Once outside, Su Jing noticed that the walls weren't that thick. The wind started to flutter her hair and as Su Jing looked around, she saw only a single path through the rocky terrain, which was slowly going up in serpentines. This city was apparently in a valley.
Yawen stopped beside Su Jing, looking attentively at the sky. " It's very likely that it will rain soon. It's strange for the clouds to reach that far outside the inner area."
Su Jing noticed the clouds, too, and felt an ominous feeling coming from them. The forest was, after all, called Grey Skies Forest, so its main infamous thing was those clouds in the innermost part of the forest, where they hid one of the most diabolical creatures together with its high treasures.
Of course, her tingling sense told her Feng Zhihao had something to do with them moving since any strange change in the sky needed to be related to her somehow. She was after all cultivating super fast so it wasn't that strange for the Heavenly Thunder to strike her.
"That shouldn't be a problem since we will travel eastward, opposite to the wind direction," Qingwu said, looking too at the sky.
Mingmei clicked her fingers, the sword immediately getting on the ground level. She pressed one leg on it, turning her head towards Su Jing as it signalled her to come closer.
Su Jing quickly agreed, going beside Mingmei. Yawen encouraged her with a nod, before going himself too towards Qingwu's sword.
As Su Jing got in front of Mingmei, she couldn't help but feel a sense of intimidation from the woman. Mingmei's expression was tight, and there was a brief flicker of annoyance before she masked it with an impassive face. "Just focus on staying still. If you can't manage that, you might fall."
Su Jing was very well aware of that. "Can I hold onto you, Cultivator Mei? I am afraid I might not be capable of escaping the strong air currents."
More than that, Su Jing felt the need for her hands to have a safe place secure. She couldn't imagine staying only with her legs anchored on a thin sword!
Mingmei did not seem that content with her request but in the end, she agreed, since Qingwu was close, "You'd better not pull too hard on me because you risk making us both slip down. "
Su Jing did not have any motive to be rebellious when her well-being was in Mingmei's hands for the next few minutes. She readily compromised, Su Jing stepping up behind Mingmei on the sword. As soon as her foot touched the blade, warm energy passed through her body, and Su Jing slowly became enveloped in its purplish light. Her weight seemed more secure, and as Su Jing caught on Mingmei's sleeve, the fear that had previously gripped her slowly faded.
Being lifted in the air, Su Jing couldn't help but look around. Yawen didn't look as troubled as her on Qingwu's sword, staying fairly stable at a distance from him, even with his hands holding the cane behind his back. His hat veil was fluttering behind him, showing his pale face.
Yawen, after all, said he took some sword lessons so it was highly probable he already knew how to fly, but right now he wanted to keep his energy for the talisman crafting.
Su Jing turned her head to find Chunwan on the other side, but she already was high above them, needing Su Jing to lean her head on her back to glimpse how her dress was fluttering above the great sword.
"Elder brother!"
Qingwu followed after her with Yawen, and Mingmei did not get left behind as she too went higher in the sky. Su Jing focused on keeping her balance, unconsciously gripping Mingmei's clothes even tighter when she saw how the landscape below began to blur, Yang City shrinking into the distance.
She retracted her words, it was extremely scary!
Her legs couldn't help but tremble, making Mingmei turn annoyed towards her, "Stop watching bellow your feet. Look ahead."
Su Jing did as told, but it was difficult to keep her eyes open. In the distance, she could see Qingwu's and Yawen's figures, Qingwu's deep green sword glowing against the sky. Chunwan followed close behind them, her sword wobbling slightly beneath her feet. It was clear she was struggling to control it, as the wind started to get stronger and stronger.
The height was dizzying, and Su Jing's stomach churned as if it too was caught in the current. Her head felt like it was being squeezed, and soon, an overwhelming sensation of nausea hit her.
That definitely wasn't good. Su Jing closed her eyes and put her forehead on Mingmei's back, using her hair as a cover.
"What are you doing? Let go, didn't you hear me to look ahead?"
Su Jing understood Mingmei's dislike towards mortals but she was sure that if she were to look outside for a millisecond, her stomach would give out and make a terrible picture for everyone present. She preferred to pass that embaresment so Su Jing did not reply to Mingmei.
That seemed to especially annoy Mingmei as she increased her speed, her posture even more rigid as if to make a point. At the same time, Mingmei subtly weakened the barrier, just enough so the others wouldn't notice the slight drop in stability, but enough for Su Jing to feel the change.
Her skin started to hurt, and even Mingmei's own hair was hitting her in the face. Su Jing bit her lip as she held her migraine in. She hoped for this hellish flight to be over already.
When things couldn't get any worse, Su Jing felt the sword tilt slightly downward, signalling their descent. The pressure surged into Su Jing's chest and neck, and before she could stop herself, her nausea surged—and she threw up.
Unfortunately, the mess landed directly on Mingmei's back.
Mingmei shrank in horror, instinctively loosening her hold on the sword, which wobbled violently. They began to circle, making Su Jing's sense of direction vanish, as she couldn't tell up from down.
And then, without warning, another force collided with them from the side. Su Jing caught a flash of red out of the corner of her eye just before the impact. Chunwan's voice rang out in a panicked shout as she clung to her own sword, which she'd lost control of completely.
The impact shoved all three of them further off course.
In the chaos, Su Jing felt herself falling. She looked around in desperation, but no one was close enough to catch her. Mingmei barely managed to grab onto her sword's hilt at the last second, her expression twisted with fury and disgust.
Unfortunately for Su Jing, she and Chunwan were not so lucky.
With nothing to hold onto, they were flung down toward the forest below, their bodies plunging uncontrollably through the air. The tree branches tore their skin, snapping and cracking beneath them, offering just enough resistance to slow their fall.
Finally, with two heavy thuds, Su Jing and Chunwan crashed onto the forest floor, tangled in a mess of leaves and dirt.
Groaning, Su Jing tried to catch her breath, the world spinning around her as she looked up at the gap in the treetops, where Mingmei's silhouette hovered in fury.
Just as she tried to focus, Su Jing's vision grew hazy. Her surroundings blurred, shifting into a whirl of unfamiliar colours. Her headache throbbed, and suddenly, she felt a strange, burning sensation all over her skin.
Droplets of water fell onto her face. Disoriented, Su Jing blinked, feeling the tickle of tears that weren't hers. A faint crying echoed in her ears, and as her senses sharpened, Su Jing found herself staring up at a tear-streaked face—a little girl sobbing beside her. Her heart raced in confusion as she took in the girl's appearance: small, no more than eight or nine, with black hair braided into two high ponytails and dressed in a delicate green gown.
Su Jing's heart almost stopped. Where was she? And who was this child?
A rough, manly hand suddenly appeared before her, gently patting the girl's head in comfort. Su Jing's eyes followed the arm back to the source—and to her shock, she realized it was her own hand! She nearly cried out in horror, but the pain in her head was too great for her to do anything but watch helplessly.
The unfamiliar room around her looked like a damaged library, strewn with broken books and shattered glass. Su Jing's gaze returned to the little girl, whose tears continued to fall, pooling in her hands. She felt a pang of awkwardness and confusion as she watched the girl cry.
A scary thought passed over her head - this shouldn't be her reincarnating again and possessing another body, right?
How ridiculous for her if she were to die like that, falling after vomiting because of sword-flying nausea! Su Jing silently lamented her situation in her mind, not knowing how could she ever handle coexisting with a child when she couldn't be considered competent to live on her own.
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Su Jing's thoughts were spiralling fast, thinking what her next steps should be.
"Baba, please, baba, don't leave me. Get up."
Her talking made Su Jing freeze. She looked at the child's face once more, and recognition struck her like a bolt of lightning.
It was Chunwan!
Su Jing checked again the face, and then again, just to be sure, but the resemblance was one hundred per cent similar to Chunwan.
The child's sobs grew louder, broken by hiccups, her trembling hands clutching desperately at the figure before her.
Su Jing tried to think logically about the situation. This couldn't be an illusion—this part of the forest didn't have any plants or beasts known to induce hallucinations. Nor could this be a product of Su Jing's imagination or some sort of madness - after all, why would she even dream about Chunwan?
Her thoughts flickered briefly to Feng Zhihao, and Su Jing recalled when she was forcefully made to portray Feng Huohua, Feng Zhihao's younger sister. The feeling of being caught in someone else's perspective was eerily similar.
But now I'm a man? Su Jing thought, stunned. The child had called her "Baba." Was this Chunwan's father? Or perhaps an elder relative?
But here there were no signs of a mechanism or fog to trigger inner demons. Su Jing wracked her brain for explanations, not understanding how she, who wanted to stay the most out of other villains' business, had their memories shoved like this in her face.
As she was wrecking her brains, the other hand from the side of the body slowly rose toward the chest. Su Jing only now noticed the clothes were of excellent quality, intricately embroidered, and luxurious. But as the palm pressed against them, a chilling wetness seeped through, spreading across her fingers.
It was cold, unnaturally so, and as Su Jing, or better said the man continued to move his hand further, she froze. Her eyes darted downward just in time to see it—a dagger implanted right in the centre of the chest!
The body shivered and Su Jing did not know if this was because of the pain or because of her own realisation. Chunwan was crying on the body's stomach, her small frame wracked with sobs. She was very pitiful, her grip holding on desperately to the man's clothes.This dagger was really deep in the body, and since Chunwan was moving, it made the wounds even more painful. This man was really almost with both his legs in the grave!
The heavy thud of footsteps grew louder, mingling with the crash of furniture and terrified screams. Su Jing tried to asses what was happening around but she could only see shadows flickering beyond the doorframe, casting jagged shapes onto the walls.
Chunwan froze momentarily before she turned around to look towards the chaos. She stumbled to her feet, tears still streaking her face as she scanned the room frantically. "They're already here!" she cried, her voice trembling with fear.
Her small body lurched toward the door and windows, her steps uneven as she tried to block them. She tripped in her rush, falling hard onto the floor before getting up again.
Su Jing watched the child silently, the man doing little besides breathing heavily, each exhale sounding more ragged than the last. Suddenly, his fingers pressed down hard on the wound, and an alarming surge of cold blood poured out. Before Su Jing could brace herself for the sensation, his hand clutched the dagger's handle and yanked it free out.
Because of that, the body convulsed, wracked by violent, gut-wrenching coughs.
Hearing the noise, Chunwan turned in alarm and rushed back to the man's side. Her small hands pressed against the wound in a desperate attempt to staunch the bleeding. She fumbled for the dagger, picking it up from where it had fallen.
"Baba, don't do it! You won't be able to suppress your Cold Blood without it!" Chunwan continued to do that while putting the dagger near the chest.
Su Jing almost wanted to pass out if it wasn't for her not being able to control the body. Thankfully for her, the man continued to cough even more violently, and with a sudden burst of energy, his hand shot out and shoved Chunwan away. The dagger clattered to the ground, the sharp metallic sound echoing in the room. Chunwan stumbled back, her face pale.
"Get that thing away from me!" he growled, his voice hoarse yet filled with anger. "Never bring Black Tortoise Clan weapons before me again!"
Despite the strain in his voice, the sheer intensity of his tone caught Su Jing off guard. His voice was youthful, far younger than she had expected. He's not even past thirty, she thought, bewildered.
But her surprise quickly ebbed away as she reminded herself where she was. In the immortal realm, age was often irrelevant. Cultivators could remain youthful indefinitely once they reached a certain stage in their cultivation. For this man, the master of the Poison Clan, it wasn't unusual to retain the appearance and vitality of youth.
The man shifted painfully, trying to push himself upright. Chunwan rushed to his side, her small hands steadying him as he groaned.
Through the man's eyes, Su Jing observed Chunwan closely. The girl's face was downcast, her lips trembling as she bit back tears. She knelt submissively at her father's side, head bowed low. Her figure, wrapped in layers of fur-lined clothes now stained with blood, gave off a fragile air. Even her gloved hands trembled as if they were too delicate for this chaos.
Su Jing found it clear that Chunwan was not used to this kind of situation, having the appearance of a little spoiled miss.
"Do they think killing me will hand them my clan's power?" the man spat bitterly, his voice hoarse and filled with venom. "Bastards. Simply bastards!"
He continued to mutter curses, ignoring Chunwan entirely as his breath grew more laboured. Meanwhile, Chunwan sat silently, her hands gripping the dagger tightly on her lap.
The momentary calm was shattered by the thudding of fists or weapons against the walls. Chunwan turned sharply toward the sound, her face pale as she watched the makeshift barricade she had erected tremble. It was clear someone was trying to break into the room.
"Baba..." Chunwan's voice cracked as she whispered, her gaze pleading with her father, desperate for guidance.
The man's hand twitched, his fingertips swelling unnaturally and turning a deep purple. Su Jing felt a chill sweep through her as if the man was drawing every ounce of coldness from his body into his hand.
But his hand didn't reach the door. Instead, it swung toward Chunwan.
Su Jing froze. What is he doing?!
The man pushed aside Chunwan's fur-lined scarf, exposing her bare neck. His cold, bruised fingers pressed against her skin as though to strangle her, but the grip was loose. Chunwan let out a small cry but didn't resist. She stayed perfectly still, her body trembling, her tear-filled eyes wide and fearful.
An inexplicable sensation washed over Su Jing as she witnessed the man transfer his coldness to Chunwan. Her exposed skin darkened under his touch, purpling with frostbite-like bruises. Chunwan gasped, her breath hitching as the freezing sensation spread through her body.
"Go now and kill everyone, Leiju," the man rasped, his gaze locking onto hers for the first time. "This will be enough to deal with those dumb swordsmen."
This was the first time the man looked directly into Chunwan's eyes, as such, Su Jing was struck by the intensity in Chunwan's terrified eyes. They were wide and dilated, her pupils shrinking as though the weight of her father's command crushed her spirit.
"But what about you, Baba? I can't leave you like this!" Chunwan protested, her voice high-pitched and pleading.
The man's patience snapped. "Don't make me repeat myself, Leiju. It's bad enough that you can't control yourself. But now, it's not like you or I have any other choice."
He looked down towards her, his eyes cutting through hers. Chunwan flinched and quickly nodded, her movements hesitant as she tried to stand on shaky legs.
Chunwan turned towards the door, but before she could touch the handle, an explosion happened and the whole wall was blown to dust. The power was strong enough to send Chunwan flying and hit her body to the opposite side, a sharp scream escaping her lips.
The man, covering his face with his sleeve, grimaced as the debris fell around him. His expression twisted as a new figure appeared, sword in hand, aimed directly at him. He screamed, his voice tinted with frustration. "Leiju, act yourself already!"
Chunwan was coughing in pain, but she quickly got back in her legs, attracting the attention of the swordmaster who got now inside the room.
His white attire was immaculate, a shimmering bluish hue that contrasted sharply with his weapon. He appeared as if he was there to carry out an act of justice, intent on bringing down the two before him.
"Masters of the She Poison Clan, your path has reached its expected end. The immortal realm doesn't welcome you anymore!" he declared, his voice firm and commanding.
Chunwan held her hands in front of her, but rather than retreating, she faced the incoming danger. Su Jing could see the purplish tint creeping further across her fingers, but the swordmaster showed no sign of hesitation, continuing his advance toward the girl.
Chunwan was clearly terrified, her body trembling as she tried once again to summon her Qi, but it was slow to respond. Her fingers darkened further, and a coldness filled the air, causing Chunwan's face to momentarily brighten with a flicker of hope. But it seemed to be too late. The swordmaster was already upon her, his sword raised high.
She stumbled backwards, losing her balance and landing hard on her bottom. Su Jing's heart raced as she helplessly watched the swordmaster's blade fall, its sharp edge aimed directly at Chunwan's chest.
With a desperate instinct, Chunwan shifted just enough, the sword grazing her arm instead of her vital organs. A cry of pain escaped her lips as the blade cut through her flesh.
Her palm pressed desperately against the blade to push it away, and to her surprise, the swordmaster retreated quickly. He dropped the sword in disgust, his expression contorted with rage.
"Demoness!" His hand were trembling and he tried to heal it with Qi.
Su Jing then felt the body stir as the father, despite his worsening condition, fought to push himself forward. His movements were shaky, but with surprising speed, he reached for the dagger that Chunwan had dropped. His grip tightened around it, and with strength, he hurled the dagger toward the swordmaster.
The dagger struck the swordmaster's back, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground, a cry of pain escaping his lips. His face twisted in agony, but he managed to remove the dagger, only for the damage to be too great. Before Su Jing could process what had happened, the swordmaster was already dead.
But that wasn't the end as other white swordmasters arrived, and this time they were too many for either Chunwan or the father to do anything. Su Jing felt him swear silently, struggling to rise to his feet.
"Leiju, do it already! What are you waiting for?!"
The pressure on Chunwan was palpable. She was frozen in place, unable to move quickly enough to escape the barrage of attacks aimed at both her and her father. A sword was pointed directly at her chest, while another man closed in on her father, clearly intent on ending his life.
Su Jing, as much as she understood she was a third party, knew the poison master died in this extermination. She didn't really want to feel that through her skin!
The sound of sword clashes filled the air, followed by a loud thud as several combatants were knocked to the ground. Su Jing could barely keep track of the movements as a figure appeared, moving with terrifying precision. In the blink of an eye, the new arrival took control of the situation.
One of the swordmasters attacking the father was cut down by a swift strike, while the other, aiming for Chunwan, was intercepted just in time. The new person's sword sliced through the attacker's body effortlessly, and they met the stunned white swordsman's gaze.
"Going against the Immortal Convention orders, whoever you are, are you seeking death?!" the swordsman spat, but before he could react, the mysterious figure unleashed another blow, ending his life instantly.
Chunwan, now covered in the blood of those who had fallen, shrank back. The new man turned to her, their eyes locking for a brief moment.
Unlike the others, he wore black clothes, blending perfectly with the dark atmosphere. Su Jing stood for a moment and gazed at the sword, which was now clean and free from the blood, making it easy to see how it was double-edged. Green silk was wrapped around the handle, and the guard was of clear jade, but without any tassels.
Su Jing had seen this sword before.
Hello guys!! How are you?
Sorry again, like always, for posting so late. I haven't been feeling that well + I also had a lot of exams. Thankfully, I finished writing this chapter in the end.
So, I would love to hear from you in the comments! Even stickers or emojis are welcome!