Chapter 34

Qixia Mountain, the rosy clouds are beautiful.

If one were to say the morning glow of Qixia Mountain is the most beautiful, then Lanxia Peak is the best place in Qixia Mountain to view the clouds and mist.

The next day at dawn, the sky had not yet brightened.

Below Lanxia Peak, a large crowd of young men swarmed in.

They gathered in groups of three or five, either chatting and joking or waiting in silence.

Zhang Xingyu and Zhu Dafu also mingled within the crowd.

Yesterday afternoon, upon hearing the news that Fairy Yunxi was coming to Qixia Mountain to view the morning glow, Zhu Dafu was beyond excited.

He simply didn't even return home, dragging Zhang Xingyu and Hu Siping along, insisting on going to Qixia Mountain.

Zhang Xingyu didn't really mind; in any case, there was still plenty of time before the entrance exam, and ogling beauties could be considered a decent pastime.

As for Hu Siping, he said he didn't want to join in the commotion, so he returned to the inn alone.

By evening, Zhang Xingyu and Zhu Dafu arrived at Xiannu Town below Qixia Mountain and checked into an inn named "Xiankelai."

The two planned to rest at the inn for a while and set off up the mountain in the middle of the night.

Who would have thought that just by evening, over a thousand people would suddenly flood into the town, the crowd bustling and noisy, blocking the small town completely.

"Boss, it's truly strange, why have so many people suddenly come to town?" Zhang Xingyu was very curious, so he went downstairs to ask the innkeeper.

The boss chuckled: "What's strange about this? On the first day of every month, Fairy Yunxi of Nanhua Immortal Academy comes to Qixia Mountain to view the morning glow. The people coming to town are all here to go up the mountain to see Fairy Yunxi."

"To see Fairy Yunxi?"

"Exactly. It is said that this Fairy Yunxi is a true immortal descended to the mortal world. If we mere mortals could catch a glimpse of her from afar, we could live ninety-nine years longer. If I didn't have to stay behind to look after the business, I would really want to go up the mountain to take a look too!" As the boss spoke, a look of yearning appeared on his face.

At midnight, Zhang Xingyu was sleeping soundly when he was dragged out of his blankets by Zhu Dafu.

"Brother Xingyu, hurry up and get up, it's time to go." The little fatty shouted loudly in his ear.

Zhang Xingyu rubbed his sleepy eyes: "So early, where are we going?"

"To Qixia Mountain, of course. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to see Fairy Yunxi." The little fatty yanked Zhang Xingyu out of bed.

The two hurried out of the room without even washing up. As soon as they stepped out, they discovered that the guests staying at the inn were scrambling to head out.

The two quickly followed.

Once out of the small town, they were at the foot of the mountain.

The crowd, some carrying lanterns, some holding luminous pearls, and others raising torches, walked up the mountain like a string of beads.

The line of climbers stretched for two or three miles; viewed from afar, it looked like a slowly moving fire snake.

Zhang Xingyu and Zhu Dafu walked in the middle of the procession. The two followed the crowd, moving slowly forward. The mountain path wound and twisted; the further they went, the narrower the road became, and the steeper the incline grew.

After walking for about an hour, the crowd in front suddenly stopped. The two were currently at a place called "Wangtianya." At this point, the mountain path was less than two meters wide, with a cliff face on one side and a bottomless abyss on the other.

"Dafu, it's quite dangerous here, watch your step." Zhang Xingyu reminded the little fatty beside him.

His words had barely faded when he heard someone shouting behind them.

"Make way, make way."

He turned his head and happened to see a man in green robes rushing toward them from behind.

"Not good."

Zhang Xingyu instinctively pulled Zhu Dafu to dodge toward the cliff side, pressing his body tightly against the rock face.

"Smack."

The man in green couldn't stop his momentum and slammed headfirst into a rock protruding from the cliff, falling to the ground and unable to get back up for a long time.

"What's going on?" A man in white robes behind him hurried over and asked loudly.

"Your companion was in such a rush that he hit a rock; you'd better go over and check on him." Zhang Xingyu reminded him quite enthusiastically.

At this very moment, the man in green was lying on the ground, groaning.

The man in white frowned slightly and stepped forward to help his companion up.

By the dim light of the lanterns, everyone finally noticed that an egg-sized bump had already risen on the forehead of the man in green.

The man in white cursed his bad luck.

His companion was unreliable; not only did he fail to complete the mission, but he ended up injuring himself.

Plan A, failed.

After a while, the crowd in front began to move again. Zhang Xingyu and Zhu Dafu passed the man in green and the man in white, continuing to follow the procession.

The two muttered to each other as they walked.

That man in green was a complete idiot.

The mountain was so steep and the road so narrow, yet he didn't consider the danger at all and still wanted to squeeze to the front.

If Zhang Xingyu hadn't reacted quickly just now, they might have been knocked off the cliff by him.

With this interlude, the two became a bit more vigilant.

At dawn, the two finally reached the mountainside with the crowd.

The mountainside looked as if it had been chopped in half by a blade, leaving behind a platform of two or three thousand square meters.

Once the crowd reached this point, they dispersed.

"Why aren't we moving?" Zhang Xingyu pulled someone to ask.

"The path to the peak is ahead, and someone is blocking it, not letting anyone go up." That person replied.

"Why won't they let people up?" Zhu Dafu asked from the side.

"You don't even know that?" The person looked at the little fatty with a look that said he was an idiot.

Over a thousand people gathered on the platform on the mountainside, waiting quietly.

Time passed bit by bit, and the horizon began to glow with a faint white light.

With a flash of purple sword light, a beauty in purple appeared on the peak of Lanxia Peak.

She stood quietly on the peak, looking up at the morning glow filling the sky.

The mountain wind blew, her long hair fluttering and her ribbons dancing, like a purple butterfly dancing gracefully.

On the mountainside, a large group of men were all standing on tiptoes to watch.

Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed, as if missing a single moment would leave them with a lifelong regret.

Just then, a man in purple beside Zhang Xingyu suddenly praised: "There is a beauty on this mountain, peerless and independent. One smile topple a city, another smile topple a nation!"

"Like light clouds veiling the moon, fluttering like wind-blown snow. Viewed from afar, bright as the sun rising with the morning glow; observed up close, radiant as a lotus emerging from clear waves. Truly beautiful. The scenery is beautiful, and the person is even more so." Another poetic youth immediately chimed in.

"Brother Xingyu, it really is Fairy Yunxi." The little fatty Zhu Dafu shouted excitedly.

"It's just a pity that we can't go to the peak to view the morning glow with her." A moment later, he stamped his feet and complained.

Zhang Xingyu glanced at him: "Just watching from here is enough. If you went up, you'd be ruining the scenery."

"How would I be ruining the scenery if I went up?" Zhu Dafu was very unconvinced.

Zhang Xingyu pointed at Fairy Yunxi and said softly: "Look, is the peak of Lanxia Peak right now not a beautiful painting?"

Before Zhu Dafu could answer, the poetic youth nearby had already answered first: "A beautiful painting, of course it's a beautiful painting. Immortal mountain rising from a sea of clouds, in the ethereal void. The peak, the sea of clouds, the morning glow, the fairy—which of these is not exquisite? In such beautiful scenery, adding one stroke is too much, and removing one stroke won't do."

"What's the use of beautiful scenery? I can't become a person in the painting with Fairy Yunxi." The little fatty was unconvinced.

"Vulgar! Utterly vulgar!" The poetic youth shook the folding fan in his hand, his face full of disdain.

Seeing him spray Zhu Dafu, Zhang Xingyu felt angry in his heart. If you call my brother vulgar, doesn't that mean you're also calling me vulgar?

Damn it, do you think you're the only one who can talk trash? Do you think you're the only one who can recite poetry? Have you ever seen the trolls from my world, have you ever seen the Tang and Song poetry I've memorized?

If the uncle can bear it, the aunt cannot. Zhang Xingyu decided to teach him a lesson on how to behave.

Unexpectedly, before he could speak, the youth in purple took the lead: "Elegance to the extreme is vulgarity, and vulgarity to the extreme is elegance. This young master thinks this little fatty brother is right. If we could become people in the painting with Fairy Yunxi, it would be a hundred times better than us just admiring the flowers, the scenery, and the fairy here."

While the four were talking, the man in green with the bump on his forehead and his companion also secretly squeezed near them.

The man in white said intentionally or unintentionally: "This place is too far from the peak of Lanxia Peak; we can't see clearly. If only we could climb to the peak and admire Fairy Yunxi up close!"

"Go up to Lanxia Peak?" Hearing this, Zhu Dafu's eyes lit up immediately.

"Yes, indeed. If we could go to the peak and watch the sunrise with the fairy, that would definitely be the most beautiful picture." The youth in purple touched his smooth chin, his eyes full of yearning.

"It's a pity that there are people guarding the entrance to the peak; we can't go up." The man in white shook his head and said.

"That just means someone needs to go and lure them away." The poetic youth had the quickest mind and immediately offered a solution.

"Who would be willing to go? They'll get beaten up." The man in white muttered.

The poetic youth laughed: "Under heavy rewards, there must be brave men. As long as we are willing to spend gold coins, naturally someone will be willing to go and lure them away. I suggest we each contribute fifty thousand gold coins as compensation for whoever is willing to go."

"Good. I agree, I am willing to contribute fifty thousand gold coins." The youth in purple was the first to nod in agreement.

"I am also willing to contribute fifty thousand gold coins. But, who is willing to go?" The poetic youth also said softly.

"We will also contribute fifty thousand gold coins each." The man in white and the man in green indicated they were not short of money.

The four looked at the little fatty in unison.

Zhu Dafu lifted his head: "Why are you looking at me? Do you think this young master looks like someone who is short of money?"

The group turned to look at Zhang Xingyu: "A total of two hundred thousand gold coins, brother, are you willing to go?"

Zhang Xingyu stared at them for a long time, then nodded: "I can go. But I can only guarantee to attract the attention of the guards; I cannot guarantee I can lure them away."

"As long as you can attract the attention of the guards, that's enough. We will find a way to sneak up ourselves." The youth in white saw that Zhang Xingyu was willing to take the job, so he immediately nodded in agreement.

"Money first, work later." Zhang Xingyu added.

"No problem." The man in white was the first to agree.

He thought to himself, kid, as long as you go, we can find an excuse to deal with you. Then, we'll make you swallow your bitterness without a word.

Seeing him agree, the others also expressed their approval.

The youth in white reached into his chest, took out two gold notes, and handed them to Zhang Xingyu.

Zhang Xingyu reached out to take them, and then took one each from the hands of the youth in purple and the poetic youth.

He carefully checked their authenticity before satisfiedly tucking the four gold notes into his chest.

"Get ready, everyone. I'm going over now." Zhang Xingyu chuckled, pushed through the crowd, and strode toward the people guarding the path.

"Brother Xingyu, be careful." The little fatty instructed from behind.

Zhang Xingyu waved at him without looking back, then lifted his head, puffed out his chest, sucked in his stomach, and marched toward the path entrance ahead with high spirits.

At the path entrance ahead, there stood a dozen burly guards with long swords hanging at their waists, each exuding a cold and powerful aura.

Arriving about thirty meters away from the guards, Zhang Xingyu stopped.

Thirty meters was the best safe distance; getting any closer would easily make the guards feel insecure.

He cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted toward the peak of Lanxia Peak.

"Fairy Yunxi, I like you!"

On the mountainside, the crowd of youths who were watching Fairy Yunxi from afar were all petrified.

"Kid, what are you shouting about?" A guard scolded Zhang Xingyu loudly.

"Don't misunderstand. We are all fans of Fairy Yunxi. We climbed the mountain overnight just to express our admiration for her." Zhang Xingyu explained to the guards.

Fans?

The guard was confused.

However, seeing that Zhang Xingyu had no malicious intent and no intention of heading to the peak, they stopped trying to block him.

It really worked!

Zhang Xingyu's mouth curled up.

He lifted his head again and shouted loudly toward the peak: "Fairy Yunxi, I like you!"

After a moment, the woman in purple on the peak seemed to hear his shout and turned her head slightly.

Her gaze pierced through the morning darkness and saw the handsome youth shouting at her.

"It's a pity it's not you, Xiaofan." The woman sighed and turned her head away again gently.

A moment later, on the mountainside, the shouting was earth-shattering.

"Fairy Yunxi, I like you!"