Under the Heavenly Gate, the mountains were made of gold, and there was nothing but clouds accompanying the Xiān Gōng Sect1仙宫 – Xiān Gōng, translates to “Fairy Palace”. I’ve decided to not translate any name because some of them just sound weird in English. At the foot of the stone pathway, two inconspicuous outer disciples were sweeping the heavenly steps with brooms made of veritable jade. Although busy, it didn’t stop them from gossiping: “Have you heard about it? The Second Palace Master seems to have been secretly injured a few days ago. His cultivation… Might just stop there.”
“He was injured a few days ago? But how come I heard his declining health is because of that old injury he suffered at the hands of the Demon Lord…”
The disciple who first started gossiping heard his friend suddenly mention the Demon Lord and his expression changed. After waiting for a long time without receiving any divine retribution, he was relieved and said in fear: “How dare you mention that monster here… Be more careful in the future!”
His friend knew that he had made a grave mistake and quickly lowered his head to continue sweeping the nonexistent dust. However, the silence did not last long, and he still couldn’t help himself from mumbling: “Whether it’s a sword injury or a demonic one, I’m afraid Second Palace Master is already… Alas! If his cultivation is destroyed, there’s no chance of ascending. Even if they call Mrs. Mu to heal him, he’d still be… Like that, you know? In my opinion, he’s only keeping Lord Mu back.”
“What Senior Brother said is true, but…” The other one suddenly lowered his voice and said: “In this way, even if Lord Mu really manages to ascend in the future, I’m afraid he could only leave Second Palace Master behind–“
“Shh! The two lords are Dao companions2Besides mutual collaboration and spending their lives together, the dao companionship of martial cultivators has an even more profound meaning than the marriage of ordinary mortals. It means two people promise to walk the path of cultivation together, and cultivate together. They will live and die together, and share their fortunes and misfortunes equally.! How could they abandon each other? Don’t talk nonsense!”
“Although the two of them are Dao companions, everyone knows that it’s just the result of the Second Palace Master’s persistent request and Lord Mu’s soft heart… Otherwise, how can you explain the rumors flying around everywhere outside?”
“You mean… That teenager in red who started accompanying Lord Mu recently?”
Bai Ruolin3白若琳 – Bái Ruò Lín, where 白 (Bái) means white/blank/clear; 若 (Ruò) means the adverb as/like/such as; and 琳 (Lín) means beautiful jade/gem really couldn’t keep on listening to all that nonsense. Burning with anger, she suddenly stood up in the main hall, hugging her sword. However, she was stopped by the man who was quietly sitting next to her. “Ruolin, sit down.”
The man’s voice was extremely gentle but irresistibly compelling.
However, Bai Ruolin has had a bad temper since she was a child. At that moment, she turned her head anxiously and said: “…Brother! How could I allow them to talk like that?!”
Hearing her words, Feng Qingyun4凤清韵 – Fèng Qīng Yùn, where 凤 (Fèng) means phoenix; 清 (Qīng) means clear/clean; and 韵 (Yùn) means rhyme lowered his eyes and continued: “There’s nothing wrong with what they said. I’m not strong enough, and the weak should always bow their heads in front of the strong.”
Bai Ruolin was angry: ” But they said that–!”
“They said that although Senior Brother and I are Dao companions, it’s only my wishful thinking. That I pestered and begged him to marry me, and luckily, my Senior Brother was soft-hearted enough to pity me.” Feng Qingyun said lightly. “Isn’t that a well-known thing?”
In the past, he never used such a bad tone when mentioning Mu Hanyang5慕寒阳 – Mù Hán Yáng, where 慕 (Mù) means to admire/to adore/to yearn for; 寒 (Hán) means cold; and 阳 (Yáng) means positive/sun, and, no matter how bitter his situation was, he always spoke in harmony. And yet, hearing him talk like that, Bai Ruolin’s heart went cold. For the first time in her life, she felt the need to defend that useless Senior Brother of hers: “Brother Qingyun, he’s just stupid enough to not distinguish relatives from strangers. In fact, his essence is not–“
Before she finished her words, she suddenly stopped talking, and the two of them looked outside the hall at the same time. A handsome cultivator dressed in blue appeared in front of them without warning. The breath around him was restrained, and the sword that had never left his back was now held in his hand so casually, its place taken by a man whose life and death were unknown.
“Qingyun, Brother Qi was attacked by the master of the fox clan. I’ll take him to Luhua Pool6露华池 – Lù huá chí, translates to dew pool to warm up first. Please, we need to treat him…” The handsome man looked to be in a hurry, with a distorted speech, and obviously concerned about the fate of the person he carried on his back. Halfway through, he saw Bai Ruolin in the hall, and his voice dragged for a second: “… Little sister is also here.”
“… Sect Leader.” Seeing that he brought back some random person to the sect again, Bai Ruolin suddenly regretted that she had tried to defend him before, shouting his title coldly. She never called him Senior Brother, not even Mu Hanyang, just like a little girl whose parents don’t get along and who has been resentful of her father since she was a child.
As soon as those words left her mouth, several cultivators in the Qi Condensation and Foundation-Building stages disgracefully fell in front of the main hall, one after another. Too disheveled to even salute anyone, they rose to their feet and hurried inside. One of the young men, a teenager dressed in red, was a little out of breath, but he still hurriedly asked with concern: “Brother Hanyang, how’s Brother Qi?!”
He was new to cultivation, so his soul perception was weak. After breaking into the main hall, he didn’t immediately see the other two palace masters inside.
Feng Qingyun was used to the “liveliness” that always surrounded Mu Hanyang each time he returned to the sect, so there was not much difference in his expression. But Bai Ruolin, their youngest sister, saw that Mu Hanyang had really brought back a teenager dressed in red… And so, her face turned as gloomy as frost, with eyes that could kill people.
She was just about to say something when Feng Qingyun looked at her quietly, prompting her movements to stiffen. After returning to her senses, she threw Mu Hanyang an angry look, and then shook her sleeves and left, not caring about her eldest brother’s face for a single second.
However, Mu Hanyang was still the leader of the Righteous Path. To be disregarded like that by his own sister, in front of so many of his friends, left him feeling helpless, but… He still had his name to protect, so there was nothing he could do to her. And so, after she left with a cold face, he continued to talk as if nothing happened: “Qingyun, please invite Mrs. Mu for me. She’s the only one who could save Brother Qi.”
Mu Tingwan7different Mu from Mu Hanyang. 木庭婉 – Mù Tíng Wǎn, where 木 (Mù) means wood; 庭 (Tíng) means courtyard; and 婉 (Wǎn) means beautiful/graceful was the only Nascent Soul cultivator of the Righteous Path and the best medical practitioner in the world. Except for the demons who didn’t respect anyone, all the other beings, whether they were human or ghosts, had to bow their heads in front of her. Therefore, Mu Tingwan’s status in the cultivation world was transcendent, and the conditions for inviting her for treatment were quite harsh. There was even a precedent of asking immortals to scatter all of their cultivation for just a single prescription…
… And yet, despite knowing that, Mu Hanyang still lightly asked Feng Qingyun to call the “doctor” for him.
As for why he didn’t go himself, it wasn’t really because he was afraid of death. On the contrary, it was precisely because this Lord Mu cared so much about the well-being of the entire world, that all the medical fees he owed for saving random strangers he called friends could never be paid off, to the point where Xiaoyao Valley8Xiaoyao Valley is Mu Tingwan’s sect. 逍遥谷目 – Xiāoyáo gǔ mù, translates to Carefree Valley/Freedom Valley has simply banned him from entering.
And so, he could only come up with a second plan and ask Feng Qingyun to go and seek medical treatment for him.
Feng Qingyun didn’t answer when he heard his words. Instead, he just looked down at the person on Mu Hanyang’s back and said: “It’s just a simple illusion of the fox clan, not a big deal.”
In fact, both he and the foxes were part of the demon clan. Although he followed his Master, Zhong Yulan9钟御兰 – Zhōng Yù Lán, where 钟 (Zhōng) means bell/chime; 御 (Yù) means royal/imperial; and 兰 (Lán) means orchid, to become a sword cultivator since childhood, his body was still that of a spiritual plant. He was naturally in sync with other spirit beasts, so seeing through their spells was nothing hard. Even if the fox clan was renowned for their illusions, that type was still the most common and lowest of the arts, and anyone affected by it would generally wake up after a few months. All of that implied there was no need to accumulate another debt just to save that person.
Hearing that, Mu Hanyang was obviously relieved. He turned his head and shouted to his eldest disciple: “Ah Wu, take Brother Qi to Luhua Pool for a warm-up.”
Being summoned, his eldest disciple immediately took the man on his back, turned around, and left the hall quickly. After learning that the cultivator surnamed Qi was going to be fine, everyone in the hall showed various degrees of relaxation, apart from the teenager in red whose face looked paler than before and a little stagnant.
Feng Qingyun glanced at him, but no one else found his abnormality. Mu Hanyang didn’t see it either, but finally took the time to introduce Feng Qingyun to everyone: “Qingyun, I forgot to introduce you. These Daoist friends are people I’ve met during my time away from the sect.” Then, he turned his head and said to the group of cultivators: “This is the younger brother I mentioned to you before. He is famous for being easy-going and kind, so there’s no need for restraint when talking to him. Just treat him the same as you would treat me.”
That introduction seemed fine on the surface, but if one were to look deeply, there were clues. Everyone realised that it was just as the rumors said. Mu Hanyang only called Feng Qingyun his younger brother, and never his Dao companion… Their expressions were a little subtle for a moment, but finally, everyone still bowed their heads to salute.
Even the young man in red who looked a little pale forced a smile and said: “Hello, Second Palace Master.” However, after smiling, he frowned slightly, as if he was putting up with something. However, unfortunately for him, Mu Hanyang was a rough person in that regard, and never noticed those small movements.
Seeing all that spectacle, Feng Qingyun actually felt peaceful inside. As a Dao companion who had held a big ceremony with Mu Hanyang, he was not angry at all when his husband only introduced him as a younger brother. In fact, he seemed to have gotten used to it a long time ago. Sure enough, he was just like “that”. A person without a temper.
Seeing his complete lack of reaction, it was inevitable that there would be strangeness in the hearts of all cultivators present. Everyone knew that Mu Hanyang was the leader of the Righteous Path, and also the sect master of Xiān Gōng Sect, personally chosen by the previous lord before she ascended10I’m not sure whether Zhong Yulan, the previous sect master, is a woman or a man. They are referred to as “the best swordsman in the world”, but Feng Qingyun also calls them “mother”, and with a name that translates to Chime Royal Orchid, I’ll just go with “she/her” for now. However, it was his nature to get busy, running around everywhere to eliminate evil. Therefore, he had no time to instruct new disciples, and despite being the nominal Sect Master, it was in fact Feng Qingyun, the Second Palace Master, who was responsible for the affairs of the entire sect.
And yet, all those cultivators couldn’t help looking up at the actual person in power, finding him… Really mediocre. To be fair, Feng Qingyun’s face could rightfully be called the most beautiful in the world, and unlike Mu Hanyang’s heroic handsomeness, Feng Qingyun’s superior appearance went beyond gender, managing not to be offensive at all.
In fact, the words “gentle as jade” seemed to be born for him. That kind of beauty was objective all over the realms, from Heaven to the Underworld.
But that was all.
The cultivation world respected strength and there were countless beautiful people. If one only had their physical appearance, they could only be regarded as a beautiful, yet empty vase. As for Feng Qingyun’s strength… He was indeed the second in command of the number one sect of the Righteous Path, and everyone said that he was extremely diligent, paying the most attention to cultivation, but the final result was… Just a little ridiculous.
The world only heard his name twice: when he basically forced his Senior Brother to marry him, and when he was defeated in a single move, the only time he faced the Demon Lord in front of the Heavenly Gate. Both of those achievements could only bring shame to the Righteous Path. Although rumours were rumours and nobody knew what actually happened when he faced the Demon Lord, the truth was that his strength could only be called ordinary. Maybe the title of being just a pretty consort was plenty suitable for him… Thinking of that, and comparing him to Mu Hanyang, all those cultivators looked at him with contempt.
And yet, Feng Qingyun only lowered his eyes slightly. In fact, he had seen that kind of subtle attitude a lot. At least five out of ten of the guests brought back by Mu Hanyang looked at him in that way. As for Mu Hanyang, that was another thing he never noticed. He was simply happy that his junior brother got along well with his new friends, wanting to say something. However, at that moment, the teenager in red finally couldn’t help coughing twice, and then spit out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
The main hall suddenly fell into unprecedented silence, and then the pot exploded in an instant.
“Cultivator Lian?!” “Ziqing11连子卿 – Lián Zǐ Qīng, where 连 (Lián) means even/to connect; 子 (Zǐ) means child/seed; and 卿 (Qīng) means minister; Quite a random name, especially when compared with how poetic everyone else’s names are. In fact, all the names in this novel are quite nice, except for ML’s name :)) I find that translation hilarious, you’ll see why in the future!”
Mu Hanyang suddenly gathered his wits and grabbed the teenager’s wrist. While taking his pulse, he said nervously: “Did the fox master attack you as well?! Why didn’t you say anything?!”
The teenager in red shook his head and whispered: “I didn’t want you to worry… In fact, it’s not a big deal. Brother Hanyang, don’t be nervous for me… Cough!”
Mu Hanyang wasn’t that good at reading someone’s health by taking their pulse, so his face immediately became more and more solemn. In the end, he still turned around and raged: “Qingyun, invite Mrs. Mu immediately!” After saying that, he directly picked up the person, turned around, and walked out of the hall. The others quickly followed him.
That teenage boy leaned weakly in his arms, his face as white as snow, but his clothes as red as fire… And wrapped like that in Mu Hanyang’s arms, both of them looked boundlessly compatible.
Elder Fa Hong12法弘 – Fǎ Hóng, where 法 (Fǎ) means law; and 弘 (Hóng) means great, who came to report on his duties, happened to bump into that scene and immediately stopped. He looked strangely at Feng Qingyun, who was standing on the high platform, quietly watching Mu Hanyang’s retreating back.
At that moment, he suddenly had an inexplicable feeling, as if Feng Qingyun was going to ascend on the spot.
…………
Half a day later, the young cultivator in red finally stopped coughing blood, but there were still no signs of Mrs. Mu. Looking at the pale boy in his arms, Mu Hanyang frowned and got up from the Luhua Pool.
At night, it was Feng Qingyun’s habit to place a barrier around his sleeping quarters, preventing any disciple from disturbing his cultivation for some random, common affair. On that full moon night, he felt it was particularly suitable to try and advance his cultivation, so that night’s barrier was particularly strong.
Normally, not even a natural disaster could break through, but of course, there were always exceptions to everything.
The spiritual power ran through his meridians. Just when he was about to condense everything into his dantian, the barrier around him suddenly rippled slightly. Feng Qingyun raised his eyes and, a couple of breaths later, a trace of blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.
And just like that, all his cultivation efforts for the last couple of decades dissipated into thin air just because one particular intruder was too anxious to wait.
“Qingyun.” But after stepping into his bedroom, that person still dared to look depressed, saying in a low voice, as if he was there to interrogate a demon: “Where is Mrs. Mu?”
Feng Qingyun sat on the bed with his hair scattered. He simply lowered his eyes and wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth, not saying anything for a long time.
As he sat there and waited, the young man in red was in danger, so naturally, Mu Hanyang was impatient. Seeing that Feng Qingyun was still so gentle and undisturbed, he immediately got angry. He was just about to say something when he saw the other party lift the curtain of his bed and look straight at him.
All those that belonged to the demon clan were originally gifted in appearance, but spiritual plants had particularly delicate, almost female-looking features. Although Feng Qingyun’s body was completely male, the scene still stunned Mu Hanyang. That unique and subtle, but still inhumane beauty of the demon clan almost broke the Heavens in half, however… The sense of wonder disappeared as soon as Feng Qingyun opened his mouth.
“I haven’t invited Mrs. Mu at all,” he whispered.
Hearing his words, Mu Hanyang immediately withdrew from his mesmerized state. After coming back to his senses, he said impatiently: “Ziqing, his life and death are uncertain now! Why not–“
“Senior Brother still owes Mrs. Mu a lot in medical fees. Last time, Ruolin took care of your face by pawning her jade belt and paying off the debt. And before that, when Senior Brother wanted to help Zhang Daoyou from Xuanwu Pavilion, we had to sell one of Master’s precious swords.” Feng Qingyun looked into his eyes and asked softly: “This time around, what should we sell?”
Mu Hanyang was choked by him, and all the fire that barely started in his heart was extinguished by the reality of being both poor and owning money. He strode to the bed, sat next to Feng Qingyun, and then began to look left and right, trying to reason with him: “Qingyun, human life is in danger, and those things are nothing but material possessions… I know you think that they have low cultivation, therefore they are not worthy of wasting Master’s old things, but cultivators should always treat others with nobility, and human life should be a priority.”
Feng Qingyun looked down at his fingertips. Suddenly, an emerald vine stretched out, turning into an ink-colored hairpin. He pulled up his hair without saying a word.
He had heard that speech so many times.
There were always people like that in the world.
Generous in front of friends and always ready to pull out their swords and protect strangers. Only in front of those classified as relatives, that generosity will turn into a sharp blade. Perhaps heroes have been like that since ancient times. Able to see the suffering of the entire world, and also able to sacrifice their own families for the greater good.
And those who stood behind the hero never had their existence mentioned in the history books.
However, Feng Qingyun’s silence was understood as agreement by Mu Hanyang. The man breathed a sigh of relief and hugged his shoulders, just like when they were young.
“Good brother, how can I, as a senior, abandon those who depend on me?” A few seconds later, he finally whispered: “Mrs. Mu is born with a single wood spiritual root, and your body is also that of a spiritual plant… A single one of your vines is enough to invite her. Anyway, it will grow back in the future…”
“At this moment, people’s lives are at risk. I beg you, you go and call her for me, okay?”
T.N: New project alert! If you already hate this surnamed Mu, hold your horses ‘cuz he’s about to become so much more infuriating :))
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As usual, up to five chapters in advance are available here. Happy reading!
