Chapter 12

A New Beginning Down South

How was I supposed to explain this? It was like trying to swallow sand. It was all because Fu Chenzi had to grab my hand so carelessly, and they just had to see. So that’s what “gou he” meant. I learned a new word today.

The jailer didn’t stop there. He continued, “By the grace of the Cangying God, I, your humble servant, believe that the little princess and His Highness have grown up together as close as siblings. To commit such an act against nature is to invite divine retribution. After the little princess left, I privately punished His Highness, but instead of hitting him, I hit the little princess... For committing such a grave crime, I beg the Second Princess to put me to death!”

My second sister’s anger was so intense that it seemed she would crush the armrests of the chair. Yet, she remained silent, quietly staring at me. The officials were all shocked, murmuring with expressions full of new and old grievances.

Amidst the murmurs, I only heard the Prime Minister angrily exclaim, “Little princess, Luo Wei! You are the princess of our Great Su Zhao, how could you, how could you…” After saying this, he forcefully struck his hand on the back of his hand, looking deeply pained. “Luo Wei, look at you now, how can you face your parents in the afterlife?”

I really had no way to argue, about to explain that it was just Fu Chenzhi confessing his feelings to me, but Kaixuan Jun interrupted, “Everyone, don’t blame the little princess. Although the little princess and Lord Fu are siblings in name, they actually have no blood relation. They grew up together and, naturally, developed feelings for each other. What’s more, the little princess is still young and doesn’t understand romantic matters. It’s very possible she was led on by Lord Fu...”

This scoundrel, still slandering my brother. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I gritted my teeth and said, “Brother never seduced me, he just liked me. He’s not a bad person, he never did anything cruel or evil. The villain is Kaixuan Jun. You, this false, hypocritical gentleman, have been scheming ever since you arrived in Su Zhao. You’ve been nothing but deceit, full of hidden motives. And now, you want to frame us again?”

At this, my second sister could no longer sit still. She slammed the armrest and said angrily, “Luo Wei, you’re still siding with that little scoundrel, Fu Chen Zhi! You... you... Could it be that you really...”

Kaixuan Jun feigned concern once again, “The child doesn’t understand the situation, it’s not her fault...”

My second sister interrupted, “I am disciplining my sister, not asking for your pity.”

Kaixuan Jun had no choice but to remain silent, though his expression was full of feigned grievance. He had lost this round, my second sister had already completely believed him. What should I do now? I braced myself on my side and tried to sit up, but due to my weakness, I collapsed again. “Second sister, would you rather believe this hypocrite than me?”

“If you hadn’t been so close to Fu Chen Zhi... if you weren’t so involved with him, I would still be willing to believe you.”

She stood up, her expression pained, as if filled with hatred. Her steps faltered, and Kaixuan Jun quickly went to support her.

However, she pushed him away, looking at the concerned faces of hundreds of officials, and gave a bitter smile. Slowly, she spoke: “Our Su Zhao family has served the Cang Ying God for a thousand years, upholding peace and prosperity. We have never sought to harm others or overstep our bounds. But now, we have been betrayed by foreign forces, and the immortals cause harm. Today, we must hide our traces in the face of water and fire. Anyone not from our family, their intentions are certainly different. This is an inevitable course, and it has already been proven. From today on, anyone who leaves Su Zhao will be exiled, along with their descendants for five generations, and they will never return to Su Zhao. Anyone who violates this will be executed on the spot. As for the little princess, Luo Wei, she has allied with the traitors, consorted with foreign powers, and should be executed. But given her youth and her misguided path, she will be sent to the Cang Ying altar at Yunxia Temple for fifty years of isolation, during which she cannot leave. This is a matter of life and death for Su Zhao, and no debate is allowed. This order will take effect immediately.”

Thus, I was unceremoniously sent to Yunxia Temple, still wounded. Thankfully, my second sister had arranged for a few people to take care of me and also sent Xuan Yue to accompany me.

Yunxia Temple was located in a corner of the altar, cold and remote. There was a cliff nearby, and even sticking your head out would make you feel as though you might be scared half to death by the towering peaks.

I spent a whole day here, freezing with my hands and feet turning purple, enduring the pain of my wounds. It felt longer than an entire year. Xuan Yue sat by my bedside, licking the area around my wounds with his small tongue, trying to ease my suffering, but I still felt unbearable pain and could only lie there, shivering.

Sigh, this life is impossible to live.

After a while, I managed to calm myself and began to think through the events that had happened recently. Where had I gone wrong to allow things to develop to this point?

As I recalled the many times Kaixuan Jun appeared, I suddenly realized that all the perfect coincidences were likely intentional actions by him.

First, Xuan Yue, an ancient beast, was sold as an ordinary tiger cub at an everyday stall—this was already highly unusual.

Second, the spider demon devoured the high priest and then pretended to be him to meet the king. Taking such a huge risk just to bite me seemed illogical. This could only mean that the spider demon was a tool for Kaixuan Jun’s “fake injury” plan, though he hadn’t expected that my second sister would reject him. Furthermore, by revealing that the high priest was dead, but bringing back texts from the Immortal Realm, he gave Su Zhao a glimmer of hope for the Immortal Realm, though they had no way of achieving it. Kaixuan Jun, as the only immortal in Su Zhao, was free to act as he pleased.

Third, Kaixuan Jun’s encounter with Fu Chen Zhi was probably also an “accidental” opportunity he created...

I was almost certain of my deductions when a few masked men sneaked into Yunxia Temple while the maids weren’t paying attention and carried me to the edge of the snow-covered cliff.

As they held onto my arms, I looked up to the sky and laughed, “So, Kaixuan Jun, you want to kill me and silence me?”

Kaixuan Jun no longer hid. He stepped out from beneath a snow pine, smiling. “Little princess is too clever. Keeping you alive, I’m afraid you will cause trouble within fifty years. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I’ll just throw you off this cliff. Whether you live or die, it will be up to your own luck.”

I glanced at the towering cliff below, and for a moment, I couldn’t even cry. Indeed, as a member of Su Zhao, I was tougher than ordinary people, but falling from such a height would surely leave me dead or severely injured. Even if I survived, I’d be dying slowly, enduring agony for days. The torment before death is truly a hell on earth.

I said, “Anyway, I’m as good as dead. Just make it quick.”

“I pity the fragrant and delicate, and I do not wish to lay a hand on you. If you agree, I can have these men give you a quick end.” He gestured to the masked men. “But in that case, the little princess of Su Zhao would be disgraced and forced to commit suicide. It would not sound good if the news spread. Why not jump off the cliff? Let your second sister think you ran away. She will still have some lingering thoughts of you, hoping you’ll return. What do you say?”

“Fine, but before I die, I have two questions for you.”

“Please, little princess, ask.”

“My first question: Are you really an immortal? If you are, why don’t you stay in the Immortal Realm, instead of obsessing over a Su Zhao princess? Are you just a stray dog in the Immortal Realm, hoping to come to Su Zhao and marry a wife?”

“That’s not even a question.” He smiled unperturbed, “I’ll only answer your first question—I am an immortal. Do you think I came all the way to Su Zhao just to marry your sister? It’s true, Liuying is a beauty, but she isn’t worth all this trouble. Su Zhao has a secret that even the immortals have not discovered. As long as I control it, I can ascend higher and farther, becoming a supreme figure in the Immortal Realm. Of course, the endless realms of immortals are beyond your comprehension.”

“Kaixuan Jun, speak plainly. Did my father kill your whole family, or did he kill your entire family?” At this point, my rage had consumed me. I turned around, struggling, “My father treated you with respect, but you repay kindness with malice! Are you even human?!”

Kaixuan Jun stretched lazily: “Ah, little girl, you’re just too unlikable when you throw a tantrum. You probably forgot that this cliff is frozen with ice and snow, and there’s no water at all. With your current abilities, you won’t be able to melt the snow and ascend to the sky in a short time. If you don’t beg me now, you might really fall to your death, and what will we do then?”

I was enraged: “Go ahead and do it! Kill me! I’ll come back as an angry ghost to haunt you every day! You heartless monster, with your dog-like appearance, how dare you think you can become a god? I spit on you! You won’t die a good death!!”

When I mentioned “becoming a god,” Kaixuan Jun’s expression changed drastically, as though he had been deeply offended. He coldly said, “Then you’ll just watch me become a god in hell, you shameless little water demon. Throw her down!”

Two masked men grabbed me and lifted me high before throwing me off. My body quickly plummeted in the cold air. I flailed my limbs, trying to save myself, but I was powerless. Soon, Kaixuan Jun’s figure was obscured by the cold mist, and the cliff of Yunxia Temple gradually faded from view.

As the fall continued, my fear grew stronger.

I didn’t know how many hundreds of feet I had fallen, but suddenly, I heard the howling of a wolf. To my shock, Xuan Yue had jumped down with me!

It reached out its front paws, its golden pupils glowing with blue light. Then, the snow on the cliff fell off, turning into flowing water, as if a heavy rain had begun to pour down.

“Xuan Yue!”

I quickly used the Water Ascending Technique to lift myself up, floating gently in the air. Xuan Yue also landed in my arms. I yelped in pain as its claws brushed my wound. Looking down, the valley floor was only a few miles below.

I used my remaining spiritual energy to stabilize myself at the bottom of the valley. My knees gave out, and I fainted in the soft snow.

I had a long dream.

In this dream, there were nine springs and three autumns, a clear and beautiful sky, my childhood that I could never return to, and the parents who had already passed away, even in my dreams. This was the first dream that left me with tears when I woke up.

Xuan Yue howled, seemingly worried that I might freeze to death there. It pushed my arm with its small tiger paw, bit my ear from time to time, and licked away my tears. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was its big, watery eyes. When it saw me wake up, it hopped into my arms excitedly.

“Xuan Yue, thank you.” I gently stroked its furry head and gave it a reassuring smile. “If it weren’t for your help, I would have long since been dead with no remains.”

It squinted its eyes like a cat and rubbed its head against my hand. The surroundings were still cold, with howling winds and snow. I didn’t know where the gale had blown me, but I knew I was no longer in Suxiao. The snow cliffs on both sides stretched forward in a jagged way. There were no such grand valleys in Suxiao.

I forced myself to stand up against the mountain wall and looked ahead. Xuan Yue seemed to have much more energy than I did. It bounced a few times, then circled behind me. Then, I heard it call out in a soft, cutesy way.

I turned around, startled by what I saw. A patch of green grass had inexplicably sprouted from the snowy land. On either side of the green field, peach trees extended for miles, their branches disappearing into the mist. Every snowflake that fell into this area turned into red petals. Xuan Yue, seemingly possessed, happily yelped and dashed into the mist.

I called out to it and quickly followed, trying to pull it back. However, once I entered the mist, I felt my body warm up. I was momentarily stunned by the sight before me: branches filled with bright red flowers, trees full of delicate blossoms, and everywhere I looked was a sea of peach trees. Petals fell in large swathes, like a fierce storm, disorienting my vision.

When the petal rain passed, I saw a young man standing in the center of this green field.

He stood beneath the peach blossoms, holding the same ink-white umbrella, his black hair flowing like ink, his robes flowing in the wind, more graceful than the willow trees hanging low in the smoke.

It was him again!

I was confused, wondering why I always encountered him in these moments. But to my surprise, he didn’t seem the least bit surprised to see me. He merely turned his head and gave me a detached smile, pointing to the ground beneath his feet.

The falling petals clung to his robes, swirling around the hem of his gown. Xuan Yue frolicked beside his legs, as if playing with the petals. What was most extraordinary was that Xuan Yue’s fur had turned black and white! From this angle, it looked like a white tiger with wings…

What was going on? I felt like I was in a dream as I quickly ran up to Xuan Yue and asked, “Xuan Yue, why has your red fur turned white?”

Xuan Yue looked at its paws, startled, and recoiled, tumbling over in the grass. I helped it up and then looked at the young man. “Um... did you turn its fur this color?”

The young man didn’t answer. He simply nodded. When I asked again, he still didn’t speak. He just held up his umbrella beneath the tree, shielding himself from the petals, and motioned for me to follow.

His figure was tall, and he moved quickly. I had to take three steps for every two of his to keep up with him. “Who are you really? Why do I keep meeting you in critical moments? Do you know me? Wait, why aren’t you talking? You spoke the first time we met...”

Although my questions seemed to have been heard, he remained silent, leading me to the end of the peach grove. Finally, he waved his sleeve and pointed to a narrow path, signaling me to go there.

Being ignored didn’t feel good. I took a few steps forward but then turned back, softly asking, “Will I see you again?”

His smile was subtle, one that didn’t match his age. It was the kind of smile that came from having seen and experienced a great deal.

At that moment, he stood with his back to the light. His deep black eyes were hidden in the shadows. Though I couldn’t see clearly, I could sense a kind of melancholy in his gaze, as though he had sung many songs of the past, and his feelings could never be the same again.

He still didn’t speak, just closed his umbrella. As the sunlight shone on him, he became transparent. Petals fell on his shoulders, and from the back of his head, he dissolved into a flurry of blossoms.

I knew he was an extraordinary being, so it was just his manifestation in another place. But for some reason, seeing this scene, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wouldn’t be long for this world. My heart tightened, and I quickly ran toward him, trying to stop him.

However, he dissipated too quickly.

In the blink of an eye, there was no trace of him, only scattered red petals and a fragrance filling the air for miles.

Stepping out of the illusion, I found myself back in the snow and ice, but now far from the canyon I had just been in. Ahead, a wide path led toward the snow-capped mountains, towering hundreds of feet high, stretching upwards toward Taiqing. On the mountain peaks were precarious towers and stone bridges, with immortal cranes flying about. At the top of the mountain, there were rotating glowing islands, with several immortal palaces atop them. Where was this place, and why had I never been here before?

Though I had grown up in Su Zhaoxian, I was quite familiar with the surroundings. Judging by the situation, Father had moved this place far across thousands of miles. Even more strangely, the color of Xuan Yue had turned back to red. The wounds on my body, which had been numb, suddenly began to hurt intensely once again.

Who exactly was that young man, and did the peach blossom forest have some magical effect of stopping bleeding, easing pain, or changing colors? Or could it be that I had simply dreamed yet another dream?

Xuan Yue, hanging in my arms, seemed to be both hungry and thirsty. I no longer had the strength to use magic, but I noticed a well at the foot of the mountain. I hurried over, holding Xuan Yue, hoping to get some water. However, just as I neared the well, I heard voices nearby. A bad feeling surged within me, and I scrambled up a small hill to hide.

The voices drew closer, and I heard a thick-voiced young man, seemingly a bit plump, say, “Junior sister, I’ve noticed you’ve been in a good mood these past few days. What’s going on?”

A sweet, bell-like voice answered, “Silly, the grandmaster is coming to Qinghong Mountain. How could I not be happy?”

The plump one laughed, “Hehe, junior sister, you call me silly?”

Then another young man spoke, “You really are silly. You think the grandmaster’s visit to Qinghong Mountain is why junior sister is so happy? It’s because Third Senior Brother is coming back! Silly!”

The plump one said, “But he’s no longer under our master’s tutelage. Shouldn’t we be calling him ‘Master Uncle’ now?”

The girl replied, “Hmph, if you want to change it, you change it yourself. I won’t. Third Senior Brother is still Third Senior Brother.”

The young man sighed, “Ah, I think Second Senior Brother is going to be jealous again...”

The plump one asked, “By the way, have you all met the grandmaster?”

The girl answered, “The grandmaster is a god. Do you think you can just meet him? Haven’t you seen that, to welcome him, Qinghong Mountain has been completely renovated? It’s like a whole new place.”

The plump one said, “Right. I’ve never met an immortal, and now I’m going to meet a god. This is really scary...”

The girl seemed not to hear their conversation and muttered to herself, “Third Senior Brother is coming back. When is he coming back...” She ran to the well, gazing absent-mindedly at the water. At that moment, our eyes met in the reflection.

“Who are you?!” She suddenly raised her head, and a beam of light shot from her fingertip toward me.

The spell struck my chest, and I was immediately sent rolling down the cliff.

Well, here we go again. This was really getting out of hand. I’m the little princess of Su Zhaoxian, but even I can’t take this kind of torture from a strange woman.