Zhong Minyan, hearing that Xuanji was also selected, turned even paler. He sneaked a look at his master, whose expression remained unaltered, yet a storm brewed in his eyes.
The crowd, seeing that this flower-picking task included only three accomplished cultivators and the other two were children, started murmuring incessantly. Moreover, four out of the five members were from the Shaoyang Sect, making this task almost exclusively managed by them.
When Xuanji's name was announced, the reactions were mixed, but He Danping's was the most violent. First, she was shocked that two youngsters had really been selected; second, she was curious as to how Xuanji's name had appeared in the basket; and third, she was furious that if it were not for Master Song provoking them, the situation would not have escalated to this level.
Thinking about the frail Xuanji, who knew nothing about cultivation, having to undertake the flower-picking task made her heart as a mother ache intensely. Xuanji couldn't even maintain a horse stance! It was clearly a death sentence. Who exactly had put Xuanji's name in?
Seeing her disturbed expression, Chu Yinghong quickly stepped forward to support her, saying softly, "Sister Ping, don't worry. The Sect Leader and I will protect Xuanji and the children at all costs. We won't let them suffer even a minor injury."
Linglong, however, caused a commotion, exclaiming anxiously, "Why is it my sister! She knows nothing, how can she go?! Why not me? Father, Mother! I can go in her place! Let me go!"
Zhe Lei's face darkened and he shook his head slowly, muttering, "You cannot go. Stay on Shaoyang Peak and train. Min Yan—" He turned to call the pale-faced boy, "Go to Mingxia Cave and bring Xuanji here."
Zhong Minyan had no choice but to agree and left Zanhua Hall.
He couldn't understand.
He couldn't understand why his master had instructed him to replace Linglong's name with Xuanji's. Both were his daughters, yet he seemed too biased. Though he himself got along well with Linglong and disdained the odd Xuanji, the thought of the girl curled up in fear on a cold stone bed made him feel unbearable sympathy. Could it be… Could the Sect Leader accept sending Xuanji to her death more easily…?!
Zhong Minyan immediately felt a surge of injustice for Xuanji. Remembering that it was he who had written her name on the bamboo strip, his regret deepened. He silently vowed in his heart to protect Xuanji's safety at all costs. She was innocently dragged into this, and he too bore some responsibility.
Of course, he didn't know yet that the "pitiful girl shivering in the dark," having been unable to wait for lunch, had eaten all her dry food and was now contentedly napping with a full belly on the bed.
Zhong Minyan's loud splashing and shouting forcefully woke Xuanji from her pleasant dream. Rubbing her eyes and still drowsy, she heard him shouting, "Zhe Xuanji! Zhe Xuanji! Come out with me now!"
His frantic calling panicked Xuanji, who quickly lit a candle to see what was happening. She saw Zhong Minyan jump down from the boat, rush over, and pull on her arm, urging her, "Don't sleep! We'll talk about any grievances tonight, and you can scold me all you want; I won't resist. Quick! Come with me now."
Xuanji thought something serious had happened and, stumbling a few steps as he dragged her along, asked cautiously, "What happened outside? Are the other four sects attacking our Shaoyang Peak?"
"Pah! You... can't expect anything good to come from your mouth…" Zhong Minyan blurted out, about to insult her but held back, only saying, "You are part of this flower-picking task. Just follow me to the top of Shaoyang Peak and you'll understand."
Bewildered but sensing that he intended to take her away from this place, Xuanji eagerly seized the opportunity, fearing Zhong Minyan might change his mind and not take her. She kept her mouth firmly shut, not asking another word.
Meanwhile, the top of the peak at Zanhua Hall was still in utter chaos. He Danping, overwhelmed with worry, had fainted, and Chu Yinghong was busy taking care of her. Linglong was still pestering her father to let her take her sister's place, but he simply would not agree.
When Zhe Lei initially instructed Zhong Minyan to replace Linglong's name with Xuanji's, he had his reasons.
His own daughter—he knew her too well. Linglong loved to seek glory and was always overconfident. Had her name been written and not selected, it would have been fine, but if chosen, facing a demon, she would definitely not have stayed back. Given her character, she would never just watch from behind. Young and relatively weak in cultivation, confronting a demon would be a certain death. He could not just watch her die!
However, Xuanji was different. This child disliked trouble, always preferring to hide behind others, and her lazy nature meant she didn't go looking for trouble. When he had Zhong Minyan change the name to Xuanji, he certainly didn't hope to draw her name, but since it was drawn, Xuanji, compared to Linglong, was a good choice. At least she would hide instead of recklessly charging into battle, thereby preserving her life, and he could fight without distractions.
Moreover, since Xuanji was indifferent and unambitious, taking her out this time to expose her to the world was a good opportunity to stimulate her.
In a moment, he had turned over these many thoughts and had then resolved to subtly suggest that Zhong Minyan write Linglong as Xuanji. Now that things were set in motion, there was no turning back.
Seeing Linglong being so troublesome, he couldn't help but frown and say, "I haven't even started on you climbing to the peak on your own and spying on the drawing process! Yet you dare talk back to me! Starting tonight, you are grounded to the back courtyard, practice your skills at home, and you are not allowed to step outside the courtyard!"
Linglong burst into tears, and Chu Yinghong hurriedly came over with a smile to console, "Why cry on such a beautiful day? Save some energy for the Flower Pinning Conference! Aunt Hong will definitely catch the biggest and most beautiful demon for you all!"
Linglong was inconsolable, still crying in twists. Chu Yinghong pushed her gently, saying, "Quick, go see your mother! She's worried sick! Don't you want your mom anymore?"
Only then did Linglong run to He Danping, wrapping her arms around her neck and crying out her grievances, not daring to make any more fuss.
At that moment, a Daoist with the face of a child and white hair approached ceremoniously and said, "Sect Leader Chu, this flower picking mission is no ordinary task. Taking two juniors indeed poses a challenge. Why not draw once more? The demons are ferocious, and without thorough preparation and stringent precautions, unforeseen events may occur."
Seeing it was the Heng Song from Dianjing Valley, Zhe Lei returned the courtesy and said, "Thank you for your kind intention, Master. The drawing seems to be divinely ordained, and redoing it would be meaningless. I believe with the three of our powers combined, capturing a demon should not be too difficult."
Heng Song knew of his unyielding pride, especially after his encounter with Master Song, and naturally, he wouldn't agree to redrawing. He sighed and added, "Shaoyang Sect and Fuyu Island are both major sects, and I mean no disrespect. But given the critical nature of this task, I must reluctantly express my concerns again. Sect Leader Chu, do you know what kind of demon you are dealing with this time?"
Zhe Lei said, "Is it not the Heavenly Dog? It suddenly appeared on Lutai Mountain, devouring many people. Capturing it this time is also considered serving heavenly justice."
Heng Song seriously replied, "The Heavenly Dog is but one. According to my knowledge, another demon named Gu Diao has arrived there, its wingspan reaching five zhang, its cries resembling the nocturnal wailing of infants. It usually hides underwater and springs out to snatch people back to its nest to devour. The locals have hired many hunters and cultivators, and once they captured the Heavenly Dog successfully, only for it to escape at midnight. Since then, it has allied with Gu Diao. Together, they have eaten no fewer than a hundred people, and no one has been able to subdue them since. Now, with only three actual participants in this flower-picking mission, it will be three people against two Great Demons. Sect Leader Chu, please reconsider!"
Listening to him, Zhe Lei couldn't help but ponder. Unexpectedly, a sneering laughter came from across the room, a voice neither distinctly male nor female saying, "How cautious! To think they are worried about mere creatures like the Heavenly Dog and Gu Diao. Even considering redrawing! How ridiculous!"
The two looked and saw it was the Vice Palace Master from Lize Palace. Lize Palace had emerged relatively late but had rapidly developed, replacing Qingzhu Mountain in just a few decades to become one of the Five Great Sects. Putting aside their unique method of cultivation, just their attire was utterly strange. Regardless of age or rank, everyone wore green robes and Shura masks, making it impossible to distinguish gender or hierarchy.
Knowing that the people of Lize Palace had such temperaments with no real malice, everyone just laughed it off and didn't take offense. However, Linglong, seeing a group of people wearing ghostly masks of varying heights, found them quite terrifying and couldn't help but hide behind her mother and peek out.
Heng Song then inquired, "Since the Vice Palace Master speaks so, you must have some methods of your own for dealing with them. Please enlighten us."
The Vice Palace Master chuckled weirdly and responded, "I have nothing to enlighten! You flatter me, Master! I merely heard in my youth how to handle some ferocious demons, and I presume, Master and Sect Leader Chu, with your extensive knowledge, have surely heard of them too, hence I dare not embarrass myself. However, if you indeed haven't heard of them, then I wouldn't be stingy."
Her rapid speech, articulate nature, and sophisticated yet stubborn words clearly resembled those of a woman. However, her appearance, with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and a slight tremor in her Adam's apple, was definitely that of a man. Linglong had never seen such an odd person, and was utterly fascinated.
Hearing this, Zhe Lei and Heng Song exchanged a glance and both said, "Please, Palace Master, enlighten us."
The Vice Palace Master was candid and said, "The Heavenly Dog fears vinegar. Just splash a pot of vinegar on its head, and it will faint. As for Gu Diao, it hides in the water. Just make a few human figures out of burlap sacks, stuff them with salt, and throw them into the water. It will come to peck at them. The salt water will irritate its eyes, blinding it. Once it surfaces, it can be captured."
Even Heng Song, with his extensive knowledge, was hearing such a remedy for the first time. Despite his doubts, the method sounded well-reasoned, and indeed, it was worth a try.
The Vice Palace Master added, "Gu Diao is quite cunning and might be hard to capture. If you're worried about not being able to catch it above water, prepare torches and go to its nest at night to capture it. Its eyes won't heal within three days, and it will stay in its nest to heal. Since its eyes can't tolerate light, you just need to throw torches there, block the entrance so it can't escape, and capturing it will be easy."
Zhe Lei deeply bowed to the Vice Palace Master and said, "Thank you, Palace Master! I am endlessly grateful!"
The Vice Palace Master let out a few eerie laughs but said nothing more.
Just then, Zhong Min Yan arrived with Xuanji to report back. The young girl was lethargically lazy, and her hair was a mess, with strands hanging down her back, her face full of sleepiness, probably because she was forcefully woken up to come here. She entered without looking at anyone, just rubbing her eyes, and suddenly seeing Zhe Lei in front of her, she froze and immediately put on a grim face and knelt down with Zhong Min Yan, saying, "We pay our respects to the Sect Leader."
Although Zhe Lei disliked her slovenly appearance, he hadn't seen her for several days; her face was pale, and she had lost quite a bit of weight, presumably having a hard time in Mingxia Cave. He couldn't help but feel some pity, and his anger unconsciously subsided, saying warmly, "Stand up. Xuanji, from today on, you needn't stay in Mingxia Cave. Tomorrow, come with us down the mountain to handle the flower picking task. Be sure to pack up your things tonight, understood?"
He thought all children loved to go out and would certainly be overjoyed. However, Xuanji paused for a long while before whispering timidly, "Eh? I have to go too? Why me... that... can I not go?"
Zhe Lei asked in surprise, "Don't you want to go down the mountain and see the world?"
She shook her head decisively, "No."
Zhe Lei then remembered this daughter's usual conduct. Her sister and other senior brothers had been to many places off the mountain. Whenever he suggested she join, she only answered with one sentence, "Lazy, don't want to move." He couldn't help becoming angry and frowning, saying, "You have no choice but to go; the lot was drawn, and it's no child's play. If you continue to be slothful, you can just stay in Mingxia cave for the rest of your life and never come out!"
When Xuanji heard she might have to live in Mingxia Cave forever, she was so scared that she quickly nodded in agreement. Zhe Lei's entire affection was driven to frustration by her, waving his hand impatiently for her to leave as he turned to discuss the matter of the Flower Pinning Conference with the others.
Xuanji slowly moved to a corner, where she saw Linglong being affectionate and whining to their mother. Seeing her approaching, Linglong hurriedly came over and grabbed her hand, exclaiming, "Dear sister! You're out! Has it been tough these days?"
Xuanji nodded and then shook her head, replying, "It was very tough at first, but then I got used to it. I did nothing but sleep and eat, so it was nothing."
Upon seeing Xuanji emerge, He Danping couldn't help but burst into tears. She couldn't outright tell Xuanji how dangerous the upcoming journey was, so she could only stroke her head and sigh silently, inwardly blaming Zhe Lei's unyielding heart.
Linglong first chatted warmly with Xuanji for a while, then suddenly recalled something and whispered while holding her hand, "Xuanji, if you don't want to go down the mountain, just tell father, let's switch, I'll go for you."
Xuanji shook her head like a rattle drum, "No, no, father just said if I don't go, I'll have to live in Mingxia Cave forever! Dear sister, I definitely don't want to live in such a place forever. It's cold, damp, and pitch black; these few days I've spent there have left me aching all over."
Hearing this, Linglong stomped her foot in frustration, threw her hands up, turned around, and ran off, upset.
Xuanji didn't know where she had offended her sister, nor did she dare to chase after her, so she could only sit in the corner and daydream.
She was originally taking a nap when they called her here, and since there wasn't much for her to do, she leaned against her mother and started dozing off again, her head wobbling as she was about to fall asleep once more. In her drowsiness, it felt like something was moving under her feet. Too lazy to look, she closed her eyes to sleep. But that thing climbed up her leg, feeling cold and soft even through her thin summer silk trousers.
She couldn't help but open her eyes, only to see a long silver-white little snake coiled on her knee, its bright red tongue flicking tremblingly, and its triangular head tilting side to side, giving off quite an honest and cute impression. Xuanji was startled and hurriedly wanted to call her mother, but when she turned her head, there was no one; the adults were all busy discussing matters of picking flowers and the Flower Pinning Conference.
With no choice, she was about to throw it away when a chilly voice from above said, "Don't touch it, it will bite you. It's very poisonous."
Xuanji had already reached out to grab the snake's midsection when she heard this and looked up to see a person about her own height standing opposite her, wearing a green robe and rather thin, with a Shura mask covering his face.
She didn't know where this person was from, so she could only foolishly stare at his mask. Seeing the little silver snake held carelessly by her, its life hanging by a thread, he couldn't help but anxiously say, "Let it go!"
"Is it yours?" Xuanji looked at the little snake in her hand, it seemed almost dead, so she quickly tossed it to the man, "Here you go."
The man quickly cradled the precious snake and checked it over, relieved it was not dead, still breathing. He carefully placed the snake back into the pouch at his waist, only then turning back to angrily say, "Why, did you squeeze it?!"
Xuanji, hearing his unpracticed speech, delivered in staccato bursts of three words, guessed he was not from the Central Plains. Thus, mimicking his tone, she said, "Because it, on its own, crawled over. I thought, it definitely, would bite me."
The man coldly said, "Not watching Little Silver Flower, was my fault. But you also, cannot, kill it. Wicked woman!"
Xuanji, being inexplicably called a wicked woman, was surprised and puzzled. Fortunately, she was naturally indolent and didn't want to spend energy on this matter. Being scolded, she just shrugged her shoulders and didn't take it to heart. If it had been Linglong, they might have started fighting by now.
The man, seeing that she did not speak but rather started dozing off, felt even more embarrassed and coldly said, "How could, they let you, pick flowers."
Xuanji suddenly opened her eyes, curiously saying, "Eh? You just now didn't speak in sets of three words! So, you can also do two!"
The man felt completely unable to communicate with her and thought she was deliberately acting dumb and cute, pointed to his mask, and angrily said, "Who do you think, I am?! To dare, mock me!"
Xuanji, absentmindedly asked, "Oh, who are you?"
The man angrily said, "Look at the mask!"
Xuanji, disturbed by his shouting, had no choice but to obediently look at his mask.
The man sneered, "Now, do you understand? Speak, your thoughts, about it."
The Shura masks from Lize Palace were famously terrifying, reputed to strike fear in everyone; he didn't believe there was anyone who didn't recognize it.
Xuanji looked at it very seriously for a while before carefully and softly saying, "So ugly."
Crack—He heard the sound of his own blood vessels bursting, "You... remember this!" His hand quivering as he pointed at her nose, his voice distorted with rage, "You... what is your name?! Your name!"
Xuanji shook her head, about to tell him her mother said not to let strangers know her name, but then she heard someone ahead utter something in a strange tone. The man immediately turned around to leave, then seemed to reconsider and came back to tell her sternly, "Remember this! I, am called, Yu Sifeng! Zhe Xuanji, I remember, your, name now! You just, wait!"
Xuanji watched him and a few others dressed in green robes and wearing masks walk out of Zanhua Hall, still not understanding why he got so angry.
Strange, it was he who asked her opinion about the mask, and all she did was give an honest answer...
All these outsiders and their affairs, really are such a hassle.