Chapter 8 - 5: A Fairy as Gentle as a Spring Breeze
A crisp bell chimed.
Like a gentle breeze smoothing the ripples on a lake, a woman’s voice drifted over. "Is the Blood Demon Palace declaring war on my Miao Yu Palace?"
An ethereal shadow by the trees slowly solidified, revealing a Female Immortal. Snow-white robes concealed her slender figure. Beneath her long eyebrows were a pair of eyes as gentle as a spring day, yet crystal clear. Unfortunately, the immortal beauty of her face below was hidden by a veil whiter than snow, leaving one to imagine the face of the Immortal behind it.
Xia Lianxue, True Inheritor of the Miao Yu Palace, Fourth Realm, Megrez Realm.
If Qiu Yuehan’s sword was an arrogant, bone-chilling cold that sought to freeze everything, then Xia Lianxue’s sword was a gentle breeze, with a softness that could soothe all things.
A flash of disappointment crossed Qiu Yuehan’s eyes—she had wanted to see what Lu Changyuan was capable of.
Lu Changyuan saw it and tossed the sword back to Qiu Yuehan. "Very disappointed?"
He stared intently at Qiu Yuehan, but he saw no relief of having survived a disaster in the Fairy’s eyes.
The Cultivator from the Blood Demon Palace snorted, his words dripping with contempt. "Xia Lianxue? You really intend to stop us?"
The veiled Female Immortal said, "And why shouldn’t I?"
"Kill her, and you’ll be the next..."
"Shut up!" Xia Lianxue’s sword was incredibly fast. In an instant, a finger fell to the ground. The foul-smelling blood corroded the earth, leaving a pitted hole.
The black-robed man clutched his hand. "Xia Lianxue, you’ll regret this!"
The two figures wrapped themselves in a bloody mist and departed on a foul wind.
Only then did Xia Lianxue turn back. "Senior Sister, are you alright? I came as soon as I received your message. Fortunately, I wasn’t too late."
If she had truly come to save Qiu Yuehan, she naturally wouldn’t have pursued the people from the Blood Demon Palace. The injured took priority over the enemy.
Qiu Yuehan shook her head. "Junior Sister, you arrived just in time."
"That’s good."
Xia Lianxue smiled gently. Her waterfall of black hair was tied up into a coiled bun with a single White Jade Hairpin. Her eyes and brows were as soft as willow branches. "I’ll take you back to the palace, Senior Sister."
"I’ll have to trouble you, Junior Sister."
’What a grand play of fellow sect members helping each other.’
Lu Changyuan glanced from Qiu Yuehan’s pretty face to Xia Lianxue’s gentle brow.
’No matter how you look at it, they seem like sisters with the deepest affection.’
’Is someone lying?’
Xia Lianxue took a graceful step forward and supported Qiu Yuehan by the shoulder. A moment later, she produced a fragrant Elixir and fed it into Qiu Yuehan’s mouth. Then she frowned and whispered, "Senior Sister, do you know why the people from the Blood Demon Palace want to kill you?"
Qiu Yuehan shook her head, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "I don’t know. The ways of the Demon Dao are hard to fathom. They’ve wanted to kill me for a long time."
"Very well. I’ll escort you back to the palace first, Senior Sister. We can investigate further later." Xia Lianxue turned her head. "And who might this be?"
Qiu Yuehan’s expression didn’t change. "My savior. He said he wants to join the Immortal Palace, so I plan to take him back with me."
"I see."
~~~~~~~~~~~
The wheels of the carriage rumbled along.
Qiu Yuehan slightly tightened the white, lotus-shaped sash at her waist. Her sleek black hair cascaded down her straight back, revealing its graceful curve. She then beckoned to Lu Changyuan. "Come here."
Lu Changyuan sighed, but had no choice but to move closer to Qiu Yuehan and offer his shoulder as a pillow for the Fairy.
Qiu Yuehan was too heavily injured, having overdrawn her body’s limits twice in a row. Furthermore, Xia Lianxue had not yet reached the Fifth Realm, so they had no choice but to find a carriage.
"Senior Sister, let’s head to the Sub-Sect first."
Qiu Yuehan nodded. With her eyes closed, she leaned on Lu Changyuan’s shoulder, looking as if she were about to fall asleep. "It will take me at least three days to recover enough strength for a single sword strike. If the Blood Demon Palace comes after us again, we’ll have to rely on you, Junior Sister."
Xia Lianxue was sitting inside the carriage, her delicate bottom resting on her snow-white legs, revealing small feet in white embroidered shoes. Her curvaceous body swayed with the carriage. "Of course I’ll protect you, Senior Sister... After all, you are the next Palace Master."
The scent of Qiu Yuehan filled his nostrils. Lu Changyuan paid it no mind, instead focusing on analyzing Xia Lianxue’s words. But for the life of him, he couldn’t discern the emotion behind them.
’These Fairies from the Immortal Palace... they put on such a convincing act.’
Lu Changyuan suddenly had a wicked thought.
’I want to see Qiu Yuehan and Xia Lianxue fight.’
’Fights between women are the best to watch.’
"It was just the ramblings of a True Master," Xia Lianxue said. "If Han Shui Master said it, then that’s that."
Lu Changyuan cut in, "And who is this Han Shui Master?"
Qiu Yuehan spoke faintly, "A True Master from the palace. She has already passed away."
When the Miao Yu Palace Master first joined the sect, the Miao Yu Palace was still called the Yuyue Immortal Palace.
Han Shui Master was the last elder who remembered the Miao Yu Palace Master looking like an inexperienced young girl when she first joined. She was also the last remaining old guard of the Yuyue Immortal Palace, aside from the Miao Yu Palace Master herself.
A year ago, Han Shui Master emerged from her seclusion. Knowing her time was up and that there was no longer any possibility of Breaking Realm to Enter Yao Guang, she summoned the talented disciples of Miao Yu Palace. Before passing into immortality, she intended to use the last of her strength to demonstrate Miao Yu’s Thirteen Swords for the disciples of the palace.
When Xia Lianxue and Qiu Yuehan walked into the training grounds side by side, Han Shui Master stared at Qiu Yuehan, stunned for a long moment.
Then, Han Shui Master spoke.
"You look just like the Palace Master did when she was young."
An uproar went through the entire Miao Yu Palace.
From then on, a rumor began to circulate in Miao Yu Palace: compared to Xia Lianxue, Qiu Yuehan’s talent was greater, and she was more likely to become the next Palace Master.
The facts also seemed to support this.
In last year’s Sect Grand Competition, Qiu Yuehan defeated Xia Lianxue by half a move.
No one knew what Xia Lianxue was thinking. The day after the competition, she left her room, still wearing the same gentle smile, as if nothing had changed.
But from that day on, Xia Lianxue began to wear a veil, hiding her face from view.
Lu Changyuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The two Fairies looked at him at the same time.
Xia Lianxue folded her fair hands in her lap. "What’s so funny?"
Lu Changyuan could only say, "As an elder of Miao Yu Palace, why would Han Shui Master leave behind a statement so likely to cause internal strife within the Sect right before she passed away?"
Both of them fell silent. After a long moment, Xia Lianxue spoke: "We don’t know either."
Lu Changyuan clearly saw that Xia Lianxue’s hands had clenched into fists.
So he said, "Do you think it’s possible—just a possibility..."
Qiu Yuehan’s beautiful eyes opened, and Xia Lianxue leaned forward. Both were very serious, wanting to know what Lu Changyuan would say.
"That Han Shui Master was simply senile."
"..."
"..."
Although Xia Lianxue wore a veil, a clear sense of loss could be seen in her eyes.
She raised a hand, and the carriage came to a sudden halt.
Qiu Yuehan looked at Xia Lianxue in confusion. "Junior Sister?"
Xia Lianxue simply said, "There’s a small stream nearby. I’m going to get some water."
Lu Changyuan suddenly spoke up, "I’ll go too. You two Fairies may not need to eat or drink, but this mortal body of mine can’t take it. I need to go pick some fruit to eat."
Qiu Yuehan seemed to want to say something, but Lu Changyuan had already gotten out of the carriage.
After a long moment.
She let out a long sigh.
Turning her gaze inward with Introspection, Qiu Yuehan once again stroked the Demon Pattern.
The more vulnerable one was, the more one’s thoughts tended to wander.
That was why Cultivators were most susceptible to the influence of a Desire Demon when severely injured. But strangely, the Demon Pattern was actually protecting her, keeping her mind clear and free from distracting thoughts.
Not only that, but the energy coming from the Demon Pattern was also sorting through her chaotic meridians.
’My life is in his hands, yet it feels like I’m the one getting the better deal.’
Qiu Yuehan murmured to herself, "Just who are you..."