Peach Blossom Spring

With death looming, the shock of that critical moment stirred a familiar searing sensation once more. A Blood Rune suddenly burst from his head and crashed head-on into the palm strike Tang Susu had brought down.

Boom! The thunderous impact sent astral winds blasting in every direction, uprooting and scattering the weeds around them. The force shook Niu Youdao into several backward somersaults, and he did not stop until he slammed into the foot of the hillside.

The howling wind died down, and the drifting weeds settled to the ground.

"Protective Talisman!" Luo Yuangong and Su Po exclaimed in unison. They exchanged a glance, then looked together toward Tang Susu, who stood there in a daze, her face wooden.

Tang Susu's face darkened, and she had no intention of attacking again.

The Protective Talisman was one of the Shangqing Sect's supreme arts. Only Inner Sect Disciples could cultivate it, yet even then, not everyone could master it. Only those with considerable attainments in formations and the like had any chance of succeeding. There was another point as well: ordinarily, no one would cultivate this technique, because mastering it did nothing for oneself. It was purely a technique that expended one's own cultivation to benefit someone else. Even attempting to cultivate it consumed a great deal of cultivation, making it a losing proposition.

At present, only Dongguo Haoran in the Shangqing Sect knew this technique. Even Elders such as Luo Yuangong did not, which also showed that Dongguo Haoran's attainments in formations were truly extraordinary.

The moment they saw that Niu Youdao was protected by the Shangqing Sect's Protective Talisman, there was no need to say whether he was Dongguo Haoran's disciple. Unless Dongguo Haoran had empowered it while fully conscious, such a complicated technique could not have been cast.

Niu Youdao shook his somewhat dazed head and slowly climbed to his feet. He rubbed his chest and eased his breathing, then looked around at the complicated gazes fixed on him. He felt an urge to explode in rage, especially to curse Tang Susu until she was drenched in a torrent of abuse.

In the end, the old woman was simply too fierce. At the slightest disagreement, she unleashed a killing move, and a casual palm could wipe him out. A wise man did not fight when the odds were against him, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger. He had to find a way through this hurdle. After thinking it over, he said nothing, returned to Dongguo Haoran's corpse, pulled the flung-open, tattered cloth curtain back over it, hoisted the vine rope over his shoulder, lifted the stretcher, and dragged it away.

What did he mean? Everyone was left dumbfounded.

When they realized he was leaving, Su Po flashed forward and blocked Niu Youdao's path. "Where are you going?"

"Sorry for the trouble. I may have come to the wrong place." With that, Niu Youdao dragged the stretcher around him again and continued forward through the weeds and brambles with a rustling sound.

Everyone sensed a childlike petulance in him. They could understand it, after all—he was still a boy who had not grown up.

Su Po glanced at Tang Susu, then tilted his head and gestured, signaling her to apologize.

Tang Susu turned her head away. Her expression was cold and indifferent, and she had no intention of apologizing.

Su Po was helpless. He could only flash forward once more and block Niu Youdao's way. With a sigh, he said, "It was a misunderstanding just now. You didn't come to the wrong place."

"I did come to the wrong place. I'm taking my master home." Niu Youdao stubbornly insisted on his view and dragged the stretcher around him once more.

Those stubborn words inexplicably brought a pang of sorrow. Tang Yi, who looked like a celestial beauty in the distance, could not bear it and seemed to want to say something, but with the Sect's elders present, it was not her place to make any decision.

Su Po reached out and pressed a hand onto Niu Youdao's shoulder, making him unable to move. In a gentle voice, he urged, "No, this is the Shangqing Sect. Come with us." As he spoke, he conveniently removed the stretcher from Niu Youdao's shoulder.

Niu Youdao slipped both hands into his sleeves and folded them across his chest. He wore a tattered cotton-padded jacket and broken shoes with his toes sticking out. His whole body reeked of fish, a bamboo tube hung from his waist, and a woodcutter's knife was tucked there as well. Filthy without realizing it, he lifted his head toward the sky with a stony face, looking as though he did not want to deal with anyone.

Did he not know how ugly he looked? Su Po found it both amusing and exasperating. He waved a hand, and two disciples came over and held Niu Youdao by the arms from either side.

"What are you trying to do?" Niu Youdao cried out repeatedly as he looked left and right.

The two disciples ignored him. They carried him into the woods in a flash and left directly.

Su Po then summoned two more disciples and had them carry away Dongguo Haoran's corpse.

After ordering the other disciples to withdraw, only the three Elders remained. Luo Yuangong finally said to Tang Susu, "Junior Sister, you went a little too far just now."

Tang Susu said coldly, "That boy was clearly spouting nonsense. Who knows which spy sent him?"

Luo Yuangong asked, "How do you explain the Protective Talisman?"

Tang Susu thrust out her neck and argued, "Listen to the way he talks. Does he sound like a mountain villager?"

Luo Yuangong said, "That can be investigated slowly. There was no need to strike to kill without even hearing his explanation. Are you afraid he will become the Shangqing Sect's Sect Master?"

Tang Susu avoided his gaze and said coolly, "Second Senior Brother, you're overthinking it. Dongguo Haoran had many disciples. No matter who the position goes to, it could never go to him."

Luo Yuangong gently shook his head. "Dongguo led all his disciples out, and now only a corpse has returned. I'm afraid the situation is much like Tang Mu's. If even one survivor remained, Dongguo would never have cast the Protective Talisman on an outsider, and this boy would never have been the one to bring back his corpse. He must have done so only because he had no other choice. Don't tell me you don't know that in your heart."

Tang Susu pointed toward the Shangqing Sect and said in a low voice, "If that is truly the case, then according to the sect rules, Senior Brother, are you planning to let this nameless boy take charge of the Shangqing Sect?"

Luo Yuangong shouted sternly, "Even so, you should not have done this! Do you think the other disciples are fools? Do you think no one can see what you are plotting? Why did Tang Mu summon all the Inner Sect Disciples to serve as witnesses before his death? Was it not to guard against someone altering his final will? What will everyone think after seeing you do this? Can you bear the charge of murdering the Sect Master? Even if someone else takes the position afterward, without a proper claim or mandate, how will you win the crowd's allegiance? Do you want the Shangqing Sect to be left with the seeds of internal strife? Foolish!"

Tang Susu's face was taut, and she was speechless...

Within a mountain hot spring, Niu Youdao soaked in the water with narrowed eyes and a look of utter comfort. He recalled everything that had happened over the past few days and felt as though it had all been a dream. A few days ago, he had still been in the mysterious tomb's underground palace; in the blink of an eye, he had come to this world and then been brought here. The road ahead remained shrouded in confusion. He knew nothing and had no idea what awaited him.

His thoughts returned to the detailed questions and answers before he had bathed. He carefully sorted through them and decided that there should be no flaws. Only then did he relax.

By the time he finished bathing and walked out of the valley, he had washed himself clean and changed into a gray long robe of the Shangqing Sect. He had casually tied his long hair into a ponytail behind his head.

The trouble was that he had never grown his hair this long before, nor had he ever worn it in a bun. He had no idea how to arrange it.

Three sword-bearing disciples waited outside the valley. Niu Youdao had already encountered them earlier. The fair, clean-looking man at the head, who wore an arrogant yet refined expression, was named Song Yanqing. The other two were Chen Guishuo and Xu Yitian. The latter pair seemed particularly eager to curry favor with Song Yanqing, calling him Senior Brother with great familiarity.

The three had been sent by the Shangqing Sect to watch over Niu Youdao.

When they saw Niu Youdao emerge, they all seemed surprised and could not help looking him up and down several more times.

In the end, people depended on clothes, just as horses depended on saddles. Niu Youdao's physical foundation was not bad, and with Daoist Master's inner bearing, the filthy mountain boy now possessed a few more traces of elegance and carefree poise.

When he reached the three men, Niu Youdao tugged at his new clothes and asked, "Could you report this to the Sect Master? I want to see him!"

This was already the umpteenth time he had asked to see Sect Master Tang Mu. He had yet to complete what Dongguo Haoran had entrusted to him.

A look of disdain flashed through Song Yanqing's eyes. "Do you think you can see the Sect Master just because you want to? Behave yourself and come with us."

"Let's go!" Chen Guishuo and Xu Yitian both reached out and pushed Niu Youdao once in the back.

Niu Youdao stumbled from the shove. He had no idea how he had offended the three of them. In any case, from the very beginning, they had shown him nothing but unpleasant expressions and harsh words.

Wedged between the three men, he arrived at the foot of a steep cliff. Stone steps carved in a winding zigzag climbed upward. When they reached halfway up the mountain, Niu Youdao was drawn to the magnificent buildings on the opposite cliff. Judging by the scale suggested by the surrounding structures, that must be the Shangqing Sect's sacred grounds.

When he reached the summit, he saw a quiet, simple courtyard. At the cliffside outside it stood an ancient peach tree with powerful, gnarled roots and branches. Clusters of pink blossoms filled its branches, brilliant as rosy clouds. When the wind came, the flowers scattered and the fallen petals drifted. The peach blossoms were simply too beautiful. Niu Youdao was drawn to them again and exclaimed in surprise, "Peach blossoms can bloom in this season?"

Chen Guishuo, walking behind him to one side, chuckled. "Never seen it before, have you? This peach tree has grown for more than a thousand years and had already become a spirit. Later, the Patriarch who came here to establish the sect severed its wisdom root, and it stood here as an ordinary tree. In its early years, the peach tree would still bloom and wither, but after its wisdom root was severed, its flowers bloomed without fading. For hundreds of years, no matter spring, summer, autumn, or winter, they have remained brilliant as rosy clouds, like a floral crown or canopy. It is one of the Shangqing Sect's wonders."

Niu Youdao was astonished by this, but Song Yanqing snorted. "Why are you wasting your breath on him?"

Chen Guishuo looked embarrassed and shut his mouth.

When they arrived at the courtyard entrance, Niu Youdao looked up and saw three vigorous characters engraved on the lintel: Peach Blossom Spring!

Song Yanqing stopped at the entrance and jerked his chin inward. "This is Uncle-Master Dongguo's secluded cultivation residence. Stay here for now. You are not allowed to wander without permission. Otherwise, be careful they break your legs. Do you understand?"

Niu Youdao frowned. "Before my master died, he told me to pay my respects to the Sect Master..."

"Get inside!" Xu Yitian grabbed him by the collar and practically threw him in, then shut the door.

Niu Youdao nearly fell but managed to steady himself. Somewhat enraged, he rushed to the entrance, flung the door open, and shouted, "What do you mean by this? Are you treating me like a prisoner?"

Song Yanqing turned around and looked at him with a cold laugh. "Don't make trouble. If you accidentally lose your footing and fall from the cliff, no one will plead your case." The threat in his words was unmistakable. It was not merely a threat, either—he was already slowly closing in.

"The weather's nice!" Niu Youdao looked up at the sky. Bang! He casually shut the door.

Behind the door, killing intent gleamed in his eyes. In his previous life, people in the underworld had called him Daoist Master. The words "Daoist Master" were no empty title in the jianghu.

"Haha! He's pretty sensible after all..." The three men's mocking laughter came from outside the door.

Niu Youdao took a deep breath and quickly suppressed the anger in his heart. He soon calmed himself and forced his mood into one of appreciation, ignoring the taunts outside. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled around the courtyard and admired it. He found the courtyard's covered corridors and upturned eaves simple and charming, quiet and graceful. It was quite pleasant—a rare, tranquil place—and his own emotions settled along with it.

In the middle of the courtyard stood a towering tree surrounded by a raised stone platform. A stand rested on the platform, and a long sword lay across it.

Niu Youdao walked over, gripped the hilt, and gently drew it. A cold gleam gradually emerged from the sheath. He casually swung the sword, then held it horizontally before his eyes and murmured at the reflection in its blade, "The mountains are high, the roads are far, the pits are deep. With a Three-foot Green Edge, I still remain within Peach Blossom Spring!"