Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 50 - Meng Ying (2)

When the first snow fell at the foot of Gufeng Mountain, it had been over three months since Zanxing entered the inner gate. As the senior sisters had said, the flying waterfall outside the Chu Hong Terrace had frozen into a silver mirror, yet it still maintained the appearance of splashing water droplets frozen in time. In the distance, the four forests were covered in a layer of silvery-white snow. Feather-like big snowflakes drifted down one after another, covering the open space outside the small wooden tower with a layer of snow overnight. Stepping on it, the accumulated snow reached up to one’s knees, carrying a chill and making crunching sounds, as if stepping into a basin of salt grains.

The roosters had not yet crowed, and winter days dawned late. In the distant sky, the waning moon had not yet set, hanging on the treetops. Mimi lay lazily on the small bed, resting her head on the windowsill, half-closed eyes allowing the snowflakes to fall onto her nose, where they quickly melted.

Under the trees, the wind lamp illuminated a snowy ground. Zanxing dropped the shovel, inserted the last carrot into the snowman’s face, and clapped the remaining snow off her hands.

Tian Fangfang rubbed her hands and came out of the house. He looked happy and said, “Hey, you’re up so early making a snowman, aren’t you cold, Junior Sister?”

“No,” Zanxing said, looking at the snowman. “It would be a shame not to build one with this much snow.” She was from Yuecheng and had never seen snow before crossing over. When the first snow fell last night, she had rolled around in the snow all night with excitement. Zanxing had built the snowman early this morning, feeling very satisfied.

“Indeed,” Tian Fangfang said after some thought. “I heard you’re from Yuecheng, which is in the south. You hardly see snow there throughout the year.”

Zanxing said, “Wait for me for a moment, I’ll go back to the room and get something.”

A moment later, she came out of the wooden building with a bundle and went to the main temple of the Taiyan Sect with Tian Fangfang.

Except for the first time when she passed the Lianshan Flower Assessment and passed through with the new disciples, Zanxing had never come to the main hall on purpose. It was early in the morning, although there were disciples who got up early, either practicing outside the Chu Hong Terrace or lingering in front of the dining hall. There wouldn’t be anyone coming to the main hall on purpose.

Zanxing stepped into the gate, urging Tian Fangfang behind her, “Hurry up.”

It was still dark outside, and hundreds of bright lights were lit in the hall, giving off a profound warmth on this winter morning. The candlelight illuminated the vermilion hall exceptionally bright, and the shadows of people on the wall looked like moving paintings.

The statue of Sage Yushan stood in the hall, extremely tall and large, with lifelike beard and hair, immortal and noble. He held a long sword, silently overlooking them.

Although the gaze was calm, Tian Fangfang inexplicably felt a little uneasy. He whispered, “Junior Sister, what are we doing here?”

“Did you bring the things I asked you to bring?” Zanxing asked.

“I brought them, I brought them,” Tian Fangfang pulled out a bundle from his bosom, opening it to reveal scattered spiritual fruits and herbs, along with half a steamed bun.

“Is this all?” Zanxing frowned.

“Junior Sister, I…” Tian Fangfang grimaced, “Spiritual herbs and fruits are scarce, and I’m still growing, with a big appetite. This half bun, I managed to save it from dinner with great difficulty.”

“Alright,” Zanxing opened her own bundle, with about ten neatly arranged pills. She took out two and handed them to Tian Fangfang. “Here, take these.” Her alchemy skills were decent, and she always brought back more pills than others from alchemy class. When she amassed too many, she couldn’t use them all and left them in the small wooden building.

Tian Fangfang took them, looking puzzled. “Thank you, Junior Sister, but what are we actually doing?”

Zanxing sighed. “Tomorrow is the inner sect assessment, do you know?” “I know,” Tian Fangfang nodded. “We’ve been training hard every day for the past few months, aiming to shine in the inner sect assessment and become the direct disciples of the Sixth Senior Uncle, right?”

“Leaving aside making a big splash,” Zanxing said, “I heard the inner sect assessment is different from the previous ones, extremely dangerous. Once disciples enter the assessment area, they often end up seriously injured by the end of it.”

“Are you worried about getting hurt?” Tian Fangfang was puzzled. “But what does that have to do with what we’re doing now?”

Zanxing gestured towards the statue of Sage Yushan in front of them. “Sage Yushan was the first cultivator in the entire Duzhou to successfully ascend. In this field of expertise, he’s the pioneer, so paying respects to him is the right thing to do.”

“Paying… paying respects to what?” Tian Fangfang was baffled.

“Paying respects to the Exam Deity,” Zanxing explained. She arranged the items from the bundle little by little at the feet of Sage Yushan, then pulled Tian Fangfang down to kneel with her. “In our hometown, there’s a custom that before exams, paying respects to the experts in the field brings good luck and ensures success in the exams.”

“Is that so?” Tian Fangfang asked while bowing. “Why haven’t I heard of this custom before?”

“That’s because you’re uninformed,” Zanxing replied. “Sincerely showing respect brings blessings. It is beneficial to pay respects more often.”

*

The fact that, in the early morning, Zanxing and Tian Fangfang rose before dawn and went to the statue of Sage Yushan to offer food and kowtow spread to several senior brothers in less than half a moment.

Xuan Lingzi spoke with confusion, “Could it be that she admires the Sage and went to pay respects? But why would she also leave some spiritual herbs, fruits, and medicinal pastries? It’s not a festival, so it couldn’t be a ritual, right?”

Hearing this while resting in his chamber, Gu Baiying opened his eyes, chuckling from his soft couch. “What other reason could there be? Tomorrow is the internal assessment.”

“And?”

“And she’s praying to the gods, hoping that the Sage, who successfully ascended, can give her a bit of luck to safely pass tomorrow’s trial,” Gu Baiying explained impatiently. “Isn’t that obvious?”

Xuan Lingzi suddenly realized, “Ah, I see!” He chuckled. “This girl is indeed naive. Our internal assessment at Taiyan Sect cannot be passed simply by praying to the gods. It all depends on real skills. Besides…”

Besides, this year, in order to select his personal disciple, several senior brothers intentionally raised the difficulty level. For those disciples who have experience in assessments, it may be manageable, but for this batch of new disciples selected from various places in the province, they might not even survive without being skinned alive.

Speaking of which, this young girl looked frail and fragile. One wondered how long she could hold on in the assessment.

Xuan Lingzi remarked, “If the Sage truly has divine power, I hope he can protect this girl and help her pass smoothly.”

“Senior Brother, that’s not quite right,” the young man seemed hesitant to agree. He spoke evenly, “In our Taiyan Sect, we always speak with strength. Relying solely on others’ protection is not the dao of cultivation.”

He picked up a spiritual fruit from the fruit basket on the table, running his fingers over the scars on its skin.

“If one can’t even endure this little hardship, then they are not worthy of cultivation. It’s better to leave sooner rather than later, roll up their bedding and scram.”