Chapter Twenty: Betrayed Once Again

I walked out of Jade Void Palace on my own, while Dongfang Mo was unceremoniously expelled, the two grand doors of the palace slamming shut behind him with a resounding clang. Two "brothers in misfortune" were thus thrown together.

"I'm sorry, I hurt you. I never thought you'd be threatened because of me," Dongfang Mo said, full of guilt.

I smiled faintly. This Dongfang Mo, when he’s being stubborn, is truly wooden-headed—so much so that I almost died wrongfully at his hands.

"I broke your letter first, and because of me you got hurt by Lord Spring Breeze and lost your chance to be accepted as a disciple. Consider that sword stroke my compensation."

Dongfang Mo sighed. "It’s just that the Lord finds me disagreeable, that’s all."

"Why are you so determined to take… to take Lord Cloud Summit as your master?" I asked him. It still felt unnatural to call Bai Hao "Lord Cloud Summit."

"My mother was forced to marry into the Netherworld. If she hadn’t sacrificed herself, there would be no Dongfang Mo left in this world. As her son, I must avenge her by destroying the Lord of the Netherworld. The Netherworld brought ruin to my country, my father died of grief, and my people had their souls taken to be refined into elixirs. As king, I must seek justice for my people," Dongfang Mo replied with unwavering resolve.

No wonder, I thought, that Dongfang Mo always carries himself with such proud, upright dignity, constantly calling me shameless and vulgar. A true king would certainly disapprove of my unruly ways.

"He didn’t completely turn you away, did he? He told you to go to Lord Spring Breeze to recover. Once you’re healed, you can come back—there’s still a chance," I said.

"I am a mere mortal cultivating the Dao. My tribulation is near. If I don’t become Lord Cloud Summit’s disciple soon and learn the art of transcending calamity, when the tribulation arrives, I’ll be forced to reincarnate, forgetting my mother, my country, and unable to save anyone. The Lord of the Netherworld is indescribably powerful—only Lord Cloud Summit in all the heavens can rival him. I must make him my master." Dongfang Mo knelt at the closed doors of Jade Void Palace.

"I wanted to go up the mountain and bear witness for you, but it seems my meddling only made things worse. There’s nothing more I can do—only wish you success," I said helplessly.

"Thank you! I will succeed!" Dongfang Mo replied, his expression determined.

After asking Dongfang Mo for directions out of the Jade Pure Realm, I bid him farewell and descended the mountain alone.

I walked on, feeling dispirited. "One despises me, another toys with me… So this is how the Lords of Heaven bully people." The more I thought about it, the more foolish and self-pitying I felt. I shook my head to clear my mind.

It’s over now, all in the past! Yu Fei, you’re overthinking again! I never meant to come to Kunlun—it was just that fortune-teller’s words that got my blood boiling. I’ve done my part, seen the excitement, so why feel disappointed? Better to take this chance to enjoy the enchanting scenery of the Jade Pure Realm!

Determined not to dwell on my troubles, I took in the view of the celestial lake, gazed at the sea of clouds, admired the snow-laden pines… wandering among the flowers with spirit-butterflies and singing with mystical birds… I picked a few mountain blossoms to wear in my hair, twirled a reed plucked from the lakeshore in my hand, and as I made my way out of the realm, I hummed a tune I’d learned in a teahouse:

"I bring blessings down to the mortal realm,
I return to the immortal mountain, far away.
Amidst the drifting white clouds,
Where is my homeland?
Amidst the drifting white clouds,
Penglai is my home..."

Home… Penglai… I "tricked" Lord Cloud Summit; perhaps Penglai won’t want me anymore either. Then again, so be it—fate will provide. The world is vast; surely there’s a place for a wandering bird.

I continued to hum the lovely tune:

"There is an immortal mountain far away,
But I do not wish for it,
Suffering in the mortal world,
Suffering in the mortal world,
Bringing blessings everywhere,
Bringing blessings…"

"Yu Fei!"

I was singing with a drawn-out melody when I thought I heard someone calling my name. I paused, wondering if it was just my imagination, then continued humming and skipping down the mountain.

"Yu Fei!" This time I heard it clearly—it was Bai Hao’s voice.

"Ah?" I turned around in response.

Sure enough, he stood not far behind me.

I hesitated, a thought flashing through my mind: Was he having second thoughts?

"Oh… Little Immortal, greetings to Lord Cloud Summit!" I saluted him.

"I will escort you down the mountain," Lord Cloud Summit said.

So, he was personally seeing me off.

"No need to trouble yourself, my lord. I won’t go back on my word this time; you needn’t worry." I turned to continue on my way.

"Wait, I have something to ask you," Lord Cloud Summit called out.

"Please speak, my lord," I replied.

"During the contest, why did you use the Blood Oath Sword instead of the Mystic Crystal Sword?" he asked.

I had actually forgotten to explain that. Since he was the melancholy Lord Cloud Summit, it made things easier. He was sending me away anyway, and I couldn’t keep that troublesome Mystic Crystal Sword. Let Lord Spring Breeze find it a new owner—it would serve him well in matchmaking.

"I feel dizzy and weak whenever I carry it. In short, I’m very uncomfortable and can’t wield it at all, so I gave it to Lord Spring Breeze. In the heat of the moment, I didn’t explain to you—please forgive me," I said, spinning the tale as agreed with Lord Spring Breeze.

"Oh…" Lord Cloud Summit seemed doubtful.

"Farewell, my lord." I bowed and continued down the mountain.

"Wait," he called again. I stopped and turned to face him.

"Yu Fei, I am not the right master for you. Your true master is in Penglai—I will send you there," he said gently but firmly.

"I dare not trouble you, my lord. I will follow your recommendation and go to Penglai. Rest assured, I will not break my word," I replied, equally firm.

"Very well. If you don’t need my escort, here is a letter. When you arrive in Penglai, if any of the disciples or elders question you, present this letter—Mother of Rosy Clouds will see you herself." He took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to me.

"Thank you, my lord!" I accepted it with both hands, tucked it away, and bowed, "Please remain here, my lord. Farewell!" With that, I continued down the mountain, leaving his solitary figure behind.

"There is an immortal mountain far away…" I sang on, but my heart felt hollow. He was truly determined to send me off to Penglai.

The scenery around me no longer held any charm. I quickened my pace, eager to leave the Jade Pure Realm and be far from Kunlun.

In the distance, I saw the azure waterfall plunging from the heavens—the very place where I’d first met him at the Chasing Immortals Cliff. So I had stumbled to the border of the Jade Pure Realm without realizing it.

Snow began to fall from the sky. Standing in the snow, I caught a flake in my hand—it was nothing like the glittering crystals of that other day, nothing like that beautiful snowfall. Looking up, I saw a figure on the cliff—it looked a bit like Bai Hao, but his attire was different.

"Little Crow!" A man, fragrant as spring and swift as the wind, appeared before me.

Startled, I took two steps back and bowed. Honestly, I could not bring myself to treat this eccentric Lord Spring Breeze as a deity.

"Oh, little crow, why so formal? Come, let’s go and find you a master," Lord Spring Breeze said, reaching for my arm.

"I was just personally sent down the mountain by Lord Cloud Summit," I dodged his hand and continued on my way.

Lord Spring Breeze glared, blocking my path. "That’s because I said if anyone dared to escort you down, I’d break their legs."

"So others feared for their legs, and Lord Cloud Summit was forced to see me off. Why should I trouble him further? Thank you for your favor, but I simply cannot accept such a heavy responsibility," I said coldly.

I took my leave and continued down the mountain.

Behind me, Lord Spring Breeze twirled his folding fan with a wicked grin. "Refuse a toast and you’ll have to drink a forfeit—don’t blame me, then!" He raised his hand, conjuring a trace of violet-red spiritual energy in his palm, and struck me squarely between the shoulders.

I was just walking when a burning pain exploded in my back, knocking the breath from me and sending me sprawling to the ground. My heart felt as if it were being roasted by the sun, unbearable and scorching, as if on fire, even my throat flaming with agony. Tears sprang to my eyes from the pain.

Lord Spring Breeze laughed heartily. "Little crow, he knows how powerful my Dawn Spring Palm is! Once he teaches you the Cloud Condensation Technique, he’ll have to accept you as his disciple!"

Clutching my chest, I curled up on the ground, furious at being caught in the crossfire between these two brothers.

"Please… just let me go," I begged.

"Don’t plead with me—soon you’ll be begging him to take you as a disciple!" With that, Lord Spring Breeze soared away.

Another wave of searing pain surged through me, as if I’d swallowed burning coals. My heart was a mix of anger, pain, and utter grievance. Suddenly, a blaze erupted inside me and I coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the cliff, then another, and another, ten times in all. Only then did the fire within subside a little.

I will not become their disciple! Even if it kills me, I will never submit to threats again! I swore to myself, covering my mouth and nose as I struggled to my feet and staggered forward, only to be seized by dizziness and tumble down the snowy slope…

Back in the Jade Pure Realm, Lord Spring Breeze was agitated. "You crossed a thousand miles to find her—you should have taken her in and protected her!"

"She has her master," Lord Cloud Summit replied calmly.

"Push her off to Penglai, and what will she learn? She’ll probably end up dead. Anyway, I struck her with the Dawn Spring Palm! It’s up to you now!" Lord Spring Breeze fanned himself angrily.

Lord Cloud Summit’s expression darkened at the words. "Ridiculous! How could she withstand the Dawn Spring Palm? Where did you leave her?"

"Just at Chasing Immortals Cliff, waiting for you to teach her the Cloud Condensation Technique. If night falls and some foul villain happens by… She spent her last life clearing her name; this time, she might not be so lucky. Don’t blame me then!" Lord Spring Breeze spoke while watching Lord Cloud Summit out of the corner of his eye.

Lord Cloud Summit flew out of Jade Void Palace, and Lord Spring Breeze, delighted, followed after.

At Chasing Immortals Cliff, Lord Cloud Summit looked at the bloodstained snow with concern. "How much divine power did you use?"

"How could this be? Only half my strength—I didn’t use full force! There shouldn’t be so much blood!" Lord Spring Breeze was flustered.

"She’s already wounded from the backlash of the Blood Oath Sword and the Wolf Fang Spike. Even half your strength was too much. Where did you hide her?" Lord Cloud Summit demanded.

"She was right here—nowhere else!" Lord Spring Breeze protested innocently.

"Harming the innocent for the sake of a wager on the Disciple Roll!" Lord Cloud Summit cast a withering glare at him and followed the trail of blood and footprints down the slope.

Lord Spring Breeze hurried after him. "I just told someone to bet on her winning—the Hundred Flowers Island needs to make a living too! It was a win-win; how was I to know you’d be so stubborn!"

"In Penglai, Mother of Rosy Clouds will treat her well," Lord Cloud Summit replied.

"You could treat her well yourself! If you hadn’t been so obstinate, I wouldn’t have resorted to this. She’s only a little bird alone in the wilderness—what if she’s eaten by wild beasts…" Lord Spring Breeze clapped a hand over his mouth and spat a few times for luck.

Lord Cloud Summit said nothing, his face carved from stone.

The two gods arrived at the bottom of the snowy slope, finding only a pool of blood, a few crow feathers, and the scattered tracks of wild beasts.

"Lu Wu beast…" Lord Cloud Summit’s brow creased.

"This is bad, it’s just as I feared…" Lord Spring Breeze covered his mouth with his fan.