“Where shall we start?” Bi Zhen, back in her old home, had become increasingly lively, taking Mei Qing around everywhere each day.
Right now, the two of them stood at what had once been the residence of the famous poet Li Bai. It had been magically relocated here by Bi Zhen’s ancestors.
“Where the story began twenty years ago is where we should begin,” Mei Qing gently stroked the giant ginkgo tree at the gate of the courtyard, reminiscing. “Li Bai, known as the Immortal Poet, was even admired by your very own family of immortals.”
“Yes,” Bi Zhen smiled. “Grandma loved Li Bai’s poetry the most. When I was little, my aunt would often teach me his poems under this big tree. So, where do we start? From Master Maoyang?”
“Exactly. Have you ever considered how peculiar it is that Master Maoyang appeared in the first place? There’s no record of such a person in the cultivation world. According to Zhong Shu, this fellow was somewhat skilled in external alchemy. What does that suggest to you?” Mei Qing asked.
“What does it suggest? That he didn’t come from a major sect but somehow stumbled upon the art of external alchemy?” Bi Zhen tilted her head, thinking.
“Not quite. It suggests the opposite—that his own cultivation must be quite high, and his skill in external alchemy is merely a side pursuit, which is why he remains unknown,” Mei Qing shook his head.
“Why would you say that? If he really had such high cultivation, why would he resort to deceiving people with external alchemy?” Bi Zhen was skeptical.
“Think about it,” Mei Qing replied. “If he were truly someone of low cultivation who happened to master a rare art like external alchemy, how could he have remained unnoticed? My father-in-law said the pills he made were effective. If that’s true, then other sects would have noticed him. In fact, my father-in-law once made a serious effort to find him but came up empty.
This suggests one thing—this person must have been an impostor. Someone who could disguise himself as an alchemist and remain undetected must have a cultivation level far beyond what he displayed.”
“Indeed! So why would someone of his caliber come to Prince Xian’s court pretending to be an alchemist?” Bi Zhen jumped up, puzzled.
“Actually, most of what happened later is connected to this person,” Mei Qing said, drawing on the ground. “First, Prince Xian—then still the heir—began practicing alchemy. Then materials were stolen from the treasury, and my father-in-law discovered the Five Ghosts transportation technique. Later, this fellow performed a ritual and found Mei Valley. Don’t you see something strange here?”
“What’s strange? Are you saying he led the emperor to Mei Valley?” Bi Zhen asked. “But the Five Ghosts were discovered by Father, right?”
Mei Qing chuckled. “Trust me, if my father-in-law hadn’t discovered the Five Ghosts, this fellow would have surely stepped in, captured them in front of the heir, and then used them to locate Mei Valley.”
Bi Zhen still seemed unconvinced but couldn’t think of a rebuttal.
Mei Qing continued, “In my experience, I’ve never heard of any sect capable of reviving the nearly dead Five Ghost paper figures and tracing them back to their caster. I believe my father-in-law must have had suspicions, but he probably didn’t realize the true motive behind it, so he didn’t pursue it further.”
“Motive?” Bi Zhen tilted her head. “Do you know their motive? Who did it, and why?”
Mei Qing sighed. “Haven’t you noticed the only consequence of this event?”
“What consequence?” Bi Zhen frowned. “The emperor became emperor? That doesn’t seem directly related. Was it to steal treasures from the palace? That seems too trivial. Then what is it? Just tell me already.”
“The consequence,” Mei Qing sighed again, “is me. I was born.”
“Pfft,” Bi Zhen scoffed. “Even if you were the consequence of that event, you’re still a bad one.”
Though Bi Zhen didn’t take it seriously, Mei Qing knew he wasn’t joking. To Lu Bing, Zhong Shu, and Bi Zhen, the event had seemed random and inexplicable. But to Mei Qing, it was clear. After learning of Zhang Liusun’s plans, he had a rough idea of what had happened, though he still didn’t know whether Maoyang was the so-called Ding Nu. After all, Zhang Liusun hadn’t explained the details to him.
It seemed something had gone wrong, preventing Mei Qing from becoming Zhang Liusun’s clone and instead allowing his mother to take him away and hand him over to Zhong Shu. Probably because of this, he had remained unconscious and confused for so many years.
Mei Qing casually tore a piece of paper in two, scribbled something on each piece, then tossed them away. A flash of light later, both talismans burned to ashes.
“What was that for?” Bi Zhen asked.
“A message talisman,” Mei Qing nodded. “I’m sending it to my two masters, asking them to check if any experts had knowledge of external alchemy in recent years.”
Bi Zhen nodded thoughtfully.
Originally, Lu Bing and Zhong Shu had been very interested in Zhang Shisan and Master Ku, but after Bi Zhen agreed to recognize her father, they were so happy they forgot to ask further. Later, when they remembered, Mei Qing refused to say more, so they dropped it.
However, when Mei Qing married Bi Zhen, he had sent message talismans to both masters. Master Ku’s reply was brief—just an acknowledgment. But Zhang Shisan sent back a detailed manual on how cultivators conceive and give birth, which made Mei Qing laugh secretly, while Bi Zhen was both embarrassed and angry, forcing Mei Qing to marry Duoyun immediately.
Since they suspected Maoyang might be a hidden expert, it made sense to consult the two masters. Mei Qing also asked them about the affairs of the Plum Blossom Sect from years ago, thinking that their backgrounds might give them more insight than Lu Bing.
“The cliff should be just ahead,” Mei Qing pointed at the map in his hand. “We should reach it after turning this stream.”
“Sit tight, watch me!” Bi Zhen maneuvered the spirit crane into a wide arc, narrowly avoiding a collision with a steep cliff. Fortunately, she had gotten more skilled at controlling it, stopping just inches from the rock face.
“That’s it!” Bi Zhen shouted. “Why is there a cliff here? Almost made me crash!”
Turning to see Mei Qing smirking, she snapped, “You knew about this cliff, didn’t you? You didn’t tell me on purpose!”
“My dear,” Mei Qing sighed. “What are we here for? Didn’t I say we should be arriving? What more do you want me to say?”
Bi Zhen was speechless, finally remembering they were here to find the cliff.
“It’s your fault anyway! Don’t laugh!” she pouted, stubbornly blaming him for a conspiracy by some discontented individual against a pure-hearted young girl.
The cliff rose like a giant axe had split it from the valley floor straight into the sky. The cliff face was bare gray rock, occasionally dotted with shrubs in the crevices. Long ago, there must have been a waterfall here, as many rocks still bore the marks of flowing water. Now the stream had dried, with only a few springs at the bottom of the cliff reflecting sunlight.
Mei Qing signaled Bi Zhen to stop the spirit crane and began examining the area.
Bi Zhen looked around for a while, then closed her eyes and extended her spiritual sense. After a moment, she said, “This place doesn’t seem to have anything unusual.”
Mei Qing nodded. “I’ve also checked with my spiritual sense. There’s definitely no trace of any formation.”
“That’s strange,” Bi Zhen frowned. “If there was a formation and an entrance to a cave here back then, how could it just disappear? No matter how powerful someone is, they couldn’t literally move mountains and rivers, could they?”
The mountain-moving technique Bi Zhen mentioned was beyond the capability of any earthly cultivator unless it was a celestial immortal. Even then, such a feat would consume immense spiritual energy. If someone had moved an entire cave dwelling, Bi Zhen found it hard to believe.
Mei Qing nodded. “Actually, I came here today with little hope. I expected to find nothing with my spiritual sense. I was going to check visually for any clues, but it seems there’s truly nothing left.”
“Exactly,” Bi Zhen added. “If there were, Father would have found it already after searching so many times. Besides, twenty years have passed. Any traces would likely be gone by now.”
Mei Qing nodded. “If that’s the case, we might have to work hard.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?” Bi Zhen asked, puzzled.
“Have you considered that maybe the cave entrance isn’t hidden here at all? Perhaps it was moved, or maybe it was never here to begin with!” Mei Qing said gravely.
“Not here? But you heard it too—many people came here. The map clearly shows this location!” Bi Zhen was confused.
“Do you remember what Father said about tracking the paper Five Ghosts back then?” Mei Qing tapped the cliff gently. “He said they entered a formation in the mountains, then came upon this cliff. Right?”
“Yes, so what?” Bi Zhen asked.
“That’s exactly the problem. If they entered the formation first and then saw this cliff, how can we be sure it’s the same cliff we’re looking at now?” Mei Qing smiled.
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