It’s late today, sorry.
There’s another thing—I’m looking for new moderators. For details, please check: http://forum.qidian.co
“What am I afraid of?” Bai said coldly, “You don’t need to provoke me. These years, my thoughts have grown indifferent, but as for my personality, I won’t start hiding my head and living meekly.”
“That’s good. If we two brothers join forces, we won’t necessarily fear them!” Liu Xing gritted his teeth, “If they really dare to turn their backs on us, we’ll just fight until both sides are destroyed!”
“I won’t risk my life for them,” Bai snorted, “I won’t get involved in your brothers’ affairs.”
Liu Xing turned to look at Bai, somewhat uncertainly, “You don’t have to help me, but won’t you even save her son?”
Bai fell silent again, finally shaking his head with a sigh, “If he really is her son, I won’t let him die.”
Liu Xing also fell silent. The moon above had already hidden behind a cloud, and the sky was thick with dark clouds, making everything feel oppressively heavy.
“Alright, I’ll go wake Meimei now and have her take Mei Qing to Wudang Mountain, to the Tai Shang Rock to hide for a while,” Liu Xing sighed, “so as not to run into whoever might come looking for her, which would be awkward.”
“Tai Shang Rock? That’s your old lover’s cultivation place, isn’t it? You know her cultivation level yourself. Do you think she can protect Mei Qing?” Bai said coldly with a hint of mockery, “Besides, she knows why you refused to marry her, and she knows who it was you’ve been thinking of all these years. If she finds out Mei Qing is the son of the Fifth Flower, with her jealousy, she might not even let Mei Qing live!”
Liu Xing’s expression darkened, “Meimei’s talent is decent, but her cultivation is still shallow; she can’t protect Mei Qing. So where else should those two hide?”
Bai remained silent. After a while, he finally said, “There’s something strange. Have you ever checked Mei Qing? I mean, did you sense any signs of cultivation in him?”
“How could that be?” Liu Xing laughed, “You know his physical condition. It’s impossible for him to cultivate. Of course I checked, and neither he nor his companion showed any signs of cultivation.”
Bai sighed, “Yes, being the son of the Fifth Flower, naturally he can’t cultivate. I must have been mistaken.”
He shook his head again, “But I think, if he really needs to hide, no place is safe—except maybe that place…”
“No, no way,” Liu Xing shook his head, “It’s too dangerous. Besides, we all agreed back then not to bother the Fifth Flower anymore. If you think Tai Shang Rock isn’t safe, I’ll find another way.”
“Then you keep thinking,” Bai replied, “I reckon you haven’t even convinced your second senior brother yet, and Fourth Brother is probably already on his way. What a fortunate situation indeed.”
A hoarse voice suddenly echoed out, reverberating beneath the straw pavilion, shaking the thick layer of straw on the roof and sending dust swirling down.
Liu Xing and Bai were both startled, turning their gazes toward the north. Under the pitch-black sky, a blinding white light was flying toward them from afar. The light grew closer and larger, and by the time it reached the mansion, it was already over ten feet wide.
“He’s come indeed,” Liu Xing hissed, “Did he hear everything we just said?”
Bai shook his head, “No, he was still far away just now. He’s just trying to scare us.”
Then he sneered at the light ball, “Fourth Master, why leave your comfortable life in the capital to come to this wild, desolate place?”
Without waiting for a reply, Bai sneered again, “You two brothers haven’t seen each other in years. Go ahead and catch up. Old Bai here has no interest in you, so don’t bother with me.”
The white light stopped above the straw pavilion. Then suddenly, it flared with blinding brilliance, almost unbearable to look at. After the light dimmed, a thin, emaciated figure appeared atop the straw pavilion.
The old man was short, his hair and beard sparse but neatly combed. Beneath his short eyebrows were two eyes that gleamed with a dark light, giving him an eerie appearance. Dressed in coarse hemp clothing, he stood high above the pavilion and let out a few loud, arrogant laughs, “Master Bai, you’re right. This is a matter between us brothers. It’s better if you don’t get involved, so you won’t embarrass yourself.”
Then, suddenly turning his head, he fixed his dark eyes on Liu Xing, “Third Brother, where is that kid?”
“Since when did Fourth Brother become a people trafficker?” Liu Xing sneered, “Not seen each other for years, and the first thing you do is ask me for someone? What kid? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Third Brother, that’s not very interesting,” the old man in the hemp robe chuckled, “It’s like the old saying goes—’Wear out your iron shoes searching in vain, yet gain what you seek without effort!’ I was just wondering why you went to such lengths to have someone investigate that Mei kid. Now it all makes sense!”
“You’re talking about that?” Liu Xing’s expression remained calm, “Fourth Brother, you’re always so suspicious. Mei Qing is the young man my daughter fancies. Before I marry off my daughter, don’t I need to check into his background and character? Are you going to meddle in that too?”
Upon hearing this, the old man in the hemp robe let out a series of hoarse laughs, “Third Brother, don’t try to fool me. Since I’ve come all this way in the night, I’ve already checked everything thoroughly. As the saying goes, ‘the darkest place is right under the lamp.’ My Second Brother and I have searched high and low for years, never realizing he had been hiding under our very noses all along. You might not believe this, but both my Second Brother and I have even met this kid face-to-face and didn’t recognize him! Haha, who would have thought that the great Master Dian would make such a mistake!”
He sneered again, his laughter filled with mockery. Mei Qing, listening nearby, suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. He recalled the voice of this old man in hemp. Back then, in the ancestral hall of Yang Zui’s house, when he chased Yang Jin to seize the Seven-Star Inkstone, the voice of the stone guardian he had confronted was exactly the same as this old man’s.
So this Mr. Liu was actually a fellow disciple with Master Dian, Tao Zhongwen, and this old man called “Fourth Brother.” Hearing him call Tao Zhongwen “Second Brother” and Liu Xing “Third Brother,” it was clear they were ranked second and third respectively.
Suddenly, Mei Qing recalled his mother being called the “Fifth Flower,” and from Lu Bing, he had heard that his mother might be one of the “Six Flowers” of Plum Blossom Sect. If that was the case, then Tao Zhongwen, Liu Xing, and this old man in hemp were all disciples of the Plum Blossom Sect.
No wonder the Plum Blossom Sect had been silent for over a decade—among its six disciples, two were in the capital, with Tao Zhongwen serving the court as the national master; while Liu Xing had secluded himself and the whereabouts of the Fifth Flower remained unknown.
Mei Qing couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to the Plum Blossom Sect. As for Master Fan Wentai of Plum Blossom Sect, from what Liu Xing had said, he had already passed away. But Fan Wentai was said to have extraordinary cultivation—how could he have died so mysteriously?
“I trust my Second Brother’s eyes,” Liu Xing sneered, “Since he saw him and didn’t recognize him, that proves Mei Qing isn’t the one you’re looking for.”
“Whether he is or not, we’ll know when we meet him,” the old man in hemp replied hoarsely, “Please, Third Brother, don’t let this boy ruin the harmony between us brothers.”
“Harmony?” Liu Xing laughed out loud, “When have you ever been harmonious with anyone? Now you’re actually speaking politely to me? Enough nonsense. If you still value our brotherhood today, leave now. But if you insist on causing trouble, then I’ll just have to fight you to the death!”
Seeing Liu Xing provoke him, the old man in hemp didn’t get angry. Without any visible movement, he suddenly flashed from the roof of the pavilion down to the ground, standing with his hands behind his back, staring at Liu Xing for a long moment before speaking coldly, “Brother Liu, out of respect, I still call you Third Brother, only because you entered the sect before me. But back then, the Master only accepted you as a disciple for that certain reason. As for your cultivation level… back then among all of us brothers, you were the weakest. Especially later, when you secretly loved our little junior sister and were heartbroken when she married someone else, your cultivation not only stagnated but even regressed… If it comes to a fight, I won’t be exaggerating when I say you won’t last three quarters of an hour against me.”
“If you have the skill, take my life,” Liu Xing said coldly, his long sleeves already hanging on both sides of his body, his eyes locked onto the old man in hemp, “But if you think I’ll surrender willingly, forget it.”
“But this is strange,” the old man in hemp said with a sly smile, glancing at Liu Xing for a moment before turning his gaze toward the silent Bai, “So, Master Bai, are you also going to oppose me?”
Bai still didn’t move, his eyes half-closed, “I won’t get involved in your brothers’ affairs.”
Then he turned his head to look at the old man, shaking his head, “But Meimei is a girl I’ve watched grow up. Now that she’s finally found a suitable husband, you come here threatening to take him away. That’s not very honorable.”
The old man’s dark eyes flickered between Liu Xing and Bai a few times before he suddenly burst into loud laughter, “So it’s really like that! Fine, fine! Since even Master Bai says so, I’ll let this go for now.”
Then he turned to Liu Xing with a smile, “Third Brother, since our little niece has found a good match, on such a happy occasion, I’d like to join you for a cup of wine. I’m sure Third Brother won’t refuse?”
“You have legs of your own. If I refuse, will you really not come?” Liu Xing replied coldly.
“Fine, fine,” the old man in hemp said hoarsely, “Then we’ll meet again another time.” Then he turned to Bai, “Master Bai, since when have you and Third Brother become so close? If I recall back then… Haha, unwise, very unwise!”
With that, he burst into laughter again. His figure suddenly twisted and faded, surrounded by a glowing aura. Gradually, he transformed back into the original light ball, gracefully retreating upward until he hovered high above the straw pavilion. Then, like a falling star, he vanished into the distance, his laughter still echoing beneath the pavilion.
Liu Xing’s face was dark with anger as he spat bitterly. Then he turned to Bai, “Master Bai, today I really owe you one.”
Bai slowly shook his head, “He won’t leave for good. We need to be careful.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage