Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilderness Chapter Twenty-Six: The Disciple Is Unfilial
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Thanks to: Old Ji, Melon in the Well, and Gongsun Lin Yi for their support with monthly tickets!
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Main peak of Xuanhuang Mountain.
Atop the cliff, all was silent and desolate.
The cave mansion once shrouded in mist now stood with its doors wide open.
Bai Zhi hurriedly arrived, rushing headlong into the mountain cave.
On the empty ground within, an elderly woman lay still—the master of Xuanhuang Mountain, Granny Hong. At this moment, her face was ashen, eyes tightly shut.
“Master!”
Bai Zhi threw herself forward, gathering her master in her arms and reaching for the pulse at her wrist, only to find it gone. Anxiously, she infused her true energy, but the flow was blocked. She then took out two pills, crushed them, and forced them into her master’s mouth. After a moment, her master finally opened her eyes, ever so slowly.
“Master!” Bai Zhi exclaimed with delight.
Granny Hong gazed at Bai Zhi in a daze, her breath weak as a thread. “My secluded cultivation was disturbed, my meridians shattered, there’s no hope for me now…” Her trembling right hand rose, beckoning, “This is the legacy of Xuanhuang Mountain, today I pass it to you…”
In her outstretched palm lay a blue jade pendant.
This was no ordinary pendant—the four characters, 'Heaven and Earth, Xuanhuang,' etched upon it revealed its extraordinary nature. It was the token of the master of Xuanhuang Mountain.
Bai Zhi hurriedly took the jade pendant.
Granny Hong continued, her words broken, “I had only to emerge from seclusion, refine the beast core, and I would have established my foundation… But Chen Qi colluded with powerful thieves, betrayed his master and ancestors… Do not follow in my footsteps—the path cares not for personal feelings… That hunter boy is both your chance and your calamity. Kill him…”
The pendant, just over an inch and a half in size, was ancient in shape, exquisitely carved, with a silk cord threaded through its hole. Holding it, the jade was cool to the touch. If one used spiritual sense to inspect it, countless characters and diagrams would appear—an inheritance of all the secret arts and methods preserved by Xuanhuang Mountain.
Bai Zhi held the pendant, unable to let go.
Her master’s passing of the Xuanhuang jade pendant signified that Bai Zhi was now the new mistress of Xuanhuang Mountain. Yet her master’s words about her senior brother betraying their sect? And the hunter boy—he’d vanished, how could she kill him?
“Master…”
Her master’s eyes remained open, her expression unwilling, but her body grew cold, the spark of life extinguished, her soul departed.
Bai Zhi looked at her master, then at the pendant in her hand, and suddenly felt overwhelmed with shame and sorrow. Tears streamed down her face.
Though her master was stubborn and strict, she had raised Bai Zhi, taught her the arts, helped her become a cultivator, treated her as her only kin, and passed on Xuanhuang Mountain to her. Yet Bai Zhi had doubted her master in secret, and through a moment’s negligence, had caused her master’s demise.
Master, your disciple has failed you!
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On the steep cliffs of the mountain, a waterfall cascaded down like a silken ribbon.
Within the torrent, two dark shadows abruptly fell, vanishing in an instant. Moments later, two figures emerged from the churning waters. Crawling onto the shore, both collapsed heavily onto the ground. One lay on his back, unconscious; the other dropped his sword, wiped the water from his face, turned back to look, and gasped for breath.
This was a lake.
Its surface spanned a hundred yards, surrounded by forest and peaks.
On one side, the waterfall plunged straight into the lake. Waves echoed across the surface, mist rising in the air. Thirty yards up, large rocks forced the falls to bend, sending sprays of water into the sunlight, creating a rainbow of seven colors. Another thirty yards higher, the rushing waterfall split into mountain streams. Between the flowing waters, a cave entrance, veiled by grass and trees, could be glimpsed.
The Cliffside Cave.
As Yu Ye looked up, hatred still burned in his heart, mixed with helplessness.
That cave had imprisoned him for two or three months, making him a captive, then a cultivator, reversing life and death—and he had just escaped from it.
The entrance to the Cliffside Cave was sealed, with only two ventilation and light holes high in the cliff. One was the site of Xuanhuang Mountain’s sect; the other hung high above the ground, the waterfall raging past, an equally deadly path.
At the critical moment, not only had he failed to kill Chen Qi, but he had suffered a counterattack from a fire talisman, and fearing powerful reinforcements, had been forced to risk death for a chance at life.
Alas, how had the sword energy vanished?
No matter—the most important thing was to escape. If Bai Zhi or Chen Qi’s allies pursued him, escape would be impossible.
Yu Ye turned to look beside him.
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Gu Yu, lying on the ground, still showed no sign of waking.
Earlier, carrying Gu Yu, Yu Ye had leapt from the cave, falling with the waterfall for over thirty yards. He relied on the water’s cushioning force and emerged unscathed, but Gu Yu had swallowed water and fainted. With no time to care for him, Yu Ye had continued downstream. Even after climbing ashore, Gu Yu remained unconscious.
“Gu Yu, Gu Yu—”
He called out twice, but received no answer.
He couldn’t leave him behind, yet this place was unsafe.
After catching his breath, Yu Ye hoisted Gu Yu onto his shoulder, picked up the sword, and ran straight into the depths of the forest.
Shortly after Yu Ye left with Gu Yu, about the time it took to burn a stick of incense, another figure surfaced from the lake, only to collapse back into the water before he could reach the shore. Struggling to his feet, blood seeped again from the wound in his shoulder. He could not help but groan in pain, cursing, “Boy, if you have the guts, don’t run!”
It was Chen Qi.
After Bai Zhi left the Cliffside Cave, he had followed Yu Ye out. When he fell into the lake with the waterfall, Yu Ye was already gone. Enduring the pain in his shoulder, he grew even more frantic.
How could a country boy cultivate sword energy?
His swordsmanship and agility might be linked to Bai Zhi, but in the Great Marsh Dao Sect, no one knew the method for cultivating sword energy. Sword energy was merely a legend.
Outside of the beast core, did he have some other extraordinary fortune?
While Chen Qi pondered, a sword light descended before him.
Upon the three-foot blade stood a middle-aged man.
Bu Yi. He smiled coldly, “Chen Qi, do you remember your promise?”
“Ah…”
Chen Qi, seeing Bu Yi standing in midair on his sword, felt both envy and awe. In the waist-deep water, he bowed awkwardly, “I’m not sure what you mean, Brother Bu—”
“You once told me your master obtained a beast core and some overseas arts. If I took you to Qizhou, you’d help me seize the treasures. Have you forgotten?”
“Oh, of course I remember.”
“But I have learned from your master that she knows nothing about this.”
“My master is cunning all her life—perhaps she meant to deceive.”
“Hmph, whether your master lied or not, let’s set that aside. Tell me, why did you leave without notice?”
Bu Yi’s face darkened, killing intent in his eyes.
Chen Qi waved his hands, explaining, “I spoke the truth before, but things went awry—the beast core and arts were snatched by a boy from a hunter’s family, and my junior sister locked him in the Cliffside Cave. Today, I lured her away and found the boy, but he injured me and escaped Xuanhuang Mountain. I had no time to inform Brother Bu, so I gave chase…”
“A hunter injured a cultivator of the fourth level of Qi refinement?”
Bu Yi shook his head, indifferent. “Chen Qi, you seek death. I’ll grant you your wish!”
“No, no, Brother Bu, look—”
Chen Qi’s face changed, quickly pointing to the wound in his shoulder, “This was caused by sword energy. If I hadn’t dodged in time, I’d have died or lost half my arm.”
Bu Yi’s expression grew grave, brows furrowed.
The wound in Chen Qi’s shoulder was as thick as a thumb—not caused by a blade, but pierced by great force.
“Even if I deceived my master and junior sister, I wouldn’t dare deceive Brother Bu!”
Chen Qi protested, “That boy—his name is Yu Ye—not only seized the beast core, but also the overseas arts. Otherwise, how could he wield legendary sword energy!”
Bu Yi remained silent.
“Please, let me explain—”
Chen Qi caught his breath, continuing, “My junior sister captured Yu Ye and brought him to Xuanhuang Mountain. His beast core and arts naturally fell into my master’s hands. But my master’s lifespan is nearly spent, her hopes of foundation establishment dashed, so she gambled everything, attempting to refine the Xuanhuang Pill with the beast core. Unfortunately, Yu Ye had already swallowed the beast core, so she used him as the human cauldron for pill refining. Fearing mishaps, my master instructed my junior sister to deceive him, nourishing him with pills to ensure success. Who could have guessed he secretly used the beast core to transform himself, and with the pills aiding him, he cultivated sword energy. When I confronted him in the Cliffside Cave, he wounded me, and I finally understood. My master, clever all her life, was ruined by her own schemes.”
He blinked, then asked, “Brother Bu, forgive my boldness—you are a foundation establishment expert, do you know the way of sword energy?”
Bu Yi said, “I can wield energy with the sword, that much is easy.”
“But to use energy as a sword, striking invisibly?”
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“With the proper arts, it wouldn’t be difficult to cultivate.”
“That’s it—a mortal, cultivating for a few months, could wield sword energy. If he didn’t possess overseas arts, you wouldn’t believe it, Brother Bu!”
Chen Qi spoke with anguish, gesturing, “That boy escaped into the forest—Brother Bu, hurry after him!”
Bu Yi was finally moved, and stepped upon his sword light to chase Yu Ye, but then circled back, saying, “Brother Chen Qi, come with me!”
“My wounds prevent me—I cannot accompany you…”
Before Chen Qi could refuse, Bu Yi had already swept him, water-soaked, from the lake. Chen Qi cried out in alarm, “Brother Bu, spare me—”
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Xuanhuang Mountain.
On the cliff.
The cave entrance once shrouded in mist was now sealed with stones. In the center stood a stone tablet, inscribed: “The tomb of Hong Gu, twelfth successor of Xuanhuang Mountain.”
It was Granny Hong’s cave mansion, now her grave.
Before the grave stood four people.
They were Bai Zhi, a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman, and an elder past fifty.
The man and woman knelt and bowed their heads several times, speaking with remorse yet relief, “We have lived in seclusion on the mountain for many years, accomplishing little, but as partners in the Dao. As we return home, we thank our master for her kindness!”
Cultivators who marry call each other Dao partners.
After their bows, the couple bid farewell and departed.
The elder then bowed, saying, “I will never forget master’s teachings. I shall stay and guard Xuanhuang Mountain with little junior sister. But… I long for home, and wish to visit my family.”
He stood, his face bitter.
Bai Zhi nodded silently.
The elder turned to leave, but couldn’t help saying, “Little junior sister, only the four of us survived the mountain, the other disciples either killed or missing. All our wealth was looted, most houses and caves burned and destroyed. I advise you to hide for a few days, and plan later.”
Bai Zhi bit her lip, saying nothing, her pale face bloodless.
“Take care, little junior sister!”
The elder sighed, departing in sorrow.
Bai Zhi stood before her master’s grave for a long time, until dusk fell and the evening glow reddened the sky. She finally turned to gaze into the distance, unable to stop her tears.
As said, the senior sister and two senior brothers survived only because they hid in the cave for secluded cultivation. The remaining disciples were either slain or missing.
The Xuanhuang Mountain her master passed to her had lasted twelve generations. Now she alone remained, the so-called Dao sect little more than a name.
Only a day had passed—what had happened?
And in the three or four months before that, what else had occurred?
Her master had taught, Heaven holds nothing back, the Dao is heartless. Her master’s words were not wrong. Bai Zhi, though unwilling, had acted by her master’s teachings, and was not wrong.
Then who was wrong?
Her senior brother, who betrayed master and ancestors, colluded with outsiders, slaughtered his fellow disciples—his crimes deserved death!
Bu Yi, a foundation establishment expert, yet no different from a bandit, pillaging and burning everywhere—his crimes unforgivable!
Yu Ye, who stole the dragon core and brought endless calamity, secretly refined the core, cultivated sword energy, and finally provoked Bu Yi, causing today’s disaster. He could not escape blame for the calamity that struck Xuanhuang Mountain!
Yet her master’s dying words said that man was Bai Zhi’s chance, and also her calamity…