Love & Redemption
Chapter 126: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 33 Perilous String (Part 9)

Chapter 126: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 33 Perilous String (Part 9)

"Right," Zhong Minyan suddenly remembered something, and quickly caught up with the two ahead, speaking earnestly, "When you got close to the main gate of the Netherworld earlier, what did you see? Why were you so panicked?"

She was flying just fine, about to successfully send Zi Hu into the gate, when suddenly there was a jolt, as if she was startled by something, and as a result, the effort was wasted.

Xuanji paused for a long while before speaking softly, "Actually, I myself can hardly believe what I saw. At that time, I seemed to see several people in the forest opposite us looking up... among them was someone I had seen before."

Everyone was stunned by these words. Buzhou Mountain was not a place where mortals were allowed to enter at will, of course, except for demons born and raised there. There also seemed to be a time limit involved; once someone left Buzhou Mountain for too long, they could no longer come and go freely. Zi Hu was treated as an outsider precisely because she had left for too long. If Xuanji had claimed to have seen some oddly shaped demons, no one would have been surprised. But to say she saw humans was somewhat bewildering. Could it be that they, too, had taken advantage of the opening of the Netherworld’s gate to come in search of someone?

"Who did you see?" Yu Sifeng asked in a grave voice.

After thinking for a moment, Xuanji said, "It was dark, and I couldn’t see clearly, but at a glance, they looked a bit like Xuanyuan Sect’s people. I remember at the Flower Pinning Conference that year, a few from the Xuanyuan Sect came looking for us, saying they wanted help finding Little Silver Flower. Do you remember that?"

Of course, they remembered! That was a clever plan conceived by Yu Sifeng to exact revenge on Wu Tong from Dianjing Valley for his arrogant actions. Thinking back to their mischievous deeds in childhood, both Yu Sifeng and Zhong Minyan couldn’t help but show a hint of a smile, acknowledging how youthful and unaware of the world’s harshness they had been then, extremely mischievous.

"The person I saw... it was that one. Dressed in black, wearing a White Iron Ring... I think I might have seen wrong," said Xuanji softly.

The group had nothing to say. Back when they were on Fuyu Island, they had heard that the Xuanyuan Sect was wiped out by demons because of the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain incident, and other Sect Leaders had lamented the event deeply. Now it seemed that the situation had suddenly taken a drastic turn. Ever since they arrived at Buzhou Mountain, everything they had seen and believed seemed to be vaguely changing.

Xuanji never lied, nor would she speak of unfounded matters, even Zhong Minyan acknowledged this; if Xuanji said she saw something, then she definitely saw it.

The problem was now right in front of them: the Xuanyuan Sect had evidently not been wiped out, and their disciples even appeared at Buzhou Mountain, dressed the same as the demons. Why?

"Damn it! I knew there was not a single good person in the Xuanyuan Sect!" Zhong Minyan cursed, "They must have succumbed to the demons’ vile power and become their accomplices!"

"Umm... not necessarily..." Xuanji scratched her head, "They’re also considered one of the Cultivation Sects, not so easily subdued."

With resentment, Zhong Minyan retorted, "Bah! To be called one of the Five Great Sects alongside them is a disgrace! They’re all a bunch of wolf-hearted actors!"

Yu Sifeng’s fingers brushed his chin as he mused, "Hmm, I’ve heard about the grudge between the Xuanyuan Sect and the Shaoyang Sect. They had once sought to absorb Shaoyang and were eventually wounded in essence when their attempt failed, and haven’t recovered since. Perhaps they’ve been harboring resentment all along and are now collaborating with the demons to resolve their personal vendetta first..."

Before he could finish, Xuanji and Zhong Minyan both exclaimed, "Ah!" and looked at each other in shock. They both remembered the message Du Minxing brought back after being severely injured on Fuyu Island, how the demons had declared they would trample over the Shaoyang Sect!

The previously chaotic events seemed to start connecting into a coherent thread: why they wanted to capture Linglong, why they hurt her, why they specifically let Du Minxing go with a message... "Let bygones be bygones, but from now on, Shaoyang Sect must be trampled over," definitely referred to the past grudges between Xuanyuan and Shaoyang!

Seeing their troubled minds, Yu Sifeng said, "These are just conjectures, not necessarily the truth. Shaoyang Sect is immense; it would not be so easily toppled."

Zhong Minyan appeared to think of something, nodding absently, but her expression darkened even more than before.

Xuanji said softly, "We... we need to rescue Linglong and Second Senior Brother quickly! And then... then head back to Shaoyang Sect."

Zhong Minyan’s eyes flickered as she lowered her head and remained silent. Ruo Yu, with a smile, said, "You’re all thinking too much. How could a reputable sect commit vile deeds in secret? Besides, if those demons really intend to trample Shaoyang, what use is their return?"

He always spoke gently, but his words now were harsh to the ears. Xuanji felt displeased and retorted coldly, "Even if it’s useless, should we just watch helplessly as others destroy our home? To live and die together is not merely lip service!"

Ruo Yu touched his head and walked ahead, laughing again, "Well, that’s true. If you, Xuanji, can make it back, perhaps you really could prevent a major disaster. After all, you are the ’General’ in the mouths of Shen Tu and Yu Lei."

At those words, she could only remain silent. Yu Sifeng’s brows furrowed slightly, and he softly called out, "Ruo Yu."

Ruo Yu shook her head, "I spoke too harshly, sorry. But let’s not lose our composure over unsubstantiated matters, shall we?"

He made sense, and after a moment of silence, Xuanji struggled to get off Yu Sifeng’s back. Her feet felt soft and cotton-like as if she were stepping on cotton, and even breathing was extremely difficult in her chest, not to mention True Qi. She grew dizzy after just a couple of steps, and Yu Sifeng quickly steadied her, frowning, "Don’t be willful!"

Xuanji whispered, "No, I’ll walk by myself. It will get better after a while."

She couldn’t always be carried by others; she wouldn’t be able to save Linglong that way. Long ago, she had sworn never to be a burden to the person she liked again. She hoped that by coming to Buzhou Mountain this time, she would personally take Linglong away, rather than watch others help.

Seeing that he couldn’t persuade her, Yu Sifeng gave up.

There was no distinction between day and night in Buzhou Mountain. They walked for a long time, and by human world standards, it should have been dawn, yet the scenery here remained unchanged.

However, the noise coming from the Netherworld’s main gate seemed to be quieting down. Yu Sifeng looked at the sky and whispered, "It must be the time when the main gate closes. Let’s be prepared and not let what just happened occur again."

Although they had saved Xuanji and flown a great distance with Sword Control, the force of the mountain opening and closing was still very strong, which was bound to cause a massive vibration. Xuanji had just gotten injured; they couldn’t let her condition worsen. Everyone climbed to the top of the trees and tied themselves with ropes at their waists, ensuring that no matter how much the ground shook, at least they wouldn’t be hurt.

From afar came a rumble. Xuanji lay on her back at the treetop, silently watching the towering Buzhou Mountain, which split open a crack like a gaping mouth. If you entered through that door, you would reach the Netherworld.

The Netherworld... What was it like? She heard that after passing the Naihe Bridge, one must drink Forget River Water, completely forgetting their previous life and entering a new cycle of reincarnation. Had she drunk Forget River Water in her past life? Probably not attentively enough, as a result, she still vaguely remembered things in this life. But... it was indeed like her character, always distracted when doing things.

Xuanji curled up the corners of her mouth into a wry smile, closed her eyes, and imagined vast swathes of flowers as red as blood and as fiery as fire blooming across the riverbank. With a casual grab, those flowers, rootless, clung to her hand, their slender petals unfurling like a dragon’s claw—fierce and enchanting.

It seemed as if someone was beside her, urging her gently, speaking equivocal words.

Xuanji, you must remember...

Startled, she felt the tree beneath her shudder; the immense Buzhou Mountain was slowly closed by Shen Tu and Yu Lei. The severe shaking hit her chest, a numb pain. She felt breathless, her hand pressed to her chest, which was empty inside, as if everything had been sucked out by that whip.

A hand pressed against her, not like Yu Sifeng’s, rougher and with a burning palm, damp with sweat.

She looked at the person beside her in astonishment—Zhong Minyan! He held her hand tightly, his eyes fixated on her like the deepest ocean depths, unfathomable.

"Does it hurt?" he softly asked, then looked toward Buzhou Mountain in the distance, "It will be over soon."

She couldn’t utter a word, feeling wholly shaken from head to toe. She had never imagined, truly never imagined, he would treat her this way. He watched her quietly, a quietness that even had a hint of sorrow.

Sixth Brother? She wanted to ask, but no sound came from her throat.

Zhong Minyan looked down at her, and she had never seen such an expression on his face before. A mixture of sadness, despair, reluctance, trouble, calmness... Many emotions intermingled, with a layer of Liuli seeming to seal them all behind a facade of calm indifference.

"Xuanji, you..." His voice was very low, like a gentle breeze brushing through a courtyard on a summer afternoon, "Don’t be rash in the future. It’s not bad to let others take care of you."

What did he mean?

He let go of her hand and said in a low voice, "Just like that... It’s not bad to be idle. No one... will really blame you."

The violent shaking gradually subsided. Xuanji abruptly sat up, but he turned and jumped down from the tree, his expression calm, as if he hadn’t said anything at all. (To be continued, for more details of what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)