Chapter 5: Bath?
“W-what?”
Everyone was stunned, including Luo Jinxiao herself.
Wuhui Sect only accepted the most exceptional disciples, and while she mysteriously gained spiritual roots in this life, her spiritual power was still weak. By normal standards, she shouldn’t have been able to step foot in the Wuhui Sect.
Just as the man was about to speak, Luo Jinxiao coughed lightly, suppressing her discomfort. She walked past him towards the door without a sideways glance, took the invitation, and asked, “Is this really from the Wuhui Sect?”
“Yes, Young MIstress. A disciple from Wuhui Sect delivered it just now.”
Luo Jinxiao felt no great excitement, only suspicion. She quickly opened the envelope. Inside was a letter written in a bold and flowing hand, filled with pleasantries, and signed with Qu Chengzhou’s seal.
It really was Qu Chengzhou. What was he plotting?
Two days later, at the foot of Wuhui Mountain.
Luo Jinxiao, carrying a large bag and drenched in sweat, collapsed onto a roadside stone.
She looked up at the towering Wuhui Mountain, panting heavily, and once again felt that having spiritual roots was truly wonderful. In her past life, she had ascended the mountain on a Nine-Tailed Black Sparrow, attracting envious gazes from countless disciples.
In this life, she could only rely on her two legs, stubbornly making her way up.
She hadn’t reacted much to not having spiritual roots initially. Cultivation in her past life had been too difficult. As someone born with exceptionally strong spiritual root, she had been burdened with the fate of the entire Luo family. She was thrown into the most dangerous and evil places when she was just a child.
She vividly remembered those days, curled up and crying among horrifying and ferocious demons.
Therefore, her greatest desire back then, while she cultivated tirelessly day and night, was to be born into an ordinary family, running and playing freely, filled with joy.
However, looking at her parents in this life, she once again abandoned the hope of being loved.
Perhaps she was simply not meant for that life.
Just then, a bird’s cry interrupted her thoughts. A gust of wind swept up her black hair. Luo Jinxiao quickly leaned back, dodging the sharp claws of a large bird, narrowly escaping injury.
“Hey, isn’t that the waste from the Luo family? What’s she doing here?” On the back of the large bird stood three young men and women. One pair, a boy and a girl, were the same ones who had barged into her room the other day: Luo Mei and Luo Chu.
The other girl, who had asked the question, wore clothes of unknown fabric that shimmered under the sunlight, clearly expensive. She was strikingly beautiful, with upturned eyes that easily outshone the delicate features of Luo Mei beside her.
“Who knows what dirty tricks she used to get into Wuhui Sect,” Luo Mei said, biting her lip, her eyes filled with disgust as she looked at Luo Jinxiao.
“A waste is always a waste. Look at her, so pathetic. I bet she’ll be crying and running back home in less than two days.” The beautiful girl said with a mocking laugh. She waved her hand, and the large bird soared into the air once more. Their figures quickly became small dots in the distance.
“Ugh!” Luo Jinxiao spat out the dust that had blown into her mouth. When she looked up again, her fists were slightly clenched.
Although her previous life had been filled with hardship, no one had ever dared to humiliate her like this.
Luo Jinxiao wasn’t one to hold grudges easily and usually tolerated what she could, but this time, she couldn’t. Getting dust blown into her mouth was intolerable for someone with her cleanliness habits!
She immediately pulled out a stack of yellow paper from her bag, bit her index finger until it bled, and smeared the blood onto the paper. She drew a strange symbol and began to silently recite a spell.
Even though her spiritual root was weak, her knowledge was still intact.
A bit of spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips into the talisman paper, causing it to enlarge and glow with a golden light. It rose into the air like a giant carpet. Pleased with her work, Luo Jinxiao clapped her hands.
She had only glimpsed this particular talisman while sneaking peeks at forbidden texts in her past life. Yet, the one she drew now was surprisingly accurate.
She jumped onto the talisman, which shot forward with the speed of lightning.
The talisman was much faster than the bird. In no time, she could see its tail feathers. Luo Jinxiao silently recited another spell, and the talisman, without hesitation, rammed into the bird.
The bird screeched, thrown off balance. Caught completely off guard, the three riders screamed as they lost their grip and plummeted towards the ground.
Luo Jinxiao felt immensely satisfied, making a face at the falling three before sitting down to enjoy the view from above.
Wuhui Mountain was a renowned peak, its summit piercing the clouds. From the mountainside, one could see the grand Wuhui Palace. Its upturned eaves peeked out from a sea of lush greenery, the glazed tiles glinting under the sun, making the entire mountain resemble a scene from a fairytale.
On another part of the mountain, a wide white jade platform stretched out, flickering with various lights. It was the time for the disciples to practice.
When she had arrived here in her past life, her mind had been preoccupied with the upcoming disciple selection ceremony. She had been too burdened to appreciate the scenery.
Meanwhile, at the Southern Peak…
A tall woman in white stood at the summit, as still as a statue.
“Master, it’s cold.” An elderly woman shuffled towards her and draped a cloak over her shoulders.
“Cold?” the woman asked softly, her voice laced with sorrow. She looked up at the clear, azure sky. “What season is it now?”
“Master, it’s midsummer,” the elderly woman replied.
“Yet, it’s still so cold.” The woman gave a faint, humorless smile. She removed her bamboo hat, revealing a head of striking silver hair.
The elderly woman seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Unable to find the right words, she closed her mouth, her gaze fixed on the woman with concern.
“Master, look, what’s that?” The elderly woman pointed a trembling finger towards a distant glowing dot.
“A Swift Wind Talisman.” The woman looked up, a flicker of emotion finally appearing in her eyes. She stared for a moment, then smiled. “I never thought anyone still used those. Is it a new disciple?”
“Most likely,” the elderly woman said, smiling along with her.
“How amusing. Just look, she’s bound to fall.” The woman took two steps forward for a better look, her tone lighter than before.
As if on cue, the golden dot seemed to deflate, spinning wildly in place before plummeting downwards.
The woman laughed softly.
The elderly woman, watching her carefully, said, “Master, how long has it been since you last left this peak?”
The woman’s smile faded slightly.
“Forty years.”
Meanwhile, Luo Jinxiao clung desperately to a corner of the talisman as it tossed and turned in the air. With her limited spiritual energy, a fall from this height would surely result in serious injury.
The squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. Who would have thought Wuhui Sect had set up a barrier that blocked spiritual energy? Birds and people could pass through, but talismans could not.
I’m going to die! I’m going to die! Luo Jinxiao thought, not daring to open her eyes. Seeing that she was about to be thrown off, she let go, and with no other choice, began to fall.
Desperately, she mustered all her remaining spiritual energy to cushion her fall. At the final moment, her energy coalesced into a protective sphere that enveloped her.
She floated in midair, relief flooding her as she saw how little distance remained. Carefully, she controlled her descent.
But as she drifted downwards, something felt wrong. The surrounding mist grew thicker, and the air was filled with a rich, fresh fragrance, but it was not the scent of ordinary flowers.
As the mist dissipated, a scene so shocking unfolded before her eyes that it stole her breath away. Below stretched a vast pool of water, steam rising from its surface and thickening the humid air. Scattered around the edges were pieces of women’s clothing.
Had she… stumbled into a women’s bathing area?
Panic seized Luo Jinxiao. Just as she was about to turn and float away, she heard a cold voice demand, “Who is there?”
A blinding golden light exploded beside her ear. Luo Jinxiao flinched, her protective sphere of energy shattering, and she fell straight down.
With a resounding splash, she plunged into the pool. Hot water enveloped her, flooding her ears and nose, and the world dissolved into muffled gurgles.
Perhaps it was her frantic struggle that prompted someone to reach out. A hand grasped her waist, effortlessly pulling her above the surface. Gasping for air, Luo Jinxiao clung to her rescuer’s shoulder, finding her footing as she broke into a fit of coughing.
The person she was clinging to seemed to freeze. After what felt like an eternity, Luo Jinxiao finally regained her senses. Wiping water from her face, she thanked her rescuer repeatedly.
“Thank you, thank you for saving me,” Luo Jinxiao said gratefully, finally looking up to see her rescuer.
It was a woman. The water hid everything below her waist. Her upper body was covered with just a damp outer robe, thrown on in a hurry. Even wet, it couldn’t hide her graceful figure. Her long, black hair floated around her in the water like sleek seaweed swaying with the current.
Water droplets clung to her delicate, pale neck, tracing a path down her smooth skin.
“Seen enough?” the woman said coldly.
That voice… why did it sound so familiar? Luo Jinxiao’s breath hitched. She looked up sharply and nearly collapsed back into the water.
Standing before her was none other than the Demon Lord!
Of all the people she could have landed in front of, it had to be her!
“If you’ve seen enough, get out!” Qu Weiyin said through gritted teeth. She shoved Luo Jinxiao’s hand away and stalked towards the edge of the water.
Luo Jinxiao scrambled out of the water on the opposite side, her heart pounding in her chest. She had to get out of there before the Demon Lord remembered their last encounter. If Qu Weiyin recalled her words from that fateful day, she was as good as dead.
But something was different about the Demon Lord today. Her face was unusually pale.
Luo Jinxiao had only taken a few steps when she heard a splash behind her. She turned around to see that the person who had been standing there was now gone, only ripples in the water marking where she had been.
Frowning, Luo Jinxiao paused her escape.
“What are you thinking? No matter how bad she is, she’s still a living being!” Luo Jinxiao scolded herself. She gritted her teeth, turned back, and jumped into the water.
Thankfully, the water wasn’t deep. She quickly found Qu Weiyin lying unconscious beneath the surface. Luo Jinxiao swam towards her, carefully maneuvering the unconscious woman so she could loop one arm around her back and the other under her knees. She pulled Qu Weiyin towards the edge of the water and dragged her onto solid ground.
Qu Weiyin’s eyes were closed, her lips devoid of color, giving her a strangely fragile appearance. Luo Jinxiao glanced around anxiously, but there wasn’t a soul in sight, and she couldn’t even call for help.
“Hey, wake up!” Luo Jinxiao lightly patted Qu Weiyin’s face. After a moment, Qu Weiyin coughed, sputtering water, but her eyes remained closed.
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around Luo Jinxiao’s neck, pressing her warm, wet body against her.
Unlike her own mature body, Qu Weiyin’s was incredibly soft and fragrant. It was the first time Luo Jinxiao had been so close to someone. She stared wide-eyed, shocked.
“It hurts…” Qu Weiyin whispered hoarsely.
