Love & Redemption
Chapter 152: Volume 4: The Splintering Dream of China - 9: Soul and Spirit (Part 1)

Chapter 152: Volume 4: The Splintering Dream of China Chapter 9: Soul and Spirit (Part 1)

Unsurprisingly, 600 taels of glittering silver notes smoothly made their way into Xuanji and Yu Sifeng’s bulging wallets. The Chief Constable’s face was no longer gloomy like a rainy day; it shone bright and radiant like the sun in June, and his gaze upon the two was as if he were looking at living immortals.

Xuanji and his two companions were warmly kept in Lutai Town by the enthusiastic Chief Constable, who hosted celebratory banquets every day, during which they drank more than a dozen jars of Fruit Yellow wine alone. Tengshe naturally indulged in the delicious food to his heart’s content, almost wishing to stay in Lutai Town indefinitely and leaving the concerns of Buzhou Mountain far behind.

And so they stayed there for over a month, being treated to hospitality every day, to the point where even Xuanji felt a little embarrassed. Coincidentally, on this day Yu Sifeng went out on some errand, and with Tengshe busy in the government office scouring for tasty treats, she had nothing to do and sneakily went to join Yu Sifeng for some fun. Turned out, his sword had been damaged by Tengshe on that day, and he needed to find a craftsman to fit a new scabbard and hilt.

Having received the reward silver and not having to spend on food and accommodations, the two behaved as if they were wealthy, spending generously. Yu Sifeng first bought five Bright Pearls from a jeweler and then ordered an ivory handle, with just these two items costing 200 silver taels. And with the requirement for a considerable amount of gold on the scabbard and the intricacy of the carvings—by the time they got their hands on the newly fitted treasure sword, they had spent so much of the 600 silver taels that less than 300 remained.

Yu Sifeng himself thought it was a bit too extravagant, but having grown up in Lize Palace where Bright Pearls and gemstones were plentiful and taken for granted, he was accustomed to luxury. Seeing the new scabbard and hilt, which were very good-looking, made him happy inside.

As the saying goes, a fine sword and saddle make for a fine attire, and a young man in fresh clothes on a spirited horse, brandishing his sword across the world—now that’s a statement. However, they didn’t need to ride horses, so they could only make an effort with their clothes. They really did get a complete makeover, from head to toe, with Xuanji even sorting out Tengshe’s share. This shopping spree cost them another 100 or more silver taels. The 600 taels of reward money were spent within a single day, totaling around 400 taels. However, Yu Sifeng was accustomed to luxury since childhood, and Xuanji also had little concept of money, having always lived a carefree life; hence, their brief pangs of regret at their wastefulness were fleeting and soon forgotten.

Ever since Xuanji had known Yu Sifeng, he had always worn a green robe embroidered with the Lize Palace’s symbol, but today, for the first time, he took off this old clothing and changed into a dark blue robe with matching leg-wrapped boots. He had a tall and slender frame, with broad shoulders and long legs; on anyone else, the outfit might have seemed cumbersome, but on him, it looked different. On the way back to the government office, countless maidens’ eyes were stuck on him, unable to look away, yet these two fools were completely unaware, only chatting away, smiling and laughing.

"Won’t you be blamed for taking off that green robe?" Xuanji asked, thinking of the bully-like people from Lize Palace, and couldn’t help but worry.

Yu Sifeng laughed, "I’m no longer a person of Lize Palace. A minor disciple like me—why would anyone bother with me? Perhaps, my master and the rest have already forgotten about me."

Xuanji shook her head. Although Si Feng was a minor disciple of no consequence, the reaction of both the main and deputy Palace Masters of Lize Palace was completely different. The Great Palace Master was even willing to sacrifice Elder Luo to get him back; she couldn’t understand why and the thought made her feel very uneasy.

Yu Sifeng chatted with her for a while and then, as if he suddenly remembered something, took out a jade hairpin from his embrace, finely carved with a phoenix ready to soar. Exquisitely lifelike.

"Do you like this?" he asked, smiling.

Xuanji took it, holding it in her palm, noticing the jade was like a pond of unfathomable green water, truly a fine piece. The phoenix on the head of the pin was delicately crafted, demonstrating incredible artistry, and she knew this was an extremely expensive item, "I like it... but, did you buy it?"

He just smiled, pulled out the silver hairpin from her hair, dexterously arranged a new hairstyle for her, and carefully inserted the phoenix jade hairpin in place. After closely examining it, he said, "It wasn’t purchased just now. I’ve had it for a long time. Always had it on me, and I only found it again today when changing clothes. If you like it, then I’ll give it to you."

A long time ago? Xuanji suddenly felt an odd sensation, murmuring, "You... Aren’t you a man? Why do you have a hairpin for women..." Before he met her, he had known other girls? Hadn’t he said he’d never seen a woman before?

Yu Sifeng coughed twice, his face suddenly reddened, and he said in a low voice, "When I was young... I was frail, and my master raised me as a girl until I was six. He said the hairpin was a relic of my mother’s; usually, girls should start wearing their hair up when they come of age, but because this was a relic, I wore it until I was six..."

Act like a girl? Xuanji stared at him blankly, suddenly imagining him with makeup awkwardly trying to pass as a lady, and couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter. Yu Sifeng indignantly said, "What’s so funny? Haven’t you ever dressed up as a man?"

Xuanji was laughing so hard she could hardly speak, just shook her head, and after a long while she managed to say while holding her stomach, "No, it’s not that... I remember that time on Gao Mountain, when you put on the wedding dress... Hahaha! So you have been dressing up as a woman for years!"

Yu Sifeng had nothing to say, just walked on with a red face, muttering, "I should have known better than to tell you..."

Xuanji quickly grabbed his arm and giggled, "Don’t be mad, I didn’t mean to laugh on purpose. But this phoenix hairpin is a legacy from your mother, it must be very important, right? I’m always careless, what if I break it?"

He said softly, "That’s why you need to be careful, it’s my treasured heirloom. If you break it, I won’t let you off the hook."

Xuanji, in a gentle tone, asked, "Has your master ever told you about what your parents were like?"

Yu Sifeng paused for a moment, then said, "Hmm, he often talked about my mother, but he seldom mentioned my father, only that he had failed my mother, such a good woman. He died before I was born, and my mother also died from heartbreak after giving birth to me. My master said he has never seen a woman more gentle and beautiful than my mother."

As he spoke, the longing and attachment he felt for his mother showed on his face. There is no one in the world who doesn’t love their parents, and although he seldom talked about it, he must be sad that he grew up without his parents. Xuanji sighed, patting his arm, not knowing what to say.

"But, you are mistaken," he suddenly said, beginning a seemingly nonsensical conversation. Xuanji was startled, and he continued, "It’s not a phoenix, it’s a Golden Winged Bird."

Golden Winged Bird? Xuanji couldn’t help pulling out the hairpin to take a closer look, and indeed, it was different from the phoenix depicted in the pictures; its body was more slender and didn’t have the colorful, dazzling feathers on its head that a phoenix has. On its back, counting its giant bifurcated wings, there were six, which was quite distinctive.

"The Golden Winged Bird is a species that lives in the West and usually leads a solitary life, not flocking together. They have a very melodious call, so they’re also a very rare species. Golden Winged Birds typically have four forks in their wings, and it’s extremely rare to see one with six, so a Six-winged Golden Winged Bird is even more precious."

Xuanji gently ran her finger over the jade hairpin and suddenly asked, "Is the Golden Winged Bird a demon? I... seem to have heard of it before, but I can’t quite remember."

Yu Sifeng redid her hair and put the hairpin back in place, saying quietly, "Yes, it’s a demon. Would you despise it?"

"How could I?" she chuckled, looking back at him, "I’ve never seen one, how could I despise it?"

"Would you despise it after you’ve seen one?" Yu Sifeng couldn’t follow her line of thought.

After thinking for a moment, Xuanji laughed and said, "If it’s good-looking, most people would cherish it, wouldn’t they?"

Good-looking... He rubbed his temple, always failing to hear the answer he wanted to hear, and felt somewhat dejected.

"Using demons and immortals to make distinctions is a pretty meaningless thing. Zi Hu is a demon, too, but I really like her. So, I think whether you like or dislike something, it shouldn’t be about the type but about understanding them first before you can make a judgment, right?"

Yu Sifeng was stunned for a moment, then nodded and suddenly smiled, "You’re quite open-minded."

"Of course!" Xuanji tossed her head back, insufferably arrogant.

*****

Since Chief Constable had strongly urged them to stay and Tengshe enjoyed the Fruit Yellow here, the trio lingered in Lutai Town for over half a month before they set off on their journey.

Away from the delicious food, Tengshe’s face darkened considerably. All along the way, his grumbling made Xuanji’s ears almost grow callouses, his gripes being nothing more than "Our pace of travel is useless with just the abilities you have!" "We might as well have enjoyed more good food! What’s the rush?" "Following you, I’ll become a wastrel just like you sooner or later!" and the like.

At first, she would retort a couple of times, but the more she argued, the more excited he got, jumping high with the attitude of "If you disagree, let’s have a fight." Where in the world would you find a spiritual beast and its master fighting? Even if Xuanji was willing to join in, his instinct as a spiritual beast restrained him, making it impossible for him to use his real strength. As time passed, Xuanji became indifferent to his nagging.

With more than two months left until the Flower Pinning Conference, the two young people weren’t in a rush to return, so every day they would fly with Sword Control, wandering around. Whenever they saw a town, they would stay for a couple of days to observe the local customs, which was rather interesting. Though there was no more Fruit Yellow, the delicacies of various places also proved to be a big temptation for Tengshe, and gradually, his complaints faded away.

The peak of summer passed quickly in their playful enjoyment. With the Flower Pinning Conference approaching, it was time to head back to Shaoyang and join the group to participate in this Flower Pinning contest at Fuyu Island.

The thought of returning to the Shaoyang Sect, seeing her father and mother, and Linglong, had Xuanji so excited she couldn’t sleep. In the middle of the night, tossing and turning in her inn room, she finally got up, packed her bags, and sorted out the gifts she had bought from all the places, thinking of the happy faces when everyone received their presents, and she was even more delighted.

Moreover, when she returned this time, she had to tell her father that she had caught a very powerful spiritual beast. No more worries about Wu Tong and Buzhou Mountain. With Tengshe’s help, she was determined to rescue Sixth Brother and Linglong. Hehe, her father must have heard of Tengshe, too—it was a Divine Beast after all!

Thinking of Tengshe, she couldn’t help but go look in the outer room. Yu Sifeng said that a spiritual beast and its master, having formed a contract, must not be separated, so every time they stayed at an inn, she had to request a large room with inner and outer sections connected, the outer part for Tengshe to stay. At this point, she didn’t care about the propriety of male and female interactions; after all, in Xuanji’s eyes, he was no different from a "beast," and to him, she was probably just an annoying brat he couldn’t be bothered with.

Unexpectedly, the outer room was empty, Tengshe was not there sleeping. Xuanji, puzzled, pushed open the room door and saw a faint light in the tavern below. It seemed there was a conversation, and she leaned over the railing to look, only to find Yu Sifeng and Tengshe up in the middle of the night, drinking downstairs.

"Why didn’t you call me when you were drinking?" Xuanji hurried down, asking with a smiling face.

When they saw her, they immediately stopped talking. Tengshe coldly said, "As a woman, it’s already a sin to always cry for fighting, and to drink on top of that, is just enraging the heavens and the people, utterly detestable."

Xuanji couldn’t be bothered with him and pretended not to hear. Yu Sifeng got her a cup, poured her a drink, and smiled, "I saw the light out in your room earlier, so I thought you were asleep, that’s why I didn’t call you. We were just talking about going to Buzhou Mountain. Tengshe has business there, too, and it nicely lines up after the Flower Pinning Conference, so we can all go together."

"Oh? You never mentioned it to me. You’re also going to Buzhou Mountain? To do what?" Xuanji looked at Tengshe with curiosity. His Phoenix Eyes narrowed slightly, and scanning her with a look of distaste, he said, "It’s none of your business, why ask so many questions."

Having said that, his face suddenly changed, and he hastily reached into his bosom. With a "whoosh," he pulled out something. Everyone looked intently and saw the dazzling silver light—it was actually Little Silver Flower.

"What on earth is up with this little guy!" Tengshe twisted his brows fiercely, "Instead of staying in your master’s sleeve, you keep squirming your way over to me! Squirming for what!"

Little Silver Flower tried to appease him by flicking its tongue and, with a curl of its tail, affectionately twined around his wrist. No matter how hard he shook, he couldn’t get rid of it—it was determined to cling to him.

"I oughta burn you with fire!" Tengshe was livid with killing intent. He had been so annoyed by this little snake; ever since it became that bratty girl’s spiritual beast, it had considered him one of its own, with a seemingly sympathetic connection. Yu Sifeng’s sleeve was no longer its cherished place, and it would slip away to find him whenever there was a chance.

"Perhaps it thinks you’re the same kind," Xuanji said with a mischievous laugh, "You’re Tengshe, and it’s a snake too. Both snakes, right?"

"Ptooey! Don’t lump me in with such an inferior species! And who told you that Tengshe is a snake?!"

Yu Sifeng pulled Little Silver Flower from his hand, and it still clung to Tengshe’s wrist reluctantly, as if yearning for someone it couldn’t be with daily. Yu Sifeng couldn’t help laughing and crying at its traitorous behavior and could only sigh, "If you like him so much, then be his spiritual beast."

Upon hearing her master speak, Little Silver Flower hurriedly scampered back, filled with the sentiment that ’new people were never as good as the old.’ It hid in his sleeve, only revealing its head, gazing somberly at Tengshe—the look probably one of lamenting not having met him before her own birth.

Just as it was gazing with deep emotion, there was a rustling of wings flapping against the windowsill. Little Silver Flower immediately froze and shrank back, not even daring to show its head. Everyone turned to look and saw a red glow outside the window—it was the patrolling Red Bird returning.

Chu Lei had deployed it to protect Xuanji and Yu Sifeng, and it was very diligent. Aside from eating and sleeping, it would patrol around, checking for any suspicious characters. Xuanji opened the window, and sure enough, it was Red Bird, perched proudly on the windowsill, preening its splendid feathers. Upon seeing Xuanji, it crowed arrogantly and with a flap of its wings, flew in and landed in front of Yu Sifeng, cocking its head eagerly as it stared at his sleeve—inside which was the curled-up Little Silver Flower.

Little Silver Flower dared not face Red Bird. It was its natural enemy. Yet, ironically, the Red Bird had a fondness for Yu Sifeng, and as a result, had grown fond of Little Silver Flower too. Its first order of business upon returning from patrol was to seek out Little Silver Flower for playtime. Now, seeing it hide and avoid itself, Red Bird grew anxious, chirping shrilly and rubbing its beak incessantly against Yu Sifeng’s sleeve, attempting to coax Little Silver Flower out.

"You pesky bird, it doesn’t like you! Clinging desperately isn’t the behavior of a true warrior!" Tengshe flicked Red Bird’s head and mocked maliciously. He and this feathered beast despised each other, always an eyesore to one another. Taking the initiative to provoke, Red Bird immediately got angry, feathers flared wide, and it started to peck at him wildly. Tengshe yelled as he was pecked, putting up a frantic fight, but to no avail. Red Bird was nimble and light, pecked several holes in his face, and then promptly flew off to sleep.

"I’ll definitely stew you into chicken soup!" Tengshe was furious, wishing he could set fire to the entire inn.

"Can’t you be quiet," Xuanji said helplessly, "All this shouting every day, it’s killing me."

Just as Tengshe was about to retort, he heard a fierce "squeak" from Red Bird perching on the beam above, asleep. All of its feathers puffed up, causing it to double in size instantly. Its blood-red eyes glared murderously outside the window, as if it had spotted something terrifying. Suddenly, with a flick of its wings, like lightning, it broke through the window and flew out.

"There seems to be some commotion outside," Yu Sifeng said softly, tugging at Xuanji’s clothes. He followed Red Bird, leaping out the window.

(To be continued. For what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)