Chapter 277: A Busy Threshold, One After Another (Begging for monthly votes)

Because some friends from the Western Shu Sword Pavilion and the White River Sword Pavilion often came, the mountain-protecting formation had no restrictions for them, and this included Zhou Qingyun.

Zhou Qingyun walked in with light steps and a joyful face, only to find that besides Cheng Xinzhan, there were two other people present.

She immediately restrained her smile and in an instant became the famous and awe-inspiring Master of the Green Cord Sword of the North.

"I didn't know you were entertaining guests, Daoist. It was my intrusion. I will come to pay my respects another day."

Zhou Qingyun said, turning to leave.

"Qingyun, stay. It's no trouble; they are just new friends. I'll introduce you to them."

Cheng Xinzhan beckoned. They weren't discussing any major business, just chatting; how could he let someone leave after they had entered? That would be too rude.

Zhou Qingyun didn't really want to leave either. The Sword Pavilion was growing larger, with more people and increasingly busy affairs. Having finally found the time, she naturally wanted to stay at the Profound Observation Temple for a while.

"Then I will intrude."

She followed suit, walked into the temple, and sat down at a position neither too far nor too close to Cheng Xinzhan.

"Qingyun, come, let me introduce you. This is a fellow Daoist I just met, called..."

"Temple Master, no need to trouble yourself with introductions. I know Daoist Zhou."

Huyan Jun said with a smile.

Zhou Qingyun also nodded:

"Greetings, Daoist Huyan."

Cheng Xinzhan was not surprised upon hearing this. The two were peers from the two major sects of the Xuan Sect, both disciples of their respective Sect Masters; it was not strange that they knew each other.

"Greetings, Senior Zhou!"

At this moment, Yu Nanlin suddenly straightened her back and bowed respectfully to Zhou Qingyun, her face flushed red, looking very excited.

Seeing his disciple more excited to see Zhou Qingyun than to see him or her own grand-uncle, Huyan Jun felt a trace of helplessness on his face.

But there was no help for it. The current leaders of the younger generation in Emei were mostly women; just among the Three Heroes and Two Clouds, there were four women. Among them, the Purple Shadow and Green Cord were the most famous, having long since become the banner figures in the hearts of young female cultivators in Shu.

Zhou Qingyun looked at Yu Nanlin, nodded with a smile, and seeing her red dress and cinnabar mark, smiled and said:

"Looking at your attire, I thought I was seeing Yingqiong in her youth."

Yu Nanlin felt wonderful inside upon hearing this.

Huyan Jun, hearing this, smiled bitterly:

"Daoist Zhou, you don't know, but my third junior brother Yang Taizhen also took in a female disciple named Lü Linggu. She dresses exactly like you, and she and my disciple are like sisters, talking about the deeds of you and Daoist Li every day. Now she has earned a name in the mountain, called 'Little Li-Zhou'."

Zhou Qingyun laughed dumbly and said:

"Then I must meet her someday."

Yu Nanlin, upon hearing this, gathered her courage and said:

"May I beg a favor, Senior? Could you grant me an inscription? When I return, I will pass it to Linggu; she will surely be overjoyed."

Zhou Qingyun had never been one for airs and immediately agreed. She took out paper and brush from her cave stone, thought for a moment, and wrote this sentence on a blank talisman paper:

"The spiritual platform shines long, reflecting the moon; the wisdom sword has no edge, yet it slays demons. — Zhou Qingyun"

Immediately, she handed the note to Yu Nanlin.

Yu Nanlin carefully took the note, read it silently, and her eyes lit up. She was happy for her sister, but also regretted that she hadn't received an inscription from the Purple Shadow Sword.

"When I see Yingqiong later, I will have her write one for you too."

Zhou Qingyun said with a smile.

Yu Nanlin was overjoyed and thanked her repeatedly.

After the Emei and Qingcheng sides finished their reunion, Cheng Xinzhan immediately introduced:

"This is my old friend, also wandering everywhere, just called over by me, known as the Hermit Daoist Huai Pu."

"Daoist Huai Pu, this is the Green Cord Sword of the Emei Sect, the eldest senior sister among the Three Heroes and Two Clouds, Zhou Qingyun."

The two exchanged greetings.

After the attendants added new tea, Cheng Xinzhan looked at Huyan Jun:

"Daoist, what were you going to say just now?"

What Huyan Jun wanted to say just now could not be said now, but he was quick-witted and, without changing his expression, said:

"Oh, I wanted to ask, I heard that the Temple Master is good at adjusting Kanli, producing elixirs and selling artifacts, so I wanted to ask about that."

Cheng Xinzhan understood immediately; this Daoist friend from Mount Qingcheng was looking for a pretext. After all, for things like elixirs and artifacts, a hermit might be lacking, but Mount Qingcheng could not be.

It wasn't just him who heard it; Zhou Qingyun also had a smile on her lips. It seemed that what Huyan Jun came to discuss with Temple Master Xinzhan was not convenient for Emei to know.

However, even if she guessed it, she could only pretend not to know. Cheng Xinzhan said:

"Then what kind of elixirs or artifacts do you need, Daoist?"

Huyan Jun wanted to make something up to skip over this topic, but suddenly remembered that his flying sword had been tainted during a battle with demons some time ago. After several refinements, there were still residues, which gave him a headache. It would be better to take this opportunity to let this person see it and test his skills. If it couldn't be removed, it didn't matter, but if it really was removed, that would be an unexpected joy.

So he spread his hands, and a flash of light appeared in his palm, revealing a short blade without a hilt, only a foot long, with a red base and silver thunder patterns, glowing with the brilliance of fire.

"Temple Master, please look. This is the 'Golden Fire Divine Thunder Blade,' refined from underground exotic iron erupted from a volcano combined with Thunder Marsh Divine Sand. It is my personal flying sword. However, some days ago, when I was fighting the Poison Bone Venerable of the Bai Gu Zen Monastery, it was tainted by his phosphorus fire. I don't know what that demon added to his phosphorus fire, but after it touched the flying sword, it was like a maggot on a bone, and no matter what, it wouldn't go away. I wonder if the Temple Master has a way?"

Huyan Jun flipped the flying sword over, and everyone indeed saw a greenish spot the size of a fingernail on the blade.

Zhou Qingyun said upon hearing this:

"No wonder. I heard that the Poison Bone Venerable returned heavily injured some days ago, and even his family-guarding banner was broken in two. So it was Daoist Huyan's handiwork."

Cheng Xinzhan had also heard of this Poison Bone Venerable; he was a disciple of the Bai Gu Bodhisattva and had the cultivation of the Fifth Purification. He hadn't expected this Huyan Jun to be able to beat him into fleeing heavily injured.

As for this phosphorus fire, it looked somewhat familiar. He said to Huyan Jun:

"Daoist, may I take a look?"

Huyan Jun nodded and handed over the flying sword.

Cheng Xinzhan did not touch the sword with his bare palm but supported it with magical power from a distance and then looked at it closely.

Zhou Qingyun smiled lightly upon hearing this. Yes, it was like this. The words that came out of his mouth were always interesting and reasonable.

"Friend Huyan, this is no ordinary phosphorus fire; in my view, this is a baleful fire."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

"Sha fire?"

Huyan Jun's gaze condensed, and he said:

"I only know that the Bai Gu Zen Monastery has the 'Bone-Melting Blood-Coagulating Sha' begged from the Blood God Sect, but I have never heard of such a green phosphorus fire Sha."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and explained:

"Yes, I also discovered this green phosphorus fire Sha when I fought with the demonic monks of the Bai Gu Zen Monastery some time ago. This fire is very unusual; it is not hot but cold, like a maggot on a bone. It does not extinguish with water or wind. Unless the object it is attached to is burned out, it is very difficult to remove."

"Exactly! Exactly!"

Huyan Jun nodded repeatedly. He had tried every method these days, but he just couldn't remove it. If this continued, he was afraid it would damage the origin of the flying sword. He was prepared to disturb his elders in a few days if he still couldn't refine it away.

But now it seemed that this Master of the Profound Observation Temple knew something about the origin of this fire.

"I wonder if the Temple Master knows the origin of this fire? If there is a way to remove it, Huyan will surely reward you with heavy gold!"

Cheng Xinzhan looked at the green spot on the flying sword and said:

"What I just said about the special nature of this phosphorus fire fits a type of Sha I saw in a classic."

"What Sha?"

"The 'Yinxu Ghost Lamp Sha' of Mount Beimang."

Huyan Jun's expression changed upon hearing this:

"Mount Beimang is far away in Heluo, and the Xu Ghost Kingdom and the Bai Gu Zen Monastery are completely unrelated. How could the Sha from over there appear here?"

Cheng Xinzhan's expression was solemn as he nodded:

"Yes, but hasn't Daoist Huyan noticed? It's not just the 'Yinxu Ghost Lamp Sha' of Mount Beimang. Look, isn't the 'Bone-Melting Blood-Coagulating Sha' of the Blood God Sect becoming increasingly common in the hands of the demons of the Bai Gu Zen Monastery? And also, the 'Purple Fire Rotten Peach Sha' of the Green Robe Old Ancestor is also frequently used by the disciples of the Blood God Sect!

"Look, these few Sha from the south, east, and north, which are worlds apart, we have all seen in Xikang. What does this explain?"

Upon hearing this, not only Cheng Xinzhan, but the expressions of the other three also became solemn.

"The demonic sects are colluding more and more closely."

Zhou Qingyun said.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and said:

"This is certainly not a good thing."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

At this time, Cheng Xinzhan said to Huyan Jun again:

"Daoist Huyan, although this Sha fire is difficult to solve, I have the confidence to try. However, it may take some time. If you trust me, leave the flying sword here and come back to take it in ten days.

"Of course, Daoist, you come from a great sect. If you ask a high master to forcibly resolve it with magical power, it should also be possible, and it would probably be faster."

A flash of light appeared in Huyan Jun's eyes. He had just wanted to test this person's skills, and this person was immediately going to test his demeanor. However, what Huyan Jun lacked least was demeanor. He answered freely:

"We juniors and disciples should bear the labor of our elders; how can we bother our elders for everything? Since the Temple Master has the confidence, then I will trouble the Temple Master. I will come to disturb you again in ten days."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded with a smile and raised his hand, and the flying sword was placed on the orchid stand beside the incense table. Here, there was more than one flying sword waiting to enter the furnace, and there were also many flying swords waiting for their masters to come and take them after coming out of the furnace.

When Huyan Jun entered the Daoist temple, his mind was all on the people, and he hadn't even noticed the orchid stand placed against the wall. Now that he saw it, he realized that this temple master had long been famous, and the words about leaving the sword just now were not to test his demeanor; the person was the same to everyone!

Huyan Jun now had even more confidence in Cheng Xinzhan. He cupped his hands:

"Troubling the Temple Master."

Subsequently, the few chatted for a while, nothing more than saying that the Bai Gu Zen Monastery was being pressured increasingly tightly, all the experts were out, and they inventoried the supernatural powers and magic treasures of several famous demons, saying they needed to be careful, and so on.

Cheng Xinzhan's broad vision, looking at the world from north to south, left a deep impression on Huyan Jun. He even wondered if he should go out and travel more. He came from a famous sect but only walked around Ba-Shu, so his vision was not as good as a hermit's.

After the tea was refilled three times, Huyan Jun felt that his purpose for coming had been achieved. He had initially befriended this famous temple master, and his reputation was indeed not false.

Moreover, this trip had an unexpected joy, solving the flying sword problem that had troubled him for many days, and he also learned of the hidden dangers in his disciple's cultivation and set a date for another meeting. It was truly a trip not in vain.

Thus, he stood up to take his leave.

Cheng Xinzhan stood up to see him off.

After leaving the temple gate, Huyan Jun said:

"Your temple still has guests; don't trouble the Temple Master to see us off far. Please have the little immortals lead my master and disciple out."

Cheng Xinzhan was not a person who cared about cumbersome etiquette. He nodded and said:

"Attendants, see the guests out."

The two attendants agreed and were about to step forward to lead the way when they saw the colorful clouds above their heads automatically part to reveal a path, and a figure landed in front of the temple.

Huyan Jun saw the person, another familiar one, and also a famous one. Without Cheng Xinzhan's introduction, he took the initiative to cup his hands toward the person:

"Renying, what a coincidence."

Yan Renying saw Huyan Jun and was clearly somewhat surprised. He cupped his hands:

"Daoist brother Huyan, what a coincidence. Are you just arriving, or are you leaving?"

Huyan Jun replied:

"I have already disturbed Daoist Temple Master Profound for a long time and am just about to leave."

Yan Renying smiled:

"Then I wish you a smooth journey, Daoist brother. Another day, I will go to Qingcheng to pay a visit and ask after the True Person Hanxu."

Huyan Jun nodded with a smile.

Thus, the two attendants led the way in front, taking Huyan Jun and his disciple away.

Cheng Xinzhan and Yan Renying watched them go. After the figures disappeared, Yan Renying asked Cheng Xinzhan with a smile:

"Why did people from Qingcheng visit suddenly, and it's a disciple of the True Person Hanxu at that."

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head:

"I don't know either. They came suddenly, saying they wanted me to refine a sword, but I think it should be that they bumped into Qingyun's visit, and there were some other things they didn't say."

"Qingyun came too?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and invited Yan Renying into the temple, saying as they walked:

"Yes, come into the temple to talk. I still have a friend to introduce to you."

Yan Renying followed Cheng Xinzhan into the temple and laughed:

"That's a coincidence, but I'm afraid that one after another, we are disturbing the peace of Yunlai."

"You are a busy person; I can't wait for you to visit."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled.

After the two entered the door, the two in the temple saw Cheng Xinzhan send one away and welcome another, and they were also somewhat surprised.

"Senior brother is here too."

Zhou Qingyun greeted.

Yan Renying sat down:

"I was passing by on my way back from Chengdu, so I thought I'd come to find Yunlai to talk. Why is junior sister also free to come?"

Zhou Qingyun replied:

"I came specifically to find time. There are some keys to the Taiyi Fen-Guang Sword that I haven't figured out, and Elder Ye is in seclusion, so I came specifically to ask Daoist Yunlai for advice."

Yan Renying nodded and then looked at Feng Jihu:

"This Daoist friend looks very unfamiliar, but his aura is restrained, clouds and mists are swirling, and there is a scent of medicine. He must be a high cultivator who has attained the Dao. I wonder which immortal mountain he practices on?"

————

At the same time, Huyan Jun and his disciple had just left the mountain. After parting with the two attendants and just about to set off back to Mount Qingcheng, they saw a fire light flying rapidly from the southeast. Watching the fire light enlarge bit by bit, it seemed the landing point was Kanli Mountain.

Huyan Jun was somewhat curious. Is Kanli Mountain like this every day, such a busy threshold?

Having already seen a medical expert and the senior brother and senior sister of Emei, he wanted to see who was coming this time, so he deliberately stopped to wait.

The fire light arrived in an instant and indeed landed in front of Kanli Mountain.

After the fire light dissipated, Huyan Jun raised his eyebrows. Ho! What a burly giant!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 278 =====