In the midst of the chaotic clash of swords and blades, Tao Mian's face was illuminated to a pure white.
He was always like the untouched moon suspended in the sky, pure as snow, never tainted by the mundane world. Rong Zheng clutched that tree branch as if it were a lifeline, pulling her out of the quagmire of the past time and again.
"Little Tao..."
"I initially planned to let you vent your anger," Tao Mian said, supporting his disciple's uninjured shoulder and guiding her around to avoid the cold sword from the right front. "If I don't allow you to fight, you'll definitely throw a tantrum when we return."
The peach branch deflected a long knife, striking precisely at the wrists of the two shadow guards. They couldn't help but cry out in pain. What seemed like light taps were actually incredibly powerful, leaving them unable to grip their weapons, which clattered to the ground.
"Then no one would cook, and no one would chop wood. We, as Shi Fu and disciple, would have to endure the cold and hunger, drinking the northwest wind."
The Immortal faced the six shadow guards with far more composure than his disciple, able to chat leisurely while handling them.
"We agreed not to overuse spiritual power; today's limit is just this much. Any more, and your wounds will start to hurt. Once we return to the mountain, you can't sulk with me again."
In a swift series of moves, Tao Mian took down four of the six shadow guards, leaving only two struggling in vain.
"But today, as luck would have it, Pavilion Shi Fu Du came personally. So, Shi Fu allows you to have a 'friendly' exchange with Pavilion Shi Fu Du. After all, opportunities like this don't come often. Our Peach Blossom Mountain is quite far from your pavilion and tower, it's not easy to come by.
As for Pavilion Shi Fu Du, since you're here, those thirty-six times you harassed me should be accounted for. I, Tao Mian, don't hold grudges, but my disciple can't stand it. Isn't that right, Little Hua?"
Rong Zheng pursed her lips, looking at Du Hong.
Du Hong, seeing his shadow guards at a disadvantage, seemed a bit incredulous.
Tao Mian didn't miss his expression and smiled.
"It's not your fault, Pavilion Shi Fu Du. I don't usually roam outside, and I've been polite to the people you sent, not taking their lives. Killing indiscriminately doesn't benefit my cultivation; it would actually diminish my spiritual power. To eliminate the karma of killing someone requires me to meditate in the mountains for a long time.
But being so polite has its downsides. It seems everyone thinks they can match this Immortal. That's not right; people need to know their limits."
Tao Mian's cloth boots stepped on the chest of a fallen shadow guard, preventing him from getting up. The peach branch in his hand pointed at another's forehead, warning him not to act rashly.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"I have no major grievances with you, but my beloved disciple has suffered much under you. Today, she only wants that altar; hand it over. If she wanted the Floating Pavilion, then Pavilion Shi Fu Du, I'm sorry, but you'd have to leave your life here."
Tao Mian's tone was light, as if discussing how many bowls of rice to eat tonight.
"Consider carefully, Du Hong."
Cold sweat trickled down Du Hong's back.
In the demon realm, he was a force to be reckoned with, having seen many great demons and those about to ascend through Tribulation Crossing.
He had also seen fallen Immortals. Those Immortals, after being punished by the heavens, mostly became despondent and powerless, manipulated by demons, devoid of any Immortal might.
This was his first time seeing an Immortal in their prime. Frost and snow, majestic and awe-inspiring.
No matter how indifferent and carefree they seemed, they were still Immortals.
Immortals whom demons like him both hated and envied, yet had to look up to.
In the end, Rong Zheng successfully took away the Jade-Hiding Altar containing her Shi Fu's ashes.
She didn't immediately take Du Hong's life. It wasn't out of mercy, but because she had another plan.
She implanted the same Gu worm in Du Hong as she had in herself.
She intended to repay him in kind.
"Not knowing when your life will end, always in a state of anxious suspicion, seeking medicine everywhere without cure, yet unwilling to give up, repeatedly disappointed, repeatedly returning empty-handed. Du Hong, the taste my Shi Fu, Chen Yan, and I have experienced, you should try it yourself."
She stood up, holding a blue-green jar in her arms, her expression cold.
As she left the pavilion, Tao Mian leaned against the railing, arms crossed, looking down at the reveling guests below.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned back with a smile.
"Returning to the mountain?"
Rong Zheng nodded.
"Yes, but I have one more thing to do."
Rong Zheng placed the Jade-Hiding Altar into her mustard seed pouch for safekeeping. Then she concentrated her spiritual power at her fingertips, descending the long staircase, drawing complex symbols on the wooden handrail as she went.
Tao Mian walked by her side.
"I didn't tell Little Tao much about the Mist Tower. At the time, I thought the memory was too dull, but now I think it's okay to talk about it.
When I was thrown into the Mist Tower, the fatal wound on my body hadn't healed yet. I remember lying on the sickbed in the Floating Pavilion the night before, and when I opened my eyes again, I saw soft red veils and found myself in the Mist Tower.
At that time, I couldn't believe Du Hong had given up on me just like that."
Rong Zheng said she had heard from the shadow guard sisters when she was young that if a shadow guard could no longer serve, and was still young, the men would be thrown into the copper furnace to be refined, and the women would be sent to the Mist Tower to entertain guests.
One pavilion Shi Fu had said that the shadow guards of the Floating Pavilion were exceptionally talented, learning everything quickly. Even if they knew nothing about such matters, they could learn by observing for a night.
Rong Zheng, being young, only imagined shadow guards through her Shi Fu. Her Shi Fu was like a black swift, swift and agile, able to solve any difficult task excellently, and when reporting back to the pavilion, she was neither servile nor overbearing. The old pavilion Shi Fu valued her greatly, and sometimes they seemed more like old friends with a tacit understanding than Shi Fu and servant.
Her Shi Fu was low-key, yet her brilliance was very striking.
This contradictory charm attracted the young Rong Zheng. She naively thought there was nothing more glorious than being a competent shadow guard.
"After I took over my Shi Fu's position, I thought I couldn't disgrace the reputation of the head shadow guard. I was loyal to Du Hong, doing my best to fulfill his every command. I gained his trust; he said the Floating Pavilion and he couldn't do without the Kite. The Kite never trusted anyone easily, but she believed the pavilion Shi Fu's lies."
Rong Zheng's fingers turned a corner, and they reached the next level.
"The night I was thrown into the Mist Tower, I was heartbroken. A fox demon came to me, saying that with my looks, as long as I behaved, even a fallen Kite could be lifted high by a mountain of money in the Mist Tower.
But I was too sad then to listen to anything. I felt useless, a broken sword, better off dead than suffering humiliation here.
So I really decided to die."
When Tao Mian heard the earlier part, he could still calmly look ahead.
But when Rong Zheng mentioned her resolve to die, he couldn't help but turn his head.
"There was still a bit of spiritual power left in me, enough to burn myself to ashes. I thought, turning into a handful of dust wouldn't be too bad.
The fox demon left to prepare a grand event, planning to display me on stage for sale. I moved slightly, accidentally rolling off the bed, and lay flat on the ground, not moving.
Then I saw a blue butterfly land outside the window.
I had never seen a blue butterfly before, nor did I have the mood to admire one. But that day, I saw it, with black eyes on its wings.
Two or four? I couldn't see clearly, but I wanted to know. So I struggled to sit up and push open the window.
When the cold air from outside hit my face, I suddenly realized.
Damn the Floating Pavilion, damn the Mist Tower, why should it be me who dies?
I set a fire in the room, burned it all, and left cleanly."