The Phoenix Pavilion

  Yu Qing played a small piece of "Fishing Boat Sings Evening" and heard the man with the small braid outside reporting to Wei Fengniang in the courtyard. Wei Fengniang casually dismissed him, and only after hearing the sound of the zither stop inside did he enter the house.

  Yu Qing looked at her and saw that she was wearing a lotus leaf skirt, a pink silk blouse with gold trim, and had her hair styled in a beautiful bun with a jade pin inserted at an angle. She walked in with small, delicate steps, looking very elegant: "Wei Xiaomei, it's been over ten years since we last met, you're even more prosperous now. Guarding this palace, surrounded by men, you've become the queen of this isolated world."

  Wei Fengniang came over and poured a cup of tea for Yue Qing, holding it in her hand and presenting it to him with three parts sorrow and seven parts playful reproach: "Isn't it because brother looks down on Fengniang's humble origins and won't accept me? Otherwise, this entire Qingluo Palace would be yours alone."

  Yue Qing ignored her advances, took over the teacup and sat down on the chair, took a sip, and praised: "This tea is not bad."

  Wei Fengniang's eyes sparkled with autumn waves, and she glared at him before sitting down on the arhat bed opposite him: "This is our Qingluo Xian tea, best brewed with mountain spring water. It has a hint of icy coldness, and after drinking it, one feels refreshed and invigorated."

  Yue Qing took another sip: "I heard that you and Buluoyin from the Dianxi Demon Sect harmed Guangming Shifang?"

  "What can I do? My master came all the way from Xinjiang to clean up the door, but that person only has one brain left after studying Buddhism. I said it's useless to persuade him, and for self-protection, I had no choice but to use the first strategy." After finishing speaking, he again complained to Yue Qing, "If brother was by my side at that time, with your skills, it wouldn't have ended up like this."

  Yue Qing waved his hand: "I can't beat that old nun! Besides, she has a good reputation. You said you came out to recruit disciples and make your school famous, but you only recruited those few scoundrels and useless people like the eight demons of Xichuan."

  Wei Fengniang didn't refute, instead she said with a hint of annoyance: "Brother, after the Five Emperors of the Taiyi Hunyuan sect passed away, things have been getting worse and worse. Now there's only one Golden Body Arhat Fa Yuan left on Mount Wutai. Even Xu Feiniang has reformed and joined forces with the Emei sect. If I may say so, why don't you come over and join me to develop Qingluo Gorge? With just a word from you, sister will disperse all the men here, and those disciples who need to be beaten or killed will be dealt with by you as the master of Qingluo Palace..."

  "Never mind!" Yue Qing interrupted her, "First and foremost, I am grateful for your great kindness, and I will never forget it. It's impossible for me to change my allegiance."

  The two were speaking when Di Xiang reported from outside the door: "The wine and dishes are all ready, in the Phoenix Pavilion."

  Wei Fengniang brought Yue Qing to the Phoenix Pavilion, a two-story small building, half hidden behind wutong trees and half facing the garden. Wei Fengniang sent Di Xiang away and strictly ordered no one to come in, then returned to drink with Yue Qing.

  The two of them talked about their respective experiences over the years, and Yue Qing asked her what she planned to do in the future. However, Wei Fengniang did not have any ambitions or drive; she was very satisfied with the current state of Qingluo Gorge and just wanted things to continue as they were.

  Yue Qingdao said: "Since my master passed away, the Emei sect has been dominant in the world. Over the past few decades, it has become more and more prosperous. As for those who are enemies with them, they have been slaughtered without mercy. You, on the other hand, are a deceitful and lustful scoundrel, and you will be the stepping stone for their rise to fame. If things continue like this, I'm afraid that within ten years, this place will become a subsidiary of the Emei sect."

  Wei Fengniang said, "The Emei Sect wants to kill me, but it's not that easy!" After finishing speaking, she poured another cup of wine and toasted Yue Qing, "It's still the same as before. If brother is willing to come and take charge of Qingluo, no matter how you deal with me, I'll listen to whatever you say."

  Yue Qing saw that she was like this, knowing that she had hurt her master Guangming Shitai, and became even more arrogant and unscrupulous, not putting Emei School in her eyes. However, she indeed had astonishing magical powers. If she were to die at the hands of Emei School in the future, it would be a great pity. As Yue Qing was hesitating, Wei Fengniang came over with gentle voice and soft words, repeatedly offering her wine.

  Weifeng Niang had cultivated many charms to entice men, including the art of absorbing yang energy to nourish her yin. She had used these tactics in the past at the Locking Clouds Cave on Mount Heng, but they had all failed. Now she didn't dare try again, instead constantly urging him to drink while playfully flirting and teasing, trying to entice Yue Qing.

  Yue Qing, disappointed and having nothing more to say, drank his wine in silence. Wei Fengniang slowly walked over, sat on his lap, wrapped her two white arms around Yue Qing's neck, and softly said: "Brother Yue, do you still remember the first time we met?"

  Yue Qing nodded: "I remember, at that time I was bathing under the waterfall, you came over to steal my clothes and suffered a strike of my Five Elements Divine Thunder."

  It was then that Wei Fengniang called out "Yue Xiaoge" and the other party responded with "Wei Xiaomei", these two terms of endearment have been used ever since.

  Wei Fengniang grasped his hand and placed it on her chest, her scallion-like fingers stroking Yue Qing's lips: "You rascal, your hands are quite ruthless. If it were someone else that day, they would have been beaten to death by you."

  Yue Qing smiled and said: "Others can't just take a strange man's clothes either."

  Wei Fengniang hugged Yue Qing: "Who is that unfamiliar man? You are a famous figure of the Wutai Sect, I've known you for a long time. Brother, do you know? For nearly a hundred years, I couldn't forget that scene, every time I'm with another man, I think of you." She leaned her mouth to Yue Qing's ear, her breath as fragrant as orchids, "Back then, you said your Taiyi Xuan Dan was not yet complete and refused to be with me. Now that you've already reached the realm of scattered immortals, are you willing to take pity on your younger sister?"

  Yue Qing looked at her: "I heard that you obtained a copy of the Pre-Qin era's 'Su Nu Jing', and used Su Nu's method of stealing the original to harm many people's Dao lines. Two years ago, I met my fellow disciple Fei Tian Ye Cha Ma Jue, he said that you captured his master Yuan Yang, and even dissipated the two inner elixirs of Yin and Yang that he had painstakingly refined, causing him to be so ashamed and indignant that he took his own life with a sword."

  "Brother, rest assured, I wouldn't dare use such methods on you." She reached out to untie Yue Qing's belt, "You are my nemesis, from several lifetimes ago. I only want to be with you, unite our fates and cultivate together, sharing the blessings of immortality." Her left hand slipped into Yue Qing's inner garment, while her right hand grabbed the wine jug, took a sip, held it in her mouth, and came over to kiss Yue Qing's lips.

  Yue Qing also lowered his head and met her gaze, a red light flashing in the depths of his eyes. Wei Fengniang shivered and fainted into his arms.

  "Unfortunately, I cultivate the Taiyi Xuan Dan, which requires a youthful body to conceive the Yuan Ying. Otherwise, it will only stop at the Dispersed Immortal Realm and can only be re-cultivated. He pinched Wei Fengniang's face, "Besides, I'm not a garbage dump, where anything goes!"

  On the second day, early in the morning, Wei Fengniang woke up from bed and found herself still in the Phoenix Pavilion. She heard a gentle zither sound by her ear, and when she sat up and looked outside, she saw Yue Qing wearing a white robe sitting under the rain eaves of the wisteria tree, lightly stroking the strings of his qin (zither). It was a beautiful piece of music that made people feel refreshed. She tidied up her clothes, covered her mouth with her hand, and chuckled as she walked out: "The Ten Demons Sutra of the Wudang Sect is actually an ancient secret scripture of the Northern Demon Sect. It's said that in the past, among the five demon sects, except for the Central Demon Sect, the Northern Demon Sect was the strongest, and the power of the Ten Demons Sutra was no less than that of the Nine Heavens Secret Magic Scripture of the Central Demon Sect." She walked to Yue Qing's front, smiled lightly, and said, "I think Brother has been focusing on cultivating the Taiyi True Solution these years, and neglected to cultivate the demonic path." She blinked her eyes and said, "Your 'Heart-Stealing' technique yesterday was not used well, and I have already broken it."

  Yu Qing looked at her: "Is it?"

  "Of course! That's a big deal. The law is just a small trick in the eyes of ordinary people, using this method to make the other person fall in love with oneself and be devoted to death. My sister, apart from practicing the secret teachings of the Vajrayana school that Master taught, also obtained a fragment of the Heavenly Book on the top of Mount Tian many years ago, and cultivated the Jade Pool Immortal Method. Later, she also got a Demon Scripture in Western Kunlun. I am the integration of the three religions, so I dare to come out and want to create the Tian Shan school. You say, how could I be trapped by such a shallow magic trick?" She leaned in again, "Actually, brother, you don't need to use any means at all. A hundred years ago, my heart was already stolen by you." As she spoke, she reached out to grab Yue Qing's hand again.

  Yu Qing didn't pull his hand back either, and it was held by her just like that: "I heard you recently obtained a copy of the Guang Chengzi Daoist scripture?"

  "Wei Fengniang was shocked and puzzled: 'How did you know?'"

  Yue Qing said: "You hid the Taoist scriptures in the underground palace below Qingshui Cave?"

  Wei Fengniang's eyes were about to pop out: "Could it be that you used magic on me last night and made me say something? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If we really fought, I might not be your match, but in a magical contest, you are definitely no match for me. And even more impossible is that you could do it without my knowledge..."

  "Don't think nonsense, I've calculated it." Yue Qing patted the back of his pale hand, "Go, take me to see."

  Wei Fengniang looked at the man in front of her, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, brother please follow me!"