Jianghu Demolition Squad

Savoring Life’s Hundred Flavors (Part Five)

After Qing Jiu brought Yan Li up the mountain, Daoist Yiye took her in. He wouldn’t abandon his heartbroken grand-disciple who was seeking death.

Yan Li’s leg injuries were severe, with the cold evil seeping into her bones.

While her emotional wounds needed tending, her physical injuries couldn’t be ignored.

In her upcoming visit to the Xuhuai Valley, Qing Jiu needed to procure not only her own medicines but also specific spiritual medicines from Xuan Shen for Yan Li’s leg wounds.

The journey from Canglong Mountain to Xuhuai Valley was long, and along the way, Qing Jiu sensed unrest in the jianghu. She faintly heard about various sects clashing with outlaws from Miaojiang, resulting in heavy losses for both sides.

She paid little attention to the rumors, focusing on her journey. Finally, she reached the Xuhuai Valley and met with Xuan Shen.

Xuan Shen was injured. His face was pale, etched with exhaustion. Though he tried to appear strong, Qing Jiu could see he was in considerable pain.

Mo Qingyan was attending to him. Qing Jiu noticed this girl had grown taller but still had that lifeless expression, her forehead now covered with a band to hide the red mark. Upon inquiring, she learned that Xuan Shen had been injured in a battle in Miaojiang.

In her memory, Xuan Shen was a formidable figure, a skilled martial artist and a gifted healer. To see him so frail and weakened by his injuries, the battle must have been brutal.

Xuan Shen noticed Qing Jiu standing at the door. “You’ve arrived. Come in,” he said.

He sent Mo Qingyan away. As she passed by Qing Jiu, Qing Jiu gave her a smile.

Mo Qingyan, caught off guard, didn’t watch her step and stumbled over the steps, almost dropping the medicine bowl she was carrying.

After Mo Qingyan left, Qing Jiu chuckled, “After all these years, she’s still so clumsy.”

Xuan Shen laughed softly, coughing twice while clutching his chest, “That’s just how she is.”

Qing Jiu approached the bed and helped him sit up. Xuan Shen looked at her, his eyes filled with emotion. “Daoist Yiye and Venerable Kuyuan truly put their hearts into raising you,” he said, his voice raspy. “Seeing you like this, I feel at peace. I can face the afterlife and answer to your aunt without shame.”

“Valley Master, don’t speak like that…”

Xuan Shen shook his head, “I’m a healer. I know my own body.”

He took a medical scroll and a bottle of pills from the bedside and handed them to Qing Jiu, saying, “You’ve come just in time. I was afraid you’d be too late, that I wouldn’t get to see you. These pills will suppress the Gu poison. This book contains information on various Gu antidotes. There’s a recipe tucked inside, instructions for concocting the pills. Keep them safe.”

Qing Jiu held them in her hands, feeling their weight, and didn’t know how to express her gratitude.

Xuan Shen continued, “I have one more thing to ask of you.”

“Valley Master, please speak freely,” Qing Jiu replied. “You don’t need to use such formality with me.”

Xuan Shen said, “When you return to Canglong Mountain, take Qingyan with you and entrust her to Yiye and Kuyuan. Tell them I’ve asked them to look after her.”

Qing Jiu was surprised, “Valley Master wants me to take Mo Qingyan away? Does she even know? This is the only home she’s ever known. She might not want to leave with me.”

Xuan Shen sighed, “You know something of Qingyan’s identity. People have already sneaked into the valley to investigate. This place is no longer safe for her, and it will be even less so if I’m gone. She won’t want to leave, I know, but I only wish… I only wish for her safety. Do you understand?”

“I understand…”

Xuan Shen had come to regard Mo Qingyan as his own daughter, a testament to the boundless love of a parent.

Ultimately, Qing Jiu agreed to Xuan Shen’s request.

She stayed in the valley for two more days, hoping to allow Mo Qingyan more time with Xuan Shen.

The atmosphere throughout the Xuhuai Valley was tense due to Xuan Shen’s severe injuries.

Xuan Shen and Bai Sang were the most talented disciples of their generation. Although Xuan Shen’s condition was kept secret from the outside world, the elders were well aware of the severity.

Xuan Shen had already passed on the leadership of the valley to Bai Sang. While Xuan Shen appeared to be in charge on the surface, it was actually Bai Sang who was managing everything behind the scenes. As a result, Bai Sang was incredibly busy every day, to the point that even Mo Qingyan rarely saw her.

One afternoon, Mo Qingyan brewed medicine for Xuan Shen and brought it to his bedside.

Xuan Shen lifted the bowl to his lips and drank. Mo Qingyan stood beside him, stealing glances at her master, nervously fiddling with the hem of her robe.

Mo Qingyan’s small gestures never escaped Xuan Shen’s notice. He chuckled and asked, “What’s troubling you? Did you upset your Shishu again?”

Mo Qingyan shook her head and after a long pause, she said, “Master’s illness isn’t improving. I changed a few ingredients in the medicine, but I’m worried it might not be right.”

Xuan Shen’s eyes lowered with a melancholy expression, “Your talent is exceptional, even greater than Bai Sang’s. If only I could…”

If I could live longer, I would pass the leadership of the valley to you.

He sighed inwardly but managed a smile, “Your medical skills now are as good as mine were when I was young; surely, there won’t be any problems.”

As Xuan Shen spoke, he drank half a bowl of medicine. Initially, he didn’t notice anything unusual, but eventually, he detected a metallic flavor. Surprised, he coughed violently and accidentally shattered the bowl.

“Master!” Mo Qingyan cried out.

Xuan Shen grasped her hand. “What did you add to the medicine?” he asked, his voice strained.

He noticed the bandages wrapped around her wrist, flipping them over to reveal bloodstains.

“They say the Living Gu can revive the dead, restore flesh and bone,” Mo Qingyan explained, her voice trembling. “Master, Master, no matter how much medicine you take, it doesn’t seem to have much effect. I thought maybe this might work, although I’m not really sure…”

Xuan Shen let out a bitter laugh. “My foolish child,” he murmured.

He was so seriously injured because he had been poisoned by a Gu. Xuhuai Valley was not very proficient in Gu poisons. In order to develop a pill to suppress Qing Jiu’s Gu poison, he had already spent several years. Now, the Gu poison in his body would not give him that much time anymore.

Perhaps the Living Gu was really as effective as the legends said, but he didn’t know how to use it. Moreover, even if it were true that one must consume its flesh and drink its blood, he would never harm his disciple’s body for the sake of his own.

“I just wanted Master to get better.”

Xuan Shen hugged her, trying to comfort her, but knowing their time was limited, he found himself unable to speak.

Mo Qingyan, held in his arms, her vision gradually blurring, asked, “Master, do you hear that sound?”

“What sound?”

“It sounds like… the buzzing of insects.”

Mo Qingyan felt a wave of dizziness, her vision suddenly clouded with a reddish hue as everything in front of her distorted.

“Qingyan, Qingyan!”

Someone was calling her, their voice fading into a blur…

Meanwhile, Qing Jiu was lounging in a wicker chair in front of the medical hall, enjoying the boundless view of the flower fields while munching on roasted chestnuts.

She sighed contentedly. The Xuhuai Valley was truly beautiful. Canglong  Mountain couldn’t compare. Everything there was bare and desolate.

Just as she was reveling in the moment, a frantic shout pierced the air: “Help! Help! Mo Qingyan has killed the Valley Master!”

Startled, Qing Jiu leapt up, spilling chestnuts everywhere.

She followed the crowd for a few steps, then abruptly turned and rushed back to her room, grabbing her bag and her Liangyi Sword.

When she returned to the crowd, it was densely packed. Making her way to the front, she saw Mo Qingyan holding a sharp shard of porcelain, likely from a broken bowl, her hands covered in blood. She stared blankly ahead, her pupils sharply pointed in a disturbing manner.

“Look at her eyes,” someone whispered, their voice filled with fear. “Like a demon.”

A few elders came out of Xuan Shen’s room, their faces grim.

One elder, his neck flushed red with anger, pointed at Mo Qingyan and cursed, “This traitorous, master-killing wretch! Ungrateful! She deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces!”

Bai Sang came down, holding Xuan Shen’s sword. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked at Mo Qingyan, “Why?” she demanded, her voice choked with grief. “Why did you kill your master?”

Mo Qingyan could only shake her head, lost in a haze of confusion. The last thing she remembered was Xuan Shen collapsing before her, blood staining his robes, a shard of porcelain, slick with blood, in her hand.

Everything had happened too quickly for her to even process her emotions; her mind was a complete blank.

“I don’t know, Shishu,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I don’t know what happened…”

“Shishu…” She choked back a sob, the word catching in her throat. She wanted to say, “I’m scared,” but the words wouldn’t come.

Bai Sang drew her sword and lunged at her in a stabbing motion.

Mo Qingyan cried out in terror, rolling to the side and attempting to flee, but the disciples of the Xuhuai Valley surrounded her, their faces contorted with disgust and hatred, their fingers pointing, their voices a chorus of condemnation.

Bai Sang advanced towards her, her expression cold and unforgiving. Trapped, with nowhere to escape, Mo Qingyan cried out, “Shishu…”

Bai Sang clenched her teeth and shouted, “I have no such disciple, and neither did he!”

All those years ago, they had warned her. Mo Qingyan was a curse, a disaster waiting to happen. Keeping her would only lead to ruin.

Bai Sang thrust her sword again, her voice choked with tears, “Why are you such a disappointment!”

Mo Qingyan cowered, paralyzed by fear and confusion. She felt like a newborn, lost and helpless, the one person she had relied on now standing before her, intent on killing her. “I just… I just made medicine for Master,” she sobbed, her voice barely a whisper. “I wanted him to get better. I don’t know… I don’t know…”

Bai Sang’s sword pierced her side. As she raised her sword for another strike, Qing Jiu intervened, her own blade deflecting the attack.

In a swift movement, Qing Jiu grabbed Mo Qingyan’s waist, her foot barely touching the ground as she propelled them both into the air, soaring over the crowd of disciples and escaping into the forest.

No one had anticipated the sudden intervention, the daring rescue. Even Bai Sang stood frozen, stunned by the turn of events.

“Is she an accomplice?”

“Isn’t that the girl Valley Master treated?”

“It doesn’t matter! That traitorous wretch, Mo Qingyan! We can’t let her get away!”

“It’s better that she escaped the valley. Her filthy blood doesn’t deserve to stain Xuhuai Valley grounds. We’ll execute her outside!”

A group of disciples gave chase, pursuing the fleeing figures. But Qing Jiu’s lightness skill was exceptional. Within moments, they vanished from sight, forcing the disciples to disperse and search.

Qing Jiu didn’t stop running until they reached a plum forest nestled in the mountains behind the valley. A late winter chill lingered in the air, the snow refusing to melt entirely. Crimson plum blossoms clung to the branches, poised between blooming and falling.

Qing Jiu finally released Mo Qingyan, dropping her onto the snow-covered ground. She gasped for breath. “Get up and walk,” she ordered, her voice sharp.

But Mo Qingyan didn’t respond, her body curled up, as if dead.

Qing Jiu prodded her with the sheath of her sword, asking, “Do you want to stay here and die?”

Mo Qingyan slowly lifted her head, her body trembling. “I don’t know what to do,” she whimpered. “What am I supposed to do? Master is dead… I killed him…”

Qing Jiu rubbed her forehead, suppressing a sigh. She had no idea what had transpired. Xuan Shen had entrusted her with the task of taking Mo Qingyan back to Canglong Mountain, that was all she knew.

Xuan Shen had taken care of her because of Li Qingchao’s last wish, and she was determined to fulfill Xuan Shen’s last wish to bring Mo Qingyan back to Canglong Mountain.

Suddenly, a sharp call echoed through the plum forest, “Mo Qingyan!”

The voice echoed through the trees, reaching Mo Qingyan’s ears, sending shivers down her spine. She turned to look, her eyes widening in fear as she saw Bai Sang standing at the edge of the grove, her sword pointed accusingly.

Mo Qingyan tried to scramble to her feet, but her foot slipped on the icy ground, sending her sprawling back into the snow. “Shishu,” she pleaded.

“I am not your Shishu.”

ai Sang stared at Mo Qingyan, her gaze lingering on the pitiful figure sprawled on the ground. She remembered a time when Mo Qingyan couldn’t walk, squirming on the floor like a worm, everything felt as if it were just yesterday.

The wind carried the withered petals of plum blossoms, scattering them in a dance of dark red against the sky.

How had things gone so wrong, so quickly?

Bai Sang’s grip on her sword slackened, and she said. “Mo Qingyan, I’ll spare your life today, but next time we meet, I won’t show mercy…”

Mo Qingyan lay on the ground, gazing foolishly at Bai Sang. When Bai Sang looked up again, her eyes were icy cold: “From today onwards, you are no longer a disciple of the Xuhuai Valley. You have no ties with me or the valley!”

Mo Qingyan didn’t understand. She didn’t even understand why she had killed Xuan Shen. But the reality of her actions was finally sinking in, a sharp, agonizing pain piercing her heart.

Desperately trying to stand, Mo Qingyan scrambled up with her hands and feet, but the more she hurried, the less she knew how to stand, and she fell back down: “Shishu…”

Bai Sang turned away, her voice as cold as the winter air, “Get out of Xuhuai Valley. I never want to see you again!”

“Shishu, no! Don’t leave me!”

“Shishu!”

Mo Qingyan’s cries echoed through the plum forest, following Bai Sang until her figure disappeared completely. Tears streamed down Mo Qingyan’s face, freezing on her cheeks as she curled up in the snow, clutching her chest, “It hurts so much.”

“It hurts here so much.”

“I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want to kill master, I just wanted him to get better quickly.”

“Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me alone again.”

After a long silence, Qing Jiu approached, kneeling beside Mo Qingyan and gently wiping away the tears that froze on her cheeks.

It was the only warmth Mo Qingyan felt in the icy landscape. She turned her head, looking up at Qing Jiu with wide, tear-filled eyes.

Qing Jiu stroked her hair, her gaze filled with pity. “How pitiful.”

“Do you have nowhere to go?”

“Come with me.”

“I’ll take you home.”

Author’s Note: This concludes the extra chapter (:3J∠) All these youngsters are little darlings, even though they’ve all gone through tough times (maybe I really am a wicked stepmother at heart). I once read a saying, “Happy people spend their lives healing from their childhood, while unhappy people spend their lives trying to heal their childhood.” Qing Jiu falls somewhere in between. Her misfortune was saving Lingyun, which indirectly led to the biggest regret in her life, causing her immense pain. Her fortune was having a kind and gentle mother and a responsible father, who instilled in her a sense of goodness, preventing her from being completely consumed by hatred. Her softer side emerges when she encounters others who are equally kind and gentle. She earns their affection and support and learns from their positive and free-spirited approach to life. While everyone, young and old, adores Yu’er, Qing Jiu seems to be more favored by the older generation. These final words likely reflect what Qing Jiu herself wished someone had said to her during her loneliest moments, when she was lost and alone. But no one came to her rescue. So now, she takes on that role, offering those words of comfort, hoping to mend the broken pieces within her own heart.