“There are seven orifices in the world, and all can become spiritual,” Mei Qing said. “This seven-star inkstone was a literary treasure offered to the imperial collection. Seven stone eyes were stored in the repository. Originally naturally formed, they had never been refined by the essence of the sun and moon. Although they possessed spiritual forms, they ultimately lacked spiritual intent.”
“But when Zhang Liusun was at his wit’s end, he finally discovered that this inkstone could temporarily serve as a refuge. He risked massive damage to his soul, tore himself free from his physical body, and fled into the stone, hiding within a chest of scriptures.”
“However, although the stone possessed some spirit, it was not a complete form. Zhang Liusun’s soul was already gravely injured; entering the stone caused further damage, leaving only about thirty to forty percent of his original essence. Most of what remained were feelings of resentment and injustice. Fortunately, because his soul was so weak, he managed to escape detection. Eventually, with what little strength he had left, he influenced Liu Qu—also known as Ba’er Liu—to carry away the two chests of Daoist scriptures.”
“As for what happened afterward, I suppose you can imagine. After Zhang Liusun’s soul entered the stone, he fell into a deep slumber. Ba’er Liu sensed something eerie about the stone but, unable to resist its allure, crafted a peach-wood box to contain it. However, Zhang Liusun eventually began to awaken. His intense resentment stirred the hearts of people, disturbing their minds and transforming the stone into a malevolent object. When I eventually obtained the stone, well, since my physical form and Zhang Liusun’s soul had established a connection long ago, I was able to absorb and integrate it.”
“However, Zhang Liusun’s original consciousness had already become extremely faint, and by then, it had completely vanished.”
“Is your body alright?” Bi Zhen asked with some concern. “And what about that cauldron? What exactly happened with it?”
Mei Qing smiled and said, “It’s fine now. As for the cauldron, it was quite a coincidence. When we were in Yongping, you happened to steal it.”
“You mentioned there were two cauldrons, a mother and a son. Why was that? Could it be related to the other half of Zhang Liusun and Xu Fu’s transformation?”
Mei Qing nodded and said, “The remaining Zhang Liusun naturally would not wait idly inside the Jiashi Stone. Although he never had another chance to find someone like Fan Wentai, he did find an opportunity to deceive Liu Liu, the leader of a sect. His original intention was to have Liu Liu build seven altars for him to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, break through the Jiashi Stone array, and escape. However, he never expected that, through a thousand twists and turns, I would also go there, encounter the cauldron, and be drawn into it as well.”
At this point, Mei Qing laughed and said, “It was also due to Duan Chaoyong’s excessive caution. He didn’t inform his subordinates of the cauldron’s true value. As a result, the sect leader, Liu Liu, was bold enough to take it himself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the chance to obtain it.”
“What about the mother cauldron?” Bi Zhen was still puzzled. “Isn’t that Xu Fu’s item? How did it end up inside your body?”
Mei Qing smiled bitterly and said, “I only learned this much later from Zhang Liusun’s memories. At that time, when we escaped from the stone, the two of them had their own hidden agendas. During the ensuing conflict, all three of us were drawn into the passageway, and the array exploded, destroying the Jiashi Stone. Under such shock, how could either of them survive? Zhang Liusun, having a connection with my physical form, was directly absorbed into me, while Xu Fu’s soul and spirit were completely destroyed. The mother cauldron, without an owner, was drawn into my body by the son cauldron’s energy. At the time, I was puzzled as to why the mother cauldron didn’t respond to me. It turned out that the son cauldron was hidden within the mother cauldron, and I couldn’t sense it, mistaking the mother cauldron for the original son cauldron. It wasn’t until a life-or-death moment when the bronze figure was stimulated into action that I gradually understood the truth.”
“I see,” Bi Zhen exhaled deeply. “Now I finally understand. It turns out the underlying circumstances were so complex.”
After saying this, she shook her head again and said, “It’s a pity that your mother’s identity, background, the cause of her death, and her burial place remain unknown. Even the location of the Plum Blossom Valley has yet to be found.”
Mei Qing sighed and said, “The people who knew these things back then—Zhang Liusun, Fan Wentai, Shao Yuanjie, Tao Zhongwen, and Duan Chaoyong—are all gone. Only Uncle Liu knows, but he refuses to tell me. I must find a way to make him speak.”
Bi Zhen looked somber and said, “You probably don’t know yet. Master Liu sustained severe injuries during that battle and has since passed away.”
“What?” Mei Qing was shocked. “How did that happen?”
It turned out that after Tao Zhongwen set up the Heavenly Net Formation that day, everyone was carefully guarding themselves, especially Zhang Yuchong and others, who were even more cautious. However, no one expected that Tao Zhongwen, while within the formation, would first target Liu Xing in a surprise attack.
Liu Xing’s cultivation was originally inferior to Tao Zhongwen’s, and while within the formation, he was quickly ensnared by Tao Zhongwen. Then, a palm strike imbued with thunder descended upon him, making it seem as though there was no way to escape.
Just at that moment, someone named Sun Buer suddenly appeared from the side. Using an umbrella-shaped magical artifact, she blocked the attack for Liu Xing. Although she couldn’t completely stop it, she managed to delay it, sparing Liu Xing from immediate death.
“Although Sun Buer had said she would leave, she actually never did. Her magical artifact was quite formidable, capable of concealing her form, which is why none of us noticed her. However, although that action saved Liu Xing, it caused her own golden elixir to shatter, and her spirit immediately scattered.”
“What happened afterward? Did Master Liu survive?”
“Master Liu wasn’t destined to die by the sword. However, Master Ku said that he had already lost the will to live and could not be saved.”
“Then… did he say anything before he passed away?”
“He only entrusted Liu Meier to my mother. Actually…” Bi Zhen looked at Mei Qing and said, “I think he wanted to entrust her to you. In addition, he wanted Liu Meier to bury him by the plum pavilion in the backyard, without a grave or a tombstone.”
Mei Qing sighed deeply and said nothing.
“Oh, by the way, Baiye has also left, saying he will travel the four seas from now on. Actually, A Qing, people can’t figure out everything. The reason Master Liu and others refused to tell you about your grandmother’s background must have its reasons. So, you don’t need to think about it anymore.”
Mei Qing nodded and said somewhat despondently, “I want to visit the place where Master Liu was buried.”
A few slender willows, a crescent moon, a quiet grass pavilion, and silent flowing water.
When Mei Qing and Bi Zhen arrived at the back garden of Master Liu’s residence, the moon had already risen in the east. Because the master of the Liu household had passed away, the atmosphere was quite solemn. Fortunately, the servants were all old retainers who had followed the family for many years and wouldn’t cause any trouble.
Mei Qing and Bi Zhen were sitting on a spirit crane when they approached the back garden. Bi Zhen, with her sharp eyes, tugged at Mei Qing and pointed.
Looking closely, they saw a girl standing alone by the pavilion, looking lost.
It was none other than Liu Meier.
Mei Qing felt a pang in his heart. As he hesitated, he saw Bi Zhen already urging the spirit crane closer and softly calling out to Liu Meier, “Meier, little sister.”
Liu Meier was startled and quickly turned around, saying, “Big sister Bi… Ah…”
Seeing that Mei Qing had come with her, Liu Meier couldn’t help but exclaim, stepping forward, “Mei Qing, you… are you alright now?”
Mei Qing nodded and said, “Fortunately, I’m fine.” Then he sighed and said, “I just didn’t expect Master Liu to meet such a great misfortune. Meier, little sister… the dead cannot be brought back to life. You must take care of yourself.”
Liu Meier lowered her gaze and spoke softly, “I understand. It’s late, and the dew is heavy. I’m feeling a bit tired. Please excuse me.” Saying this, she lightly bowed to Mei Qing and Bi Zhen and turned to leave.
Bi Zhen opened her mouth as if to call her back but didn’t manage to say anything.
Turning to look at Mei Qing, both of them let out a long sigh.
After a long while, Mei Qing looked at where he was standing. It was right by the plum pavilion, next to a tall willow tree, where an incense table and some offerings were placed. Mei Qing knew that Master Liu had no tombstone, so this must be the place where he was buried. He stepped forward respectfully to pay his respects, and Bi Zhen followed behind to do the same.
As he straightened up, Mei Qing’s eyes gazed blankly at the grass pavilion, his heart surging with emotions, and he remained silent for a long time.
“Qing’er, what are you thinking about?” Bi Zhen asked, seeing that Mei Qing had been silent for a while.
“Do you still remember, Qing’er, when Master Liu talked about how Fan Wentai took him as a disciple back then, it was because he needed something from his family?” Mei Qing pondered.
“Yes, he never said what it was. I suppose it was some kind of magical artifact or medicine that he didn’t recognize, which was taken by Plum Blossom Immortal, right?” Bi Zhen guessed.
Mei Qing shook his head and slowly walked up to the plum pavilion, looking up at the somewhat old pavilion pillars, and slowly said, “Do you still remember when you and I secretly came here one night and overheard Master Liu and Master Bai talking about having me take Liu Meier to hide? Master Bai mentioned ‘that place,’ but Master Liu said it would be inappropriate to disturb my mother again. That place they spoke of must be where my mother was buried. But where could that place be?”
Bi Zhen shook her head and said, “That did happen, but unfortunately, they didn’t say any more. But I remember Master Liu said ‘too dangerous,’ could that place be a perilous location?”
Mei Qing thought for a moment, his eyes fixed on the grass pavilion, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
He stepped forward, walked around the grass pavilion a few times, and looked at the tall willow tree where Master Liu was buried. Suddenly, he sighed, “So that’s it. No wonder Master Liu wanted to be buried here. Plum Pavilion, Plum Pavilion, so that’s what it means.”
“What? Are you saying…” Bi Zhen suddenly understood Mei Qing’s meaning, surprised, “Are you saying that this grass pavilion hides some secret?”
Mei Qing did not answer. He raised his hand, and a spirit crane appeared, carrying himself and Bi Zhen, soaring into the air to look down.
Bi Zhen did not speak further and followed his gaze. She heard Mei Qing nodding and saying, “So that’s it, so that’s it.”
“What’s going on? Did you find something?”
“This Liu family has been here for so many years, and your mother and others never noticed any spiritual fluctuations in this place. We’ve seen the protective formation of the estate, which is quite tight. But we all didn’t think that this formation was not only to defend against outsiders but to seal this place, so that no one would discover that there’s a hidden cave dwelling here! Watch my technique!”
Saying this, Mei Qing stood straight, stretched out both hands, one palm facing up and the other down, and shouted, “Chire!” Suddenly, ten Wuxing balls appeared in the air, five in each group.
The outer group of five elemental spheres suddenly began to spin, and the five spheres shot out like meteors across the sky, each leaving a trail of afterglow as they flew toward five different locations outside the Liu estate walls.
The other group moved inward, converging into one, and directly fell toward the grass pavilion.
With a loud boom, spiritual energy burst forth, and colorful lights illuminated the area. Within the grass pavilion, a massive stone appeared.
“What?” Bi Zhen was greatly surprised. “Where did this come from? People have been walking around here all the time, and there was never any obstruction. How could such a big stone be here?”
“I suppose this must have been set up by Zhang Liusun back then. This cave dwelling must have been left by ancient cultivators, and the Liu family was completely unaware of it. Zhang Liusun, who resided within Fan Wentai, discovered it, opened the cave dwelling, and set up a formation to protect it. Because this was the Liu family’s ancestral land, he took Master Liu as his disciple as compensation. If my guess is correct, behind this stone should be…”
Mei Qing finally did not finish his sentence. He took Bi Zhen’s hand and walked toward the stone.
The dark stone was right in front of him, but Mei Qing seemed not to see it, and he just walked straight into it.
A flicker of light and shadow swirled before his eyes, and everything twisted. When everything settled, Mei Qing and Bi Zhen found themselves standing at the entrance of a valley.
The entire valley was a sea of blossoms, as if covered in brocade, with plum blossoms blooming everywhere. A gentle breeze blew, causing the flowers to sway, and the entire valley became a dazzling sea of flowers, making their eyes dazzled.
Mei Qing was deep in thought as he stepped into the valley. The original small path in the valley was faint, winding through countless flower trees, leading all the way to the deepest part of the valley.
Turning a gentle bend, they saw a thatched cottage hidden in the distance. Mei Qing quickened his pace but suddenly stopped.
Before him stood a huge plum tree, proudly blooming. Its thick branches twisted like coiling dragons, countless branches crossing and intertwining. The tree was covered with white plum blossoms, as radiant as silver, growing in the open space in front of the cottage.
Mei Qing was deeply moved. He walked over in a daze, gazing at the blooming plum blossoms, slowly placing his hand on the rough, cold bark of the tree trunk. Looking up at the blossoms that looked like snow, tears streamed down his face.
Petals of plum blossoms drifted down, gently brushing against Mei Qing’s cheeks, shoulders, and arms, like a gentle caress.
Bi Zhen came over and gently supported Mei Qing, whispering, “Could it be… could it be that this is…?”
Mei Qing nodded slightly, his voice choked with emotion. “Yes, she is my mother.”
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