Chapter 59 - 56: Drunken Red Simurgh Appears
That morning, as Lu Changyuan was washing his face, his past memories returned.
His first thought was not actually to resume his cultivation.
’Forget it. I’ll just slack off.’
But then he thought about it.
The path to immortality had to be cultivated.
So he entered that rainy night, arrived at the Compassionate Temple, and met Qiu Yuehan.
Lu Changyuan sighed helplessly and patted his own gravestone. "Fate is never in one’s own hands."
’The more I look at this, the more interesting it gets.’
’Not many people get to sit on their own grave, after all.’
"Hm?"
The sky suddenly darkened. Only a single candle flame lit the thatched hut. Time in this space was entirely controlled by Xia Lianxue; the turn to night seemed to be a signal.
Xia Lianxue had told Lu Changyuan to wait outside, and so he did.
But a full cup of tea’s time had passed. ’Does it really take this long to get something?’
Lu Changyuan stood up, dusted himself off, and walked to the door. He knocked. "Fairy?"
No response.
"I’m coming in."
Still no response.
CREAK.
Lu Changyuan pushed the door open and was momentarily stunned.
The small thatched hut had been decorated with red silk satin. The entire room was lit by a single, faint candle. Following its warm yellow glow, he could see the small bed inside, and sitting before it was a small figure.
It was Xia Lianxue. She was dressed in a fiery-red wedding gown. The candlelight danced upon it, creating a faint luster. The hem of the layered skirt was embroidered with golden trim.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
The young woman’s hair cascaded down her tense back. Her hands were clenched into fists, placed primly in her lap, and her two small, lovely feet were tucked together.
Lu Changyuan could clearly sense Xia Lianxue’s nervousness, but he couldn’t see her expression, as a red veil concealed her entire face.
’Wrong.’
’Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!’
’Someone’s after my body!’
Lu Changyuan spun around to open the door and leave, only to find it locked tight.
"Didn’t you say you were getting the Drunken Red Simurgh? What is this all about? We can hold the wedding ceremony later. This is too simple. When have I ever lied to you? There’s no rush, right? We have all the time in the world."
The door remained sealed shut.
A steelyard rod from nearby floated gently into Lu Changyuan’s hand. He couldn’t control his own body and could only take one step forward, then another.
Lu Changyuan had still not embarked upon the Immortal Ascension Path, but the gentle Little Fairy was now a Yao Guang Great Power.
How could a mortal defy an Immortal?
He could only lift Xia Lianxue’s veil, revealing a face so beautiful it was breathtaking.
"Where are you going, Young Master?"
In that moment, the gentle Fairy seemed to have turned into a man-eating monster. Although her smile was still soft, it made Lu Changyuan’s hair stand on end.
Lu Changyuan calmed himself and tried to reason with her. "Are you afraid I’ll go back on my word? What’s the rush? This is all a bit too simple."
Xia Lianxue said, "According to the town’s customs, once the veil is lifted, the ceremony is complete, Young Master."
She was completing the wedding ceremony between the Miao Yu Palace Master and the Chang’an Daoist from a thousand years ago.
Regrets from the Mortal World must be mended one by one.
Xia Lianxue spoke again, "Didn’t you want the Drunken Red Simurgh, Young Master?"
Cold sweat dripped down Lu Changyuan’s back as he answered reflexively, "Yes."
"Then I’ll get it for you right now."
"Yes... Huh!? Wait, why are you taking off your clothes!?"
Lu Changyuan stared, wide-eyed, as Xia Lianxue slipped off the bright red wedding gown, revealing her smooth skin and white undergarments.
He finally realized what the "Drunken Red Simurgh" might be.
"To prevent some other wicked woman from drinking the first soup later on, I might as well do it."
’Forced fruit really *is* sweet and thirst-quenching!’
Lu Changyuan shrank into the corner by the door. "Can you please open the door first? We can talk things out properly."
’Is this really the time for this?’
The Fairy beckoned, and Lu Changyuan was pressed down onto the bed. "I took a little peek along your river of time and discovered that you have many red threads of fate in your future, Young Master."
This was actually a lie. The Little Fairy didn’t yet have the ability to see Lu Changyuan’s destiny.
It was just an excuse.
"How come I don’t know anything about that? Stop pulling at my clothes! I don’t want the Drunken Red Simurgh anymore... Don’t!"
What exactly was the function of the Red Simurgh Tribulation Body?
Lu Changyuan didn’t know the answer to this question, as records of the previous Red Simurgh Tribulation Body were extremely rare.
But there were people who did know.
The founding ancestor of the Yuyue Immortal Palace had achieved her Dao through the Red Simurgh Tribulation Body, ultimately stepping into the Seventh Realm Yao Guang. Therefore, the only people in the world who knew the unique nature of the Red Simurgh Tribulation Body were the successive Miao Yu Palace Masters.
Xia Lianxue’s entry into the Yuyue Immortal Palace was no accident. It was Feng Xianlong who, after calculating that Xia Lianxue had awakened her constitution, gave a strict order to have her brought back to the palace.
This was the first Red Simurgh Tribulation Body since the founding ancestor, so the Yuyue Immortal Palace naturally placed great importance on her.
Legend had it that the Red Simurgh Tribulation Body was a manifestation of the Red Simurgh Star from the heavens. Thus, only women could possess it. People with this constitution cultivated several times faster than ordinary people, as if they were born naturally close to the Dao.
But this speed came at a price.
Those with the Red Simurgh Tribulation Body could never enjoy the pleasures of the flesh for their entire lives.
Feng Xianlong knew this, which was why she tried to forcibly sever Xia Lianxue’s mortal ties. Xia Lianxue knew it too, but she didn’t care. She was determined to give herself to the one she loved.
Xia Lianxue lay on Lu Changyuan’s chest, her slender, jade-like hands restlessly exploring.
A touch here, a caress there.
Her aura had already dropped to the Sixth Realm.
In its place, Lu Changyuan’s aura was now approaching the Fifth Realm.
This was only because Lu Changyuan had exercised restraint and not completely absorbed her Primordial Yin. Otherwise, all of Xia Lianxue’s years of hard cultivation would have been destroyed in an instant.
Lu Changyuan sighed.
He heard the sound of something shattering. It was probably his Heartless Supreme Heart.
"Why didn’t you tell me?"
Xia Lianxue’s delicate skin was pressed against Lu Changyuan’s chest. "If I had told you, would you still have wanted me, Young Master?"
Lu Changyuan sighed again.
The Fairy smiled. "My cultivation isn’t much use to me anyway. From now on, you can just protect me, right, Young Master?"
Before Lu Changyuan could speak, Xia Lianxue lowered her gaze, hiding her expression from him. She added, "Let me help you, Young Master."
Lu Changyuan performed Introspection. His body had been completely repaired by the Fairy’s gentle waters. A Yao Guang Cultivator was truly a great tonic. When he circulated qi through his body, he found it flowed with unbelievable smoothness.
’It’s been so long since I’ve felt this way.’
Lu Changyuan reached out and stroked the Fairy’s head. "Thank you."
Xia Lianxue lifted her head slightly, her innocent eyes filled with purity. She gave a soft smile. "Young Master, is there anything else you’d like to try? I’ve heard the female disciples in the palace talk about these things before."
’Just what in the world do you female disciples of Miao Yu Palace talk about on a daily basis?’
Lu Changyuan said helplessly, "Shouldn’t we go out? We still have to deal with the aftermath."
’The disciples outside are still waiting eagerly for their Palace Master, and here you are, fooling around with me in private. What would people think?’
Xia Lianxue swallowed, then gave a cunning smile. "No rush. I altered the flow of time in here before we consummated our marriage. Young Master, I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve."
’What kind of tricks?’
’Oh.’
’A young woman’s waist can be that flexible... huh.’
Lu Changyuan could only mutter one word: "Demoness."