"Go and look for Fu Yibai."
Brows creased into a furrow Du Shaofu decided to practice an exercise law as soon as possible. Grabbing the two small cases and the jade bottle, he’s going to pay Fu Yibai a night visit and asks if he knew where the Purple Qi Sunworship Scripture is.
Leaving the room, Du Shaofu headed straight towards the Martial Collection Building.
There are guards in Du Clan and strong warriors, but even so, Du Shaofu has snaked passed several courtyards in the night reaching the Martial Collection Building with ease.
"How does the sound of flute reached here, where did it came from.”
Just as he arrived at the Martial Collection Building, he once again heard the familiar flute sound playing, that flute melody was soft as an endless running stream or sometimes sharp and clear like creek water and suddenly the tune changed,laced with a trace of resentment just like a young girl’s heart thinking about her lover.
The flute melody seemed to turn sadder and somehow nearer.
Although the flute melody became clearer and more aggrieved but Du Shaofu did not pay much attention to it. Fu Yibai’s room is on the first floor, at the back of the Martial Collection Building, however, Du Shaofu rarely comes here. Entering Fu Yibai’s room, the room is clean as there were not many things around that could mess up the room, however, there was no sign of Fu Yibai.
"Where did he ran off to at this time of the night?" The room is not large, with one glance and it is obvious that Fu Yibai is not in the room.
"Chi!"
Behind Du Shaofu there are some movement, turning around Du Shaofu said: ‘Lao Bai, where did you go…”
Du Shaofu’s words have yet to finish when his face had stiffened up, the one behind him was not Fu Yibai but a lady. A beautiful lady that looks about forty, dressed in a long plain white dress, a light blue ribbon fluttering slightly, extremely elegant and bright and clean looking. She seemed to have an innate air of nobility that made the hearts of the ones looking could not help but be in awe.
"Who are you?” Du Shaofu was stunned for a while, then immediately became wary. This beautiful lady is not from the Du Clan, and the Martial Collection Building is a restricted area. An unknown lady appeared in the Du Clan’s restricted area at night Du Shaofu could not afford to be careless.
"What is your relationship with Fu Yibai?"
The white-clothed lady’s dress is very common, but when her crisp cold voice falls on Du Shaofu ears, he was unable to refuse her and immediately replied: “I’m Fu Yibai’s Big … friend.”
Du Shaofu was going to say Fu Yibai’s Big Brother, however, he has promised Fu Yibai earlier that in front of other people will give him some face thus he immediately changed it to a friend.
"You are his friend?" The white-clothed lady looked Du Shaofu, a little light glimmered in her eyes then lowering her lashes that were black as ink, a faint shadow shrouded her pupils: “This is the kind of things he does."
"Big Sister, are you Lao Bai’s friend?" Du Shaofu asked, from the white-clothed lady's tone it sounds like she is familiar with Fu Yibai, wondering when Fu Yibai got to know a person with such noble temperament, never before had he heard Fu Yibai mentioned someone like her.
The white-clothed lady did not bother to answer Du Shaofu, her watery eyes glanced around Fu Yibai’s room and a little curve emerged at the corner of her lips and said: "Since you are related to him and he is avoiding me, I can only take you with me.”
After she said that, Du Shaofu didn’t even see the white-clothed lady’s movement, instantly as if space froze, Du Shaofu was unable to move, even the xuanqi within his body cannot be initiated. A slender hand softly fell on Du Shaofu’s shoulder.
"Ei,"
When the slender hand came in touch with Du Shaofu’s shoulder, surprised flitted past the white-clothed lady’s brown eyes, with a sway both figures disappeared from the room.
Bright moon hanging in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars.
In mid-air, the white-clothed lady grabbed one of Du Shaofu’s shoulder, that slender hand looks dainty and weak but his body was involuntarily being pulled up to the air, passing through Stone City’s numerous buildings at high velocity, at last reaching the depth of the forest of the mountains.
The mountain stretched into the horizon, under the moonlight, the boundless forest revealed itself.
"A powerful cultivator, very powerful."
In mid-air, Du Shaofu winced from the wind force blown against his face, but still couldn’t disguise the look of shock and surprised. This ability to move freely in the air, Airfloat, even his Eldest and Second Uncle were unable to do, only those legendary warriors are able to have such an enviable ability.
The mountain peaks reached thousands of feet, with dangerous summits, near the masses of strange rocks, a huge cliff stood majestically as if a dragon preparing to rush up to the sky.
The white-clothed lady landed on one of the hilltops with Du Shaofu, before releasing him, her palm slapped on Du Shaofu’s chest indirectly forcing Du Shaofu’s mouth to open. Something that looks like a dan flew into his throat, forcing him to swallow it into his belly.
"Big... Predecessor, what did you fed me?"
Du Shaofu’s face paled, and his finger was about to gouge his throat to force it back up. Gouging till his eyes welled with tears without any success. It’s just like the dan melted into nothingness the moment it entered his stomach.
The white-clothed lady ignored Du Shaofu, with light, graceful steps, she walked towards a clean rock, as she sat down cross-legged and her brown eyes looked towards the distant unfathomable mountains, just what was on her mind.
"Predecessor, Fu Yibai and I are actually not that close, if there is resentment between you and him, I’m afraid you are withholding the wrong person, ah.”
Du Shaofu looked at the beautiful white-clothed lady, at first he thought that this white-clothed lady is Fu Yibai’s friend or something similar, however, it is obvious to him now that there is a grudge between them, ‘greeting’ Fu Yibai’s eighteen generations of ancestors [1] silently in his heart for bringing him this misfortune.
The white-clothed lady turned to Du Shaofu and said: "If you are of no importance to him, then you have no further value. I will kill you right now."
Her voice was so cold that Du Shaofu’s heart shivered listening to it. Instantly Du Shaofu’s expression change: “Predecessor, although Bai Lao and I are not that close, but we still have a friendship, one blanket covers two people, a pair of pants worn by two people.”[2]
"As long as you do not try to escape, you will be alive and well for now. If Fu Yibai does not come and save you, then your life is hard to guarantee." The white-clothed lady said to Du Shaofu.
"Lao Bai will definitely come. This place should be very far away from Stone City. If Lao Bai comes, it will take him at least ten days to half a month’s time. We just need to wait patiently till Lao Bai arrives.”
Du Shaofu said with a look of certainty at the white-clothed lady while crying tearlessly in his heart. This area within the Wild Beast Mountains is quite a long distance from Stone City. There are rumors that there’s a terrible evil beast that lurks in here, that even some of the more powerful demonic beasts dare not nests here, not to mention whether if that old man Fu Yibai have the ability to rescue him from this powerful lady.
The beautiful white-clothed lady looked Du Shaofu but remained quiet. A flute appeared in her hands with a swirl of her long sleeves. Placing the antique flute close to her slightly opened lips, suddenly a heavenly sound of a flute filled the night.
Notes:
1. ‘Greeting… eighteen generations of ancestors- cursing at/scolding
2. “One blanket covers two people, a pair of pants worn by two people”- there are a few versions of this saying(?), in short BFF.