As they say, “Those who commit many injustices will surely destroy themselves” – that describes me perfectly. In childhood, I always led the bullying of other children, and now it was all coming back to me at once. Even after being beaten like this, they still didn’t help me up, instead crouching around me and Xuanyue like a group of children observing an ant colony, studying us with lowered heads.
After staring at each other for a while, I discovered these three were indeed as I had imagined: one was a fat man, one was a bright-eyed, fair-toothed, vivaciously beautiful girl, and one was a lively young man thin as a monkey. The girl opened her big eyes and said: “You are… of the Suzhao Clan?”
This question caught me off guard. I had forgotten that my hair was azure and my skin was a shade whiter than mortals’, making me easily noticeable. However, recalling the previous attitude of immortals toward us, to be honest, this Little Princess was scared! If I openly admitted it, who knew if they might set me on fire for kindling.
Fortunately, before I could respond, the skinny monkey had already said: “Suzhao Clan? Who are they?”
“They’re from the…” The girl seemed about to blurt something out, but quickly swallowed it back. “Suzhao is the Lunar Capital on the Northern Sea. It’s said many Suzhao people live there – they all have azure hair and snow-white skin, born with water manipulation abilities.”
The fat man glanced at me: “So all Suzhao people look this beautiful? Are they also immortal beings?”
The girl frowned and forced a smile: “How ignorant. We and they are as different as clouds and mud. I don’t know if they count as mortals or demons. If you say they’re demons, they have no original forms. If you say they’re human…” She pointed at my hair. “Can humans grow hair this color? Wait, hey girl, you look familiar…”
Oh no, had she also seen me before? I quickly said: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This hair was naturally born this way. Have you seen enough?”
“Oh my, Junior Sister, I think we’ve misunderstood her.” The fat man seemed kind-hearted. “The girl is covered in wounds, so severely injured. We should take her to Ningxin Temple and find some pills for her to take?”
The girl was still somewhat displeased: “Armchair strategizing. Are the pills at Ningxin Temple something we can just grab at will? Whether this girl is human or a ghost, we can tell by bringing her to the Master. You two quickly pick her up and come with me to see Master.”
Before I could struggle, they had already carried me like a side of pork and flown up the mountain.
Now I was finished – delivered to the immortal headquarters.
Watching them fly over peak after peak, I also saw more and more immortals: some shuttled through clouds and mist, flying on swords; some stood on overlapping peaks, chanting and admiring the misty clouds; some rode unknown flying beasts, listening to pipes and drums while intoxicated; some were young and reckless, fighting with others in aerial combat, their magic techniques splashing colorful light across the sky…
Ordinary people seeing such scenes would probably only feel like they were sleepwalking in Handan, dreamlike and fantastical, but my little heart was trembling wildly, goosebumps threatening to turn into a storm of pear blossom needles. This miserable life truly went from one sewage ditch into another cesspit.
Finally, after asking around everywhere for their master’s whereabouts, they tracked him to a high tower platform. Here, despite the accumulated snow everywhere, flowers bloomed in clusters and grass grew lush, crowded with overfed immortal cranes. In the center of this flock of fat cranes was a thin, tall old immortal feasting on rosy clouds and scenic views.
He stood with hands behind his back at the cliff’s edge, snow-white hair reaching his knees, ethereal as cloud and smoke, his ivory-colored long robe floating like wind.
Hearing his three disciples calling, he turned around, looked down at me, then glanced at Xuanyue curled in my arms. He stroked his beard, his long white eyebrows twitched, and said only one sentence: “This is a major matter.”
Whatever major matter they were talking about, I only knew that if I kept bleeding like this, sleeping in a coffin would become my life’s major matter.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to faint.
When I woke up again, I had been bandaged like a dumpling, with warm currents flowing through my body – apparently, I had been treated with immortal magic. I was now lying on an indoor bed, surrounded by towering medicine cabinets filled with countless bottles and jars.
I struggled to get out of bed and walked rather inflexibly out of the room. In the main hall outside, I saw the white-browed old immortal.
Seeing me emerge, he turned and said: “Young lady, I sense spiritual energy flowing through your body, yet it’s not entirely immortal power. Are you cultivating immortality?”
I shook my head: “Actually, I don’t know what I am either. The spiritual energy is innate.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Then what are your plans for the future?”
I honestly shook my head again: “I don’t know either. I don’t even know where I am or what your status is.”
The white-browed old immortal said, “You are in Qinghong Mountain of the immortal realm. This is a place where immortal disciples cultivate in seclusion. All semi-immortals and wandering immortals can apprentice and learn here. I am Lord Xuxing, commanded by the Immortal Venerable to come here and teach.”
“Then, are you the master of the immortal disciples here?”
“Correct.”
This Lord Xuxing appeared very kind and had no immortal airs about him. He probably knew nothing about the evil deeds of Immortal Lord Huangdao and Elder Ruyue. As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is also the safest. If I could stay here, it would be better than wandering outside and possibly being killed by those immortals someday.
I kept my wits about me and knelt directly on the ground: “Then, can you accept me? My name is Luowei. I’m an orphan who has always wandered about homeless. I beg the Great Immortal to take me as a disciple!”
Lord Xuxing said, “Don’t be hasty with kneeling. Although you have wisdom and a spiritual power foundation, Qinghong Mountain has strict hierarchies. I am a Heavenly Lord, ranked third level among immortals, and don’t take disciples below flying immortal level. If you truly wish to cultivate here, I can take you to find a master.”
“Good! I’ll go with you right now!” I quickly stood up and looked around. “Wait, where’s Xuanyue?”
“Xuanyue is that little tiger, right?” He pointed to the sealed cage in the corner. “Do you know that the little tiger you’re raising has no small background?”
I quickly ran over and looked at the pitiful Xuanyue outside the cage: “Xuanyue has a good nature. Please don’t harm it.”
Lord Xuxing said, “Don’t worry. Hemp growing among hemp needs no support to grow straight; white sand mixed with mud becomes black with it. Though Qiongqi are fierce beasts, this Xuanyue is still young. With strict discipline and sealing spells, I believe it will grow upright and strong. However, others may not think as I do. Anyone with discernment can recognize it as Qiongqi. Have you thought about what to do in the future?”
I suddenly remembered the previous illusion: “Could you change it into a white tiger? Then others wouldn’t see it’s Qiongqi.”
“That’s a good idea.” He lightly pointed his finger at Xuanyue, and it turned white again. “This way, ordinary people will likely mistake it for a Snow Peak Heavenly Tiger. Additionally, I’ve sealed its power – until its nature is fully formed, it will only be an ordinary white tiger.”
Originally, when I made this suggestion, I felt I was thinking too simply and lacked confidence, but unexpectedly, this could deceive heaven and cross the sea. It seemed the young man in the peach grove who changed Xuanyue to white was deliberately giving me a hint? But why did he change Xuanyue back to red?
I recalled falling off the cliff earlier – it was Xuanyue who melted snow into water to save me. For something so small to exert such great power was indeed extraordinary.
I said, “Does it already have spiritual power?”
Lord Xuxing said: “Yes. Qiongqi are descendants of the water god Gonggong and are naturally capable of magic.”
I see. Enlightenment struck. This little thing was actually of the same element as me. That Lord Kaixuan was truly pig-headed to move a rock and drop it on his foot. Now I only hoped Xuanyue would grow up quickly, becoming a fierce, aggressive beast, then letting me command it to help me summon wind and rain, reclaim Suzhao – what joy! What joy!
I glanced at Xuanyue, wildly ecstatic in my heart.
For some reason, I felt it swallowed and retreated further back in the cage, hunching its shoulders, its small body shaking twice.
Speaking of Gonggong reminded me of the idiom about water and fire being incompatible. Speaking of water and fire incompatibility, I soon understood these five characters thoroughly – literally thoroughly. Because I went with Lord Xuxing to find a master.
My master was a middle-aged immortal, slightly plump with black hair and curly beard. He excelled at fire magic, and among his disciples were two wandering immortals and one semi-immortal. Compared to Lord Xuxing, Master was less ethereal. Moreover, his treatment of me was utterly unreliable.
From the first day, knowing I wasn’t even a semi-immortal and was just a woman, he had me live near the woodshed to recover from injuries. After some days, as my wounds gradually healed, I requested to learn from the Master. He continued demonstrating various flame eruption techniques for his three disciples in Fire Qilin Temple while assigning me to collect firewood.
You should know that firewood in the immortal realm also has its particular requirements. Ordinary wood would extinguish quickly in the immortal realm and couldn’t float in the air, burning on its own. So I had to specifically go to Qiong Wood Forest to collect branches. Whenever I felt indignant, I would think that Master was a fire-element person whose magic I couldn’t learn anyway, so I contentedly became his little wood-collecting sister.
Living like this, three months passed, and hardly anyone on Qinghong Mountain knew me.