Chu Yue followed a rugged path deeper into the gorge. The air grew cold and damp, filled with a gray haze that lingered in the surroundings.
Two hours had passed. Chu Yue's qiankun pouch was more than half-filled with ghostmother’s heartgrass.
This grass was black-purple, with long, narrow, slightly curled leaves that emitted a faintly rancid odor. Upon closer inspection, its roots clung to the rocks like an infant’s grasping hands, giving it an unsettling appearance.
Chu Yue paused in front of a dark rock wall. A few stalks of ghostmother’s heartgrass grew within a shadowy crevice. A sharp, foul stench filled the air.
He pulled out a glowing stone and tossed it into the crevice. As the light illuminated the gap, a pair of enormous golden eyes with vertical pupils appeared, narrowing under the brightness.
Chu Yue’s long, strong fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade. The owner of the golden eyes revealed itself—a massive gold-eyed spider emerged, crawling forward.
It stood about half as tall as a man, its body covered in glossy black armor. Its mouthparts dripped with viscous venom. Its slender legs resembled sharp steel blades, leaving white gashes in the rock with each step.
Man and yao locked eyes for several seconds.
The yao hungered for human flesh. The man coveted the yao’s core.
The gold-eyed spider scraped its claws against the ground, unable to resist its hunger. It let out a low growl and lunged at Chu Yue.
Chu Yue’s black eyes shifted upward. He felt no fear, only an inexplicable excitement.
He raised his blade horizontally. As the spider’s mouthparts descended toward his head, his blade-hand drove diagonally upward. The blade pried apart the armor and plunged into the spider’s abdomen.
The spider didn’t feel pain at first, only a sudden inability to exert strength. It could no longer bite down on the tantalizingly fresh human head before it.
Then came the sound of a blade being pulled free. A wet squelch followed as dark, viscous muck spilled from the wound and splattered onto the rocky ground.
A closer look revealed chunks of writhing flesh within the muck—they were the spider’s organs.
The gold-eyed spider opened its mouthparts and let out a piercing screech. It sounded as if knives were stabbing into your eardrums. The sound inexplicably stirred unease and panic in those who heard it.
But the face before it remained indifferent. Not only did Chu Yue not retreat, he moved closer to the spider’s body. The gold-eyed spider felt its insides churn violently, as though a hand were stirring within its stomach.
The squelching sound of flesh being disturbed grew louder. It realized, too late, that it was not just an illusion—a hand had indeed reached into its abdomen, searching for something.
Overwhelmed by both anger and fear, the spider opened its massive mouthparts and bit down toward the head just within reach. Before it could land the bite, its jaws clamped onto a narrow, black blade.
Or perhaps the blade “clamped” onto it, as the spider’s life force was steadily drained through the weapon. The blade acted like a ravenous demon, greedily consuming its vitality.
The spider tried to open its mouthparts and flee, hoping to cling to life. Chu Yue twisted his wrist, driving the blade upward and slicing through the spider’s upper jaw. Its mouthparts split in half, rendering it incapable of closing its jaws again.
From the moment the gold-eyed spider first saw him to its dying breath, only a fleeting instant had passed. Throughout, the expression on Chu Yue’s handsome face remained unchanged. Only when his hand grasped the yao core inside the spider’s abdomen did the corner of his mouth lift in a faint smile.
At the same time, he murmured something the gold-eyed spider couldn’t understand. “This will definitely make him laugh.”
Chu Yue pulled out a blood-soaked, round orb. He wiped it clean with a cloth. As the spider was an unintelligent yao, its core was clouded and dull, a murky black-brown.
He placed the core into his qiankun pouch, removed the blade lodged in the spider’s mouthparts and approached the crevice to collect more ghostmother’s heartgrass.
The sky around him grew increasingly overcast. A blood-red full moon appeared above.
As Chu Yue walked toward the stone stele marking the gorge’s entrance, he paused after only a few steps. In the dense, inky darkness, golden eyes lit up from all directions. The dying cries of the gold-eyed spider had summoned its companions.
They had been lying in ambush, waiting for him to fall into their trap.
Chu Yue rested one hand on the hilt of the blade at his waist. His expression remained calm and serene. The blade techniques within the true-intent jade slips had already reached the tenth level. He had been eager for a chance to test them. Since these spiders had delivered themselves to his door, there was no reason to waste the opportunity.
Chu Yue stepped forward. The gold-eyed spiders surrounding him began closing in. His movements were swift and agile as he weaved through the spider swarm. He swung his blade with precision, killing the yao cleanly while steadily retreating toward the gorge’s entrance.
With each anguished wail, another gold-eyed spider fell, but more surged toward him.
The night glittered with countless golden lights, as if he had entered a treasure vault.
“This is endless.” Chu Yue frowned slightly. His breath quickened, but his eyes remained cold, filled with resolute killing intent.
At that moment, he found himself at the base of a steep cliff. The blood-red moonlight illuminated a tall, graceful figure at the edge of the precipice.
A crimson wide-sleeved robe draped over white silk garments. A tightened belt accentuated his slender waist, and the figure resembled a bewitching ghost under the red moonlight.
Li Lanxiu leaned lazily against the cliff’s edge. A peacock feather shimmered faintly with starlight in their dark hair. His expression was one of idle amusement, as though savoring the spectacle of Chu Yue battling the spider horde.
Chu Yue glanced up at him briefly and then swung his blade fiercely, cleaving through a spider that lunged at him.
At first, he managed to hold his ground unscathed. But cornered spiders began spitting webs. Whenever his blade got entangled, a few bloody wounds opened up on his body.
After a long struggle, the last spider collapsed. Piles of spider corpses covered the ground in thick layers, and the air reeked of blood.
Chu Yue drove his blade into the ground with one hand. Exhausted, he dropped to one knee.
He lowered his head, panting heavily. Sweat and blood dripped steadily from his sharp jawline.
A pair of cloud-patterned boots stepped lightly over the corpses toward him. The crimson hem of the approaching figure’s robe swayed in the night breeze, like the flicker of a dancing red spider lily.
The figure crouched in front of him. A cool, smooth hand lifted his chin. From his sleeve, he drew a pristine white handkerchief and gently wiped away the sweat and blood on Chu Yue’s face with tender, meticulous care.
"How did you end up like this?"
Li Lanxiu asked with a hint of indulgence, as though he truly didn’t know how he had ended up like this.
Chu Yue narrowed his eyes, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword, his gaze cold and unwavering as if he were waiting for something.
Li Lanxiu gently wiped the blood off his cheek, his hand caressing Chu Yue’s face as he said softly, “Chu Yue, you did well.” He called him Chu Yue, not Xiao-Hei.
That particular address caused Chu Yue’s fingers to tighten slightly on his hilt. He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and pulled out the yao core from his qiankun pouch, his hand stained with blood and covered in countless small wounds. He held it out, palm open, toward Li Lanxiu.
A slight tremble ran through his wrist, betraying a hint of emotion, but his expression remained calm and composed.
Li Lanxiu picked up the yao core, his voice carrying a faint chuckle, “Now this looks much better.”
Chu Yue looked down at the ground, a small, satisfied smile pulling at the corners of his lips.
Li Lanxiu stood and extended his hand toward Chu Yue, saying, “Here. Let’s gather all the yao cores from this place.”
On their way back to the stone tablet at the entrance of the canyon, they encountered three figures who had come impatiently to check on the situation. Upon seeing the two of them, the three showed different expressions.
Chu Yue’s robe was stained with blood, and his face bore several small gashes, clearly evidence of a brutal fight.
Li Lanxiu, on the other hand, looked clean and composed, though his snow-white boots had a few splashes of blood.
Chuxuan scanned the two of them before stepping forward, asking, “Xiao-Shidi, are you alright?”
Li Lanxiu nodded, saying, “I’m fine.”
Jiang Jiu-si’s gaze stayed fixed on Li Lanxiu for a moment, and only after confirming his safety did he shift his attention to Chu Yue, his eyes showing a hint of sympathy. “Chu-shidi, you’re heavily injured.”
Chu Yue gave a noncommittal response. “Just a minor injury.”
His shixiong shook his head, thinking that young people had far too much pride. Even in this state, battered and bruised, he refused to show weakness in front of him and Jiang Jiusi. He still insisted on calling it a minor injury.
The crowd at Conundrum Sect’s plaza gathered and watched the trial through the great mirror. Suddenly, a faint ripple moved through the sky.
A silver beam of light descended from the sky. The light gradually faded as everyone looked up. They saw a silver-haired man with exceptional grace riding a sword through the air.
His long hair was tied high, his face cold and handsome. His brow carried an air of majesty, and he wore white robes that floated like mist, giving him the appearance of a celestial being.
The shimmering light of his sword reflected on them as he landed on the floating island in the center of the plaza.
The peak master and elders all stood, their expressions solemn as they looked toward the silver-haired man. They said in unison, “Bai Zhenchuan.”
The name rang through the entire plaza, and the disciples looked toward the floating island. They whispered amongst themselves, their voices filled with awe and admiration. “He’s Bai Zhenchuan…”
Elder Shen took a step forward and said, “Bai Zhenchuan’s arrival is truly an honor for me.”
Bai Ying’s gaze swept over the crowd, lingering for a moment on Jiang Jiusi before turning toward Elder Shen. His voice was calm and indifferent as he said, “No need for such formalities. I am merely here to observe the trial.”
On Thousandchance Peak, Su Shiyan and her nearby disciples huddled together, chattering animatedly. “So this is what Bai Zhenchuan looks like. If I looked like that, I would show my face in the sect every single day…”
“Bai Zhenchuan hasn’t shown his face for three hundred years. His sudden appearance this time… is it to see Jiang Jiusi shixiong?”
“That’s not certain. Even Jiang Jiusi might not be the reason.”
“Shh… I think he’s here because of Lady Yan. No matter what, Bai Zhenchuan is a man. What man wouldn’t admire beauty?”
Su Shiyan’s icy expression formed a small crack at this comment. Compared to Bai Ying’s sudden appearance and why they had chosen to appear as a man, she was far more curious about the real reason Bai Ying had come.
Bai Ying didn’t seem to care much about sect affairs, and Jiang Jiusi and even Lin Shixiong were unaware of who they were.
Suddenly, a wild thought crossed her mind—was Bai Ying here this time to see Li Lanxiu?
If it had been in the past, she would never have entertained such thoughts. But the Li Lanxiu of now in the Azurerain realm was very different from the Li Lanxiu of before. She suddenly understood why Bai Ying had once said that Li Lanxiu was likable.
She couldn’t help but widen her eyes, feeling as though she must be losing her mind.
Su Shiyan shook her head and tried to dispel this ridiculous notion from her thoughts.
Yet for some reason, the images of Bai Ying and Li Lanxiu intertwined repeatedly in her mind, leaving her with an inexplicable sense of… shyness?
Just binged this. It's great, I'm not a native English speaker so finding translated works I don't have to puzzle through is a delight. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for more!! Will the jiao find li lanxiu with or without the group?
ReplyDeleteYour translation is so, so good, and this story is super entertaining! I'm obsessed. Thank you for the translation please continue to translate this story, I beg!
Shes a fujo? 😅
ReplyDelete