Liu Xing’s face was filled with regret, his voice quivering slightly: “When I saw Wuduo, I was shocked beyond words. It had only been a little over a year since we last met, but her face had grown gaunt and pale, and her belly was swollen—she was clearly with child and about to give birth!”
“At that moment, I was completely stunned, not knowing what to say. Wuduo, upon seeing me, actually smiled faintly—but that smile seemed unbearably bitter,” Liu Xing continued hoarsely. “She said to me, ‘Third Brother, why have you returned?’ Without waiting for my reply, she smiled again and said, ‘Good, I was just hoping only you would help me, and now you’re back.'”
“At that time, I had no idea what was happening, and anxiously asked, ‘Senior Sister, what exactly is going on?'”
“Wuduo shook her head and said, ‘Senior Brother, please don’t ask. I only have one request—will you promise me?'”
“All these years, Wuduo had never asked me for anything. Looking at her worn-out and yet hopeful face, I would not have hesitated even if she had asked for a thousand things. I asked what it was, but she wouldn’t tell me, only saying she would come to me when the time came. At that time, how could I have known things would turn out the way they did…”
Here, Liu Xing’s voice suddenly choked, his eyes glistening with tears, and he remained silent for a long while.
Liu Xing’s face was a mix of regret and sorrow, his voice trembling slightly: “The moment I saw Wu Duo, I was utterly shocked. It had only been a little over a year since we last met, yet she looked so haggard, with a noticeably swollen belly—she was pregnant and about to give birth!”
“I was completely stunned, at a loss for words. When Wu Duo saw me, she managed a smile, but it was a bitter one…” Liu Xing’s voice was hoarse as he continued: “She said to me, ‘Third Brother, why have you come back?’ Without waiting for my reply, she added with a laugh, ‘This is good. I was just thinking that only you would help me, and here you are.’
“At that moment, I was clueless and anxiously asked, ‘Junior Sister, what exactly is going on?’
“Wu Duo shook her head and said, ‘Senior Brother, please don’t ask. I just need to ask you for one favor. Will you promise me?’
“Over all these years, Wu Duo had never asked me for anything. Seeing her weary yet hopeful face, I wouldn’t have hesitated to agree to a hundred favors, let alone one. When I asked her what it was, she wouldn’t say, only that she would come to me when the time was right. But how could I have known then, how could I have known that things would turn out the way they did…”
At this point, Liu Xing’s voice choked up, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, and he fell silent for a long while.
After a long pause, he sighed deeply and said, “Even after all these years, whenever I think of the past, it still affects me like this. I must seem like a child in front of you all.” He coughed lightly and continued, “I’ve asked our master and fellow disciples, what exactly happened? What occurred after I left, and who is the father of Wu Duo’s child? But at that time, our master… ah, I was mistaken, and our master was acting very strangely…”
“Strangely?” Mei Qing frowned, sensing something amiss in Liu Xing’s tone when he mentioned Master Mei Hua. Now, hearing the word “strangely,” he couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Liu, what do you mean by Master Mei Hua acting strangely?”
Liu Xing was silent for a moment before he slowly replied, “As disciples, we shouldn’t speak ill of our master. But this matter has troubled me for many years, and I can’t let it go. Initially, our master treated all of us well. But later, for some reason, he began to change. His temper became increasingly erratic, and the most bizarre thing was that his words and actions would often contradict themselves.”
“Contradict?” Mei Qing asked, puzzled. “How so?”
“Well, for example, once our master sent me to gather several ingredients for a pill. Some of them were quite hard to find. After much effort, I finally collected them all. When I returned and handed them over, he was very displeased and said, ‘How can you make a pill with this trash? This Huang Jing shouldn’t be used here. And this Shi Zhi is completely wrong. It’s all nonsense!’ I didn’t dare to argue, thinking he was just in a bad mood, so I put the ingredients aside. A few days later, he suddenly called me again and scolded me for not having found the ingredients he had asked for. I was surprised and reminded him of what had happened a few days earlier, but he denied it outright and berated me again. Confused, I went back and found the ingredients again. When I presented them, especially the Huang Jing, he praised me highly, saying the materials were excellent.”
Mei Qing and Bi Zhen exchanged bewildered looks. How could Master Mei Hua, a renowned master, be so inconsistent and eccentric in his behavior? Liu Xing also seemed deeply puzzled, shaking his head as he said, “My fellow disciples also noticed this, but no one dared to question him, especially our junior sister…”
Here, Liu Xing hesitated before continuing, “These matters are internal to the Mei Hua Sect and shouldn’t be disclosed to outsiders. But you are Wu Duo’s child, and you deserve to know some of what happened. If you can uncover the truth, it would bring closure for both our junior sister and our master. Honestly, I’ve always suspected that our master might have been tampered with, but I have no evidence, alas…”
“Especially what?” Mei Qing pressed, his suspicions growing.
“Especially towards Wu Duo, our master’s behavior was even more bizarre,” Liu Xing said evasively. “Originally, our master treated all of us the same, calling us by our names, and naturally, he called our junior sister Wu Duo. But suddenly, something changed…”
“Changed into what?” Mei Qing asked.
“Once, when I went to see our master, I overheard him talking to our junior sister, and I clearly heard him call her… Mei Ji…” Liu Xing said with evident distress.
Mei Ji? Mei Qing was startled, suddenly realizing the source of his earlier unease.
The scene that had appeared before him when he was invaded by the Seven Star Inkstone in the Imperial Guards’ treasury came back to him vividly.
He saw himself standing in front of a small thatched cottage, surrounded by a sea of wild plum blossoms.
“Mei Ji! Have you made up your mind?” he heard himself say calmly.
A young woman in white stood apart from the plum blossoms, her serene face showing a faint, mocking smile as she replied, “Since the master has commanded, how could Mei Ji refuse?”
Ah… He struggled to turn his head, and behind him, on the wooden pillars of the cottage, were the familiar calligraphy and the familiar couplet.
“Occasionally calling the moon to share eternity, once dwelling with the plum blossoms on the same mountain…” Mei Qing murmured.
“What?” Liu Xing was shocked, standing up abruptly. “How do you know this couplet? It was inscribed on the wooden pillars of our master’s retreat. Apart from us, no one else knew of it.”
“I’ve known it for a long time, but I never realized its significance,” Mei Qing said softly.
Seeing the doubt on Liu Xing’s face, Mei Qing continued, “Senior Liu, when I mentioned my cultivation journey earlier, I spoke of encountering a Seven Star Inkstone, which helped me break through a seal and advance my cultivation. At that time, several images appeared in my mind, one of which was this scene. I just never imagined that the woman in that scene was… my mother.”
With that, Mei Qing took out the Seven Star Inkstone and placed it on the table.
Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on the inkstone. Bi Zhen had seen it before and hadn’t noticed anything unusual about it. Liu Xing also looked puzzled, shaking his head as he said, “I’ve never seen this inkstone before. But there’s something vaguely familiar about its aura. Hmm…”
He frowned as he examined it closely before saying, “But there’s nothing strange about it. It’s just an ordinary piece of stone?”
Mei Qing nodded. “I’ve had several seniors examine it, and they all said it’s just a regular inkstone.”
Liu Xing sighed. “I really don’t understand. You seem to be surrounded by so many mysteries.”
Mei Qing remained silent. When he had first encountered the inkstone, he had seen certain people and events, which he had discussed with Bi Zhen. He knew that the earlier scenes involved Zhang Liu Sun, the leader of the Xuan Sect. After actually meeting Zhang Liu Sun later, he confirmed that those were indeed his memories. But the later scenes had always been a mystery. Now, hearing Liu Xing’s words, Mei Qing realized that those scenes involved Master Mei Hua, Fan Wen Tai, and Mei Wu Duo. Mei Qing’s confusion only deepened. That the inkstone contained Zhang Liu Sun’s memories was already astonishing, but how had Master Mei Hua become involved?
“What happened next?” Mei Qing asked calmly after a moment.
Liu Xing shook his head. “After that, our master’s temper became increasingly erratic. His way of addressing our junior sister kept changing, and his orders to us were constantly altered. This was all before I left on my travels. At the time, I even wondered if our junior sister’s rejection of me had something to do with our master… When I returned, my first thought was that the child in our junior sister’s belly might be our master’s, but later, from the discussions among our fellow disciples, I realized that wasn’t the case.”
“But by then, our master was becoming more and more deranged, issuing increasingly bizarre commands. One day he would say to kill our junior sister, the next he would say she was invaluable and we should take good care of her. But one thing remained constant: he ordered us disciples to keep a close watch on our junior sister to prevent any mishaps.”
“At first, I thought our master was concerned about our junior sister’s health, given that she was about to give birth, and wanted us to take extra care of her. But later, I realized that wasn’t the case. It was clear that my fellow disciples were actually keeping her under surveillance. Our junior sister’s expressions and actions showed that she was aware of this, but no one was willing to explain why to me.”
“Days passed like this. I was busy every day looking after our junior sister, even squeezing in visits when other disciples were on duty. Finally, the day of her delivery arrived. Our master was clearly not himself. That day, it was supposed to be Fourth Brother’s turn to be on duty, but our master came out early in the morning and stood outside, silently staring at the sky with a grim expression. In all my years with him, I had never seen him like that. Not just me, but the others also kept their distance. Fourth Brother, who was supposed to be on duty, went to speak to our master, but for some reason, our master became angry, grabbed Fourth Brother’s golden core, and threw it aside, even striking Fourth Brother’s consciousness harshly.”
Mei Qing couldn’t help but shudder. A cultivator’s consciousness is much stronger than an ordinary person’s, but if it is injured, the pain is also far greater. Clearly, Master Mei Hua was in a terrible temper to act so harshly.
“None of us dared to speak. Our master looked at the sky, suddenly snorted coldly, and went into our junior sister’s room. By then, our junior sister was already in labor, crying out in pain. I mustered the courage to call the midwives who had been waiting in the house. One of the midwives just said, ‘All men, out,’ and glanced at our master. Our master just snorted, and the midwife collapsed to the ground, dead without a sound,” Liu Xing said, his voice hoarse.
“Strange?” Mei Qing furrowed his brows. He had noticed Liu Xing’s tone had changed slightly when mentioning Plum Blossom Sage earlier, and now he used the word “strange” again. He couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly do you mean by ‘strange’ regarding Plum Blossom Sage?”
Liu Xing was silent for a moment before slowly answering, “Of course, as a disciple, one should not criticize one’s master. But this matter has troubled me for years, and I still cannot understand it. At first, our master treated all of us very kindly. But later on, for reasons unknown, his behavior changed. His temper became increasingly erratic, and most peculiar was that he often contradicted his own words and actions.”
“Contradicted?”
“How to explain it… For example, one time, Master asked me to collect several rare herbs for a medicinal pill. I worked hard to gather them all and returned joyfully. But Master was furious and said, ‘How can you use such trash to make medicine? This Codonopsis should never be used here, and the stone fat is completely wrong—it’s sheer nonsense!’ I dared not argue, thinking he was just in a bad mood, and carelessly put the herbs aside. A few days later, Master suddenly summoned me again, scolding me for not bringing the herbs he had requested. Surprised, I reminded him of the previous incident, but he denied it completely and scolded me again. I had no choice but to collect the herbs again and bring them back. This time, Master was delighted with them, especially the Codonopsis, and praised me highly.”
Mei Qing and Bi Zhen listened in astonishment. How could Plum Blossom Sage, a great master of his generation, behave so erratically and speak so contradictorily? Liu Xing also seemed deeply puzzled, shaking his head. “The other apprentices noticed as well, but none of us dared to ask—especially the youngest apprentice…”
Here, Liu Xing hesitated slightly before saying, “These matters pertain to Plum Blossom Sect, and I shouldn’t be telling you. But since you are Wuduo’s child, you have the right to know. If you can uncover the truth, it would bring closure to both your master and your senior sister. Honestly, I’ve always suspected that someone might have tampered with Master, but there’s no evidence at all, sigh…”
“Especially what happened with Wuduo?” Mei Qing pressed, his suspicions growing.
“Especially with Wuduo,” Liu Xing replied evasively. “Originally, Master treated all of us the same, calling us by our names. He always called the youngest apprentice ‘Wuduo.’ But then something changed…”
“Changed into what?” Mei Qing asked.
“I once happened to visit Master and overheard him talking with my senior sister. I clearly heard him call her… Mei Ji…” Liu Xing said, his voice tinged with distress.
“Mei Ji?” Mei Qing’s heart jolted. Suddenly, he understood the source of his earlier unease.
Back then, when Mei Qing was invaded by the Seven-Star Inkstone in the Brocade Guard Treasury, a scene had appeared before his eyes.
He saw himself standing before a small thatched cottage, facing a vast sea of wild plum blossoms blooming in full glory.
“Mei Ji! Have you made your decision?” he heard himself speak calmly.
A girl in white robes stood alone beyond the sea of plum blossoms, her face serene and elegant, yet a faint mocking smile played on her lips. “Since Master has given the command, how could Mei Ji refuse?”
Ah… He turned his head, and on the wooden pillar behind him, the familiar handwriting and couplet remained as before.
“Occasionally calling the moon to share eternity, once dwelling with plum blossoms on a mountain…” Mei Qing murmured.
“What?” Liu Xing was startled, leaping to his feet. “How do you know this couplet? It was inscribed on the pillar inside Master’s retreat, known only to us few.”
“I’ve known it all along, though I never thought much about it,” Mei Qing said softly.
Seeing Liu Xing’s suspicious expression, he added, “Senior Liu, earlier when I spoke of my cultivation journey, I mentioned encountering a Seven-Star Inkstone, which helped me break through a seal and enhance my powers. At that time, several scenes flashed through my mind, one of which was exactly like this. I just never imagined that the woman in that scene was… my mother.”
Saying this, Mei Qing flicked his hand and took out the Seven-Star Inkstone, placing it on the table.
All eyes turned to the inkstone. Bi Zhen had seen it before and found nothing unusual about it. Liu Xing also looked puzzled, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen this inkstone before. But the aura it emits feels strangely familiar. Hmm…”
After examining it for a while, he said, “But there’s nothing strange about it—it’s just an ordinary stone?”
Mei Qing nodded. “I’ve shown it to several elders, and they all said it’s just an ordinary inkstone.”
Liu Xing sighed. “I really don’t know what’s going on. You seem to be full of strange occurrences.”
Mei Qing remained silent. At the time he touched the inkstone, he had seen scenes and people, which he had previously described to Bi Zhen. He had recognized the figure in the earlier scene as Zhang Liusun, the Grand Master of the Xuan Sect. Later, when he actually met Zhang Liusun, he confirmed that it was indeed his younger self. But the later scenes remained mysterious. Now, after hearing Liu Xing’s account, Mei Qing realized that the later scenes involved Plum Blossom Sage Fan Wentai and Mei Wuduo. His confusion deepened. The fact that the inkstone contained Zhang Liusun’s memories was already astonishing enough. How had Plum Blossom Sage Fan Wentai become involved?
“What happened next?” Mei Qing asked calmly.
Liu Xing shook his head. “After that, Master’s temper grew increasingly erratic. His address to the youngest apprentice changed constantly, and his orders were frequently altered. This was all before I went on my travels. At the time, I even suspected that perhaps the youngest apprentice’s refusal of me was related to Master… When I returned, my first thought was that maybe the child in her womb was Master’s. But later, hearing the other apprentices’ discussions, I learned it wasn’t so.”
“Master’s behavior became even more erratic, giving increasingly strange orders. One day he would order us to kill the youngest apprentice, and the next he would say she had endured much and should be cared for. But one thing never changed—he always insisted that we apprentices keep a close watch on her to prevent any accidents.”
“At first, I thought Master was concerned for her health since she was about to give birth, so we should look after her closely. But later, I realized that the other apprentices were clearly watching her. My senior sister also seemed aware of this, but no one would explain the reason to me.”
“Time passed, and I spent every day taking care of her. Even when other apprentices were on duty, I would squeeze in to see her. Finally, the day of delivery arrived. Master was clearly acting strangely that day. Normally, it should have been the fourth apprentice’s turn to be on duty, but Master came out early in the morning, silently gazing at the sky with a grim expression. I had followed Master for years, but I had never seen him like that. The others felt the same, keeping their distance. The fourth apprentice, due to his duty, spoke to Master, but for some reason, Master became furious. With a wave of his hand, he shattered the fourth apprentice’s golden core and threw it aside, and struck his spiritual sense with a heavy blow.”
Mei Qing couldn’t help but shudder. A cultivator’s spiritual sense was far stronger than an ordinary person’s, and if damaged, the pain was unimaginable. Clearly, Plum Blossom Sage had been in a terrible rage at that moment.
“We all dared not speak. Master looked at the sky, then coldly snorted and went into the youngest apprentice’s room. At that time, she had already started crying out in labor pains. It was I who finally dared to summon the midwives who had been waiting in the house. One of them said, ‘Men must leave,’ and looked at Master. He merely snorted, and the midwife suddenly collapsed to the ground, dead without a sound.” Liu Xing’s voice was hoarse.
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