The Dragon

Leaving Xian Luo

An idea popped into Gu Fuyou’s mind, and she immediately put it into action.

She neatly stored away her storage bag and wrapped the harvested spiritual herbs and flowers in her outer robe, making a bundle. She carried it on her back and picked up Ah Fu, heading straight to the front of the courtyard.

Standing in front of the fence, she called out, “Senior Sister Zhong, Senior Sister Zhong.”

It had been light all day, and Gu Fuyou guessed she must have been out for about twelve hours, essentially a whole day and night.

After calling out several times, a woman came out. Hearing Gu Fuyou, her eyebrows shot up in annoyance. ” What is it?” she snapped.

She extended her staff over the fence, pushing Gu Fuyou away and said, “Stay away from my courtyard.”

Gu Fuyou: “…”

Gu Fuyou asked, “Where’s my Senior Sister?”

“She’s resting,” the woman replied, no longer paying attention to Gu Fuyou. She walked towards the porch, muttering, “Humans are always so noisy.”

The woman started tending to the spirit plants and flowers in the courtyard. Upon seeing this, Gu Fuyou discreetly headed to the back of the courtyard.

The back fence was different from the front, made of a row of earth walls adorned with green vines and unknown flowers, adding an elegant touch.

As Gu Fuyou approached, she realized no matter how long she walked, she always remained five steps from the wall.

Looking around, she realized the back of the yard was protected by a maze-like formation.

The formation was exquisitely set up, and Gu Fuyou, thrilled at the challenge, concentrated intently. When she finally broke through the formation, she felt a sense of accomplishment flooding through her.

Excitedly, she ran to the wall, used it to gain leverage, and flew up, landing steadily on top.

Peering inside, she found the view entirely different from what she had seen outside.

The backyard was incredibly spacious, like an emerald forest with oddly shaped trees and a light mist swirling about.

The person she was looking for was right there in the backyard.

She was sitting on the twisted roots of an ancient tree, leaning against its trunk, eyes closed as if asleep. A bird perched on her open palm, tilting its head to look at her. The sunlight filtering through the leaves draped her in a silky glow.

She seemed surreal, like a person in a painting.

Zhong Michu’s hair flowed down, black as ink, cascading over her shoulders.

From her vantage point, Gu Fuyou noticed something in Zhong Michu’s hair but couldn’t see it clearly. She leaned forward for a better view but forgot she was on the wall. Losing her balance, she yelped and tumbled down.

She rolled on the ground, cushioned by the bundle on her back, so she wasn’t hurt.

Before she could stand, a shadow loomed over, blocking the sunlight.

It was Zhong Michu, her hair now neatly tied up again, standing beside Gu Fuyou and looking down at her. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Gu Fuyou looked up at Zhong Michu, noticing nothing unusual in her hair and assuming she had been mistaken earlier. She sat up and asked, “Senior Sister Zhong, did that person do anything to you?”

She initially intended to summon Zhong Michu directly but feared it might hinder any healing process. Hence, she decided to check personally.

Zhong Mici shook her head. “The elder did not mistreat me.”

“She didn’t let you in, and now you’ve snuck in. I’m afraid she’ll be upset. Let’s leave first. My task is done, and I’ll bid her farewell. We can leave together.”

“Okay.” As Gu Fuyou stood up, relieved that Zhong Michu was safe, she held many words in her heart, planning to discuss them once they were outside.

Just as she was about to discreetly climb back over the wall, she suddenly heard a voice, “You sure are bold, sneaking into my yard. Seeking death, are you?”

A chill ran down Gu Fuyou’s spine, and she turned around to see the same woman from the front courtyard, coldly staring at her from a distance.

Feeling guilty, Gu Fuyou said, “Elder…”

The woman glanced towards the wall and smirked, “You’ve got some skills, little girl. Did you break that formation?”

Zhong Michu stepped in front of Gu Fuyou, shielding her, “Please forgive her, elder. My junior sister has been waiting outside for a long time. She was worried about me and acted rashly without considering proper etiquette.”

“You’re quick to defend her.” The woman’s gaze shifted between the two and lingered on Gu Fuyou for a moment. She snorted coldly and tossed a spirit stone at them, “Both of you, get out and stop blocking my view.”

Zhong Michu caught the crystal and replied, “Thank you, elder.”

Gu Fuyou felt like she had received a royal pardon and quickly said , “Thank you for your mercy, elder.”

Worried about overstaying their welcome and upsetting the woman further, they promptly left through the backyard gate.

Zhong Michu then turned back to pay respects to the woman. Gu Fuyou also bowed and said, “We’ve intruded for a day, and we’re grateful for your care. We’ll take our leave now, and we’ll always remember your help…”

“Just leave! Go on!” The woman said impatiently, “Humans really are a nuisance.”

Gu Fuyou: “…”

Once they were far enough from the courtyard, out of sight, Gu Fuyou took a deep breath, stretching her limbs. The pressure from the woman was gone, and her steps felt much lighter.

She showed Zhong Michu the bundle she was holding, and with a grin so wide her teeth were on display, said, “Senior Sister Zhong, I found many spiritual herbs in an old forest, all of them of rare. It makes up for the dangers we faced in the inner layer. When we get out, and Si Miao refines the pills, I’ll share half with you.”

“Oh, and there’s more!” Gu Fuyou suddenly remembered, pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket. She unwrapped it to reveal a soft-glowing, snow-white pearl. Handing it to Zhong Michu, she said, “Senior Sister Zhong, this treasure was used to stabilize the formation in the Ruizhu Palace. It’s an ice-attribute artifact, and since you have a water spirit root, it’s extremely compatible with your water spirit root. Take it, absorb its energy, and your cultivation level will surely rise.”

Zhong Michu replied, “You worked hard to get this. You should keep it.”

Gu Fuyou pushed it into her hand, along with the handkerchief, and laughed, “We’re in this together. It wouldn’t be fair if I kept all the benefits. I have the core of a Wind beast. You take this, one for each of us. It’s perfect.”

Zhong Michu tried to refuse again, but Gu Fuyou moved away quickly, holding Ah Fu, and smilingly threatened, “If you return it to me, I won’t take it. If you don’t want it, just throw it on the ground.”

Only then did Zhong Michu accept, saying, “Then, thank you for your kindness.”

“Senior Sister Zhong, don’t be so formal with me,” Gu Fuyou said. Having faced dangers together and shared deep conversations in the cave, Gu Fuyou considered her a close friend and felt such formalities created unnecessary distance between them.

Gu Fuyou inquired, “Senior Sister Zhong, how is your injury?”

There was a moment of silence from Zhong Michu. When Gu Fuyou didn’t receive a reply, she looked back at her.

Zhong Michu softly said, “I should be… okay now…”

She then handed a crystal to Gu Fuyou, changing the subject, “The elder knew we were looking for the center of the inner layer. She told us the mountain we’re heading to is the place. She probably knew our purpose and hence gave us this crystal.”

In the Immortal Realms, spirit stones are typically used as currency. They contain spiritual power and can be used for cultivation, artifact refining, pill forging, formation setting, and more.

Crystals were the result of compressing spirit stones to their limit. Typically, it takes tens of thousands of spirit stones to produce a single crystal, so the spiritual energy within is immense.

It can be used to supply the spiritual power required by the Zhuan Fengshui formation.

Gu Fuyou, holding the crystal, wondered, “Why would this elder help us so much without any apparent reason?”

The Azure Phoenix always held its head high. But that’s typical of their kind. She was unpredictable, not easy to deal with, yet unexpectedly willing to help Zhong Michu heal, tough outside but soft inside. She overlooked the trespassing, even gave them the crystal, assisting them.

Perhaps the Azure Phoenix was kind-hearted and gentle beneath the surface, despite her harsh words.

Zhong Michu explained, “The elder said she had some old connection with my ancestors, which is why she helped. She didn’t specify further.”

Gu Fuyou chuckled, “So, it’s all thanks to Senior Sister Zhong’s good fortune.”

Gu Fuyou knew that Zhong Michu’s mother was Yunran Xuanzun. Since both were prodigiously talented, she thought it wasn’t improbable for her powerful ancestors to have connections with the Azure Phoenix. Although she was curious, Gu Fuyou didn’t dwell on it.”

They left the woman’s territory and headed straight for the peculiar mountain, encountering no spiritual beasts on the way. They reached safely, passed the stone statues of the beasts, and, despite the lingering anxiety, climbed to the peak.

Gu Fuyou started setting up the formation. Once the formation was ready, they simply needed to throw the spirit stone into the formation’s eye, and the formation would activate.

Although the crystal was brimming with spiritual energy, it would only sustain the Zhuan Fengshui formation for a short while.

Gu Fuyou and Zhong Michu were already standing inside the formation. As soon as the spirit stone was thrown, they would be able to bid farewell to this dangerous place.

Gu Fuyou took a moment to gaze into the distance. Inside Xian Luo, they couldn’t feel the change of seasons, but by her calculations, over three months should have passed in the outside world. Reflecting on the various events they had experienced on their journey, filled with ups and downs, she couldn’t help but feel emotional.

Zhong Michu called out to her, “Gu Fuyou?”

Snapping back to reality, Gu Fuyou asked, “Senior Sister Zhong, are you ready?”

Zhong Michu nodded in confirmation. Holding Ah Fu, Gu Fuyou tossed the spirit stone into the formation’s eye. Initially, nothing happened, but within three breaths, the wind and clouds transformed, and a hole of light appeared beneath their feet, leading to a meadow covered in dimond-shaped flowers.

The two descended from the void and steadied themselves. When they looked back at the door they had just emerged from, they saw that it had closed. Moments later, it reappeared in the sky before them.

Inside Xian Luo, the distance between the inner and outer layers was vast, but in the external world, it was merely a few steps.

“We’re out!” Gu Fuyou exclaimed joyfully, lifting Ah Fu up high, only to realize she was struggling with its weight.

Ah Fu had grown rapidly. Though it had only been born a short while ago, it had become rounder and sturdier. Its soft, grey-white fur was becoming coarse, and its color deepened, bearing no resemblance to its frail appearance at birth.

Zhong Michu stood by, watching her silently.

However, Gu Fuyou’s joy was short-lived. She remembered Gu Huaiyou and Si Miao, still trapped in Dizang’s maw, their fates unknown. Although she believed in their abilities to protect themselves, she feared they might be stuck, unable to escape. Her heart was far from at ease, and she planned to re-enter Xianluo to search for Dizang.

The entrance to Xian Luo spun for a moment before returning to its original position, allowing them to re-enter from the outermost layer.

Gu Fuyou thought that since she no longer had the spirit stone with her, there was no risk of mistakenly entering the inner layer again. With Zhong Michu by her side, she felt reassured.

But Zhong Michu had just been through life and death with her. They had finally gotten out, and she hesitated to ask her to go back in.

While she was contemplating, a group emerged from the entrance of Xian Luo. The man leading the group, riding a flying carriage, was none other than Zuo Tianlang.

The group seemed to have reaped a rich harvest, as the carriages behind them were filled with nets bulging with captured beasts.

Upon seeing the contents, Gu Fuyou’s face changed, thinking,  “Zuo Tianlang has taken down Dizang, then what about Gu Huaiyou and Si Miao…”

Just as she was about to confront Zuo Tianlang, two more people emerged from the gate of Xian Luo in the sky, following Zuo Tianlang’s caravan.

It was a young man and woman. The man was in dark, tight-fitting clothes with numerous wounds on his face. The woman, in a dark robe, was so blood-stained that her original outfit’s color was indiscernible.

The man gently placed the woman on the ground and lightly tapped her cheek, calling out in anguish, “Sister! Sister!”

The woman didn’t regain consciousness. Abruptly, the man looked up with fierce eyes, glaring at Zuo Tianlang in the sky, and shouted at Zuo’s people, “The prestigious Xu Ling’s Zuo family, bullies the weak, disregards human life! Do you have no sense of decency, no shame?!”