Chapter 684: Vermilion Grass

On the edge of the great marsh at Zhuoyu Villa lies a forest. The trees are towering and lush, like the most vibrant emerald in all of Jiugao Mountain. If one were to row a boat on the marsh and gaze from afar at the forest and its reflection shimmering on the water, it would truly be a sight for sore eyes.

Yet, this forest can only be viewed from a distance; one must never approach it. It is the number one forbidden area of Zhuoyu Villa. Not only can outsiders not enter, but those inside do not easily come out.

There lives the most mysterious of the True Jade Disciples, the third female disciple among the nine great disciples of Xue Xianyun—Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying joined the sect even before Xue Yeyu, second only to the two "child disciples" raised by Xue Xianyun since they were small, and she is now the de facto senior sister. However, very few have seen her; let alone the outside Jade Disciples and Moyu Disciples, even the later-arriving True Jade Disciples have never seen her.

A few years ago, only Xu Zhongnan was close to her among the disciples; it is said that the two knew each other before coming up the mountain, and their families were even family friends. After Xu Zhongnan went down the mountain, Zhu Ying became increasingly reclusive, almost never stepping out of the forest. Except for Xue Xianyun, who sometimes went in to see her, others could not step into the forest at all.

This situation has improved in the last three years; another disciple who can communicate with Zhu Ying has come to Zhuoyu Villa.

This person is Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao accidentally wandered into the forest a few years ago by chance. He was not driven away; instead, he formed a friendship with Zhu Ying and even received a precious gift from his senior sister. From then on, Zhu Ying had one more little friend, which has become a fine story.

Stepping into the forest again after several months, the forest really has not changed at all.

If one says the forest looks like an emerald from the sky, then when one is inside it, one feels that this forest is more like a dreamlike world of jewels. The leaves, as large as banana leaves, are like verdant emeralds, the flowers blooming in the forest are sparkling gems of various colors, and the small, crystal-clear puddles dotting the ground are like translucent crystals.

Besides the exceptionally beautiful scenery, the most peculiar thing in the forest is the running and jumping...

Medicinal herbs.

Yes, there are almost no large animals in this forest. Apart from some small squirrels and rabbits, anything that can be seen scurrying about is a medicinal herb that has grown legs.

There are ginseng, fleeceflower, lingzhi, Vermilion Grass...

Each herb, which would be quiet outside, has grown two little feet here, twisting its clumsy body and hopping about in the forest as if they were happy larks. Even if an uninvited guest breaks in, they do not avoid them at all and are completely unafraid of people.

Coupled with the fairyland-like environment, it looks even more like a world in a fairy tale.

As soon as Tang Zhao entered, the jumping medicinal herbs paused for a moment, then swarmed over with a rustle, like birds attracted by millet.

Tang Zhao was very surprised. When he came in before, although those medicinal herbs were not afraid of him, they did not pay much attention to him either, playing happily on their own. Why did they all swarm over this time?

Could it be that they came to drive him away? Have bad guests come to the forest, and the medicinal herbs have all become alert?

But soon he dismissed his concerns. Those little ginsengs and little lingzhis surrounded him, rubbing against him just like little cats and dogs, very affectionately, as if he were a good friend they had not seen for a long time. If medicinal herbs could make sounds, they would surely be making "meow" and "woo" noises right now.

Strange, why has it become like this?

Immediately after, Tang Zhao realized: he was not a Sword Guest when he came last time. Now he is already a Jingxing Sword, and his Sword Image is with him as light at all times, so he naturally carries the scent of Sunlight. The medicinal herbs like the scent of Sunlight.

"Strange, some of you clearly have habits of liking the shade, growing in the depths of the forest where Sunlight cannot be found, so why did you run over? I'm talking to you, little purple lingzhi."

He squatted down and poked the cap of a lingzhi. The lingzhi avoided him unhappily, then jumped to the side and continued to rub against him.

Tang Zhao could not help but have an evil thought: if one were to catch one and take it out, it would be worth a lot of money.

But that was just a thought; he could not go and catch the little fellows who actively approached him, could he? Not to mention that everything in this forest belongs to the Third Senior Sister, and he cannot take things without asking.

If he encountered such an interesting thing in the past, he would definitely stop to play with the medicinal herbs for a while, but he had business today, so he struggled to escape the encirclement and headed straight for the Third Senior Sister's Sword Hut.

The Third Senior Sister's Sword Hut looks like a large lingzhi from afar, with a sun-shading cap on top. The Sword Hut has only three walls, and the other side is empty, looking like a tree hole on a lingzhi stalk. The empty side faces a pond in the forest; the pond water is clear and shallow. In summer, a bamboo curtain is lowered, and in winter, it is a thick cotton curtain. Sitting inside, one can feel the moist air on the water.

At this moment, Tang Zhao saw that the curtain on the empty wall was rolled up, and the situation inside was clear at a glance.

There are five people in the Sword Hut, three sitting and two standing. Among them, four, oh no, five are acquaintances.

The four need not be mentioned: they are Master Xue Xianyun, Senior Brother Xu Zhongnan, and the two senior sisters, Xue Yeyu and Zhu Ying.

Master and Senior Brother are the same as usual; Master has not aged, nor has he gone bald, which is gratifying. Senior Sister Xue has probably become a Sword Guest, and her temperament seems even more outstanding. She originally had a scholarly air, but now she has a bit more mystery, and her gaze is sharper, just like an owl perched in a dense forest at night.

And the one sitting in the main seat is Zhu Ying, wearing a pale red dress, revealing a fair, white face.

Compared to Xue Yeyu, Zhu Ying's appearance is not particularly delicate; her features are three-dimensional, the corners of her eyes and brows are very sharp, and she even has a wild air, as well as the lightness of rain on an empty mountain, and she is no less beautiful. This is something that people who only saw her veil and slender figure outside could not imagine.

Zhu Ying has always worn a veil outside. Even though Tang Zhao has visited the Sword Hut several times, he has only seen this face once. With so many people here this time, she actually showed her face to meet guests openly, which shows that today is special.

And the only outsider, Tang Zhao also knows, and he just saw them.

It is actually Guiyuanshi.

The person Guiyuanshi said they wanted to find that day, who is good at cultivating Sword Deities, is actually Senior Sister Zhu?

Tang Zhao was stunned, then suddenly realized.

This makes sense.

Those medicinal herbs outside that can run and jump, are they natural freaks? Could they be influenced by magical power?

Guiyuanshi said before that the most magical thing in the world is the sword. When encountering mysterious and inexplicable things, if it is not the power of the Heavenly Demons, then it is mostly the power of the sword. There is no Yin Qi here at the Third Senior Sister's place; if these magical signs are not the sword, then what are they?

He did not understand such profound things before and did not think about it carefully, but now that he thinks about it, the forest should be influenced by some kind of Sword Momentum, becoming vibrant and full of medicinal fragrance.

Sword Momentum... that is the power of a Sword Immortal level.

Shocking, so a Sword Immortal has long been by my side?

Of course, the Third Senior Sister would never be a Sword Immortal, nor would a living Sword Immortal really live in Zhuoyu Villa, so it can only be a Sword Deity? The Third Senior Sister is good at cultivating Sword Deities; is this Sword Deity raised by the Senior Sister herself?

Although this can be rounded out, if you think about it carefully, it is truly outrageous.

Regardless of whether it is a real Sword Immortal or a Sword Deity, that is a power that the Human World cannot imagine, and it is also a strategic and dynastic power. However, the Senior Sister has always stayed in Jiugao Mountain without going out, as if in solitary confinement. Before, when Tang Zhao saw the Senior Sister's appearance, he thought she was being hunted and was an enemy of the whole world, so she was avoiding the world on the mountain.

You know, Xu Zhongnan also specifically instructed him not to let outsiders contact Zhu Ying, so as not to attract attention. Tang Zhao also guessed that perhaps her enemies were extraordinary, and Zhuoyu Villa could not protect her at all.

Now thinking about it, which side is more terrifying?

Starting from a Middle-rank Sword Deity, wouldn't that allow one to walk sideways in the Human World? Wangliang is also a Middle-rank Sword Deity, and is also an enemy of the whole world, and has even been suppressed by destruction for many years, so why doesn't that person avoid the world? How many years has Wangliang been running rampant? Who dares to oppose them? If it weren't for three Sword Immortals attacking together, plus the Yingyuan riot, that person would still be living comfortably now.

Tang Zhao had this thought in his heart, but immediately thought: what if the Senior Sister really needs to be careful?

Does she really have enemies she cannot resist?

For example, a certain Sword Saint?

Could it be that Guiyuanshi's "visit" implies coming to seek revenge?

Fortunately, Tang Zhao observed carefully and found that although the atmosphere in the Sword Hut was not harmonious, it was not tense either. Everyone was still sitting very steadily; at most, they were not hitting it off.

At this time, Guiyuanshi saw Tang Zhao first and beckoned, "Little Friend Tang, come over."

The few people saw Tang Zhao at the same time and were all pleasantly surprised. Xue Yeyu greeted him and led him into the Sword Hut.

On the way, Xue Yeyu whispered, "You know him?"

Tang Zhao said, "A senior... who came from the sky."

Xue Yeyu said, "I know he is a Sword Immortal from the heavens, but is he trustworthy? He arrived suddenly, saying he wants to invite Senior Sister to come out of seclusion and even go to the heavens. But how could Senior Sister leave with someone of unknown origin?"

Tang Zhao's heart stirred, realizing that Guiyuanshi had not revealed his identity, only letting people assume he was a Sword Immortal. He said, "This senior has taken good care of me, but as it concerns Senior Sister... I do not know if it is safe."

Among everyone present, Tang Zhao understood the situation the least and only had a few guesses; he could not offer any guarantees.

The two entered, and Tang Zhao greeted them one by one. Zhu Ying poured Tang Zhao a cup of tea with a faint medicinal fragrance. Guiyuanshi smiled and said, "I only realized after arriving here that young friend Tang also hails from this place. To meet unexpectedly twice, what kind of fate is this?"

Tang Zhao said, "If I had known, I would have come with you, Senior. Instead, I let you arrive a step ahead."

Guiyuanshi said, "It is better that I came first; by stating some things first, I show my sincerity. I believe Sword Master Xue and Miss Zhu have also seen this."

Xue Xianyun's expression was not as flamboyant as usual; he said calmly, "We know of Your Highness's sincerity. This Xue is not someone who does not know what is good for him. Although A-Ying's abilities are miraculous, her hard strength is insufficient. If Your Highness had the intention to use force, you would not have waited here patiently for several days. However, how special is A-Ying's Sword Intent? How could it not invite covetousness? Even if you have no such thoughts, as long as she steps out, once she falls into the eyes of a second or third person, word will spread from ten to a hundred, and among thousands upon thousands of those who know, there will always be the greedy. Even among Your Highnesses, not all are necessarily trustworthy. When that time comes, who will guarantee A-Ying's safety?"

Guiyuanshi pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Actually, I really do not know. What Sword Intent is Miss Zhu's Sword Law?"