Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 61 - Experiment (1)

Inside the room, Mu Cengxiao was folding a few clothes and packing them into a bundle.

He wasn’t a rich young master like Hua Yue who was surrounded by people wherever he went. He didn’t enjoy luxury and didn’t have the money for it either. When he first joined Taiyan Sect, he didn’t bring much luggage. This time, when he packed up to go to Miaokong Hall, he only had a few clothes to pack and take with him.

Taiyan Sect would provide gauze robes for its disciples, so they wouldn’t be short of clothes. However, the bundle contained underclothes and boots that Liu Yunxin had made for him herself. Although he wouldn’t need them here, they were still Liu Yunxin’s token of affection. Even though the clothes were patched, some places had been taken apart and sewn again, sewn and taken apart again, but looking at them, he felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Just as he was thinking about this, there was a knock on the door. Mu Cengxiao thought it was a disciple from Miaokong Hall delivering something, so he went over and opened the door. When he saw who was standing outside, he couldn’t help but be stunned.

Yang Zanxing smiled at him and said, “Senior Brother Mu.”

Mu Cengxiao frowned and said, “Yang Zanxing, what are you doing here?”

“Of course, I’m here to congratulate you,” Zanxing said, stepping into the room with familiarity. “Brother Mu, now that we’re both Master’s direct disciples, living in the Miaokong Hall together, you don’t have to give me a cold shoulder every time you see me.”

“There’s nothing to congratulate,” Mu Cengxiao replied, his expression unwelcoming. “You’re the one who achieved the top spot, not me.” As he spoke, Mu Cengxiao also felt a sense of resentment. He joined the Taiyan Sect to find medicinal herbs to cure Liu Yunxin’s illness. The Xianyu Lingzhi would have been a godsend for her. That’s why he had fought tooth and nail to secure the top spot in the inner disciples’ assessment. But unexpectedly, he was outmatched by Yang Zanxing.

Yang Zanxing was clearly just a conceited, narrow-minded woman who only had eyes for capturing Wang Shao’s heart. He didn’t know what had happened between her and Wang Shao, but in the end, she entered the Taiyan Sect and sailed through smoothly.

Perhaps she had some stroke of luck, similar to him. But luck was something you couldn’t envy or acquire by coveting. Mu Cengxiao thought this to himself as he pulled out a new pair of shoes from under the bed and stuffed them into the bundle.

Zanxing walked up to him and reached for the new shoes. Mu Cengxiao snatched them away angrily, demanding, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“These shoes aren’t from the sect, are they? They’re made by Miss Liu, aren’t they?” Zanxing sighed. “They’re really well-made. The stitches are so tight, they look warm at first glance.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Mu Cengxiao asked.

Zanxing looked at him. The young man stood under the lamplight, not as bright and charming as Gu Baiying, but not someone who could be easily ignored either. Reserved and stern, the gray-blue robe draped over him added a touch of resoluteness to his demeanor. This kind of presence was indeed quite striking.

Zanxing withdrew her gaze and sat down at the table, pouring herself a cup of tea from the pot and taking a sip before speaking. “You and Miss Liu grew up together, and became childhood friends. Although you’re not related by blood, your bond is closer than that of siblings. But Miss Liu is not well.” Zanxing paused. “I noticed it last time in Pingyang Town. She has congenital deficiencies, and her body was frail. The reason you wanted to join the Taiyan Sect is probably to protect her, right?”

“What’s it to you?” Mu Cengxiao asked, looking wary.

Zanxing continued, “The reward for first place in this inner disciples’ assessment is the Xianyu Lingzhi. For cultivators, it can aid breakthroughs, and for ordinary people, it can strengthen the body. Miss Liu must really need this Lingzhi.”

“Are you here to show off?” Mu Cengxiao’s expression darkened.

Zanxing opened the black box beside her, revealing the Xianyu Lingzhi, which was emitting a faint green light. She said, “I heard your reward is the Tianji Dharma Robe, Brother Mu. Let’s make a deal. Trade my Xianyu Lingzhi for your Tianji Robe.”

Mu Cengxiao frowned. “What are you saying?”

“Do you agree or not?” Zanxing looked at him with a smile.

Mu Cengxiao’s brows furrowed with suspicion, and he remained silent for a moment.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not particularly interested in becoming stronger. I prefer that beautiful robe. So why not exchange? We each get what we need, isn’t that a win-win?” She thought for a moment, then added with a smile, “If you’re worried I’ve tampered with it, you can take it to Master for verification, to confirm whether it’s indeed the Xianyu Lingzhi. With Master’s discerning eye, there shouldn’t be any mistakes.”

Mu Cengxiao’s expression was uncertain. Indeed, Zanxing’s offer was very tempting to him. He had fought desperately in the inner disciples’ assessment to defeat the Mo Sha for this Xianyu Lingzhi, but ultimately failed. Now that Zanxing proposed a trade, he naturally welcomed it. However, everyone knew that no matter how precious the Tianji Robe was, it couldn’t compare to the Xianyu Lingzhi. Even a fool could see that this was a losing deal. So why would Yang Zanxing do this?

Was she really being kind?

“Take your time to think,” Zanxing finished her tea, stood up, and said, “I’ll leave the Lingzhi here with you for now. Once you’ve made up your mind, if you don’t want to trade, just return the box. If you do wish to trade, let me know, and I’ll come to collect the Tianji Robe.” With that said, she moved to leave.

“Wait,” Mu Cengxiao called out to her. “Are you leaving the Xianyu Lingzhi here?”

Zanxing looked at him and smiled. “We’re fellow disciples, Brother. I trust you. Take your time to consider.” After all, Mu Cengxiao was the protagonist of “At the Summit of the Nine Skies.” Protagonists were known for their integrity and disdain for petty actions.

As she was about to step out, she suddenly heard someone speak from behind. “No need, I’ll give you an answer now.”

Zanxing turned around to see the young man looking at her, seeming to have made a decision. “I’ll make the trade with you.”

**

The snow on Mount Gufeng finally stopped by evening.

Outside the Elysium Hall, at the end of the curved corridor, there was a small bridge. When Fairy Qinghua was still around, she used to enjoy standing on the bridge, feeding the red-tailed fish at the bottom of the pond. Now that the beauty was gone, the bridge remained unattended, covered with a thick layer of snow, pressing down so heavily that the green stone bridge seemed on the verge of collapse.

A young man in a pale white brocade robe, with ink-colored swallow patterns embroidered at the corners and cuffs, was practicing spear dancing in the open space at the end of the bridge. The tip of the spear stirred up the accumulated snow on the ground, and pear blossom-like snowflakes danced around him. The red-tailed fish under the bridge seemed attracted, floating up to the surface of the water. Suddenly, a snowflake fell into the pond with a faint plop, leaving only a trace of red on the water’s surface.

Gu Baiying abruptly stopped his spear, and at the tip of the silver spear, a snowflake had yet to melt. He looked at it for a moment, then flicked his wrist, and the snowflake slowly drifted down, melting into the vast expanse of white snow.

In the distance, a figure in a light pink robe ran frantically, shouting as he ran, “Senior Uncle, something terrible has happened!”

The child was always making a fuss over nothing. Gu Baiying, not particularly concerned, wiped the tip of his spear with a handkerchief and asked, “What’s the big deal?” Men Dong stood still, took a few breaths to recover his strength, then said, “I just went to deliver the funds for the inner disciples’ assessment, and I also wanted to check on Yang Zanxing… I saw her coming out with the Xianyu Lingzhi, and I- I followed her all the way, only to find out she was going to see Mu Cengxiao, the second-place disciple in the inner disciples’ assessment!”

“Oh,” Gu Baiying glanced at him. “And then?”

“I overheard their conversation. Yang Zanxing actually wants to make a trade with Mu Cengxiao. She exchanged her Xianyu Lingzhi for Mu Cengxiao’s Tianji Dharma Robe!”

At these words, Gu Baiying paused in his action of wiping his spear, looking puzzled. “Is she out of her mind? Hasn’t anyone told her that the Xianyu Lingzhi is much more valuable than the Robe?”

“She knows! She knows everything!” Men Dong exclaimed urgently. “Yang Zanxing deliberately made the trade with Mu Cengxiao.”

Gu Baiying smirked. “Well, she’s quite generous then.”

Seeing the young man’s indifferent demeanor, Men Dong became anxious and couldn’t help but grab his sleeve. “Don’t you care, Senior Uncle? Aren’t you worried?”

Gu Baiying: “What does this have to do with me?”

Men Dong sighed deeply. “The Xianyu Lingzhi is so precious, yet Yang Zanxing is willing to voluntarily give it away and make a losing deal. What’s her motive?”

Gu Baiying didn’t understand. “Motive?”

“Of course, it’s for Mu Cengxiao!” Men Dong shouted. “She must like Mu Cengxiao, Senior Uncle!” Men Dong tried to persuade him. “You see, the Qinchong seeds are still within Yang Zanxing. With her actions, Mu Cengxiao might be touched. They’re both at an impulsive age, and if they were to cultivate together in a moment of passion… Mu Cengxiao’s cultivation level is higher than Yang Zanxing’s, so the Qinchong seeds would definitely transfer to him. If this continues, won’t that kid get an undeserved advantage?”

Seeing that the man finally had some reaction, Men Dong breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Senior Uncle, that’s why I said it’s not good. Those two could secretly engage in dual cultivation at any time, after all, they’re like dry wood and a raging fire… We can’t just sit idly by. We must nip this in the bud.”

Gu Baiying flicked his fingers at Men Dong’s forehead, causing him to yelp in pain. “Senior Uncle, what are you doing?”

“You’re always talking about dual cultivation, but what does a kid like you know about it?” he said. “Besides, how do you plan to nip this in the bud?”

“It’s not necessarily impossible,” Men Dong said, rubbing his head with a sly smile. “Senior Uncle, I have a plan that might just work.”

“What plan?” Gu Baiying asked suspiciously.

“I heard that Mu Cengxiao has a childhood sweetheart who currently resides in Pingyang Town. Why not bring her back to the sect? With that girl around, Yang Zanxing won’t have a chance with Mu Cengxiao.” Men Dong looked pleased with himself.

The young man paused, his expression changing. “What?”