Love & Redemption
Chapter 118: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 25 Perilous String (Part 1)

Chapter 118: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 25 Perilous String (Part 1)

Zi Hu said Buzhou Mountain was located in the Extreme West and it had once been the battlefield of a great war among ancient gods. Later, when Gonggong was defeated by Zhu Rong, in a fit of rage, he knocked down Buzhou Mountain, causing the waters of the Heavenly River to flood disastrously and affect the people. As a pillar that once held up the sky, the scenery there was naturally beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Furthermore, with the gates to the Netherworld there, and two Divine Generals guarding the entrance day and night, an extra layer of mysterious veil was added to Buzhou Mountain.

"However, I used to play there often as a child, and there wasn’t anything particularly strange or extraordinary."

Zi Hu, tired, climbed onto the table and licked the tea in her cup.

They traveled west, thinking they could simply fly on their swords to reach Buzhou Mountain, but to their surprise, after only half a day of flying, Zi Hu made them descend from the clouds. She stated that from that day on, they could only walk there, and it wasn’t just forbidden to fly on swords but also on immortal cranes and Golden Dragons.

Although they didn’t know the way and were reluctant, they had no choice but to obey her and obediently walked on foot. In less than an hour, they arrived at a town called Germu.

Here in the land of the West, the local customs were naturally quite different from those of the Central Plains. Regardless of gender, everyone wore a round cap adorned with various patterns of flowers and birds, and beneath it, a two-foot-long face veil to block the sandy wind.

Xuanji observed that in this tavern, all the bartenders and cashiers were women, who, unlike women in Central Earth, did not style their hair in buns but tied it into three or four long braids that hung down to their calves. Additionally, they had deep-set eyes and high noses, and their faces were strikingly beautiful and graceful, very different from the women of Central Earth, which left her staring in awe. The women wore colorful little vests over long skirts, with silver bells tied around their waist, making a cheerful sound like larks as they walked, the fragrance fluttering chaotically, truly exhibiting a unique charm.

The female servers were straightforward and hearty. They were extremely attentive to the guests from Central Plains, sometimes bringing milk wine and sometimes grapes, which made Zhong Minyan and his companions too embarrassed to even lift their heads.

"This place... really is quite different from ours..." Zhong Minyan drank a sip of milk wine, almost spitting it out due to its strange taste.

Zi Hu was amused by his reaction and laughed, "The world is vast! Look at you, looking like an unsophisticated bumpkin! They treat you as a rare guest from Central Plains, yet you are treating them like monsters! It’s just different clothes and looks, after all, strip down and we’re all the same!"

Zhong Minyan, who had just managed to stop his coughing, couldn’t help but cough even worse due to her teasing, his face turning bright red as he struggled to speak, "What... what nonsense are you talking about!"

"What? Just taking off clothes," Zi Hu teased further. "Don’t you ever take off your clothes?"

Zi Hu continued to tease him, Zhong Minyan’s face reddening as if it were about to drip blood, and after a long time, he finally said, "Stop being so frivolous, let’s talk about serious matters!"

Ruo Yu laughed and said, "Right, it’s time to talk about serious matters. Zi Hu, why can’t we just fly directly on our swords to Buzhou Mountain? This place looks like it’s in a basin; aren’t we still far from Buzhou Mountain?"

Zi Hu’s white whiskers quivered, and as Xuanji fed her grapes, she spoke incoherently, "To say that you’ve never seen the world is truly an understatement. Have you ever seen Buzhou Mountain on a human map? It’s essentially a forbidden area. Whatever flying you think you’ll do, you’ll be shot down by the guards before you make it! To go to Buzhou Mountain, just obediently walk there. Besides staying away from Shen Tu and Yu Lei, well... it’s not much different from a regular mountain."

Ruo Yu seemed very interested in Shen Tu and Yu Lei and kept asking, "Have you ever seen the two Divine Generals who guard the gates to the Netherworld? People always talk about how there’s an entrance to the Netherworld on Buzhou Mountain, but no one really knows what it looks like."

Zi Hu rolled her eyes coquettishly and said, "Who can get close to that place? You’re asking me, but whom should I ask? Whoever has seen Shen Tu and Yu Lei wouldn’t be able to tell you what they look like."

"Why?" Everyone was very curious.

Zi Hu scoffed, "A bunch of fools! Because they’re all dead! Who could survive seeing Shen Tu and Yu Lei?! Life and death are destined, and Heavenly Dao revolves. Most who impulsively approach the gates of the Netherworld are desperados, either trying to find someone in the Netherworld or challenging the majesty of the gods. That disrupts the natural order and leads only to death!"

As she spoke, her expression grew somber, and she murmured softly, "However... even so, I’m not afraid. If they kill me, I can go to the Netherworld to find him. If I’m not killed, I could still rescue him..."

Xuanji whispered, "You mean... that Great Demon locked up with the Eight-direction Sea-locking Iron Chain in the Netherworld? He’s imprisoned there? You, you want to go to the Netherworld to save him?"

No wonder she agreed so readily; she had her own agenda for coming to Buzhou Mountain.

Zi Hu bared her teeth and asked menacingly, "What! Can’t I go? We’ll each do our own thing, but just travel together for now. When we get to Buzhou Mountain, you save your people, and I’ll save mine, without interfering with each other!"

"Uh, that’s not what I meant..." Xuanji patted her head gently and said, "It’s too dangerous to go alone. How about I help you?"

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone was shocked. Zhong Minyan quickly said, "What are you talking about! That’s a demon! If it’s released, it will bring disaster to the human world! If your master hears what you’ve said, you might as well stay in Mingxia Cave for the rest of your life!"

Mingxia Cave had always been Xuanji’s weakness. At the mention of these three words, she shivered and immediately shook her head, "Then... I better not go..." She’d rather be killed swiftly than live in Mingxia Cave for a lifetime.

Zi Hu laughed, "I don’t need your help. This is my own matter. I have many things to say to him... I don’t want to be like you two, sharing your heartfelt words with others. I want him to know that only I care for him the most. It was I who saved him, so he must forever owe me his gratitude... and never leave me again."

Although she usually joked around and rarely spoke seriously, these words were truly spoken with tender emotions, leaving everyone silent for a moment. Zhong Minyan had wanted to make fun of her, considering her position as adversarial to their own, but now he found himself speechless, merely scratching his head. Suddenly thinking of Linglong, he realized that even if she were a demon despised by everyone and imprisoned in the Netherworld, he would still risk everything to save her. With this thought, he came to understand Zi Hu, and his resentment dissolved.

After resting in a small tavern for a while, the group urged each other to move on since they had to travel by foot and needed to make haste.

Unexpectedly, Zi Hu lazily leaned against Xuanji’s body and said lightly, "Wait till evening, I’ll check the sky then. I’ll leave when the time is right. It’s not like I can go whenever I want."

With no choice, everyone decided to settle down in an inn for the time being. Fortunately, despite being a remote area, the customs here were quite different from those in the Central Plains, which the youths found novel and interesting. The food tasted strange but was amusing due to its freshness. There was even one shop that served dishes in a large brass basin, with an unknowingly added ingredient that made the aroma travel far and wide.

The four young people played and ate, and Zhong Minyan saw a stall selling women’s jewelry on the roadside, glittering gold and yellow, and available in various styles. Thinking of how Linglong always liked such trinkets, he couldn’t help but go over and choose some. Xuanji was busy eating and quickly disappeared with Yu Sifeng. Ruo Yu looked around and had to accompany Zhong Minyan in selecting the ornaments he knew nothing about.

"Do you also have a girl you fancy?" Zhong Minyan picked two pieces and seeing Ruo Yu holding a jade bracelet and looking at it carefully, he couldn’t help but ask with a smile.

Ruo Yu’s hand trembled, and he hurriedly put down the bracelet, laughing, "No... but I thought of a younger sister in my hometown. Since entering Li Ze Palace, I have not seen her, and she must have reached marriageable age over these years. It would be nice to buy some things for her."

Zhong Minyan took the packaged ornaments and asked further, "Where is Ruo Yu’s hometown? I heard that joining Li Ze Palace means one cannot marry or casually interact with women... Does that mean you also can’t return to your hometown?"

Ruo Yu replied, "The rules of the palace must be followed. My hometown... is in a remote mountainous area, which you certainly haven’t heard of, Min Yan. However, occasionally family members can visit Li Ze Palace, so I am not completely alone."

Seeing him pick up the bracelet again, somewhat reluctantly, Zhong Minyan immediately took out some silver and handed it to the shop owner, saying with a smile, "That bracelet, I’ll take it!"

Ruo Yu quickly tried to return the money, but Zhong Minyan smiled and held him back, saying, "Why the courtesy between you and me? Your sister is like my sister too. It’s only right to buy her a gift without making a fuss."

Ruo Yu then relented, clutching the bracelet in his hand, thoughtful and with a flickering gaze, as if pondering something. After a long moment, he finally smiled faintly and said softly, "Min Yan has always been warm-hearted and kind. For this bracelet, I, on behalf of my little sister, thank you."

"No need for thanks!" Zhong Minyan waved his hand and walked away.

Watching his departing figure, Ruo Yu lingered for a long time before slowly placing the bracelet into his pouch. (To be continued. For more, please visit www.qidian.com, with more Chapters supporting the author and legitimate reading!)