Without a doubt, Red Yin Immortal was a beauty beyond compare.
Some complained that her facial features were too rigid, but they could never imagine the serenity that softened her countenance during her moments of respite.
Others said her demeanor was as intimidating as a drawn sword, yet they surely had never witnessed the charming naivety of Red Yin when she was drunk.
Still, others were indifferent to her aloofness, but they definitely had not seen the unrestrained joy of Red Yin when she was in high spirits.
Too familiar!
After five years of companionship, even with his eyes closed, Yu Ci could recall every word, every action, every frown, and every smile of Red Yin, and synthesize them into an incredibly perfect picture, etched into his heart as the so-called "standard of beauty".
It was indeed a mark deeply imprinted in his heart, hard to erase. Perhaps it was temporarily buried, but once the dust was blown away, everything became clear again.
Yet, this exceptional beauty left Yu Ci with a final impression of darkness and coldness, akin to a chilling wind or entering a ghost prison.
Red Yin was beautiful, but also capricious. She was proud and self-centered, completely disregarding the feelings of others. One moment she might be laughing with you, but the next, her fury could be as thunderous as a storm, leaving you in a life-or-death predicament.
More importantly, Red Yin was bloodthirsty by nature. She would devise ways to torment those who angered her.
Yu Ci remembered clearly, when he was ten years old, a close attendant had angered Red Yin. The female cultivator had played a new trick, without moving her hands or feet, or even visibly channeling her True Sha, she simply spoke from several feet away. When she said "left foot", the attendant's left foot broke. When she said "right eye", the attendant's right eye shattered. After more than ten sentences, the attendant's facial features and bones were completely damaged, but the skin and internal organs remained unscathed. The attendant screamed in agony for seven days before dying. Such a scene was deeply engraved in Yu Ci's heart, still vivid when remembered.
In his five years at the Twin Immortal Sect, such incidents were countless. Even Yu Ci himself had struggled back from the brink of death time and again, observing and appeasing, just to preserve his own life.
The past was unbearable to recall.
Yu Ci took a deep breath, burying those memories once again. But now, on this Nanfrost Lake, under this unique atmosphere, he had a question, even an impulse:
Should he step forward and reveal his identity?
He stared at Red Yin, but Red Yin paid him no attention.
Red Yin was still the same as before, beautiful and proud. She obviously wouldn't care about a young Taoist with a low cultivation level by her side. Even if she did notice him, she wouldn't associate him with the close attendant who disappeared on the night of the great fire twelve years ago.
She couldn't even be bothered to glance at Yu Ci. She walked up to him, flinging something at Murong Qingyan:
"Here, this is the Great Hole True Symbol, right? Nan Songzi didn't dare to take it after all. However, he didn't leave anything else behind."
Murong Qingyan took the Treasure Talisman, gently expressing her thanks. When she looked at Red Yin again, she asked about something else: "Where is Sister Tao?"
"Across the Mountain"
Red Yin detailed the location with a cold laugh at the end, "I've cleaned up the mess for you, yet instead of gratitude, I might even receive complaints. How ungrateful."
Murong Qingyan simply shook her head and smiled, not saying much.
Red Yin didn't say much either. Her gaze swept over Meng Wei and she said, "My carriage is ten miles away. Are you coming with me to Cliff City, or..."
"It was agreed before that I would stay at Lichen Sect for a few days. Besides, I have a letter from Master Gan of the Four Clarity Sect that I need to deliver to Daoist Yu Zhou."
That was a refusal. Red Yin naturally wouldn't persuade her further. She casually said, "As you wish," and didn't even bother to set a future meeting. Without another word, she sprang into action and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Yu Ci's gaze followed her until she was completely out of sight. He stared at the night sky for a long time, not making any foolish moves.
It was like an ant standing before a giant, roaring in anger:
"Hey, big guy, you just tripped me!"
The giant either didn't hear or, if he did, he would step on the ant indifferently!
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Yu Ci took a deep breath. Suddenly, he felt his heart pounding fiercely. An unprecedented urgency gripped him, gradually strangling his throat.
**********
"Brother Yu, Brother Yu!"
Early in the morning, Bao Guang's call in the courtyard was annoying. Yu Ci had been studying the Talisman Book late into the night and had only just slept for an hour. However, Bao Guang, being familiar with him, didn't care and went straight to his bedroom.
"Brother Yu, stop sleeping. Sister Murong has come to say goodbye, and she even asked Master about you!"
"Hmm?"
Yu Ci opened his eyes. The term "Sister Murong" instantly grabbed his thoughts.
It was now twenty days after the battle at Nanfrost Lake, but the events that took place on the lake were still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't forget them even if he wanted to. Murong Qingyan, Nan Rong Zi, Meng Wei, and of course, the most important Red Yin Immortal, these people's images were constantly revolving in his mind whenever he had a moment of leisure.
After the battle that day, Nan Songzi's spirit left his body and disappeared without a trace.
Logically, what Nan Songzi should be doing now is finding a suitable flesh body for Possession to protect his Divine Soul from extinction. With Nan Songzi's advanced stage of Golden Elixir Cultivation, his essence, energy, and spirit have already coalesced, returning seven times and nine times, condensing into the highest quality Golden liquid Elixir. His Divine Soul is sturdy, even if his flesh body is shattered, he can maintain it for a considerable length of time, and even retain some of the abilities he had in his flesh body. Moreover, judging from the situation at that time, when his Divine Soul escaped, he also took away the Magical Instrument on his body, thus greatly increasing his danger.
Hence, the Still Heart Temple had heightened its security measures, even calling upon an Immortal Elder from within the Sect who was in the Advanced Stage of Golden Elixir Cultivation and an expert in Soul-soothing and exorcism spells to assist Yu Zhou, ensuring the safety of this place.
In contrast to the orderly and measured actions here, the severity of Meng Wei's injuries was quite shocking.
According to the authoritative diagnosis of the Sect's Immortal Elder, she was likely struck by the "God Slaying Sting", causing damage to her Golden Elixir. She then forcefully rallied her energy, even shaking her Taoist Foundation.
The "God Slaying Sting" is a notorious killing technique in this world. It is said that a cultivator can use a special method to refine their True Sha, transforming the ethereal into the tangible, creating a weapon of mass destruction. This weapon can transform into billions of energy spikes, its dispersal and gathering controlled by the heart. When dispersed, it can ignore any barrier, including the Protective True Evil of a cultivator. Once it enters the body, it automatically attacks the vital energy source of the cultivator, damaging the foundation, its toxicity extremely potent.
Fortunately, either due to Nan Songzi's insufficient cultivation or a flawed method, the power of the God Slaying Sting he created was not as formidable as the legends. Although Meng Wei's Taoist Foundation was damaged, it was not irreversible. However, she needed a longer period of convalescence.
Because of this, after meeting with Yu Zhou and the others who came to assist, Meng Wei was urgently sent back to the Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect for treatment and recuperation. As her guest and a key figure in the incident, Murong Qingyan also went along. Now, has her journey in the Lichen Sect ended?
Bao Guang seemed very excited. Ever since he saw Murong Qingyan toy with Nan Songzi that night, this young Taoist had developed a certain admiration and fondness for the female cultivator. Before her departure to the Sect's Mountain Gate, he had even "chatted" with her a few times, at least managing to familiarize his face in front of the beauty. Now that the female cultivator had returned, his mood was somewhat exhilarated.
In fact, the meeting was quite uneventful.
Murong Qingyan's visit was mainly to bid farewell to Yu Zhou. Upon her arrival, she had brought a letter for Yu Zhou from an elder of the Four Clarity Sect. Now that she was leaving, it was only polite to ask if there was any reply.
With Yu Zhou present, neither Yu Ci nor Bao Guang had the chance to do more than greet the female cultivator, and then listen to Yu Zhou exchange polite pleasantries with her.
Soon, the farewell ceremony was efficiently concluded. Murong Qingyan formally bid her goodbyes. The only unexpected turn was that Old Daoist Yu Zhou had a sudden engagement and asked Yu Ci and Bao Guang to escort the female cultivator down the mountain.
Bao Guang was incredibly pleased, his words becoming more frequent during the journey. Yu Ci only occasionally interjected. Bao Guang, who had spent years on the mountain, struggled to keep the conversation flowing. After a couple of attempts, he brought up the Water Mimic Bird.
Interestingly, the Water Mimic Bird had been transferred to Murong Qingyan by Meng Wei. At that moment, it was spiraling agilely in mid-air, seemingly accepting its new owner. This made Bao Guang, who had never gotten along well with the bird, quite envious.
"This bird is very clever, but it's a bit strange. I've seen it transform into other birds, but I've never seen its original form. It's been like this several times."
"It's normal. If a person's face changes too often, in the end, they may not recognize their own true self."
Murong Qingyan didn't seem to be answering, rather, she seemed to be musing.
Yu Ci watched her intently.
Describing the facial features of a beauty like Murong Qingyan was redundant. The phrase "a feast for the eyes" was the most apt. What attracted Yu Ci more was the small white flower pinned to the female cultivator's hair bun. It was worn by Murong Qingyan in memory of her deceased mentor, Tao Rong, who had been killed by Red Yin.
Isn't it strange?
Yu Ci found it hard to grasp the true face of the female cultivator before him. From their first encounter at Nanfrost Lake, her expressions constantly changed - from fiery, charming, dignified, mature, gentle, to the current thoughtful and sorrowful. Each transformation was refreshing, but as her enemy, the feeling was certainly different.
Bao Guang still had a question, "What does Sister Murong want with the Water Mimic Bird?"
"For teaching."
Murong Qingyan's answer was quite surprising, but her explanation was reasonable. "My Ten Thousand Images Sect was founded on Talisman and Illusion techniques. Although the methods within the Sect have been supplemented over time, the fundamentals remain unchanged. The Water Mimic Bird is a wonder of this world. Its water transformation technique can corroborate with the Sect's various methods. Having a physical object is much more vivid than mere words.
"Moreover, this Water Mimic Bird played a key role in the enlightenment of one of my most respected seniors during their sword practice."
"Eh, who?"
************
Seeing the support from my siblings, I feel touched and comforted. There's nothing more to say, thank you everyone, I'm here to express my gratitude!
...
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e