Chapter 125: Something More Precious

Page (1/3)

Amid the laughter inside the room, Baili Mo’s identity token suddenly swayed. He came to himself with a start, and when he looked out the window, he realized that the sun was already setting. A melancholy sense of parting filled his heart.

“What is it?” Lu Qinglian asked when she noticed that Baili Mo did not look well.

“Master has come to find me,” Baili Mo said, grimacing slightly.

“But don’t worry. I’ll make arrangements for you at the Zhao residence, so you needn’t fear that they’ll mistreat you. As for the Crimson Pavilion, I’ll also ask people outside to look after you.”

“And—and this is for you!”

Baili Mo watched as the bright, clear light in the eyes of the person before him gradually faded. Without quite knowing what had come over him, he took the jade pendant from around his neck and handed it to her.

“Master told me that I was an orphan from childhood. He was the one who took me up the mountain when I was young and raised me through hardship. He said that on the day he brought me to the mountain, this jade pendant was already hanging around my neck.”

“I have nothing else worth giving you. To me, this is the most precious thing I own. It is a little ugly, I admit, but please don’t dislike it. Master placed a life-preserving spell inside it. Wearing it will protect you.”

“No, no! How could I accept something so precious?” Lu Qinglian hurriedly waved her hands.

“It was the most precious thing I owned before, but not anymore. I’ve found something more precious than this pendant.”

Baili Mo directly pressed the pendant into Lu Qinglian’s delicate hand. Perhaps drawing courage from some unknown source, he stared straight into her eyes and spoke those words.

“Lotus, I’ll come back for you. I swear I’ll come back for you!”

Baili Mo’s face suddenly reddened, but he addressed Lu Qinglian with utmost seriousness. Then, with a turn before her eyes, he vanished without a trace.

Watching Baili Mo leave, Lu Qinglian suddenly felt, for no apparent reason, that a piece of her heart had gone empty. A feeling of anxious uncertainty surged through her. She looked again at the jade pendant he had given her, and suddenly smiled. For no reason she could explain, her heart became tranquil.

As two hearts gradually draw closer, whether they meet like fleeting morning dew or remain separated by the ends of the earth, they will eventually encounter one another.

“Baili Mo, liars turn into puppies, you know. I’ll wait for you to come find me.”

Lu Qinglian gazed at the pendant as she spoke softly, then solemnly hung it around her fair, slender neck.

In Chang’an, at dusk, the warm sunlight shone in brilliant splendor, while long, slanting shadows stretched across the streets, lending the scene a rare serenity.

An aged Daoist with white hair and a youthful face walked slowly along the streets of Chang’an. Suddenly, a blurred afterimage appeared, and another young man dressed like a Daoist followed behind him.

The two continued onward at an unhurried pace. The dusky sunlight fell upon them, adding several traces of ethereal, otherworldly grace.

“What have you been doing today?” the Daoist asked, glancing at the youth behind him.

“Master, I acted entirely according to my heart. You may rest assured.”

Baili Mo was filled with righteous vigor and looked open and aboveboard.

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

Yet it was precisely this that made the Daoist known as Jin Xuanzi feel even more troubled and uneasy. He suddenly regretted allowing the boy to act alone, but then he thought that if the boy had followed him instead, he would probably have caused even more trouble. Thus, he abandoned the thought.

“Alas.”

With another long sigh, Jin Xuanzi found himself utterly helpless before the youth.

“Master, have you finished what the sect entrusted to you?”

Baili Mo could not help asking.

“Alas.”

After yet another sigh, Jin Xuanzi said, “It is difficult. The Northern Province has developed into a formidable force and truly deserves the description ‘a land where heroes rise in every direction.’”

“Nowadays, whether they are demonic cultivators who have committed monstrous crimes or fugitives wanted by the authorities, they have all fled toward the Northern Province. The native barbarians there possess considerable ability as well. They have forcibly hammered these unruly cultivators into a single ironclad force.”

“The population of the Northern Province is growing ever larger. Though the province is vast, it cannot contain their ambitions. According to the Imperial City’s spies, they are no longer willing to remain confined to one corner and have already begun casting their eyes toward the Southern Province. Their first target is the Great Xia Dynasty. If this matter cannot be settled through negotiation, a war between the two provinces may well erupt.”

“If Great Xia still possessed the strength it once had, how would they dare behave so recklessly? They are doing nothing more than bullying Great Xia because its power has declined and it has fallen to the weakest position among the three great dynasties.”

“If war truly breaks out, even our Southern Profound Sect may be unable to remain uninvolved. What frightens me more are the innocent common people. By then, the land will be drenched in blood and countless lives will be lost.”

Jin Xuanzi told Baili Mo all this so that the boy would understand the seriousness of the situation and rein in his playful nature. As a member of the Southern Profound Sect, he ought to place the greater good first.

“Was the Great Xia Dynasty once very powerful?” Baili Mo’s first thought upon hearing this was to ask that question.

“Powerful—very powerful. Do you know why those people from the Northern Province have set their sights on the Southern Province rather than the Eastern or Western Provinces?” Jin Xuanzi nodded as he spoke.

“This disciple does not know.”

Baili Mo pondered for a moment. Although he had some suspicions, as a junior he truly had no place making rash judgments.

“The Eastern Province’s Sword Sect has stood undefeated for a million years. It is the foremost sacred land of cultivation in the Heavenly Domain. The Northern Province would naturally not seek trouble with the Eastern Province.”

“The Western Province is protected by a supreme expert whose cultivation reaches the heavens. He is no weaker than the Sword Sect, and this is common knowledge throughout the Heavenly Domain. He calls himself the Heaven-Stealing Profound Lord. In all these years, everyone who has turned their attention toward the Western Province has vanished. The Northern Province naturally would not go looking for such an immovable stone.”

“At its peak, Great Xia was powerful enough that even the Sword Sect did not dare underestimate it. As for the Heaven-Stealing Profound Lord, no one knows where he is. Unfortunately, ever since that battle, Great Xia has suffered severe losses to its vitality.”

Jin Xuanzi shook his head, his expression filled with regret.

“That battle?” Baili Mo seized upon the key point.

“The Emperor-Demon Calamity!”

Jin Xuanzi’s eyes suddenly blazed with sharp light. He spoke with grave solemnity, then shook his head.

“Enough. You will learn about it in time. I need say no more for now. It seems that our Southern Profound Sect has been mistaken for an easy target this time.”

“Do those barbarians of the Northern Province think our Southern Profound Sect has no one capable of standing against them?” Baili Mo said indignantly.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

“The world says that our Southern Profound Sect is the foremost sect of the Southern Province, ranking alongside the Sword Sect as one of the two great powers of the Heavenly Domain. That is somewhat exaggerated. Though our Southern Profound Sect is powerful, our foundations are ultimately too shallow. Compared with the Sword Sect’s million-year legacy, we are truly insignificant.”

Jin Xuanzi saw the matter clearly and spoke with helpless resignation.

“Then what are we to do?” Baili Mo asked, somewhat distressed. If a great war broke out, he did not know how many people would die.

“Ha. Such matters are not for a junior like you to worry about. Just take care of your own affairs. During this trip to the Imperial City, I spent considerable time discussing the matter with the Left Chancellor and the others. Naturally, if war can be avoided, we will avoid it.”

Jin Xuanzi remained unhurried. Then, as though he had remembered something, he added, “Besides that, there is one other matter, though it is much less significant by comparison.”

“What matter?” Baili Mo asked curiously.

“To find someone,” Jin Xuanzi said blandly.

“Who are we looking for? Master, can’t you ever finish what you’re saying?”

Baili Mo frowned, thoroughly speechless.

“The Princess of Great Xia.”

Jin Xuanzi glanced at Baili Mo’s indignant expression, drew a deep breath, and continued.

“The current emperor emerged victorious from among his many brothers. After struggling through open and covert rivalry and employing every means at his disposal, he finally ascended to the position he now occupies.”

“The struggles among mortals are far more ruthless than we imagine, especially within the imperial family. Before he became Crown Prince, he feared that someone might harm his child. Thus, he entrusted his daughter, who was still an infant, to a trusted aide and had her sent out of the palace.”

“Who could have known that, because of certain circumstances, he would lose contact with that trusted aide and never learn where his daughter had gone? Now that His Majesty is advanced in years, she is the one person he most regrets having failed.”

“I am well versed in spirit-writing divination and predictive arts within the Southern Profound Sect, and it was through this art that I became one of the Twelve Immortals of the Southern Profound. Now that the Emperor of Xia has made this request, I naturally cannot refuse. It seems we will have to delay our return to the sect.”

“Really?” Baili Mo became extremely excited upon hearing this. Naturally, he was not excited about the Princess of Great Xia, but about being able to remain in the mortal world for a few more days. That way, he could sneak away to look for Miss Lotus.

“You seem very happy,” Jin Xuanzi remarked.

At that, Baili Mo suddenly turned solemn.

“Master, as members of the Southern Profound Sect, we naturally cannot shirk our duty in a matter like this. If we can truly help His Majesty set one of his worries to rest, I will naturally be delighted.”

What a load of nonsense!

How could Jin Xuanzi possibly believe such drivel from his disciple? Was there anyone who understood his own disciple better than he did?

The two continued walking, and silence once more descended between them. The road seemed as though it would never end.

Page (3/3)