Three Holy Mothers

"The tides laugh, the waves surge between the shores; I drift with the current and remember this day. The heavens laugh, the waves churn across the world; who loses and who wins, only the heavens know. The Mortal World laughs, yet stirs up such loneliness; the mortal world is impossible to forget..."

A clear, lilting song rang out abruptly, then drifted away on the wind. It lingered faintly, accompanied by the harmony of strings and zithers, the stirring of drums, and the chime of bells. Lin Huang's inhuman aura suddenly faltered at the sound. His eyes abruptly shifted from silvery white to black—deep and shadowy, yet blazing with lightning-like brilliance.

"Who is it?!"

Lin Huang and the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint shouted almost simultaneously. The former sounded wary; the latter, furious.

"A lofty mountain and flowing stream, a song in search of a kindred spirit. Who else could it be but the Zither Saint, Qin Qing?" Hong Ying crunched his lollipop, his expression unusually grave. The Zither Saint he spoke of clearly put him under considerable pressure.

"The Three Holy Mothers." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint muttered through gritted teeth, his expression grave.

"Three Holy Mothers, whoever stands in my way today and stops me from killing Lin Huang will be making an enemy of the Zhongnan Dojo. Are you certain you want to stop me?!"

"The Arbitration Bureau has acknowledged his Saint Rank."

"He is a Saint of the Human Realm."

"The Saints' Pact forbids killing one another."

"Most importantly, he has my approval."

"This is Daqian Prefecture."

"So get lost!"

Three voices spoke, one sweet, one gentle, and one stern.

As the words fell, three graceful figures appeared in the air. One wore a purple gown, elegant and serene, with a five-stringed zither cradled in her arms. Another wore a black robe, her expression cool as she turned black and white Go stones over in her palm. The last wore white and a scholar's headpiece, with bright eyes and pearly teeth; she was dressed like a scholar and held a Spring-Autumn Pen.

Each of the three had a distinct charm and bearing. They faced the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint and the others from across the sky.

"The Three Holy Mothers are here. It's all right now, all right."

Seeing them arrive, the Spring-Autumn King let out a long breath of relief and patted Prefecture Lord Chen on the shoulder. "You old Chen, you told me the Three Holy Mothers wouldn't come. You nearly scared me to death."

Prefecture Lord Chen was just as astonished. He had never expected Lin Huang to actually alarm the Three Holy Mothers.

"Three Holy Mothers." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint's gaze was icy. "Others may fear you, but the Zhongnan Dojo does not."

Saint Huolie and Saint Liehuo said nothing. They simply unleashed their full auras and stood behind the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint, their expressions grave.

"The Three Holy Mothers?" Lin Huang thought, his brow furrowing.

As a resident of Daqian Prefecture, Lin Huang had naturally heard of the Three Holy Mothers.

Ten thousand years ago, before Daqian Prefecture was even called that, a Painting Saint had emerged. His cultivation was earth-shaking, and later he personally trained three Saints who entered the Dao through the zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. One family had four Saints, known as the Four Saints of Daqian. After the Painting Saint fell, only the Zither Saint, Chess Saint, and Calligraphy Saint remained of the Four Saints of Daqian. That was how they came to be known as the Three Holy Mothers.

The Three Holy Mothers had all attained Saint Rank five thousand years ago. Their cultivation was earth-shaking, and they were renowned throughout the Human Realm. Not only the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint, but even his master—the Zhongnan Sword Saint who had taken a seat at the central government—would respectfully address them as seniors.

So although the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint still spoke forcefully when he saw the Three Holy Mothers step in, he knew in his heart that he probably wouldn't be able to kill Lin Huang this time.

"Why did you interrupt my Human Tribulation? You've ruined my path to the Dao. We're enemies to the death." Lin Huang spoke slowly, stunning everyone with his words.

The Spring-Autumn King sucked in a breath and swore. "Lin Huang, what's wrong with your head?! The Three Holy Mothers came to help you, and this is how you repay them?"

Lin Huang's expression remained cold. "Severing the Mortal World and Crossing the Human Tribulation. I was on the verge of becoming a Demigod. Mere Four Saints would be wiped out with a flick of my finger. Why would I need anyone's help?"

The Three Holy Mothers looked at Lin Huang in puzzlement. The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint and the others did too.

Hong Ying crunched the lollipop in his mouth and grinned. "Why are you all so surprised? He's right. If the Three Holy Mothers hadn't interrupted him just now, he would certainly have passed the Human Tribulation and become a Demigod. We few useless pieces of firewood really would have had no choice but to die."

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint and the other two sneered, ignoring Hong Ying as they looked at the Three Holy Mothers. "Since he doesn't know what's good for him, why bother protecting him?"

"Besides, Calligraphy Saint, aren't you supposed to hate evil with every fiber of your being? Lin Huang caused a hundred thousand casualties just to become a Saint. Are you really going against your own principles to protect him?"

"That was a tribulation, but also a bond; suffering, but also a blessing. What crime did he commit?" As soon as the Calligraphy Saint spoke, Lin Huang immediately thought of the person he had met yesterday.

"Fallacious sophistry." The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint sneered, then looked at Hong Ying.

"Don't look at me. I already said I wouldn't fight." Hong Ying hurriedly shook his head. The Three Holy Mothers were no empty title. If he earned their enmity by joining the hunt for Lin Huang, he figured he'd die a very ugly death.

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint drew a deep breath, his expression grim. He had arrived in such a grand show of force—was he really going to leave with his tail between his legs?

As he considered this, the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint looked at the two Grand Elders.

Saint Huolie nodded and stepped forward, his expression grave. "I've long wanted to learn from the Zither Saint's 'Lofty Mountain and Flowing Stream.' Please."

"So after all that, we're still going to fight." Lin Huang sighed. He wasn't a fool. From the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint's words and actions, he could tell something had been amiss with his condition earlier. The Three Holy Mothers had surely interrupted him for a reason other than ruining his future. He just didn't know what that reason was yet.

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Lin Huang stepped into the air and stood in front of the Three Holy Mothers.

"You still have a lot to learn."

"So watch from the side."

"One move is all it takes to deal with him."

The Three Holy Mothers spoke one line apiece. Lin Huang heard a sharp twang beside his ear. Saint Huolie grunted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as his expression turned ugly. Saint Liehuo caught him, keeping him from collapsing.

The Ice-Sealed Sword Saint's face turned livid. He flicked his sleeve. "We're leaving."

"Lin Huang, you'd better stay in Daqian Prefecture for the rest of your life. Otherwise, I'll kill you."

After leaving those harsh words behind, the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint had to turn his grand journey of vengeance into an anticlimax, slinking away in humiliation. Lin Huang gained a firsthand understanding of the Three Holy Mothers' strength.

"Why did you help me?" Lin Huang asked as he watched the Ice-Sealed Sword Saint and the others leave.

"Little Su said you were quite good."

"And you're from Daqian Prefecture."

"Most importantly, you have no sect or master."

"So become our disciple."

Lin Huang's cheek twitched. The Three Holy Mothers had stepped in just to take him on as a disciple.

Lin Huang laughed in anger. "You're Saints, and so am I. What could you possibly teach me?"

"Among three people walking together, there's always one who can be my teacher."

"You don't know the Three Steps of Treading God."

"So you have plenty to learn."

"You don't have to become our disciple."

"We'll teach you for three days."

"Protect Daqian Prefecture for the rest of your life."

The Three Holy Mothers spoke simply and directly, and their words immediately moved Lin Huang.

Lin Huang had become a Saint by an unconventional path and had no roots. He knew his reserves couldn't compare to those who had spent decades or even centuries reaching Saint Rank, so he was tempted.

But there was no way he would become their disciple.

So Lin Huang nodded. "Fine. Teach me for three days. If I gain anything from it, what's the harm in protecting Daqian Prefecture for the rest of my life?"

"Good."

"Come with us."

"Only three days."

The Three Holy Mothers turned and left. Lin Huang naturally followed.

The people below looked at one another in dismay. The Spring-Autumn King hurriedly shouted, "Lin Huang, what about me? What about them? Should we slaughter them all and let the blood run like a river? Just say the word!"

Lin Huang flicked a finger, sending a message into the Spring-Autumn King's mind. "Devote your whole life to protecting her for all of hers. You know it, and I know it. That's all."

The Spring-Autumn King took a long look at Chen Ruo, then nodded without another word.

In a flash of iridescent light, the crowd could hardly believe that what they had witnessed was anything more than an illusion. They looked at Prefecture Lord Chen, then at the Spring-Autumn King. Wu Cheng's father drew a deep breath. "Please, Prefecture Lord Chen, Spring-Autumn King, take your seats."

The Spring-Autumn King nodded, and Prefecture Lord Chen smiled as well. Music from strings and bamboo rose once more. The auspicious hour had arrived. What a joyous occasion.