Love & Redemption
Chapter 204: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms - 11 Phoenix in Flight (Part 1)

Chapter 204: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms Chapter 11 Phoenix in Flight (Part 1)

Liu Yihuan left in a huff, and the others also seemed unable to sit still any longer. Chu Yinghong smiled and said, "Never mind, Mr. Liu is just straightforward, but he also makes sense, Min Yan, one can’t be too careful, you should be more cautious. I need to leave too, take good care of Linglong."

Zhong Minyan nodded in agreement, seeing her and Ting Nu out. Xuanji was about to leave when Linglong tugged at her sleeve. She understood immediately, sat down on the bed, and took her hand, asking softly, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Linglong pursed her lips tightly and did not speak for a long time. Her face, which had just been flushed with joy, now seemed somewhat pale, and her eyes were so deep that one couldn’t see the bottom. Xuanji was slightly startled and whispered, "Linglong?"

She blinked her eyes before speaking softly, "You said... that Wu Tong is already dead, is it true?"

Xuanji’s throat tightened, reminded of the time she had been imprisoned by Wu Tong. She was so foolish, although Linglong didn’t say anything, the look on Wu Tong’s face as he died, combined with Linglong’s current restless demeanor, made her instantly understand that something must have happened between them.

"How... did he die?" Linglong asked in a very low voice.

Xuanji sighed and narrated the events without glossing over any detail. Perhaps she should have concocted a lie, telling her Wu Tong was killed by her without mentioning his final frenzy, but for some reason, she ended up telling her the truth outright.

Linglong’s face turned pallid, and as she heard how Wu Tong, clutching Xuanji’s wrist, had called her Linglong, her lips began to tremble. Xuanji, seeing her look peculiar, immediately stopped talking. Linglong was stunned for a long time before quietly saying, "Well... it’s good that he died like that. Death is cleaner..."

Xuanji didn’t speak. It was Linglong’s affair with him, and she had no room to interject.

Linglong slowly raised her hand to her chest — where her heart was beating intensely. She couldn’t even discern whether at this moment she felt an extreme sense of relief or an extreme state of shock. Or perhaps that relief was mixed with a sadness she was unwilling to admit to herself, and the shock tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Such complex emotions, she didn’t know what to think. She had only ever given the strong emotions of her life to two people, one was Zhong Minyan whom she loved to the extreme, and the other was Wu Tong whom she hated to the extreme. Now that she suddenly lost one, she felt an indescribable sense of emptiness.

"Are you alright?" Xuanji looked down at her. She shook her head, and after a long while, her expression gradually calmed down as she spoke lightly, "It’s nothing, just a bit shocked to suddenly hear he died so miserably..." She suddenly smiled faintly, and although her smile was still bright and dazzling, it was no longer as innocent and naive as before, carrying a trace of poignant sorrow in her expression, "I’m fine. I’m just tired and want to sleep for a while."

Xuanji tucked her in properly, gently pushed the door open, and walked out. She hadn’t gone far when she saw Zhong Minyan around the corner, leaning against a pillar and looking up at the distant sky, seemingly in deep thought. She walked over slowly and heard him call out, "Xuanji."

She stopped, standing beside him, without saying a word. Zhong Minyan said softly, "I should thank you... for many things."

She faintly smiled and said, "Why is Sixth Brother suddenly being so formal? We are all from the same sect, your enemies are my enemies."

Actually, Chu Lei had not yet taken Zhong Minyan back to the Shaoyang Sect, but in Xuanji’s heart, he had always been that Sixth Brother who never showed her a kind face, who was impatient but very kind.

Zhong Minyan also smiled, then suddenly turned to look at her and said seriously, "And—I’m sorry for never showing you a good face. It was all my own problem, actually unrelated to you. You are a good girl."

Xuanji was caught off guard by his sudden conversation, and her face turned red as she stared at him, speechless. Zhong Minyan continued, "I just want to tell you, I never actually disliked you."

Xuanji let out an "ah," lowered her head and said softly, "Really? I thought..." She had always thought that Zhong Minyan really disliked her, wishing she would disappear quickly. Wasn’t that the case? Then why did he...

"Really. Because... I’m a fool," he laughed, seeing her puzzled, blankly staring at him, then patted her on the shoulder and said, "Well, it’s all right now. Aren’t you going down the mountain to search for Si Feng? Wait until after Linglong’s and my betrothal, then we’ll help you look for him."

Xuanji was still unclear about what he really meant, staring at him in a daze as if he had laid down some worry, his whole being relaxed, whistling as he turned and walked away. He had indeed resolved a matter of the heart, but it left Xuanji mulling over it the entire night, still failing to grasp his meaning.

Although everyone tried to convince Xuanji to stay for the betrothal ceremony of Linglong and Zhong Minyan before leaving, she still chose a night, took Tengshe with her, and quietly descended the mountain.

Liu Yihuan left the Shaoyang Sect, whereabouts unknown. Ting Nu seemed to quite like the atmosphere of the Shaoyang Sect, plus the demon’s sudden attack resulted in the death of two Elders and the injury of a He Yang, so the Sect was in dire need of someone with capabilities to guide them. The Elders all admired Ting Nu greatly, so he stayed at the Shaoyang Sect.

Xuanji never planned to go with them to search for Si Feng, because to her, it was a matter between her and Yu Sifeng alone, and she didn’t want to involve many people; she wanted to find him by herself. The only regret was that she wouldn’t be able to witness Linglong’s betrothal, but that was fine too, since her father said that Linglong wouldn’t be able to marry officially until she was eighteen. By then, Xuanji would bring Si Feng together to see Linglong donned in her bridal dress.

At that moment, under the moonlight as clear as water, Xuanji with Tengshe controlled her sword, silently flying down the mountain. Exiting through the back mountain path, the forest was utterly quiet, save for an occasional call from a night owl. A cool breeze rustled the leaves, which gleamed with a dark silvery sheen under the moonlight. As she left, she wondered how long it would be before she could return to this familiar scenery. Xuanji felt somewhat melancholic, gently stroked the tree trunk with her hand, and turned to see Tengshe quietly standing beside her, uncharacteristically silent and not fussing. In fact, he had been particularly quiet these few days, seemingly preoccupied with something.

Xuanji teased, "Surprisingly, you’re willing to be so quiet and accompany me. Don’t you miss those delicacies?"

Tengshe snorted through his nose, saying, "Are you annoying! What do you know about a man’s affairs, you woman!"

Xuanji teased him, "What kind of man are you considered, at best you’re a male beast. Are you thinking about the fight you agreed to with Wuzhiqi?"

Tengshe, having his concern pointed out, became even more irritable and said anxiously, "It has nothing to do with you! And I’m warning you, don’t you dare meddle!" He glared at her fiercely, like a child who had just snatched a treasured item and was afraid of it being taken away again, and now, this ’someone else’ was none other than Xuanji. His gaze was filled with a threat that if she dared to compete with him for it, he would be implacably hostile towards her.

Xuanji couldn’t be bothered with him and scoffed, saying leisurely, "I couldn’t care less to meddle. Two stinking men fighting each other, how amusing could that be?" She turned and walked down the mountain. Tengshe, curious about her carefree demeanor, quickly followed after her, pleading, "Fighting is fun, aren’t you really not interested? Before fighting him, how about we spar first?"

"I don’t want to," Xuanji waved her hand dismissively and laughed, "I won’t fight with a beast."

Tengshe tried hard to tempt her, "It’s really fun, come on! Please, come!"

Xuanji smacked him on the head, "Come on your head! Let’s go! Spending all your days either fighting or eating, don’t you ever say you’re my spiritual beast again when we go out!"

At that thought, she suddenly remembered that Tengshe had said before that she had to agree to cancel the contract whenever he asked, no matter what time it was. She couldn’t help but say, "That’s right, didn’t you say you wanted to cancel the contract before? Exactly how is the contract to be canceled successfully?"

Tengshe was taken aback, his face suddenly turning iron blue, and he said coldly, "Why do you ask, do you want to cancel the contract? Great, I’d be too glad! Just cancel it then!"

Xuanji was driven to a mix of laughter and tears by his outburst, "I... was just asking. Besides, it was clearly you who said last time..."

"So what? I’m going all out to help you, and you really dont appreciate it!" He was simply arguing absurdly.

Xuanji decided to just shut up and walk quietly. However, Tengshe couldn’t help nagging. At one moment, he said she was cold and heartless. In another, he said that he’d be only too glad to cancel the contract. He repeated this back and forth countless times, almost giving Xuanji calluses in her ears. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand, turned back with a smile, and said, "Alright, stop nagging. I’m not going to cancel the contract."

Tengshe said angrily, "Who cares if you cancel it or not! Anyway, I..."

"Alright, it’s that I can’t bear to cancel it, okay? Tengshe, you’re so capable, how could I bear to cancel the contract?"

When she couldn’t argue her way out, she began to coax him with tenderness. Just as she expected, Tengshe was someone who couldn’t resist soft words. Soothed by her gentle speaking, his temper instantly vanished. He laughed hehe, "That’s more like it. Humph, so you can’t bear to part with me. I’ll help you begrudgingly for a bit longer then."

Xuanji quietly laughed and pulled on his hand as they walked down the hillside.

Although the road ahead was uncertain, Yu Sifeng, wait for me. I will definitely find you soon!

********

It had been raining for five or six days straight, with the wind blowing from the sea carrying a lingering, moist chill. This continual dreary rain was the most common and least liked by the disciples of Lize Palace. On the coast, only a few disciples were scattered about, shivering from the biting sea breeze. After a few steps, they hurried back.

From afar, it seemed as if someone was playing the seven-stringed zither, the tinkling and melodious sounds, uneven yet rhythmic. It appeared to be played casually, without any set pattern, yet those seven strings would twirl and twist, seeming to evoke an endless longing. Feelings in the tune were so dense it seemed they could not be dissolved. Having heard many wonderful pieces before, he would sincerely exclaim they were heavenly melodies unheard in the mortal world. But he was wrong; those were clearly melodies from the dusty world, for they contained feelings.

Elegantly long fingers slowly plucked the seven strings, a melancholic sound resembling the moment she bowed her head and dew dropped from pink lotuses; the high-pitched sound was like her slender waist while dancing with the sword, wind swirling like snow dance; the alternating tones were like the wind lifting her soft black hair, each strand shimmering with light; the calm and steady tone was like her clearly defined eyes smiling quietly at him; the elusive merchant tone was like the faint dimples on her lips, so playful and enjoyable.

With Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu, he gently caressed her whole being, gradually sketching her out with his fingers.

He had been sitting in front of the window for a long time, the fine rain splashing in from outside, wetting the hair that hung at his chest. His long eyelashes also gathered some moisture, trembling lightly like the wings of a startled butterfly.

He was still reminiscing—or perhaps not reminiscing. Her frown and smile were so clear when he closed his eyes, as if she was standing right in front of him. It seemed he thought of some joyful moments, his wrist trembling slightly, and the seven-stringed zither produced an extremely sentimental sound, like ripples on the surface of water.

A sound of footsteps broke this moment of grace. Following that, the door was pushed open, and a deep voice said, "Si Feng, do not play such enervating music in Lize Palace!" Before the voice fell silent, there was a "zing", and a string broke. Yu Sifeng stood up, placed the seven-stringed zither aside, turned back, and replied blandly, "Yes, Master."

The newcomer was the Great Palace Master, his complexion an iron blue, brows tightly furrowed, clearly in a very bad mood. He walked to the table, slammed down a stack of papers with force, and said fiercely, "This Wu Tong, such audacity! Is the army of Buzhou Mountain there just to be commanded by him?!"

Yu Sifeng said nothing, picked up the stack of papers, and his brow slightly furrowed at the contents. It turned out that Buzhou Mountain harbored many troops prepared by Lize Palace, planning to attack hell and rescue Wuzhiqi when the time was right. The reason for the Great Palace Master’s rage was that Wu Tong had acted on his own to employ these troops to attack the Shaoyang Sect, culminating in total annihilation. According to reports from those left behind on Buzhou Mountain, Wu Tong fled for fear of punishment. On the way, he encountered disciples of the Shaoyang Sect who had come for revenge. Both sides fought their way into the Netherworld’s gates together, and their whereabouts became unknown.

He didn’t even need to guess to know who the disciple who came for revenge was. Who else could easily get to Buzhou Mountain and drive Wu Tong into the Netherworld?

Xuanji! His hand trembled, scattering the papers on the table. Yu Sifeng, without showing any reaction, collected them again. The Great Palace Master then said, "Such a loss of troops, and yet not a scratch on them. Wu Tong, by dying, took the easy way out. If he’s still alive, he must experience the methods of Lize Palace."

Yu Sifeng said, "Since the person is already dead, Master need not worry too much. I’ve always had a question, how did Wu Tong end up serving Lize Palace after the Five Great Sects issued a warrant for his arrest?"

The Great Palace Master chuckled, saying leisurely, "It was mere coincidence. I saw a dying dog, saved him, and he clung to me. Unfortunately, a dog is still a dog; in the end, he bit back."

He glanced at Yu Sifeng and added, "Don’t worry, that girl has a big life; she won’t die."

Yu Sifeng didn’t speak. After a while, he asked, "What does Master plan to do next?" The Great Palace Master answered, "I have to personally make a trip to the Netherworld..."

Before he finished speaking, a report came from outside, "The flames of Danyat Platform are lit; the Vice Palace Master has returned."

The color on the Great Palace Master’s face darkened as he rose and walked away. Then, as if remembering something, he turned back and said, "Si Feng, come along too. It’s time for you to take part in this matter." (To be continued – For the subsequent story, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)