Chapter 3 The Fairy Outside the World

  In his deep sleep, Tang Jing had a dream. In the dream, he was reclining in a chair, basking in the warm sunlight, sipping wine and listening to soft music. It was so carefree, a dream he had always had. And this time when he woke up, he was ready to make it come true. However, before he could fully indulge in this wonderful dream, a sharp rebuke pierced through, shattering his dream world instantly, and Tang Jing also completely woke up from his deep sleep.

  He opened his blurry eyes to see a face, a naturally beautiful face, as bright and clear as the autumn moon, with a beauty that was almost suffocating. But on this perfect face, those beautiful eyes were filled with flames of anger. When she saw Tang Jing wake up, the anger in her expression disappeared instantly, replaced by an evil smile that seemed to be savoring something.

  "Master Táng, did you sleep comfortably? Do you want me to massage your shoulders for you?"

  "It's no use." Tang Jing shook his heavy head and pinched his eyebrows tightly.

  "Shinigami stick! You're thinking beautifully!" The smile on Shangguan Ling's face disappeared in an instant, and he glared at Tang Qing, saying, "I've been rushing for a whole day, but you slept comfortably! Get down quickly!"

  "Miss, thank you so much for seeing me off!"

  Since regaining consciousness, Tang Qing had been digging upwards from underground for a long time and hadn't slept well in ages. This sleep refreshed him thoroughly. As he got off the vehicle, he couldn't help but stretch his waist and looked around with his head raised.

  Above the void, a beautiful and magnificent scene unfolds, with a seven-colored rainbow faintly visible. On the east side is a rugged mountain range, surrounded by clusters of crimson red cloud trees. At the summit of the mountain, a silvery white waterfall cascades down, flowing into the lake on the west side, creating a stepped shape that filters layer by layer, making the water color increasingly transparent. The emerald sea, layered waterfalls, colorful forest, and strange mountains all come together to form a breathtakingly beautiful natural landscape painting, a true paradise on earth.

  Tang Qing's voice was filled with surprise, he could see that this was a cave mansion, the cave mansion was shrouded in an array of formations, truly encompassing all things. The arrays within the array were only visible at a glance, and it was discovered that they contained thirty-six natural array formations, creating such a wonderful and unique space. The master here was obviously a master of array formations.

  "Hey! Tang Jing, when we were on the road, I originally wanted to ask you where you were going, but unfortunately, you fell asleep. I didn't have the heart to wake you up, so I just brought you here first." Shang Guan Ling explained naturally, as if he had really done it before.

  "Oh, I see! I haven't slept in a long time, so I must have fallen asleep. " Tang Qing was now very weak, but he had the body of a Nine-Tribulation Scattered Immortal, and ordinary cultivators couldn't move him at all. He was too tired, so he fell asleep directly, yawned, and asked, "Where is this place?"

  "Oh, this is my sister's cave mansion. You don't know what a cave mansion is? Never mind! I'll tell you anyway, but you won't understand. There are many things inside that you've never seen before. Since you cured my horse, I'll take you in today to broaden your horizons, and consider it as my repayment for your kindness."

  "Alright!" Tang Qing had always been a very casual person, and the scenery created in this cave was indeed pleasing to the eye. More importantly, he was now a little hungry.

  "Hello sister! I'm here......"

  After settling the carriage, Shangguan Ling untied his cloak and rushed towards a mansion on the opposite side.

  Inside the manor, the green grass was always lush, birds chirping and flowers fragrant. Tang Qing also followed him into the halls inside the manor.

  "Hey! You wait here first, don't blame me for not warning you, outside is heavily guarded and very dangerous, don't run around randomly, or you'll lose your life, don't blame me!" After saying that, Shangguan Ling walked towards other houses.

  Tang Jing nodded slightly in response, and began to look around. The hall was bright and clean, giving off a very comfortable feeling. The tables and chairs inside were all made of white stone, and although they didn't seem luxurious at first glance, they were actually extremely delicate. Next to the hall was another room, which Tang Jing glanced at casually. Inside, there were many ancient books and scrolls, probably a study. He wasn't particularly interested in these things, but a painting on the desk caught his attention.

  This is a fragmentary painting, seemingly only half of it remains, and the edges of the painting show clear signs of being torn. It's a starry sky drawn with black lines, with a mysterious Three Hall Star Palace in the night sky, as well as the profound Four Symbols of the I Ching, and the magical constellations... This painting appears ordinary on the surface, but its inner meaning is difficult for ordinary people to understand.

  This painting caught Tang Qing's attention, not because of its defects, nor the profound meaning it conveyed, but because he found it very familiar. Not just familiar, when he walked closer to take a careful look, he was almost certain that this painting was absolutely the one he had sketched out back then. He still vaguely remembered how he and an old friend were playing chess, lost, and so hastily drew this painting as a bet to give to his friend. But how did this painting end up here? And why was it torn into two pieces?

  Tang Jing was just about to touch the torn edge when a loud shout suddenly came from behind him.

  "Damn it! What are you doing?!"

  It wasn't someone else, but rather Shangguan Ling herself. She glared at him with her eyes wide open, looking very fierce, and said, "Little rascal, you're quite bold, aren't you? Didn't I tell you not to barge in randomly? You even dare to enter Mo's study, are you tired of living?" Shangguan Ling walked into the study, and when she saw the torn painting on the table, her expression suddenly turned solemn for some reason.

  "Was it this painting you just touched?"

  "Hmm." Tang Jing replied honestly, "What?"

  "Do you know or don't you know that this is Elder Sister Mo's most beloved and cherished painting? Do you know how precious this painting is? You actually dare to touch it privately, I think you're really getting on my nerves!"

  "It's just a painting," Tang Jing explained, "I won't touch it."

  "What did you say? It's just a painting? That's it?! Good grief! You're so ignorant!" Shangguan Ling's face was filled with shock and disdain, her eyes wide open as she said, "Do you know whose masterpiece this is? This 'Wanxiang Xingluo' diagram is the genuine work of Wuwang Jushi, its inner meaning is profound and boundless. If one can comprehend even a little bit of it, they will benefit greatly. You actually say it's just a painting, truly unaware of what's good for you!"

  "Is it?"

  Tang Qing didn't say anything else and didn't know what to say either, because Wu Wang Ju Shi was indeed another name of his.

  "What's going on? You can't be so ignorant as to not even know about Wu Wang Gongzi?"

  Tang Qing didn't respond, and Shangguan Ling looked like he had been defeated. He stared at Tang Qing with a gaze that seemed to be looking at an incorrigible turtle, shaking his head, "Unbelievable? I didn't think there was anyone in the world who didn't know about Wu Wang Gongzi! He's my idol, Shangguan Ling's most admired man! No one else comes close! You've actually never heard of him? I don't even know what to say to you, you're simply...simply a turtle from a rural grandma's house!"

  Tang Jing's mood at this moment is complex, but also a bit awkward and helpless, however, more of it is curiosity, "How did this painting become two pieces?"

  "Today, my sister and I are in a pretty good mood, so let me show you something. Listen carefully, this painting is called the 'Wanxiang Xingluo Map', it was created by the contemporary eccentric artist Wuwang Jushi. It's said that Wuwang Jushi gave this painting to his old friend, the Wine Saint, but unfortunately, the Wine Saint didn't appreciate it and gave it away to a demon girl in order to win her heart. The demon girl supposedly understood the mysteries of the painting, but went crazy and was later hunted down by the Holy Temple. During the battle, the painting was torn in two. As for how this painting ended up in my hands, you don't need to know that."

  Tang Jing was furious in his heart, that drunkard with a messy beard, actually took my painting to win the favor of beauties, damn it!

  At this time, a pleasant and moving voice suddenly came from outside the house.

  "Ling'er, is that you?"

  Her voice was like the music of heaven, her sound like the heavenly zither, entering the ears and touching the depths of the soul. As the sound fell, a woman appeared in response, wearing a simple white dress, with long black hair that naturally fell to her waist, a pale face like jade, with eyebrows like dark green jade, perfect features without any flaws, a pair of mysterious eyes shining like crystal, walking gently, with an extraordinary air, like an immortal who does not eat the smoke and fire of the mortal world.

  If Shangguan Ling's beauty is like a flame, stunning and captivating, like a sorceress from the nine hells, then this woman's beauty is like the vast blue ocean, mysterious and serene, like an immortal fairy from the nine heavens.

  "Wow! Eldest sister Mo, Ling'er is going to die from thinking about you!"

  Shangguan Ling excitedly laughed and opened his arms, directly hugging the "Mo sister" in her mouth.

  "You're going to choke me to death!" Yun Mo'er smiled lightly, as if she had just discovered that there was a young man standing beside her. Her eyebrows slightly raised, "Huh? Ling Er, did you bring this gentleman here?"

  "He's not some kind of noble, he's just a Jianghu practitioner I met on the way," said Shangguan Ling with a bad tone. "When I came, my horse suddenly broke down, fortunately, this guy, what was his name? Tang Jing, right? He helped me cure my horse, and I naturally want to repay him well."

  "Is that so?" Yun Mo'er's quiet eyes carefully sized up Tang Qing, then looked at Shangguan Ling with interest, smiling softly and saying, "You only cured his horse? And you brought him here? Hmm... it seems that in Ling's eyes, Young Master Tang is not just a simple Jianghu practitioner."

  "Really? Eldest Sister Mo, where do you think I've gone, how could I possibly..." Cloud Mo'er teased like this, while Upper Official Ling seemed to not have the shyness that a young girl should have, only wrinkling her nose, leaning in close to Cloud Mo's ear and saying softly, "This guy knows the art of communicating with spirits and controlling beasts, I asked him to teach me but he refused, so first I'll bring him here."

  The two women in front of him could be considered rare beauties in the world, but Tang Qing had no interest at all, and simply leaned against the door window, casually watching these two women chatter nonsense.

  "Hey! Tang Jing, you go out and play by yourself for a while, I have something to talk about with Mo sister, but stay close, don't run around!"

  Tang Qing nodded and was about to go out and take a look, after responding he left directly.

  "Hmm, Ling'er, when are you going to change your temper? Why be so fierce, he's helped you after all."

  "Stranger sister, you have no idea how arrogant this guy is. I proposed many conditions to teach me the art of spiritual beast riding, but he said he wasn't interested and ignored me three times! Hmph! He thinks he's a top-notch expert just because he knows some spiritual beast riding techniques, daring to ignore me, Dead God Stick!"

  Shangguan Ling brought Tang Jing here not only to see the Tongling Beast Taming Technique, but also because Tang Jing's indifferent attitude made her very uncomfortable, especially that look of being above everything as if nothing mattered, which made her very resentful.

  "Is that so?......" Yun Mo also seemed to have noticed the problem, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "You say he understands the art of communicating with spirit beasts?"

  "Otherwise, do you think I would have brought him here?"

  "The art of commanding spirits and beasts is a technique of the left path, very few people in this world understand it. If what you said is true, how could an ordinary street performer like him possibly know such a secret technique?"

  "Who knows how he learned this trick." Shangguan Ling shrugged and pulled Yunmiao's hand to walk inside, "Don't mention that, Miao sister, I haven't had your Tianquan brew for ages and I'm almost starving, hurry up and prepare some for me, we can chat while drinking, okay?"