TDFM Chapter 129

Finale

 

Drip, drop.

 

Tears had wetted the letter paper. When Yun Qing saw the ink becoming blurred, she hastily formed a hand seal to dry the letter clean. She raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears and sniffled, forcing the tears back.

 

At the end of the letter was a red leaf.

 

When she gently tapped the red leaf with her fingertip, it produced sound.

 

It was a familiar melody—the Song of Ease that Baiyu used to play.

 

In the past, whenever she heard the Song of Ease, her mood would become cheerful, but this time, the more she listened, the more unstoppable her tears became.

 

Yun Qing closed her eyes, feeling that source of vitality in her heart, trying to control it with her thoughts.

 

Fu Xue was beside her. When she saw her senior sister’s chest suddenly brighten, revealing a corner of the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus petals, she immediately understood what her senior sister intended to do.

 

“Senior sister, don’t do this!” She suddenly embraced Yun Qing. Yun Qing’s concentration was interrupted, and the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus fell back into her heart.

 

“Junior sister, be good. We can’t casually take other people’s things.”

 

Fu Xue couldn’t help but cry. “If you return it to him, when he wakes up he’ll give it back to you again. Are you two going to continue like this forever?”

 

“You’re right. After I return the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus to him, you should burn my corpse.”

 

Fu Xue had to say, “Even if that’s the case, we should at least see Master one last time first. Let’s find Master first.”

 

Yun Qing thought for a moment and said, “A soul will cross the Yellow Spring boundary on the seventh day. Once it crosses the Yellow Spring boundary, there’s no possibility of returning to life.

 

If we can find Master within seven days, then we’ll fulfill this teacher-disciple bond. If we can’t, we can’t force it. At that time, you can directly burn me.”

 

“…Senior sister!”

 

Yun Qing touched Fu Xue’s head. “Be good. In the future, you’ll have to be filial to Master in my place.”

 

Fu Xue remained silent, only wiping her tears.

 

****

 

Yun Qing’s constitution had now changed to that of an ordinary person, and her cultivation was also very low, so she couldn’t accurately divine Master’s location. She could only deduce from Qiguang Zi’s previous presence in the capital that Master was very likely also near the capital.

 

Lingcang Mountain was in the southwest direction of the Central Plains, which meant Master should be in their northeast direction.

 

Qiguang Zi was already dead. Yun Qing felt that Master should soon be able to regain his freedom. If he regained his freedom, he would immediately rush in their direction.

 

Walking toward each other from both sides, she felt she should be able to see Master one last time.

 

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Cheng Suiyan and Ci Li were still resting. Cheng Suiyan was no longer in serious danger, but Ci Li was more severely injured and would have difficulty recovering fully in the short term. Fu Xue was worried about leaving the two of them here, so she suggested waiting for them to wake up before everyone traveled together.

 

Yun Qing nodded.

 

Afterward, Fu Xue left the room to check on the other two. Yun Qing sat beside Jiang Baiyu’s bed, holding his cold hand.

 

Past scenes appeared before her eyes, and thousands of words surged in her heart, but when the words reached her lips, she couldn’t utter a single one.

 

She bent down and, with tears falling, kissed his forehead.

 

“Baiyu, I still like you when you’re fragrant.”

 

She lay against his chest, quietly recalling every detail of their time together.

 

In her daze, she somehow fell asleep.

 

In her dream, her soul seemed to float leisurely in a chaotic space, and she heard a voice.

 

“Yun Qing, it’s me.”

 

Yun Qing recognized the voice. “Xi?”

 

“Yes.” Xi laughed.

 

“Xi, you’re still alive?”

 

“No. As you know, after my body perished, my divine soul should have dissipated along with it. The reason it didn’t was because Qiguang Zi trapped my soul.

 

Now that Qiguang Zi has been slain by you, my soul has regained its freedom. I… am about to dissipate soon. I’m communicating with you through dreams now to save some energy.”

 

“Xi, actually I had already died too. It was Baiyu—he gave me the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus.”

 

Xi sighed and said, “Sigh, you two didn’t even get to spend a few good days together. You’re not planning to return the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus to him again, are you?”

 

“That’s what I’m planning to do.”

 

“I knew it. Let’s not talk about this. Yun Qing, I’ve come to say goodbye to you.”

 

Yun Qing sadly lowered her head.

 

“Don’t be sad, Yun Qing. Life and death are nothing more than the way of heaven. Now that you’ve also killed Qiguang Zi, I have no regrets left.

 

I’m truly happy that I could meet you in the final moments of my life and fight alongside all of you. Seeing you, I’m even more convinced that the human race will become increasingly prosperous.”

 

“Xi…”

 

“Oh, Yun Qing, I came to find you because there’s actually another very important matter.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Yun Qing, would you be willing to inherit the Wish Power Pearl?”

 

Yun Qing was stunned. “Me?”

 

“Yes, you’ve already comprehended the Way of Compassion and can use wish power.

 

To be honest, I think you’re suitable in every aspect, except for one thing: once this matter becomes known, powerful immortals will come to compete with you for the Wish Power Pearl, which could endanger your life. So you need to consider this seriously.

 

Although I very much hope you can inherit the Wish Power Pearl, regardless of everything else, I respect your choice.”

 

Yun Qing remained silent.

 

After a while, she asked, “If I refuse, you won’t look for another heir, will you? The Wish Power Pearl will be completely sealed from now on?”

 

“Yes, I’m about to dissipate soon, so I indeed don’t have time to look for someone else.”

 

“Is that so? But I only have seven days to live. If I inherit the Wish Power Pearl now, all I can do is use up the existing power in the Wish Power Pearl so it won’t be wasted.

 

I think I probably won’t have the ability to continue searching for a new heir. Unless junior sister or Suiyan can achieve enlightenment within seven days, otherwise when I leave after seven days, the Wish Power Pearl will still be sealed.”

 

Xi laughed. “That’s fine too. It’s better than doing nothing at all.”

 

Yun Qing closed her eyes and felt as if a hand was stroking the top of her head, and an unfamiliar power flowed into her body. This power was not cultivation, not wish power, and didn’t seem like immortal power either. It was somewhat similar to what she had felt when she first drew the Compassion Sword in Shenle Valley—that primitive, all-encompassing power.

 

That was divine power.

 

Under the baptism of divine power, she was like an infant returning to its mother’s embrace, her heart filled with peace and tranquility.

 

When the divine power withdrew, Yun Qing opened her eyes.

 

Xi’s soul appeared before her.

 

Her soul had dimmed considerably and was almost without light.

 

Seeing Yun Qing open her eyes, she smiled and said, “While I can still speak with you, Yun Qing, if there’s anything you don’t understand in Emperor Xi’s Wordless Book, feel free to ask me.”

 

Yun Qing was quite surprised. “Is that allowed? Isn’t this book forbidden?”

 

“Power in the hands of evil people will destroy this world, but in the hands of good people, it will only make the world better and better. I believe that if Fuxi were here, he would support me in doing this.”

 

Yun Qing nodded emphatically and brought up all the questions she had while studying Emperor Xi’s Wordless Book.

 

The two of them conversed in her dream for who knows how long. Xi’s soul became fainter and fainter until finally, it was almost transparent.

 

“This time I’m really leaving,” she said.

 

Yun Qing’s eyes reddened, and tears flowed down.

 

She couldn’t even say “take care” or “goodbye,” because the other would completely disappear from this world—there was no taking care, no goodbye, and no meeting in the next life.

 

“Yun Qing, don’t be sad. I’m just returning to the earth that gave birth to me.

 

Perhaps someday when you see rivers surging, that’s me opening my arms. When you see white clouds breathing, that’s me breathing. When you hear the roaring pine wind, that’s me laughing wildly. The Way exists in all things in heaven and earth; life need not be confined to any particular form.”

 

“Mm.” Yun Qing stepped forward and reached out to embrace that increasingly transparent soul.

 

Xi also embraced her back.

 

Yun Qing heard Xi laugh beside her ear. “There’s one more thing I almost forgot to tell you.

 

The power accumulated by the Wish Power Pearl over these years is considerable. It should be able to directly enable you to ascend to immortality. When you’ve formed your immortal body, the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus will be useless to you.”

 

Yun Qing’s eyes widened suddenly.

 

Dark blue coarse cloth bedding came into view, with bed curtains of the same color hanging down. Sunlight streamed into the room, forming a bright patch on the curtains.

 

So everything just now had been a great dream.

 

Everything in the dream was vivid in her memory. She was somewhat dazed and murmured to herself, “Xi…”

 

She sat up from the bed and suddenly remembered that she had come to visit Baiyu, who had been lying on this bed.

 

But now he had disappeared.

 

She hadn’t yet returned the Golden Frost Jade Dew Lotus to Baiyu, so he couldn’t possibly have risen from the dead. Yun Qing sensed something was wrong and divined the location of the corpse.

 

In divination arts, corpses are counted as objects, not people, so they’re not limited by one’s cultivation level. Therefore, although Yun Qing’s constitution had returned to that of an ordinary person and her cultivation had greatly decreased, it wouldn’t affect the results of this divination.

 

The hexagram showed the corpse was to the southwest, nearby.

 

She got up puzzled, lifted the curtain, got out of bed, left the room, and walked in that direction.

 

****

 

Jiang Baiyu’s corpse was laid on a pile of firewood.

 

Standing in front of the woodpile were Fu Xue and Cheng Suiyan. Ci Li was still in cat form, sitting properly beside Fu Xue.

 

Fu Xue held a torch in her hand. The torch crackled as it burned, and the mountain wind made the flames dance constantly.

 

Looking at Jiang Baiyu’s corpse, she said, “Baiyu, I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t want senior sister to die either, so now… now I can only burn you first.

 

I’m sorry…” The more she spoke, the more choked up she became. “You saved my life, yet I’m treating you like this. I’m truly an ungrateful wretch.

 

But I… I’d rather be an ungrateful wretch than watch senior sister die. I’ll definitely repay you by being your servant in the next life…”

 

Cheng Suiyan’s eyes also reddened, and he reached out for the torch. “Let me do it.”

 

Fu Xue shook her head and dodged.

 

He said, “It’s not just you who cares about her. Let me do it.”

 

Ci Li said, “Let me do it. I’m a demon; I’m not afraid of retribution.”

 

Fu Xue shook her head silently. If she let others do the bad things, what kind of person would she become?

 

She held the torch and reached toward the woodpile.

 

The flame changed into various shapes, getting closer and closer to the woodpile. The flame seemed like a tongue, licking toward the woodpile.

 

Suddenly, a voice shouted from behind. “Stop!!!”

 

****

 

Near the end of the year, a great event occurred in the martial arts world.

 

At Lingcang Mountain, ascension clouds appeared without any warning!

 

This meant someone had ascended to immortality there!

 

Who could this great master be?

 

Anyone with any reputation was suspected, but all denied it.

 

Quite a few fraudsters did emerge claiming responsibility, but they were all later exposed.

 

There were rumors that before the ascension clouds appeared, Lingcang Mountain had already shown strange phenomena—

 

The sea of clouds that had perpetually shrouded Lingcang Mountain suddenly split open by some unknown force, revealing a brilliant blue crack in the sky! This crack spanned hundreds of li and was definitely beyond mortal capability—it must have been the work of an immortal.

 

This news pushed the matter in an even more bizarre direction.

 

With various opinions and no way to verify the truth, the identity of the ascended one naturally couldn’t be recorded in the Immortal Registry.

 

If this person truly appeared in the Immortal Registry, cultivators would probably be even more shocked, because this person would only be twenty years old after the new year, making them the youngest ascended immortal in history.

 

At the very center of this legendary whirlpool, Yun Qing’s life was surprisingly peaceful.

 

She was busy with Baiyu preparing various matters for their wedding.

 

After Baiyu woke up, everyone flew together on swords to the capital. Master had indeed been trapped in the capital. His true form had also been shrunk by Qiguang Zi to the size of a crow, and he had stumbled out, nearly being trampled to death by passersby.

 

After returning to normal, he was about to search for his disciples but hadn’t traveled far. When the three master and disciples reunited, it felt like a lifetime had passed, and they cried and laughed for a long time.

 

Afterward, they stayed at Cheng Suiyan’s home again.

 

Prime Minister Cheng and his wife had previously experienced a mysterious dream. Upon waking, they found their son missing. That same day, a kind person delivered a suicide note written in their son’s own hand. After reading it, the couple cried until they fainted and nearly followed their son in death.

 

But before long, their son returned alive!

 

The elderly parents wept tears of joy and suddenly understood. What glory, wealth, or high position could compare to living peacefully through this life? From then on, they no longer pressured their son.

 

****

 

Jiang Baiyu had carefully prepared many betrothal gifts, the most special of which was a mysterious egg.

 

This egg was nearly a foot wide, with a pale red surface distributed with small spots of slightly deeper color. It was unclear what kind of egg it was. After Yun Qing received it, she placed it in the warm room.

 

She was sitting by the window writing wedding invitations.

 

Baiyu sat at the other end of the table, setting gems into a golden crown. This was the bridal crown he was crafting for Yun Qing to wear during their wedding.

 

While making the crown, he would occasionally look up at the person across the table.

 

Yun Qing suddenly looked up, and their eyes met.

 

She put down her brush, crossed her hands to support her chin, and said with a smile. “Baiyu, do you remember when we were in the thatched cottage under Huayang Mountain, and you insisted on changing clothes in front of me and Fu Xue?”

 

“Mm, what about it?”

 

“I really regret it. Tsk, I should have looked a few more times then.”

 

“Is that so?” Jiang Baiyu’s expression didn’t change. He gently set down the crown. “No matter. If you want to look now, it’s not too late.” As he spoke, he made as if to untie his sash.

 

Yun Qing quickly got up and stopped him. “No, no need.”

 

Jiang Baiyu looked at her with a half-smile. “Only you get to act like a rogue?”

 

Having failed at teasing and been counter-teased instead, Yun Qing felt somewhat embarrassed. She sat down nonchalantly and folded the freshly written invitation into a paper crane, sending it out the window.

 

The red paper crane gently flapped its wings, flying out of the courtyard, over streets, over rivers, over high mountains… finally circling near a crossroads.

 

A woman was leading a little girl by the hand, walking past the intersection with laughter and conversation.

 

The little girl said, “Sister, I want to eat candied hawthorn.”

 

The woman laughed. “You can have as much as you want! It’s New Year, and besides candied hawthorn, let’s buy some pastries to take back—peanut cookies, reed flower cakes, malt sugar. I know what you like… and let’s buy some firecrackers too.”

 

“No firecrackers. I hate firecrackers. Let’s buy fireworks and set off fireworks!”

 

“Alright, alright.”

 

“Sister, today a man looked at you strangely. I’m going to kill him.”

 

“Little Tower, stop fooling around. If you keep talking nonsense, I won’t buy you candy.”

 

“Fine.”

 

As the pair, one big and one small, chatted and laughed, Han Yunniang saw a disheveled beggar by the roadside. His clothes were tattered, his feet bare, revealing bony ankles. He was hugging his chest, huddled against the wall with his head down, shivering.

 

Han Yunniang felt compassionate and walked over, placing the remaining half-jin of mutton in the broken bowl in front of him.

 

Smelling the meat, the man grabbed the mutton like a mad dog and stuffed it into his mouth. But after just one bite, he suddenly froze as if struck by lightning.

 

Then he slowly raised his head, tears streaming down his face as he looked up at her.

 

….

 

The paper crane flew into a small alley.

 

“Hey, you’re Jian Yu? I heard your swordsmanship is good. I want to ask for your help. Money is no problem,” after a pause, the speaker added, “I also have a five-hundred-year-old painting.”

 

The person called Jian Yu had thick eyebrows and round eyes, with a dense beard, wearing a tattered Taoist robe with a wine gourd at his waist. Except for his sword, everything else on him was dirty.

 

Hearing about the ancient painting, he didn’t hesitate and got up to follow.

 

A neighbor couldn’t stand it and stopped him, whispering. “That’s a famous scoundrel. What real treasures could he have? Don’t be deceived.”

 

But Jian Yu said, “Perfect. If I accept a fake painting, I can dream of her scolding me again.”

 

The neighbor watched his retreating figure and said in confusion, “What a strange person.”

 

….

 

The paper crane flew into Shenle Valley.

 

The old maple tree had lost almost all its leaves. A woman sat under the maple tree playing the pipa. The vigorous pipa music seemed capable of piercing the heavens.

 

Shi Feijia walked over, and the pipa music stopped.

 

“When do we leave?” Shi Feijia asked.

 

“At the beginning of the year. We’ll go when the snow melts.”

 

The speaking woman had a pink face and peach cheeks, with a small brown mole beside her red lips. Her eyes, which had once been like autumn waters, had now become dim.

 

Shi Feijia asked again, “Liangxiao, have you thought of a name for the child?”

 

Liangxiao smiled. “Yes!”

 

Shi Feijia also smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes after laughing. “Liangxiao, thank you so much. I’m very happy that Jiu Jiu’s child can still have a mother.”

 

“Clan Leader, I’m the one who should say thank you. I…” have a family again.

 

….

 

The paper crane flew into an elaborately decorated mansion.

 

“City Lord, these are the accounts for Jinshan Hall this year. Since you ordered that all soul-lost people be cared for, Jinshan Hall’s expenses have been very large.”

 

Chu Yanhe casually flipped through the account book at hand and said, “No matter. This is the sin committed by our Chu family, and it should be atoned for by our Chu family. No matter how much money it costs, we must provide for them.”

 

“Yes. City Lord, this subordinate also heard that several restless members of the Chu clan seem to want to cause trouble at year’s end.”

 

Chu Yanhe sneered. “I’ve known about it for a long time. Let them cause all the trouble they want. If they don’t make it big, I won’t know how to deal with them.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Chu Xing, I should practice sword now.”

 

Chu Xing finally couldn’t bear it, looking at Chu Yanhe’s face. The girl still had baby fat on her face, but her eyes already held a composure that didn’t belong to her age. He said, “It’s New Year. How about taking a few days’ rest?”

 

“No need. Persistence is valuable in all things.” Chu Yanhe touched the sword at her waist and suddenly felt somewhat melancholy. “I wonder how Sister Yun Qing and the others are doing. It’s New Year, and I want to wish her well, but I don’t know where to direct my wishes.”

 

Nearby, Chu Yanchuan, who had been playing with an ivory ball with his head down, suddenly spoke, “Wish in your heart.”

 

Chu Yanhe suddenly looked at him, her body frozen for quite a while before she came back to her senses. “Brother? Are you speaking?”

 

Chu Yanchuan put down the ivory ball and looked at her with confusion. “Yes, I’m not mute. But I feel like I slept for a very, very long time.”

 

Chu Yanhe covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

 

****

 

On the day all the wedding invitations were sent out, it happened to be the beginning of spring.

 

The wind began to become soft, carrying the slight dampness of the thawing earth. The ground sprouted hints of hazy green.

 

Yun Qing sat on the rooftop, unwrapped a piece of malt sugar and put it in her mouth. She didn’t eat it but just played with the malt sugar, holding it between her lips as it moved up and down.

 

Jiang Baiyu sat beside her, glanced at her sideways, and laughed. “No proper form.”

 

Well, even without proper form, she was still very cute.

 

In the courtyard, Le Chenzi, Fu Xue, Cheng Suiyan, and Ci Li (still in cat form) surrounded an egg that was about to hatch. To accommodate the little cat’s line of sight, they had specially brought a stool for it.

 

The surface of the egg had already cracked.

 

Several people surrounded it in a circle, not daring to speak, as if afraid of disturbing whatever was inside. After waiting for a long time, a sharp bird’s beak pecked through the eggshell and emerged.

 

Yun Qing on the rooftop also held her breath in curiosity.

 

Actually, both she and Master could divine what this thing was, but if you divined everything, life would lose much of its fun.

 

She preferred to save the surprise for the moment when the result was revealed.

 

The crack in the bird egg grew larger and larger until finally, a chick with dark red skin and sparse down feathers all over its body drilled out from inside.

 

“Master, what is this?” Fu Xue asked.

 

Le Chenzi answered, “Oh my, it’s actually a phoenix. Baiyu’s luck is really good.”

 

“Ahhhhh, it’s a phoenix!” Fu Xue jumped up excitedly, grabbed Ci Li from the stool and threw it into the air. “We have a phoenix!”

 

Ci Li, suspended in mid-air, cursed. “Are you crazy?!”

 

Yun Qing, with the malt sugar in her mouth, looked sideways at Baiyu and said indistinctly, “Not bad, you-“

 

Baiyu suddenly leaned over, lowered his head, and bit the malt sugar between her lips.

 

Yun Qing felt the soft sensation on her lips. She didn’t know if he did it intentionally or accidentally, but her heartbeat suddenly quickened.

 

Crunch—

 

He bit through the malt sugar and took half of it.

 

Yun Qing looked at him in surprise.

 

He sat back, rolled the malt sugar into his mouth, and soon a small bulge appeared on his cheek.

 

“Baiyu, you?”

 

“I suddenly wanted to try it.”

 

“Really? How was it?”

 

“Mm, sweet.”

 

The gentle wind blew, greening the earth, yellowing the willow branches, and reddening people’s cheeks.

 

Don’t say the dusty light is long,

 

Spring breeze ripples through the mortal world.

 

~Fin~