Chapter 54: Safe Return to Wudang

  Lost time is never found again.

  The sword was out for just an instant.

  A flash of green light, and Yang Xiang had not yet felt the pain when he saw the green light pass in front of his eyes again. Only then did he realize that a sharp pain was emerging from his chest, and a faint redness began to spread.

  Ji Xiaofu involuntarily let out a half cry of surprise - because after she cried out in surprise, she came to her senses and immediately covered her mouth.

  Yao Guang's expressionless face watched as the young man fell, saw the dust rise, and lowered his long sword to Yang Xiang's throat. He said calmly, "Yang Xiang, I'll spare you this once because of your origin from the Ming Cult."

  Considering your connection with the Ming Cult and the fact that you still remember its doctrine clearly, I'll regard this as a final thought for old times' sake, but only this once.

  Yao Guang's thoughts were in turmoil, she took a deep breath to calm herself down, and continued, "…If I hear any rumors related to today or the recent events with Ji Shifu from now on, I will definitely go to the Bright Peak and kill you all, let you go underground to explain to Ming Zun and the past generations of leaders how you messed up a good Ming Cult like this!"

  Yao Guang finished speaking and lightly stabbed to death the Tian Ying Sect disciples who were sealed with acupoints beside him.

  Yao Guang's killing move was too fast, so fast that others couldn't even react, let alone open their mouths to stop her. Ji Xiao Fu walked over, with a look of unbearable pain and shock on his face, and asked: "Xue Shi Mei, why...?"

  Jade Light glanced at Ji Xiao Fu, seeing that her face was filled with a mix of unbearable pity and doubt, as well as a hint of self-reproach. However, there wasn't the slightest hint of accusation or unusual expression. Jade Light's heart felt slightly warm, and she smiled reassuringly before speaking softly: "These people didn't know who we were in the first place, but now that they've heard our names, if we stay behind, it will tarnish your reputation in the Jianghu rumors later on. As for this Ming Cult person..."

  She hesitated for a moment, thinking that the one who had been suffering from Yang Xiu's stalking and coercion over the past few days was actually Ji Xiaofu herself, not her. She wanted to spare Yang Xiu's life out of consideration for the Ming Cult, but didn't know what Ji Xiaofu was thinking, so she said, "It was my fault for being thoughtless. If Sister Ji wants to kill him, then go ahead."

  Ji Xiaofu looked at the young man who was lying on the ground with a slightly pale face, seeing that his chest was slowly bleeding outwards. His white shirt quickly became stained with a large patch of red. She had a kind nature and was usually gentle and amiable. Although she knew that her opponent had been forcing her to be exhausted for days, he had not actually harmed her yet. Now that he was injured so badly, his breathing weak, the anger and worry in her heart were also covered up by sympathy. So she said: "He may not be a good person, but he has never hurt me, now that he's been injured like this... let it go."

  Yao Guang raised an eyebrow, although she had already somewhat understood Ji Xiaofu's temperament, and couldn't help but say in surprise: "Sister Ji has a really good heart. Never mind, let's just see how his luck is, if he gets dragged away by wild dogs before the acupoints are unsealed, then it's just his bad luck. Sister Ji, let's go."

  Yang Xiao was not sealed off, quietly watching the two discuss, suddenly laughed and said softly: "The mercy of the Snow Maiden, Yang Xiao remembers in his heart."

  This sentence is spoken with extreme gentleness and subtlety, like a lover's whisper, lightly stirring up waves in people's hearts. Unfortunately, this elegant move has no effect on Yao Guang at all, it's as if throwing stones into the ocean.

  Yao Guang knew that the other party's sentence was mostly sarcastic, and didn't mind it. He sheathed his sword and walked away, but Ji Xiao Fu turned back to look at him twice before finally not saying a word and following Yao Guang.

  As the two walked away, Yang Xiao slowly sat up. It turned out that he had learned the technique of changing positions and had not been sealed by Yao Guang's acupuncture points. He hadn't moved earlier because he didn't want to provoke her again and added another sword. He raised his hand to stop the bleeding and couldn't help but laugh out loud, coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood afterwards. He knew that Yao Guang's previous sword had missed his heart by an inch or so, but had actually opened a hole in his lung. Not getting angry, he instead lowered his head and laughed: "Yang Xiao, you think you're a rare talent in martial arts, today you should know that there are people outside of people, and skies outside of skies."

  There is a girl under the Wudang Sect with such divine swordsmanship, yet you, who are two or three times her age, were defeated miserably today. How dare you still be arrogant about your wasted years of study?

  Yang Xiang couldn't help but reflect on himself, having risen to fame at a young age and joining the Ming Cult early on. He was soon entrusted with important tasks by the leader of the Yang Cult and appointed as the Left Envoy of Guangming after being promoted on Guangming Peak. During that period, he was full of vigor and ambition, thinking that no hero in the world could surpass him. After that, he became carefree and unrestrained, indulging in romantic affairs and later getting entangled in the struggle for power and fame. How many years had it been since he last devoted himself to quiet cultivation? He was favored by the leader of the Yang Cult and taught the powerful technique of Qiankun Da Nuo Yi, but he only cultivated it to the first level before feeling content, as this one level of Qiankun Da Nuo Yi already made him invincible, allowing him to roam freely in the Jianghu world without meeting a match for many years.

  Up until today, Yang Xiang suddenly discovered that in this Jianghu, there are indeed grandmasters and exceptionally talented individuals, it's just that they may not be as famous or as eager to rise to fame like himself. Just like Zhang Zhenren of Wudang Mountain who has been famous for over 60 years, how many people have truly seen him take action? And just like this one disciple of Zhang Zhenren, with her innate talent and abilities, if she wanted to become famous in one battle, it would be easily achievable. But today, she would rather kill off all the Tianying Sect disciples and force herself to keep secrets, than to make this battle public...

  Fame and wealth... what's the point?

  Yang Xiao sat on the ground for a long time before slowly getting up, thinking about where he should go to find a place to rest and recover. The Tianying Sect had suffered this loss, and it would likely be blamed on him - as a man, he wasn't afraid of being held responsible for a few more lives, but if someone were to take advantage of his misfortune and spread the word, it would become a joke.

  Yao Guang walked back and forth with Ji Xiao Fu, seeing that she was still a bit restless, thought for a moment, and smiled: "Sister Ji, what brought you down from Emei Mountain this time? Coincidentally, I asked Master and Big Brother to let me come down the mountain, just to visit your sect's leader, and also, to take a look at Sister Ji."

  Ji Xiaofu was taken aback, blinking in surprise. "Snow Shimei wants to visit the Master? Emei Sect is more than happy to welcome her... But, Snow Shimei also wants to see me?"

  The sentence clearly conveys a sense of puzzlement, which is equivalent to "what's there to see".

  "Really, Master Ji doesn't know, does she? Ever since my sixth senior brother saw Master Ji last year, he's been dazed and distracted every day, with a look of 'the spring breeze knows nothing, what brings you to the silk bed'? From then on, I've really wanted to see the Master Ji who made my sixth senior brother so 'toss and turn'."

  When you think of returning home, it's when I'm heartbroken. The spring breeze doesn't know me, why does it enter our bedchamber?

  This is Li Taibai's "Spring Thoughts".

  Yao Guang's remark was entirely a joke about her sixth senior brother, as she was familiar with Yin Li Ting and therefore spoke freely without reserve. At this moment, she used this poem to hint at the gentle and refined part of Yin Li Ting's personality. The next sentence "辗转反侧" is from the Book of Songs, because "窈窕淑女，君子好逑", which is why there is "求之不得，寤寐思服，悠哉悠哉，辗转反侧".

  This sentence has thoroughly exposed Yin Liting, completely revealing his lovesick appearance.

  Yin Litian's performance over this period of time has long been renowned on Mount Wudang, from Zhang Sanfeng down to Song Yuanqiao and other fellow disciples, all the way down to his third-generation disciples. The number of people who tease Yin Litian is countless, and those who are familiar with him occasionally bring it up in person, while those who are not familiar with him also smile knowingly when they mention it privately. As for someone like Yao Guang, who is close to Yin Litian, teasing him in private has happened more than once or twice. However, every time Yin Litian's face turns red after just one remark, which only makes everyone want to tease him even more.

  The Exterminating Nun was extremely strict with her disciples, and even when she was in a good mood, she would patiently instruct them on their martial arts. However, she would never joke around with them like Zhang Sanfeng did. Whenever the Emei Sect disciples saw the Exterminating Nun, they would all stand up straight and be respectful, not daring to make any jokes or speak informally, even in private conversations.

  Ji Xiaofu had some relatively close relationships with her fellow sisters in the Emei Sect, but she had never experienced being teased about romantic matters before. Her face immediately turned bright red as she stuttered and couldn't get a word out, her heart racing like a deer's. She didn't have any thoughts left to think about Yang Xiao of the Ming Cult or the people from the Heavenly Eagle Sect; all she could think about was "How dare this little sister from Wudang be so bold?" and "How am I supposed to respond to this?" as she felt shocked, embarrassed, and confused.

  Yao Guang gazed at Ji Xiao Fu, who blushed and remained silent. Knowing that his goal had been achieved, he smiled and said: "Today, I see that Sister Ji is indeed a 'reticent and virtuous maiden'. Since you are my future sister-in-law, let me call you 'Sister' first, it's not an offense, right?"

  Ji Xiaofu nodded hastily and stuttered: "Snow Shimei can do as she pleases..."

  Yao Guang thought to herself that this future sixth sister-in-law and sixth brother were truly a match made in heaven, both of them having such thin faces. On the day of their wedding, when they drink the nuptial cup together, won't they both be looking at each other with flushed faces?

  Fortunately, Yao Guang didn't say this sentence out loud, otherwise Ji Xiao Fu might have slipped and fallen on the spot.

  The Tang Dynasty was extremely open-minded, with Wu Zetian ascending to the throne and proclaiming herself emperor in the past, and Taiping Princess holding court later on. Men took concubines, and women also kept mistresses, which led directly to the people of the Tang Dynasty being very bold when discussing emotional matters, unlike the blind marriages that became more common in later generations. Ji Xiaofu, although a woman from the jianghu, was once a young lady from a wealthy family and had been strictly educated by her mother. There were some things she wouldn't dare to think about, let alone say out loud. Now, with Yao Guang's words, how could she remain calm? Her heart was in turmoil.

  Yao Guang looked around and saw that there was no more danger, so she let Ji Xiao Fu walk like that, one foot deep and one foot shallow. When they reached the entrance of the town, she pulled Ji Xiao Fu's hand and quickly walked towards the inn.

  The two settled down. Ji Xiaofu went to rest first due to consecutive days of fatigue, while Yao Guang sat alone downstairs drinking tea and waiting for Yu Dayan.

  The sky had not yet completely darkened, and the familiar sound of horseshoes came clattering in. Yao Guang smiled as she stood up to go out and greet them. Indeed, she saw Yu Daiyan leading a young woman who was dressed similarly to Ji Xiaofu walking in. She immediately turned around to call for the waiter to bring some food, then walked forward with a smile.

  "Third Brother is back. Fortunately, I didn't disappoint you, I've found Sister Ji, she's very tired at the moment, let her rest first, Third Brother and this sister have also had a hard journey, let's have some food and talk in detail later."

  Yu Daishan stepped forward, grasped Yao Guang's shoulders with both hands, and looked her up and down several times. Seeing that she was unharmed, he finally let out a sigh of relief, and his tense expression relaxed.

  "Little sister, fortunately..." He sighed and turned his head to look at the woman behind him, calling out, "Bei sister, let me introduce you. This is my little sister Xue Zhu. Little sister, this is Bei Nu Xia of the Emei Sect's Mie Shi Tai."

  Yao Guang bowed her hands and said "Elder Sister Bei".

  The young woman smiled, "E Mei's Bai Jin Yi asks Snow to take care of her sister. On this journey, I have been taken care of by Yu San Xia, and my sister has also been helped by Snow. This feeling is deeply felt, and we will definitely repay it in the future."

  Yao Guang smiled and stepped aside, saying: "Wudang and Emei have always been familiar with each other, lending a helping hand is only natural. Moreover, Master Ji is still my future sixth aunt. I think Master Ji has had a shock this time, if the two masters' affairs are not urgent, it's better to put them aside for now. Perhaps I and Third Master can come up with a clever plan, so I'll ask you two masters to lead the way and let us take some shortcuts to get to Emei Mountain quickly?"

  Yu Dailong had already explained the matter of visiting Emei to the two on the road, and also roughly talked about his own sister, Bei Jinyi. After listening to Yao Guang's words, she couldn't help but laugh, "Snow sister is indeed as Yu Sanxiang said... Hmm, it's good this way, when Shifu wakes up, I'll go ask her."

  Yao Guang was slightly annoyed by that "as expected" and glanced at Yu Daiyan before continuing to exchange pleasantries with Bei Jinyi.

  The three of them didn't have an easy day today, and after finishing dinner, they each went to rest.

  The next day, Ji Xiaofu also agreed to return to Emei first, and the four of them set off together.

  There was no more danger on the way, and they arrived at Mount Emei safely. After visiting Wudang, the two of them went down the mountain and returned to Wudang. Along the way, Yao Guang couldn't help but stare at Yu Daiyan and ask him what bad things he had said about Bei Jinyi, but Yu Daiyan just smiled and didn't answer.