm and profound as the emerald-like springs in the secret realm of Li’er Country.

His eyelashes hid the emotions in his eyes. Zanxing slowly realized something and spoke, “Martial Uncle…”

Suddenly, Gu Baiying let go of her hand. Zanxing stumbled a bit as the young man averted his gaze, his voice as impatient as ever, “You’ve been learning for so long and can only conjure a single flower, yet you dare to show off.”

“I…”

“I’m confiscating this flower,” he said, snatching the Biyi Blossom from her hand. “I’ll test you again in a few days.”

He turned to leave. Zanxing called after him, “Martial Uncle, is there something you want to tell me?”

Gu Baiying paused for a moment before replying in his usual tone, “No! You should rest early. You still need to train at Chu Hong Terrace tomorrow.” With that, he quickly left the courtyard.

The evening wind rustled the leaves. Zanxing stood quietly, watching his retreating figure. Hongsu approached from behind, holding Mimi, and asked curiously, “Why is Young Master Gu acting so strange today?”

Zanxing didn’t respond. After a long moment, she withdrew her gaze and reached up to touch her chest.

Gu Baiying was acting very strange. He had never looked at her like that before. A vague sense of unease spread from the depths of her heart.

What had happened?

*

In the following days, the entire Taiyan Sect began to bustle with activity.

The hidden demons were no longer content with causing trouble in small sects, and tragedies gradually began to appear throughout Duzhou. Although Pingyang Town had not yet experienced any demonic disturbances, other places had already descended into misery. The demons were committing widespread slaughter among mortals, reminiscent of the time when Gui Diaotang was alive twenty years ago, but even more brutal.

Major sects like the Yinfeng Sect and the Chihua Sect dispatched disciples to exterminate the demons, suffering heavy casualties. The returning disciples reported that these demons seemed to possess the power of a Demon King, with profound demonic cultivation, making them invincible to ordinary disciples. For a time, fear spread among the major sects of the cultivation world.

In the Jinhua Hall, Xuan Lingzi asked the person beside him with a worried expression, “Demon King’s power? Gui Diaotang has been dead for so many years, where does this Demon King’s power come from? Could there be a new Demon King?”

“Who knows?” Yue Qin replied with disgust. “The demon clan is promiscuous. It’s not surprising if Gui Diaotang had ten or eight illegitimate children, one of whom inherited the Demon King’s power.”

“What’s the point of saying that?” Cui Yufu said coldly, rubbing his bald head. “The urgent matter is to discuss the candidates for the Demon Extermination Army at the sect conference. The sect conference is next month, and all major sects need to send people. The younger generation is useless these days. I wonder if we can gather enough candidates.”

Due to the urgent situation with the demons, the major sects temporarily set aside their previous conflicts to join forces. The sect conference next month would ostensibly be a selection of disciples from various sects but was actually a meeting to discuss dealing with the demons. When Gui Diaotang caused chaos years ago, the major sects united, and the Demon Extermination Army led by Fairy Qinghua eventually quelled the demon rebellion. Now, with Fairy Qinghua gone and the world changed, each sect had its own considerations and selfish interests, making it challenging to form a unified Demon Extermination Army.

“We old folks will definitely have to go,” Li Danshu said, stroking his beard. “Among the newly accepted disciples, the three young disciples of Sixth Martial Brother should be included. Seventh Martial Brother trained with them in the secret realm before. Seventh Martial Brother, you should know their cultivation levels. What do you think of the three of them?”

Gu Baiying did not respond.

Zhao Mayi looked at Gu Baiying, who was sitting silently and staring at the fruit in the bamboo basket on the table, seemingly lost in thought. Zhao Mayi asked, “Junior Brother?”

Gu Baiying snapped back to reality. “What did you say?”

“You’ve been acting strange lately,” Zhao Mayi said with a puzzled expression. “Why do you always seem so preoccupied? Is there something wrong with the pills Li Danshu gave you?”

“Don’t slander me!” Li Danshu exclaimed, nearly pulling out a strand of his own beard in his agitation. He pointed at Gu Baiying with wide eyes. “Look at his complexion and energy now. My pills are pure and potent. His spiritual veins are almost fully restored. One more pill and he’ll be completely healed. If you say there’s something wrong with my pills, you must be blind!”

“Stop arguing,” Gu Baiying said, frowning slightly. “I’ve been thinking, why do these demons attack the small sects first?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Xuan Lingzi answered without hesitation. “A dead camel is still bigger than a horse. These demons are cunning. They know better than to provoke the major sects recklessly, so they only dare to bully the smaller sects and ordinary people without cultivation.”

“Not necessarily,” Daoist Yueguang shook his head. “It might be a deliberate tactic to destabilize the sects’ morale. The demon clan is deceitful, so we must not let our guard down.”

Yue Qin sighed, “The Sect Leader has not yet emerged from seclusion.”

Shaoyang Zhenren had gone into seclusion again, having reached a critical bottleneck in his cultivation. A slight mistake could lead to inner demons, yet it happened to be at this crucial moment. Although Shaoyang Zhenren was the Sect Leader of the Taiyan Sect, he rarely managed sect affairs. In comparison, Fairy Qinghua’s presence in the past had given everyone more confidence and direction.

“Do you think,” Yue Qin suddenly asked, “that after all these years of not finding the Xiao Yuan Pearl, it might have already fallen into the hands of the demon clan?”

Everyone fell silent.

The Xiao Yuan Pearl—back then, Gui Diaotang had used this demon pearl to greatly enhance his cultivation, nearly becoming invincible. If it had indeed fallen into the hands of the demon clan again… Everyone shivered at the thought. It was certainly not good news for the cultivation world.

Gu Baiying’s eyes flashed slightly as he tightened his grip on the spirit fruit in his hand. After a moment, he lowered his head and remained silent.