Diao Fei arrived in a square room in the corner of the building, but the room was empty. The snow-white walls, floor, and ceiling were covered with inscriptions containing many grooves.
Wang Pushi filled the grooves with spiritual stones and activated the formation. With a flash of light, a figure appeared in the room, only stabilising after flickering a bit. It was an envoy in black, who bowed. “Sir, you’ve activated the Projection formation. What’s the matter?”
“Commander Wang Pushi of the Clear River prefecture has urgent matters to report. Please let me see ma’am Gu!” Wang Pushi clasped his hands and stressed the word “see”.
“Please wait, sir.”
Gu Yanying could not help but become rather curious when she heard that Wang Pushi was looking for her urgently, even activating the Projection formation. She arrived in the room with the Projection formation and saw Wang Pushi’s figure. She smiled. “Old Wang, what’s made you so frantic?”
Wang Pushi bowed before pulling Diao Fei to his side. “Tell her what you just told me.”
“Subordinate Diao Fei g- greets ma’am Gu!” Diao Fei lowered his head, afraid to look at the hovering figure in white. He went through everything again, from beginning to end.
Gu Yanying remained as relaxed as before, but her smile did become slightly less wide. She felt rather powerless in the end. Everywhere is smoking with signs of war, so just why must the flames have to end up being lit where I am?
“Do you know where the daemon came from?” He killed no bystanders, only targeting the elders of the three mountains. Not only did this confound Wang Pushi, but it made Gu Yanying sink into her thoughts as well. The pitch-black hand that extended out from the hall and the scarlet-red eyes did make her think of a few things.
However, she dismissed the thought immediately. How was that possible? Daemon and Daemon General were worlds apart. Even if it took him over a century, it would still be rather fast.
“I’m not sure?”
“Do you remember what the daemon looked like?”
“I don’t.” Diao Fei was afraid his gaze would attract the daemon’s attention, so he never dared to look at it properly. He clearly remembered many special characteristics back then, but now, all that was left in his mind were the scarlet eyes that shone like fire.
“Isn’t Chu Shidao in Clear River? Get him to paint him!”
Wang Pushi hurried off to the Academy of the Hundred Schools.
……
“Father, what brings you here?” In the Academy of the Hundred Schools, Yu Zijian grabbed Yu Shukuang’s hands in surprise and joy.
Yu Shukuang knew that the matter held great importance, so he was afraid of blabbering about it. As a result, all he said was, “I miss you, so I wanted to see you. What’s wrong with that? Sigh, you really have grown up. You’re just like your mother back then, no, you’re even more beautiful than your mother.”
Yu Zijian wore a set of azure robes for daoist priests. Her black hair was tied up into a bun, and she carried the Nine Yang sword on her back. It was a simple appearance, but it only made her seem brighter and more beautiful, completely pure.
It had only been two years, and she had already reached the fifth layer. Moreover, this was because the slovenly daoist priest wanted her to build a proper foundation. Otherwise, if she just pursued cultivation speed, she would have been even faster. She was like a rough jade that was having its outer layer of rock being slowly chipped away. Just the slightest glimmer seemed to be magnificent. Her figure had become beautiful before she knew it.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. In the past, you wouldn’t even come when I wanted you to come. Did something happen at home?” Yu Zijian asked in doubt.
Yu Shukuang knew his daughter was not as easy to coax as before, so he whispered, “I can’t tell you right now. I’ll tell you later.”
“Acting all mysterious, huh? Oh, have you heard anything about Niu Juxia lately?” Yu Zijian’s bright face immediately became dyed with a hint of worry.
This question again!
Yu Shukuang and Yu Lian exchanged glances. Yu Shukuang smiled bitterly. “Don’t worry. He’s doing much better than you!”
“How do you know this? You have news about him, don’t you?” Yu Zijian grabbed Yu Shukuang’s arm firmly and asked urgently.
You’re the one who told me! The only reason Yu Shukuang had received news about Li Qingshan was because Yu Zijian had mentioned the interesting matters happening in the academy at the time. However, he obviously could not just tell her something like, Your father has sworn an oath on his own moral character about this, alright? I do have news about him, but I can’t tell you about it. This is what he wanted.
“Is he really fine?”
“He really is fine.”
“Then why hasn’t he come to find me? So much for worrying for him.” Yu Zijian felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She began to smile, wandering off in her thoughts again.
Yu Shukuang, on the other hand, was worried. Don’t tell me this girl has actually taken a liking to Li Qingshan? She’s still so attached to him even after two years. She has already grown into a proper lady now. Sigh, when men grow up, they get married. When women grow up, they get married off.
Green Vine had rambled about something like severing his ties and devoting himself to cultivation, but he never believed that. He understood the pain of loneliness the best. How could you go without a companion in this world?
He had to properly keep an eye over this aspect for her. The kid is a little stubborn, but aside from that, he’s not a bad choice. Should I tell her his identity? I’ll need to bring it up with him the next time I see him.
Yu Zijian brought Yu Shukuang and Yu Lian around on Wuwei island happily, and as a result, Yu Shukuang began to ask about Li Qingshan like it was an accident.
“Oh, you’re talking about senior brother Li, right? He’s already reached the eighth layer, and he even clashed with the senior brother Chu I mentioned before a while ago. In the end, he defeated him instantly. He’s so powerful!”
Yu Shukuang nodded in satisfaction. Now that’s the cultivation suitable for my daughter. Once he becomes my son-in-law, he won’t bear to scold me anymore, right?
“He spent so much time in the alchemy room with senior sister Ru Xin. When senior sister Han comes out, she’ll probably never spare him. Hehe, that’s what Chenglu said.”
“What’s senior sister Ru Xin and senior sister Han about?”
Yu Zijian told Yu Shukuang the gossip enthusiastically and noticed that Yu Shukuang’s expression had changed. She asked in surprise, “Father, what’s wrong?”
“Oh nothing. Ah, what’s this mountain called?” Yu Shukuang laughed dryly. So Li Qingshan is actually the romantic type. Thank god I didn’t tell her Niu Juxia’s real identity on a whim. I can’t let my daughter become involved with someone like him.
Gu Yanying waited for a while, and Wang Pushi returned with a young man. He reported, “Master Chu has already set aside his brush in retirement. He no longer paints. This is his final disciple, Chu Danqing. He can carry out this responsibility too.”
Chu Danqing became stunned the moment he saw Gu Yanying. He had seen Chu Shidao paint hundreds of beauties, but none of them could even rival one ten thousandth of her. He sketched an outline of her instinctively inside, but he was immediately left at a loss as to where he should start. Even if he forced himself to paint her, it would completely lack her bearing and charm. It would just be a regular beauty.
“So you’re Chu Danqing. Your master has hidden you away quite well. If you want to stare, you can keep staring later. Get painting!”
Chu Danqing returned to his senses, and he reddened from embarrassment. He turned to Diao Fei and said, “Please close your eyes and try your best to recall the scene back then before relaxing your mind.”
Diao Fei closed his eyes, and Chu Danqing placed a finger on Diao Fei’s forehead. His other hand flew into a flurry, painting on the paper. He recovered his composure.
A weasel-hair brush produced a multitude of colours. Sometimes it furled together, painting with thin strokes; sometimes it unfurled, dabbing heavily with colour. Before long, a colourful painting emerged vividly on the paper.
Chu Danqing exhaled gently and showed Diao Fei the painting first. “Is this what you saw?”
Those nightmarish scarlet eyes filled his vision once more. Diao Fei leapt up in surprise, taking half a step back before finally seeing the entire painting. Above the ruins was a black silhouette, a dark-red, full moon, a raised blade of ice and flying, long hair. The various details lost in his memories had all been retrieved. It was even more detailed and vivid than when he saw it initially.
“Y- yes.”
Wang Pushi could not help but take a look at the painting too. He wanted to see just what figure could kill the elders of the three mountains and frighten Diao Fei so much.
All he saw was a vivid figure in the painting, as if he was about to leap out of the paper and cut him down. He was slightly astounded inside, What a good painting! What killing intent! Would I be this daemon’s opponent?
Then, Chu Danqing lowered his head and presented it before Gu Yanying. Gu Yanying only took a single glance at it before recognising the identity of the person in the painting with her half-daemon bloodline. Just like how humans were unable to distinguish between two magpies, special characteristics were basically as obvious as direct markers in the eyes of the same kind.
Wasn’t that the kid?
For once, Wang Pushi found a sliver of surprise on Gu Yanying’s face.
Gu Yanying waved her jade folding fan gently. How strange. How strange!
Back then on the Ice Sword cliff, when she thought he had embarked on a path of daemons, he ended up returning as a Hawkwolf guard. When she thought he had chosen a human path of cultivation, he transformed into a daemon again, risking his life to fight for a Daemon General.
In the blink of an eye, he had already become a Daemon General, crossing the barrier that would take many daemons centuries or even a millennia to cross and taking the lives of three Foundation Establishment cultivators the moment he struck.
She had never met such an unpredictable guy. Interesting, interesting!
If that were the case, everything made sense. The reason why he had gone to find the three elders was still for revenge! Because he had originally been a human, he still possessed some benevolence, so he did not cause a massacre.
The rooms several thousand kilometers apart fell silent at the same time as they awaited her orders.
Gu Yanying closed her fan and struck her palm gently. “Hold on. I might pay a visit to the Clear River prefecture. Just send someone over to investigate for now!”
Wang Pushi was rather troubled. “Little Hua and Qiongzhi are both in seclusion. Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit myself!”
“You don’t have to go. Isn’t there a Li Qingshan? I heard he has risen into prominence lately, and he’s very strong. Just get him to investigate. When he gets back, get him to write a report for me. I’d like to hear his opinion on this case.” Gu Yanying’s eyes flickered as she seemed to smile.
Little bro Qingshan, are you really that eager to throw those words back at me?
“Yes. I’ll summon him back right now. Is there anything else I can do?” Wang Pushi asked. As it seemed, commander Gu really did pay special regard to Li Qingshan. She had actually handed such an important case to him, even praising his strength. It was unimaginable. However, he struggled to connect this flagrant, reckless daemon in the painting to the primary disciple of the school of Novels, Li Qingshan.
“Old Wang, the things that will happen will happen sooner or later!” Gu Yanying drew out her voice. Then her eyes swiveled. “You’ve painted very well. You’ll definitely surpass your master in the future.”
Chu Danqing was slightly taken aback before realising she was speaking to him. When he raised his head, her figure had already vanished. He felt lost inside, yet he also came to a certain understanding. If he looked at the Heavenly Maiden Scatters the Blossoms again, he would definitely see her!
