Love & Redemption
Chapter 120: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 27 Perilous String (Part 3)

Chapter 120: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 27 Perilous String (Part 3)

Zi Hu had chosen paths that lay within the mountains, and for those young people who couldn’t perform Sword Flight, the mountain roads were quite difficult. However, the scenery in the mountains was extraordinarily beautiful, with occasional light mist and sparse clouds, and at times lush fading hues, which indeed made one feel refreshed and forget their fatigue. Xuanji was very familiar with such views, having grown up on Shouyang Mountain, accustomed to its steep cliffs, and she looked down on these lower hills with disdain.

However, Yu Sifeng and Ruo Yu found it quite exhausting. They had grown up by the sea. Although both were skilled and wouldn’t likely fall off a cliff to their deaths, walking along the edge still made their legs wobble. Seeing Xuanji walking ahead alone, bouncing along as if the cliffs were nothing, Yu Sifeng couldn’t help but call out to her, "Don’t walk so fast, be careful of falling."

He didn’t dare to follow too closely, so he turned back and called to Zhong Minyan, "Min Yan, follow behind Xuanji, and be careful."

Zhong Minyan had been daydreaming and didn’t react until his name was called several times. He wiped the sweat from his face and silently followed behind Xuanji. He looked very tired, and preoccupied with deep concerns, probably because of a poor night’s sleep.

Yu Sifeng glanced at Ruo Yu, who shared a room with Zhong Minyan and would likely know what was going on. Ruo Yu just smiled faintly and said softly, "He’s probably worried about going to Buzhou Mountain. He tossed and turned all night, hardly slept."

Eventually, even Xuanji noticed his odd behavior. She initially wanted to ask what was going on, but remembering what he had said behind the door last night, somehow felt unable to ask outright. She had always been unsure how to interact appropriately with him, whether to draw close or keep a distance, so she pretended not to see.

The group crossed over two mountains and arrived at a large lake. Zi Hu, seemingly taking the role of leader, called out robustly, "Stop—we’ll rest here for a while."

The group had been rushing along without even drinking water and were only too glad to stop when she said so. Ruo Yu had already taken everyone’s water skins to fill them at the lake. Zhong Minyan silently flopped down on the grass, shielding his eyes with a hand, and in no time, he was deeply asleep.

What exactly was wrong with him? Xuanji and Yu Sifeng exchanged glances, seemingly reaching some unspoken understanding, both looking somber, yet neither asked aloud.

The children today seemed a bit off; usually, they were full of laughter and chatter, but today they were unusually silent. Zi Hu emerged from Xuanji’s arms, walked up to Zhong Minyan’s face, sniffed him, then used her paw to move his hand away. Zhong Minyan mumbled something, turned over, and continued sleeping. His eyes were sunken, and even in sleep, his brows were furrowed, clearly troubled.

"I say..." Zi Hu sat next to his head, tail swinging back and forth, and began speaking seriously, "Did something happen last night that I don’t know about?"

The two across shook their heads, looking quite innocent.

Zi Hu coughed once. After all, she was somewhat of an elder, and at such times, it was natural for her to assert some authority. She then said firmly, "I don’t know what you kids are up to, but we’re almost at Buzhou Mountain. If you want to rescue someone, we need to work together without conflicts, understand?..."

Ruo Yu had just returned with the water and upon hearing her, smiled and said, "Zi Hu really sounds like a teacher."

"Of course!" Zi Hu puffed up proudly, "I am a thousand-year-old Fox Fairy, indeed. To me, you are all just little kids still wet behind the ears. Naturally, I must look after you."

Ruo Yu distributed the water, saying, "Maybe it’s because we’re close to Buzhou Mountain, and everyone’s a bit nervous because the goal is right in front of us. Everyone is worried whether the opposing party might be too strong."

Zi Hu bent down to drink the water, getting her whiskers and chest all wet, while muttering, "Of course they’re strong... not just you guys, even I may not be able to handle them if it comes down to it..."

Xuanji, seeing nothing but mountains around, an endless range that seemed to spread to the horizon, couldn’t help but ask, "Zi Hu, is Buzhou Mountain still far? Is it among these mountains?"

Zi Hu mischievously shook her head, her tail flicking as she said, "Why would it be here? Just follow me, we should reach it in two days."

No sooner had she spoken than her tail was suddenly gripped tightly. She screamed and looked down — her own tail had been swishing over Zhong Minyan’s face, and in his sleep, he unknowingly grabbed it.

"You little thief! Let go!" she yelled, ready to scratch his face with her claws, but he suddenly murmured a name softly, those two words so tenderly spoken that she paused in surprise.

"Let go of me!" Zi Hu slapped him on the forehead with her paw. Startled by the pain, Zhong Minyan woke up abruptly, sat up quickly, and exclaimed, "Linglong! Ling..."

"Ling your big head!" Zi Hu swatted him again, "I didn’t realize you were such a heartbreaker! Quite the romantic huh! Have you slept enough? Get up now!"

Zhong Minyan was still somewhat dazed, looking around him before he remembered they were on a journey. He sighed deeply and rubbed his face a couple of times.

"Drink some water," Ruo Yu offered the water bag to him, "Did you not sleep well last night? If so, let’s not rush today. You should rest up, and we can continue later."

"No! No need!" Zhong Minyan drank deeply, his eyebrows furrowing. He wiped the water that spilled over his lips and said, "We should rescue Linglong sooner."

Zi Hu scoffed from the side, mumbling something to herself. Yu Sifeng approached and asked softly, "Min Yan, are you troubled by something?"

Zhong Minyan suddenly looked up, feeling his gaze as cold as millennia-old ice, clearly telling him not to continue probing. Yu Sifeng paused, slightly taken aback, but undeterred, he added, "If there’s any difficulty, you can talk about it. Everyone will help."

"I’m fine," Zhong Minyan tossed the water bag aside, stood up and said, "Let’s go! I’ve rested enough!"

He did not look back.

****

Although Zi Hu had said that they would reach Buzhou Mountain in two days, everyone soon realized she was lying. They walked through the mountains for five or six days, eventually growing too weary to ask her when they would arrive. The mountain seemed endless, climbing over one peak only to encounter another, with no sign of civilization in sight.

As the New Moon gradually waxed toward full, Zi Hu mentioned that once it was full, they wouldn’t be able to enter Buzhou Mountain. Everyone was extremely anxious, but as Zi Hu didn’t speak up, they felt it was not their place to ask.

The closer they got to their destination, the more irritable everyone seemed. The slightest friction could spark arguments, so everyone tried their best to temper their anger to avoid damaging their relationships over trivial matters.

Finally, one day they reached the foot of a tall mountain. Zi Hu nonchalantly announced, "We are almost at Buzhou Mountain."

No one responded to her.

"Hey, I said we’re almost at Buzhou Mountain!"

Still, no one responded.

Obviously irritated, Zi Hu jumped down to the ground, turned, and glared at them. Their faces were covered in dust, weary and listless; it was clear they had grown accustomed to her countless previous lies about nearing Buzhou Mountain.

Zi Hu cleared her throat, "What I mean is, we need to climb to the summit before midnight. There’s a Sacrificial Altar at the top. If everything goes well, we should be able to reach Buzhou Mountain tonight."

Finally, someone responded with an "Oh," merely out of sympathy to break the awkwardness — it was Xuanji, being kind.

Frustrated, Zi Hu flicked her large tail, shouting, "Listen to me! I know I’ve been lying to you all along, but this time it’s the truth, okay?! At least while it’s still daylight, discuss the plans after getting to Buzhou Mountain, will you?"

Only then did the four believe her. Ruo Yu was the first to curiously ask, "What’s the connection between Buzhou Mountain and the Sacrificial Altar? What are we supposed to do there?"

Seeing their attention finally on her, Zi Hu proudly jumped back into Xuanji’s arms and said, "The way we were going, we’d never reach Buzhou Mountain in a lifetime. It doesn’t exist in the mortal world; usually, it’s concealed by the gods. Only from the New Moon to the full moon does it gradually appear in the human world. At the time of the full moon, the gates of the Netherworld swing wide open to gather lost souls. That’s the best time to go to Buzhou Mountain since Shen Tu and Yu Lei won’t be focused on us, and Buzhou Mountain itself will just then be manifesting in the human world."

No wonder she had been dragging it out, waiting for the full moon! They had been needlessly delayed by her for so long! Zhong Minyan immediately snorted, given his nature, he would have surely scolded her harshly. Everyone prepared to steer clear of the outburst, but unexpectedly, he remained silent and stormed off up the mountain.

He really had been off these past few days. Xuanji watched his retreating figure in shock; arriving at their destination had always been his greatest joy, so why did he still seem so troubled?

Turning to see Yu Sifeng, who was also looking her way, he caught Xuanji’s dark eyes staring at him. He smiled slightly and gestured for her to follow him up the mountain.

Xuanji quickly nodded and hurried her steps, hoping to reach the summit before darkness fell. (To be continued. For more, please visit www.qidian.com. The Chapter updates support the author, promoting legitimate reading!)