Chapter 37 – The Wind Sweeping Through the Tower
Li Xinmei's entire body looked as though she had been crushed by the wheels of a cart. She opened her eyes and there was no expression on her face. It was only when she saw Su Tingyun that light seemed to gleam in her eyes.
"Grannie." Her voice sounded painfully hoarse.
Once upon a time, Su Tingyun was only waiting until the void sea's wind season was over. When she returns to her home, the two of them will be separated. But now, Su Tingyun felt that if she could, she wanted to persuade Li Xinmei to go back to the mortal world with her.
When she was seriously injured, did she ever lament to herself and think that it would be nice if she could live in the mortal world?
"You cultivated too much and now your meridians are seriously damaged." It was now impossible for her to cultivate by circulating the absorbed Qi through her meridians.
Lin Xinmei knew her own body's state. In fact, she knew it the moment she woke up.
Li Xinmei didn’t say a word. She didn’t cry or shed tears. All she did was tighten her lips and hold on to the quilt, unwavering and determined to endure.
"Or else, when I go back, please come with me." She used to tell Li Xinmei a lot about the world of mortals, and especially about all kinds of delicacies. At that time, Li Xinmei always listened with interest and had a look of yearning on her face.
Li Xinmei took a deep breath. "I still want to find my brother." She took out the rusty dagger from her dimensional bag. "Don't judge this dagger by its shabby appearance. I found this in a hidden room in our house."
It was because of the dagger's simple appearance and lack of spiritual energy that it was not stolen by other people. Li Xinmei can’t remember many things, but she pointed to a mark on the handle of the dagger and said, "It’s said that our family had a Crossing Tribulation Stage cultivator in the past. This is the family emblem. Things that are engraved with this emblem are all precious family heirlooms."
That was what she always thought but she couldn't activate the dagger's inheritance. Thus, in her heart, she always cherished the hope that if this dagger was given to her brother, her brother would be recognized by the dagger and receive their ancestor's inheritance. Then they could find out the truth behind their family's destruction and get their revenge.
As a little girl, of course, she envied Grannie’s peaceful and comfortable life. When she thought she was dying, Li Xinmei thought it would be nice if she could live in the mortal world. However, for her to really give up and go with Grannie to the other side of the void sea, she couldn't do it.
But now she really had very little chance of succeeding. The future was gloomy since her meridians were damaged and she didn't know whether her brother was dead or alive. Even if he was still alive, the world is vast and, with her strength, it was doubtful whether she could ever find him.
Her plan had been to enter a big sect in order to come under the tutelage of a master so that she could have some backing. Right now, Li Xinmei was very upset. She just sat there quietly, her eyes vacant, making Su Tingyun feel extremely worried about her.
How can this world be so difficult?
Now Li Xinmei's meridians are damaged, she can't cultivate. She has to figure something out. She will have to ask if there is any medicine that can repair the meridians or if Liu Feizhou has any way to fix the damage. It's okay if she goes back to her previous state. It's better than not being able to cultivate at all.
Su Tingyun didn't want to leave Li Xinmei alone to brood over her troubles. She looked so upset that Su Tingyun carried Li Xinmei to the edge of the pond, letting her lean on the big leaves of the orchid tongue grass.
"If there's anything you want to complain about, you can let it all out here. It's very cute." When Su Tingyun praised the orchid tongue grass, it clapped two of its leaves together but because Li Xinmei was leaning on it, it kept the movement minimal. After Su Tingyun asked it to take care of Li Xinmei, its thick, fleshy leaves rolled down and covered Li Xinmei’s head.
The curled leaves obscured the light above her head, and the sudden shade, mixed with a faint fragrance of grass, made Li Xinmei’s eyes feel hot. Drooping her head, her long eyelashes cast small shadows on her face. At this moment, the shadows in her heart were gradually dispersed by the light
How lucky she was to have met a good person like Grannie…
……
Su Tingyun went looking for Liu Feizhou to try her luck. She had just walked out of the Heaven Firmament Peak’s barrier when she saw two people walking towards her. One was Chu Ling and the other was a woman dressed in bright apricot colored-robes, which was not a uniform that belonged to any of the temples of the Wuliang Sect. Was it a cultivator from a different sect?
Chu Ling seemed surprised to see Su Tingyun. She whispered a few words into the cultivator's ear, and woman's eyebrows rose in amazement. "You mean that's her? How could that possibly be her?"
Chu Ling didn’t think she would be so direct but her heart was shaken, too, so she nodded and said softly: "Spiritual Master Lingwu treats her very well, as everyone knows."
Wuliang Sect’s Spiritual Master Lingwu appeared for the first time at the field exam island. His handsome and graceful figure was like that of a true immortal, making spring blossom in many female cultivator's hearts. In addition, he was a disciple of Feng Yang and had reached the seventh stage of Core Formation at such a young age.2 Ruan Qingshuang bossed her around every day but despite that, many female cultivators from the sect were eager to be her maid since Ruan Qingshuang was very generous.
This time, her task was to find the person who Spiritual Master Lingwu favored. For that, her reward was a top-grade spiritual stone. If Spiritual Master Lingwu wasn't still on the island, making Ruan Qingshuang unwilling to leave, Ruan Qingshuang would definitely have come in person.
She hadn't expected to see such an ugly middle-aged woman. No, not middle-aged. Her true age was about seventy years old but she looked younger. Bai Qiuye frowned and looked at Chu Ling with displeasure, making it clear that she did not believe what she said.
No normal man, including Spiritual Master Lingwu, would be tempted by such a woman!
Chu Ling was also pained by this conversation. It's really none other than this woman. She's truly Spiritual Master Lingwu’s wife in the mortal world. Chu Ling can only speak the truth.
……
Su Tingyun felt the two women were talking about her, but she didn’t have time to bother about that much. Instead, she went straight to the Tianxuan Pavilion. This is Heaven Firmament Peak, Chu Ling was Spiritual Master Lingwu’s maid but she dared to disobey orders.
Nevertheless, Su Tingyun’s pace quickened, and she gathered spiritual at the bottom of her feet, running like a gust of wind.
At that time, Bai Qiuye asked again, "Is that really true?"
Did Spiritual Master Lingwu really send someone to pick up this mortal person and placed her under his protection? If it was in the mortal world, then it was possible that this woman and Spiritual Master Lingwu might share an ephemeral yet predestined love.
The thought of her junior apprentice sister's love rival being such a person made Bai Qiuye feel that it was a bit ridiculous. However, she didn't forget her duty. When she lifted her hand, a ribbon shot out from her sleeve and flew in the direction of Su Tingyun.
Su Tingyun, who had been wary of them, saw the cultivator lift her hand and wished she had wings so she could fly away. To her surprise, the ribbon was cut in two with a sword.
Chu Ling scowled. She never would have thought that the person who could attack so quickly was Chu Yu!
This person had been quiet and low-key but now Chu Ling knew that Chu Yu's strength was above hers. In other words, Chu Yu has always hidden her true cultivation.
"The Spiritual Master has said that Madam Wei saved his life. We must protect her well. At Heaven Firmament Peak, no one, high or low, can do anything to her." Her voice was monotone and cold as her sword returned to her hand. She titled the scabbard then slammed the sword back into it at an oblique angle.3 Standing in place, she stopped the two women.
"A lifesaver?" Bai Qiuye looked sideways at Chu Ling then snorted to show her dissatisfaction.
"After the void sea's wind season, Spiritual Master will send that person back to the mortal world." Chu Yu glanced at Bai Qiuye. Naturally, Bai Qiuye understood what she was saying.
Bai Qiuye sneered, "Since you dare to go against my junior apprentice sister Ruan, then it's all on your head."