Falling into the Lake

Qigelu Peak is located in the central part of the Tianshan Mountain Range, its summit perpetually covered in snow. "Qigelu" means sacred in the local indigenous language; Qigelu Peak is thus the sacred mountain.

Halfway up Qigelu Peak, a protruding platform resembles an eagle's beak, hence the name Eagle Beak Terrace. Below Eagle Beak Terrace, on the mountainside, lies a complex of buildings, pavilions, and towers nestled among ancient pines and verdant cypresses, with winding paths appearing and disappearing. This is the headquarters of the Tianshan Sect.

At this moment, on Eagle Beak Terrace, an old man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the distant snow-capped peaks, his brow furrowed. The old man was dressed as a Taoist, with a ruddy complexion, white hair, and a long, flowing beard, giving him an air of immortal grace. Behind him stood two beautiful young women, around sixteen years old, one holding a thick book, the other carrying a long scroll painting. Both women had lowered eyelids and tightly pursed lips. Apart from the whistling wind, there was no other sound on the platform. The old man was named Wu Lianshan, one of the five venerables of the Tianshan Sect, nicknamed Fake Taoist.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the steps on one side of the platform. The two women turned their heads and saw a man ascending the steps. The man was dressed in white martial attire, wearing a fur hat. His face was rugged, with a scar on his left cheek that almost ran across the bridge of his nose, making him look exceptionally ferocious. The two women, upon seeing the man, hurriedly turned their heads, afraid to look any longer.

The man stepped onto the platform and walked directly behind Wu Lianshan, bowing to his back and softly saying, "Master, the matter you entrusted has been completed, but…" The man glanced at the two women beside him, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face.

Wu Lianshan turned to look at the man, then waved his hand at the two women, who turned and left the platform.

"Master, what if this matter is exposed and angers the Grand Venerable? What will we do then?" The man asked cautiously, lowering his head when no one else was around.

"My request has been approved by the sect leader. Next year, there will be an additional spot for a personal disciple." Wu Lianshan said leisurely, glancing at the man and smiling, "Hehe, Bage, you've been under my tutelage for seven or eight years now. You must work hard."

The man called Bage showed joy on his face upon hearing this. He looked up at Wu Lianshan, gratefully saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. Bage will spare no effort, even unto death."

"Hehe, good, good." Wu Lianshan laughed.

Not far from Qigelu Peak, a valley basin was already in early winter, the grassland withered and yellow. The basin was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a lake at the foot of the northern mountain. The lake water was clear, and on clear days, the snow-capped mountains could be seen reflected in the lake, making it extremely beautiful and spectacular.

A man and a woman rode slowly across the grassland, soon arriving at the lakeside. The two dismounted, dropped the reins, and let the horses graze freely.

The two walked hand in hand to the lakeside and stood there. The man pointed to the lake and smiled, "This lake is shaped like a crescent moon, hence the name Crescent Lake, but I think this name is inappropriate. It should be called Fairy Lake. Tongtong, take a closer look and see what's in the lake." The man was about twenty years old, with a sturdy build and a resolute face, carrying a three-foot-long golden saber on his back. He was called Ma Renyi, a disciple of Golden Saber Ancestor Tanggula, one of the five venerables of the Tianshan Sect.

"There's nothing there." The woman, called Li Tongtong, looked up in confusion, her voice soft and charming. The woman was about fifteen or sixteen years old, her height only reaching the man's shoulder, with a beautiful face and shallow dimples appearing when she smiled. She was called Li Tongtong, a disciple of Mingzhu, the Right Elder of the Lingnan Mingyou Sect.

"I clearly saw a fairy in the lake." Ma Renyi said with a smile.

Li Tongtong looked again and immediately understood that Ma Renyi was referring to her reflection in the water. She said coquettishly, "I don't deserve to be called a fairy." Although she said so, she felt very sweet in her heart.

Ma Renyi reached out and put his arm around Li Tongtong's waist, and Li Tongtong leaned her head on his shoulder. The two embraced each other, looking at the boundless lake scenery, without speaking.

Suddenly, Ma Renyi said, "Tongtong, have you mentioned me and you to your master?"

"I mentioned it briefly. Master didn't say anything, which is annoying." Li Tongtong's face fell. She turned her head and stared at Ma Renyi, "What if she doesn't agree?"

"Hehe, saying nothing means she doesn't object." Ma Renyi smiled, "Well, in a few days, I'll ask my master to talk to Elder Ming, so we'll be more confident."

"I hope so." Li Tongtong sighed.

"When is your senior sister coming?" Ma Renyi changed the subject.

"It's still early. Hmph, senior brother, you've asked several times today. Do you have other ideas?" Li Tongtong's words were tinged with jealousy.

"Silly girl, I'm doing this for our sake, to make her happy, so she can say good things about us in front of your master." As Ma Renyi spoke, he rubbed Li Tongtong's head hard.

"Ouch, Brother Ma, you messed up my hair." Li Tongtong quickly dodged.

Ma Renyi immediately burst into laughter.

The two played by the lake for a while, and seeing that the sun was about to set, they returned to the temporary tent by the lake. Ma Renyi began to prepare food for the evening, and Li Tongtong watched with interest, asking questions from time to time, which Ma Renyi always patiently answered.

The sun had long disappeared behind the distant mountains, and the sky gradually darkened. Ma Renyi prepared the food and went out of the tent with Li Tongtong, waiting at the door.

Just as Li Tongtong was getting impatient, the person they were waiting for finally arrived.

"Oh, senior sister, why are you so late? I'm starving." Li Tongtong stepped forward and took the arm of the person who came, saying coquettishly.

"Welcome, Junior Sister Zitong." Ma Renyi's face was full of smiles as he reached out and lifted the tent flap. "Come into the tent quickly, it's cold outside."

Li Tongtong's senior sister was called Qin Zitong. She was tall and had a stern face, with a pair of sword-like eyebrows and large eyes. She ignored her own junior sister, nodded at Ma Renyi, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

The three entered the tent and sat around the stove. Ma Renyi personally served hot tea.

For dinner, they ate roasted rock sheep. Ma Renyi set up a grill outside the tent, lit a bonfire, and invited the two women out of the tent to sit around the fire. He acted as the chef and began to roast the meat. He flipped the ingredients while occasionally brushing on some seasonings, his movements skilled. In a short while, the meat sizzled and dripped oil, and a fragrant aroma wafted over, causing Li Tongtong and Qin Zitong to unconsciously swallow their saliva.

When the meat was roasted until the skin was golden brown, it was complete. Ma Renyi took out knives and forks to divide the roasted meat for the two women, each a large plate, and finally he also divided a large plate for himself. His roasting skills were excellent, and the two women unknowingly finished a large plate of roasted meat. Qin Zitong praised him repeatedly, and Li Tongtong was even more admiring.

Having his skills recognized by the beauties, Ma Renyi was naturally very happy. He said triumphantly, "In the Tianshan, my martial arts are not outstanding, but if it comes to barbecue, no one dares to call Ma Renyi the second." These words made Li Tongtong laugh, and even Qin Zitong showed a hint of a smile.

After eating the roasted meat, Ma Renyi also brought fresh fruits, including tomatoes, apples, pears, and so on.

The three sat around the bonfire, tasting the fruit, and casually chatting about anecdotes of the Western Regions, mostly Ma Renyi talking, and Li Tongtong echoing. She even laughed out loud when she heard something interesting.

Qin Zitong rarely interjected, watching the two flirting with each other, she was really unhappy. 'Master clearly knows about Junior Sister and this Ma Renyi, but instead of saying anything, she asked me to keep an eye on Junior Sister,' Qin Zitong thought, feeling that her master was a bit abnormal.

Suddenly, Qin Zitong felt a burst of mental confusion. Under the hazy firelight, all sounds seemed to gradually fade away, and she unconsciously closed her eyes. At this moment, the pendant hanging around her neck suddenly produced a burst of coolness, and with a whoosh, it drilled into her body, rushing straight to the Tianmen along the Dazhui. Qin Zitong only heard a loud "buzz" in her brain, and her eyes suddenly cleared.

Qin Zitong was shocked: "What happened just now?" When she looked at the opposite side, she saw Li Tongtong lying in Ma Renyi's arms with her eyes closed. Her heart was filled with shock and anger, and she understood that she and her junior sister had been poisoned. Who else could have poisoned them besides Ma Renyi?

'This necklace pendant is strange, did Master foresee this? But there is no time to investigate now, the top priority is to rescue Junior Sister,' Qin Zitong thought quickly, no longer hesitating, she exerted strength in her arms, her figure burst up, and a move of Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl went straight for Ma Renyi's face. This move did not seek to injure the enemy, but was intended to force the opponent to retreat, so that she could take the opportunity to snatch back her junior sister.

As soon as she stood up, Qin Zitong secretly said something bad, and felt her legs go weak, and then all her strength was lost, and she collapsed to the ground.

Ma Renyi was surprised to see Qin Zitong, who had already fainted on the ground, suddenly get up and attack him, and subconsciously wanted to retreat. But then he saw Qin Zitong fall down again. Ma Renyi was stunned for a moment, "What's going on? Is the medicine not working?"

Ma Renyi put Li Tongtong on the ground and took a few steps back. He shouted loudly, "Junior Sister Zitong, what's wrong with you? I saw that you fainted, how about I help you up?"

Qin Zitong lay motionless on the ground.

Ma Renyi wanted to go over and find out, but he was worried that Qin Zitong was playing tricks. He was in a dilemma, and he felt anxious: "Why hasn't Senior Brother Tang come yet?"

After about an incense stick of time, seeing that Senior Brother Tang still did not appear, Ma Renyi was like an ant on a hot pot, looking around non-stop.

"Haha, Junior Brother Ma, you have made a great contribution this time, the master's personal disciple will increase by one." A voice came from behind, Ma Renyi turned around and saw that it was the Senior Brother Tang he was looking forward to, and his heart was immediately at ease.

Golden Saber Ancestor Tanggula had many disciples, but there were only two personal disciples, and Senior Brother Tang was one of them. The status and treatment of ordinary disciples and personal disciples of the Tianshan Sect were like heaven and earth, and Ma Renyi had coveted this for a long time.

"Then I have to thank Senior Brother Tang for giving me the opportunity to make a contribution. I will definitely repay Senior Brother Tang's kindness." Ma Renyi said quickly, and then told Senior Brother Tang in detail what had just happened.

Senior Brother Tang smiled and said, "Junior Brother, don't worry, this poison is called Thousand Love Threads, even the most loyal woman will..., hehe, Junior Brother, you understand." Saying that, he walked to Qin Zitong and squatted down, reaching out his hand.

At this moment, an unexpected change occurred. Qin Zitong, who had been lying motionless on the ground, rolled over and avoided Senior Brother Tang. Taking advantage of his stunned moment, she pulled out a bamboo tube from her arms. Only a "zi--peng" sound was heard, and a firework exploded in the high sky. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qin Zitong got up and jumped a zhang away, and after running a few steps, she plunged into the dark lake water.

When Senior Brother Tang and Ma Renyi reacted and chased after her, they only saw a vaguely visible lake, where was anyone to be found.

The two looked at each other, both very frustrated, and then became frightened.

"Senior Brother, what should we do? Should we go into the water to chase her? Will Elder Mingzhu come over soon?" Ma Renyi said tremblingly.

Senior Brother Tang frowned, he thought more, and he was more certain that the thing Bage said was on Qin Zitong, otherwise there was no way to explain why the poison was ineffective.

Seeing that Senior Brother Tang did not speak, Ma Renyi was even more frightened. He glanced at Li Tongtong on the ground and had an idea in his mind. He picked up Li Tongtong and said to Senior Brother Tang, "Senior Brother, let's go back quickly, if Elder Mingzhu comes looking for us, we will both be dead."

Although Senior Brother Tang was also afraid in his heart, he was still unwilling to give up. He replied, "You go first, I'll look for it again." After saying that, he walked to the lake and planned to search again.

Ma Renyi didn't waste any words, holding the person as he turned and sprinted away.