Chapter 30: Schemes Amidst the Leisurely Clouds of Qingwei Peak

Lingxiang tidied the miscellaneous items in the room; although she had sent Long Qi and the others to move the large objects that day, there were always some odds and ends that needed organizing. Looking at Maidong, who was heaving deep sighs before the table, she truly could not count on her for anything at all.

"I say, you have already learned seven or eight parts of our Senior Brother's medical arts, but you are a disciple of the Daoist Sect after all. In broad daylight, you don't go practice martial arts or meditate, but spend your days on my Qingwei Peak pining away—what is the meaning of this?"

Lingxiang complained, but Maidong seemed not to hear her at all, still twisting her braids, or sitting blankly with her chin in her hands, or lowering her head and smiling faintly.

"Once I finish tidying up the Xianyun Abode, I will certainly go ask Senior Brother Fuyin if he intends to do anything about these cabbages that have been planted for years, now that they are about to fall into someone else's pot."

At the mention of Perfected Person Fuyin, Maidong finally came back to her senses.

"Don't you go wagging your tongue in front of my Master. Nothing is even set in stone yet; if that old man finds out, he certainly won't let it rest."

"Oh my, my~ 'Nothing is set in stone yet'~" Lingxiang mocked with her habitual, winding tone like a theater troupe performer. "Look at how you say that—what is set in stone? Do you even know where he lives, if he is married, or who else is in his family? You speak as if the happy event is near; have you no shame!"

Just as Maidong was about to retort, Lingxiang continued: "Besides, since he has already entered the Yuanqing, he has the heart to cultivate the Way. How do you know if he is a quiet cultivator like your Master, or if he intends to be a Fire-Dwelling Daoist?"

Hearing her say this, Maidong had nothing to say—that day, observing his words and actions, he did seem to be a man without desires, devoted to the Way. If that were truly the case, wouldn't she be merely wishing for the impossible?

Thinking of this, she could not help but feel a sense of loss. She rose, dejected, and pretended to help Lingxiang tidy up items to hide the disappointment on her face.

"Pfft!" Seeing her like this, Lingxiang could not help but laugh out loud.

Forget it, this young girl's heart has just begun to stir, and she is not yet worldly-wise; better not tease her anymore.

"Cultivating the Dao for years, and you still can't read a person's physiognomy? I suppose you were too busy being shy!"

Hearing this, Maidong suddenly raised her head to look at Lingxiang.

"Although that man is cold and taciturn, there are stars in his eyes; clearly, he still has desires in this world. Looking at how he treats Zhao Wuyang, it seems his seven emotions are still intact. He is definitely not a man of quiet cultivation."

"Is this true? In that short amount of time, you saw through all of that?" Maidong was half-doubting, but her heart was filled with great joy.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk~" Lingxiang clicked her tongue to express her dissatisfaction. "I am, after all, your Ninth Martial Aunt, one of the Yuanqing Nine Sons."

"Hmph! That was in the past! A hero doesn't mention past glories; you gave up that title long ago."

"Hey~ what kind of talk is that!" Lingxiang chided. "I was never a hero to begin with; I am merely a woman as weak as a willow in the wind."

Maidong glanced at her with utter disdain—if she were a willow, the wind would have to blow around her, otherwise she wouldn't even know how she had been schemed against.

"But then again, whether the two of you have any fate is still uncertain." Lingxiang changed the subject, causing Maidong to jump in surprise.

"You are, after all, the closing disciple of a sect's disciplinary master, but yesterday, seeing him perform his sword techniques... tsk, tsk, tsk... his aptitude is truly mediocre. I fear there is no hope for his promotion."

She knew this dead girl had something up her sleeve.

"We grew up together; do you think I don't know how much mischief you have in your belly? If you have something to say, say it directly; is it worth being so roundabout?" Maidong rolled her eyes and said.

"I heard that Senior Brother Fuyin has a set of Entwining Dragon Sword Technique..."

"Stop, stop!" Before Lingxiang could finish, Maidong hurriedly said: "I heard from Master that the Sword Formula was entrusted to him by a deceased friend. If he ever happens to meet that family's descendants in the future, he is to return it to them."

"Everyone says 'if fate allows,' but it's not certain if he'll ever see them. Even if they met face-to-face, he wouldn't know if the person was the so-called descendant. If he never sees them, is it just going to rot in your Master's library?"

"That still won't do. If Master finds out, he'll punish me by making me copy the 'Classic of Great Simplicity' again!" Recalling the last time she secretly took Fuyin Zhenren's treasured 'Questions of the Internal' to read, only to accidentally drop it into her foot-washing water and be punished by her Master to copy the 'Classic of Great Simplicity' three hundred times, Maidong couldn't help but shiver.

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Maidong shook her head firmly.

"Haiya~" Lingxiang sighed in a strange, mocking tone, causing her to jump again—whenever this dead girl used that tone, she definitely had some bad idea brewing.

"Originally, observing the stance Xinyi uses when wielding his sword, I happen to have a 'Water-Severing Art' that suits his chopping and slashing style. But if I give it to him, wouldn't I be making a losing deal? Oh my~ forget it, forget it~ fate, it is~ let heaven decide!"

Sure enough!

"It's been so many years, but whenever you use this tone, you are definitely scheming in a roundabout way! Whenever you stick your butt up, the west room is bound to suffer!" Maidong scolded irritably.

Seeing her like this, Lingxiang knew she had agreed, and hurriedly sat down beside her.

"Aiya~ to each their own, I yield, I yield!"

These two troublemakers—when they were young, one relied on the protection of her senior brothers, the other on the doting of her master, and they did plenty of bad things on the mountain. She still remembered that year when Lingxiang wanted to test a medicine, and it was Maidong who thought of a way to put it into Elder Zhaoming's meal, resulting in Elder Zhaoming having his stomach churn and suffering from diarrhea for an entire night, leaving him so weak he couldn't get out of bed for days.

"When are we going to steal it?" Maidong rolled her eyes and asked helplessly.

"Tsk! In matters of cultivation, how can you call it stealing?" Lingxiang clicked her tongue and said solemnly: "It is merely borrowing it to study for a few days, and it will be returned after use! The first martial arts demonstration is approaching, I fear there isn't enough time, but the day of the demonstration is just right. Although your Master has closed his doors, the several Elders will all be there, and he certainly cannot be absent. At that time..."

"Are you doing all this for Long Qi, truly just treating him as a disciple?" Maidong did not wait for her to finish, but suddenly asked with a serious expression.

Lingxiang was startled by the question and lowered her head, silent. Seeing this, Maidong concluded that there must be a hidden story.

"Whether it's today's matter or the night exploration a few days ago, this Seven-Star Dragon Abyss alone is no ordinary object. Although I don't know the origin of that sword, as you said, he is at least a person who cultivates the Dao. Although the sword is sealed in its scabbard, its Spirit Qi is hard to hide; there must be a Spirit Artifact dwelling within it."

Having said this, Lingxiang still did not speak or answer, keeping her head lowered as if thinking about something.

"Sisters for so many years, can you not even tell me?"

After Maidong finished this sentence, she stared fixedly at her—Lingxiang, this person, although she seemed heartless and carefree on the surface, those were all minor trifles. If there was truly some difficulty, she would certainly endure it alone, never letting others know easily.

Just like her path of cultivating the Dao.

"I just..." Lingxiang raised her head to look at Maidong, smiling brilliantly, "want someone to help me manage the herb garden."

Since that day, Long Qi had become even more diligent in his cultivation. Every time he practiced his sword, he was twelve parts focused. Although he still couldn't wield it smoothly, he still gave it his all, and even Xinyi was surprised by his change.

—Father, Mother, brothers, now that I am a member of the Daoist Sect, from this day on I will certainly cultivate with all my heart. Once I have achieved success in my studies, I will definitely go down the mountain to kill the enemy with my own hands and avenge you!