Chapter 208: Five Plum Blossoms

Mei Qing, hearing Liu Xing’s skeptical words, gave a bitter smile and replied, “Uncle, I assure you, I am not lying. It’s just that my cultivation matters are so confusing, even I myself don’t understand them clearly.”

Liu Xing’s expression remained doubtful, but Master Bai beside him gradually calmed down and said, “Don’t worry, Master Liu. This kid is indeed the son of Wu Duo. I won’t be mistaken about this.”

Yet Liu Xing only became more confused as he asked, “How is that possible? How could he cultivate? Old Bai, do you think it’s possible?”

“It shouldn’t be possible,” Master Bai shook his head, “But there have been too many impossible things in this world that eventually turned out to be possible. I still trust my own eyes.”

Liu Xing’s gaze upon Mei Qing gradually softened as he shook his head and said, “Indeed, the matters of this world are often beyond comprehension. However, Mei Qing, where did you learn this Plum Blossom Thunder Technique?”

Mei Qing thought for a moment and replied, “The method I used just now, is it called the Plum Blossom Thunder Technique in the Plum Blossom Sect? Actually, the technique I learned isn’t called the Plum Blossom Thunder Technique, but rather Palm Thunder.”

Upon hearing Liu Xing’s doubts, Mei Qing let out a bitter laugh and said, “Uncle, I assure you, I have not lied. It’s just that my cultivation journey has been so confusing that even I don’t fully understand it myself.”

Liu Xing’s expression remained puzzled, but Bai Ye, who was standing beside him, gradually calmed down and said, “Don’t worry, Liu Ye, this boy is indeed Wu Duo’s son. I can’t be mistaken.”

Liu Xing, now even more perplexed, asked, “How is that possible? How could he possibly cultivate? Old Bai, do you think it’s possible?”

“It’s impossible,” Bai Ye also shook his head, “but there are too many things in this world that seem impossible at first but eventually become possible. I still trust my eyes.”

Liu Xing’s gaze softened as he looked at Mei Qing, shaking his head, “The things in this world are truly beyond comprehension. But Mei Qing, where did you learn the Plum Blossom Thunder Technique?”

“The technique I just used is called the Plum Blossom Thunder Technique in the Plum Blossom Sect?” Mei Qing pondered for a moment, “It does resemble a plum blossom with five petals. However, the technique I learned is not called the Plum Blossom Thunder Technique, but rather the Palm Thunder.”

“Palm Thunder?” Liu Xing shook his head, “The term ‘Palm Thunder’ is quite common among various sects. It’s like the Five Elements Escape or the Six Harmonies Palm; it’s hard to attribute it to any specific sect.”

Mei Qing nodded, “There’s more to it, but it’s not the right time to go into details. Senior Liu, Senior Bai, may I boldly ask, who was that person just now, and why did he want to harm me? Also, I came south this time to find out about my mother’s whereabouts. If you know anything, I hope you can enlighten me.”

“Your mother? She… alas. She…” Liu Xing hesitated.

“Your mother has passed away,” Bai Ye interjected, letting out a long sigh, “After giving birth to you, her health deteriorated, and she passed away long ago.”

Mei Qing’s heart was in turmoil. He had always imagined many things about his mother, and he had been curious and expectant about her identity, having never met her. He had traveled all this way, gradually uncovering the truth about the past, only to receive such a devastating revelation.

“But… but…” Mei Qing felt as though he had a thousand questions, but he didn’t know where to start.

“Enough,” Liu Xing said, “I can see that you have many uncertainties about your journey here. I don’t know much about your current situation either. Since it’s almost dawn, why don’t we return to the room and start from the beginning?”

Mei Qing nodded, but his heart was even more confused.

“Why do you bear the surname Mei?” Liu Xing scrutinized Mei Qing, a hint of confusion in his eyes, “You look so much like your mother. I never expected that you would end up taking her surname.”

Mei Qing let out another bitter laugh and recounted the story that Zhong Shu had once told him, explaining everything in detail.

As for his cultivation journey, Mei Qing also shared how he had stumbled into it by accident, though he naturally omitted some of the more sensitive details and secrets of his cultivation.

Bi Zhen, seeing that her identity was now known to everyone, no longer pretended and revealed her true appearance as a woman. Her beautiful eyes glanced subtly at Liu Meier.

“So it’s you. I never expected you to be in the capital and to have met this boy,” Liu Xing chuckled, then sighed as he looked at the silent Liu Meier, “Living in the same mountain, yet we rarely interacted. I feel ashamed. How is your mother?”

Bi Zhen smiled, “My mother is doing well, though she never knew that Mr. Liu was also a fellow cultivator.”

Liu Xing naturally understood the implication in Bi Zhen’s words but pretended not to, “Shame on me. My talent for cultivation was never high, and after starting to cultivate, I was distracted by worldly thoughts, unable to focus on my practice. My cultivation level is quite poor.”

Mei Qing could no longer hold back and asked, “Senior Liu, were you and my mother both members of the Plum Blossom Sect? What exactly happened back then?”

Liu Xing’s eyes dimmed, and he spoke with a bitter tone, “To be honest, I’m not entirely clear about what happened back then. My master… alas, even though I was his disciple for many years, I never fully understood his origins or his actions. It all started when I was thirteen.”

“My family were local mountain folk, generations of farmers. Over time, we accumulated some wealth, and later generations began to study and practice literature. However, our family line was not prosperous, and we were mostly single heirs. Moreover, being from the mountains, we rarely produced any notable figures.”

“By my generation, my parents passed away early, and I was naturally carefree, spending my days wandering around and occasionally reading some leisure books. I was particularly fascinated by the path of immortality. One day, an old Taoist suddenly came to my door, saying that we had a master-disciple fate. I was young and naive at the time, and after seeing a few of the old Taoist’s tricks, I was completely convinced and became his disciple, starting my journey of cultivation.”

“After entering the sect, I realized that my talent was rather mediocre. My master took me as a disciple for other reasons. However, my master was quite upright and didn’t want to take advantage of my family without giving something in return, so he taught me cultivation. When I learned about this, I didn’t feel any resentment. Instead, I felt that being able to enter the path of cultivation was a great fortune, and I had no other thoughts.”

“At that time, besides me, there were already a few senior brothers in the sect. Later, there was also the fourth brother. I remember very clearly that on the eighth day of the new year, my master suddenly brought in a junior sister and introduced her to us, saying, ‘This is your junior sister. From now on, there will be five disciples in my sect.'”

At this point, Liu Xing kept shaking his head and sighing, his eyes flickering with emotion, clearly still moved by the memories of the past.

“Five disciples?” Mei Qing, seeing Liu Xing lost in thought, asked, “But I heard from Lord Lu that back then, the Plum Blossom Sect was known as the ‘Six Plum Blossoms’?”

“Six Plum Blossoms?” Liu Xing’s face showed a bitter expression, “I know of this title. It naturally refers to us, but it wasn’t something we called ourselves. It was a label given to us by idle people. However, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Back then, our master led us, saying that we needed real combat experience to accelerate our cultivation. We constantly challenged various sects, and the ones who fought were the six of us. The name of the eldest brother, Shao Yuanjie, is probably something you’ve heard of. The second brother was named Tao Zhongwen. At that time, my name was Liu Shuxing. Your mother’s name was Mei Wu Duo.”

Mei Qing was utterly shocked. Shao Yuanjie’s fame in those days was even greater than that of the current Taoist Master Tao Zhongwen, as he was a royal-appointed Taoist Master. However, he was always quite low-key, and he passed away suddenly a few years ago, which led to Tao Zhongwen gaining the emperor’s favor and being appointed as a Taoist Master.

Now that he thought about it, the Taoist Masters by the emperor’s side were all brothers from the Plum Blossom Sect. No wonder the Plum Blossom Sect suddenly disappeared without a trace; it was because of this.

Seeing Mei Qing’s astonishment, Liu Xing continued as if to add more to his surprise, “Actually, you should also know about the fourth brother. His name back then was Duan Jiyong. Later, he didn’t want to be ranked below me and changed his name to Duan Chaoyong. Being in the capital, you must have heard of him.”

Mei Qing took a deep breath, finally understanding why Lu Bing in the Yang Family Ancestral Hall had been so wary of the two of them. Although Lu Bing might not have known their true identities, he must have had a good understanding of their cultivation levels.

Liu Xing seemed reluctant to talk more about himself and continued, “Besides the five of us, there was also someone by our master’s side. However, he…”

Liu Xing shook his head in confusion, “Our master was a mysterious person, and the person by his side was the same. We only knew that our master called him ‘A’nu,’ but we didn’t know his identity or appearance. He always wore a black robe and a black cloth covering his face, and his presence was almost imperceptible, but his cultivation level was quite high. I saw him make a move twice, and his techniques and cultivation were extremely similar to our master’s.”

“A’nu?” Mei Qing’s heart stirred upon hearing this name, and he asked, “What happened later? How did my mother…”

Liu Xing let out a long sigh, “When Wu Duo first arrived, all of us brothers liked her. However, her personality was quite reserved, and she treated everyone the same, neither showing particular warmth nor coldness. It was as if, in her eyes, everyone in the world was the same. The other senior brothers were mostly focused on their cultivation, and their feelings for the junior sister were just natural affection. However, I couldn’t let go of my mortal feelings, but Wu Duo always seemed indifferent to me.”

“I tried many times, even making my feelings clear, but it never worked out,” Liu Xing kept shaking his head, “However, Wu Duo didn’t distance herself from me because of it. It was just… later on, our master…”

Liu Xing hesitated, his face full of confusion, and finally didn’t say anything, only expressing some regret, “At that time, I thought there was no hope, and seeing that my cultivation was greatly affected, I told my master that I wanted to travel alone to broaden my horizons and also to clear my mind.”

Hearing this, Mei Qing suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, “Senior Liu, are you saying that at that time, your master and your junior brothers and sisters were all living in your mansion?”

“Not entirely,” Liu Xing hesitated, then added, “Actually, the two senior brothers were often traveling, and only the fourth brother and Wu Duo lived here permanently. As for our master… his whereabouts were unpredictable, and it was hard to say whether he was here or not.”

Mei Qing nodded, understanding Liu Xing’s meaning. Cultivators often come and go without a trace. If, as Liu Xing said, his master’s whereabouts were unpredictable, it would indeed be hard to tell whether he was a permanent resident here or if he was just using some profound technique to come and go.

“So I left this place and traveled around. I was away for over a year, during which I met many people and experienced many things. I even… got involved in some romantic entanglements, but in my heart, I could never forget Wu Duo. Suddenly, one day, I felt uneasy, as if something had happened to Wu Duo,” Liu Xing said with a bitter smile, “I don’t know what it was, but I felt something was wrong, so I hurried back. When I returned, I found out that indeed, many changes had occurred after I left.”

Mei Qing nodded and said, “There are indeed many connections here, but now is not the time to go into details. Senior Liu, Senior Bai, may I ask boldly—who was that person just now, and why did he wish me harm? Additionally, I came south in search of someone. If you two seniors have any knowledge about this, I would greatly appreciate your guidance.”

“Your mother? She… ah. She…” Liu Xing hesitated.

“Your mother is already dead,” Master Bai interjected, then sighed deeply. “After giving birth to you, her health deteriorated severely, and she passed away long ago.”

Mei Qing’s heart was thrown into turmoil. In his mind, he had built many images of his mother, filled with anticipation and curiosity for the mother he had never met. As he traveled, inching closer to the truth of the past, he never expected to receive such an outcome.

“Then… then…” Mei Qing had a thousand words in his heart, wanting to ask something but not knowing where to begin.

“Enough,” Liu Xing finally said, observing Mei Qing carefully. “I can see you have many things unclear to you, and I myself don’t know much about your current situation. Daylight is approaching—why don’t we return to the room and talk things through from the beginning?”

Mei Qing nodded, though his heart was even more confused.

“But why do you bear the surname Mei?” Liu Xing scrutinized Mei Qing closely, his eyes showing a trace of confusion. “You look so much like your mother. I just never expected you to end up taking her surname.”

Mei Qing gave a bitter smile and recounted to them all that Uncle Zhong had told him in the past.

As for his cultivation matters, he only mentioned his accidental experiences, carefully omitting the finer details and secrets of his cultivation path.

Bi Zhen, seeing her identity had already been revealed to everyone, no longer pretended and resumed her natural appearance as a young lady. Her delicate eyes occasionally glanced meaningfully toward Liu Mei’er.

“So it’s you. I never expected you to come to the capital and meet this kid,” Liu Xing chuckled, then sighed as he looked at the silent Liu Mei’er and continued, “We have lived on the same mountain yet had little contact. I feel ashamed. May I ask how your mother is doing these days?”

Bi Zhen smiled and replied, “Mother is doing very well. I just didn’t expect Master Liu to be a fellow cultivator.”

Liu Xing clearly understood the implication in Bi Zhen’s words but pretended not to, “Ashamed, ashamed. To be honest, my talent for cultivation was never high. After I started cultivating, my mind was filled with distractions, so I couldn’t focus wholeheartedly on my practice. My cultivation is quite poor.”

Mei Qing could no longer contain himself and asked, “Senior Liu, were you and my mother both disciples of the Plum Blossom Sect? What exactly happened back then?”

Liu Xing’s eyes dimmed as he replied with a bitter tone, “To be honest, even I don’t know the whole story clearly. My Master… sigh, although I was under his tutelage for many years, I never really knew much about his background or his actions. It all started when I was thirteen.”

“My family was originally from local mountain villagers, generation after generation of farmers. Later, we gradually accumulated some wealth, and the descendants began to study literature. However, our family was small, mostly single heirs generation after generation. Also, being mountain folk, we rarely produced any notable figures.”

“When it came to my generation, my parents passed away early. I was naturally carefree and had grown up without much discipline, spending my days wandering about. Occasionally, I read some random books and became fascinated with the Dao of immortality. One day, an old Daoist suddenly showed up at my door, claiming we had a destined master-disciple relationship. At that time, I was young and knew nothing. After seeing a few techniques from the old Daoist, who later became my master, I became completely devoted, bowed to him, and started cultivating under his guidance.”

“After entering the sect, I realized that my talent was quite ordinary. The reason my master accepted me as a disciple was actually for other purposes. However, my master was an upright person and did not want to take advantage of my family without giving anything in return. Thus, he taught me cultivation in return. When I learned about my master’s intentions, I had no complaints. On the contrary, I felt incredibly fortunate to have the chance to enter the cultivation path. How could I have any other thoughts?”

“At that time, besides me, there were already several senior apprentices in the sect. Later, there was the fourth apprentice. Then, I remember very clearly, it was the eighth day of the first lunar month after the New Year. My master suddenly brought in the youngest apprentice and announced to everyone, ‘This is your junior apprentice sister. From now on, I will have five apprentices.'”

As he spoke, Liu Xing kept shaking his head with a low sigh. His eyes seemed to shimmer with emotion, clearly still moved by the memories of those days.

“Five apprentices?” Mei Qing, noticing Liu Xing’s hesitation, asked, “But I heard from Master Lu that there was a saying of the ‘Six Plums’ in the Plum Blossom Sect back then?”

“Six Plums?” Liu Xing’s face bore a bitter smile. “I know of that name. It naturally refers to us, though we didn’t call ourselves that. It was some idle people who imposed that name on us. But it wasn’t entirely wrong. Back then, our master gathered us together and said that we needed to undergo real combat to accelerate our cultivation speed. We six were the ones who went out to challenge various sects. The eldest apprentice’s name, I’m sure you’ve heard of—Shao Yuanjie. The second apprentice was Tao Zhongwen. My name back then was Liu Shuxing. Your mother’s name was Mei Wuduo.”

Upon hearing this, Mei Qing was deeply shocked. Shao Yuanjie’s reputation was even greater in those days than the current Celestial Master Tao Zhongwen. He was an imperial-bestowed Celestial Master. However, this person was always quite low-key and suddenly passed away a few years ago, which allowed Tao Zhongwen to gain the emperor’s great favor and also be bestowed the title of Celestial Master.

Thinking back now, the Celestial Masters around the emperor were all brothers from the Plum Blossom Sect. No wonder the Plum Blossom Sect suddenly disappeared without a trace—it turned out to be the case.

Seeing Mei Qing’s astonishment, Liu Xing seemed to think it wasn’t enough and continued, “Actually, you should also know the fourth apprentice. Back then, his name was Duan Ji Yong. Later, he didn’t want to be ranked below me, so he changed his name to Duan Chaoyong. He is now in the capital, and you should have heard of him.”

Mei Qing took a deep breath, finally understanding why Lu Bing had been so wary of the two men in the Yang family ancestral hall. Although Lu Bing might not have known their true identities, he must have had sufficient knowledge of their cultivation levels.

Not wanting to talk more about himself, Liu Xing continued, “Besides us five siblings, there was also someone by our master’s side. But he…”

As he reached this point, Liu Xing shook his head in confusion. “Our master was a mysterious person, and this person by his side was no different. We only heard our master call him Anu, and we didn’t know his identity or appearance. He always wore a black robe and a black cloth covering his face, his aura was faint and elusive, but his cultivation was very high. I happened to see him act twice. His techniques and cultivation were extremely similar to those of our master.”

“Anu?” Upon hearing this name, Mei Qing’s heart stirred. He then asked, “What happened later? And how about my mother?”

Liu Xing sighed deeply and said, “When Wuduo first joined us, all of us brothers liked her. However, she had a calm and reserved personality, treating everyone equally. She didn’t show any particular warmth or coldness, as if everyone in the world was the same to her. Most of the other apprentices focused their minds on cultivation, so their affection for the little apprentice sister was merely natural. However, I was still caught up in worldly desires, but Wuduo always ignored this.”

“I tried repeatedly, even going so far as to make my feelings clear, but ultimately I got no results,” Liu Xing kept shaking his head. “But Wuduo didn’t distance herself from me because of that. However… later, our master…”

Liu Xing hesitated, his face full of confusion, and finally didn’t say anything further. Instead, he spoke with some regret, “At that time, I thought things were hopeless. Also, seeing that my cultivation was greatly affected, I told my master that I wanted to travel alone to gain more experience and also to calm my mind.”

Upon hearing this, Mei Qing suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, “Senior Liu, are you saying that at that time, your master and apprentices all lived in your mansion?”

“Not entirely,” Liu Xing hesitated for a moment, then continued, “Actually, the two senior apprentices were often wandering and didn’t stay in one place. Only the fourth apprentice and Wuduo lived here regularly. As for our master… he was always appearing and disappearing unpredictably, so it was hard to say whether he was actually present or not.”

Mei Qing nodded, understanding Liu Xing’s meaning. Cultivators often came and went without a trace. If, as Liu Xing said, his master’s movements were unpredictable, it was indeed difficult to know whether he stayed there constantly or moved about mysteriously through his arcane arts.

“So I left and went traveling. That journey lasted over a year, during which I met many people and experienced many things. Even… incurred some emotional debts. Yet in my heart, I could never forget Wuduo’s image. Then one day, I suddenly felt restless, as if something had happened to Wuduo.” Liu Xing gave a bitter smile and said, “I don’t know why, but I just felt something was wrong. So I hurried back and found out that indeed, many changes had occurred after I left.”