Chapter 39 : Entering Cangqiong
39: Entering Cangqiong
On the fourth day of the third month in the seventeenth year of Pingyuan, Lu Wencheng personally came to the training grounds at Chaoquan Peak to fulfill his agreement with Fu Peibai.
This drew a crowd of onlookers from the peak. Yet the one person who should have appeared most never showed her face. That was the Peak Master of Chaoquan Peak, Lu Yanran.
Fu Peibai stood on the east side of the training grounds, her gaze sweeping through the crowd gathered around. After a while, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.
Lu Wencheng stood opposite her with his hands behind his back. He announced loudly, "According to our original agreement, if you can withstand three of my moves without falling, I will make an exception and accept you into the sect as a formal disciple. Fu Peibai, are you ready?"
Fu Peibai held her breath and focused her mind. She nodded solemnly.
Lu Wencheng tapped his foot lightly. His figure shifted, and in an instant he was before Fu Peibai. He gathered his energy and raised his palm, striking directly at her chest.
His attack came too fast. Fu Peibai had no time to react and was immediately struck, stumbling backward several steps.
Her vision went black. She nearly fell backward but quickly lowered her center of gravity to steady herself, barely managing to stay on her feet.
Lu Wencheng's gaze held a bit more appreciation as he looked at her. "Not bad."
Though he had only used twenty percent of his power, for someone who had practiced martial arts for less than a year, receiving that palm strike was already no small feat. If this person had started training in their youth, they would surely have achieved great things.
"Second palm!" he called out loudly. His form blurred into overlapping shadows as he swiftly moved behind Fu Peibai and struck her back heavily with thirty percent of his internal power.
The onlookers gasped. Everyone thought Fu Peibai wouldn't be able to hold on now. Yet unexpectedly, although the force of that palm sent her lurching forward, nearly falling to the ground, she used the momentum to roll forward as she fell. In the end, clutching her chest, she staggered back to her feet.
Cheers erupted from the sidelines. Meng Yan's voice was the loudest of all.
"Well done, Little Bai!"
Fu Peibai's body was agile. She had already practiced that boxing technique to perfection.
"Final palm!" As Lu Wencheng's voice fell, his attack followed. For this last strike, he used fifty percent of his power. Almost no one among the younger generation in the martial world could withstand such a blow.
Fu Peibai's pupils contracted. After receiving those two palms, a strange current of energy had suddenly surged through her body, restlessly churning within.
Facing Lu Wencheng's fully charged palm strike, she felt no fear. Instead, fighting spirit blazed in her heart. Dark red veins appeared in her pitch-black pupils. She planted her feet firmly, extended her palm forward, and chose to receive Lu Wencheng's attack head-on.
Lu Wencheng was startled. He hadn't expected Fu Peibai to do this. If their palms truly met, Fu Peibai would definitely have her internal organs damaged by his internal power. So he quickly reduced his power by thirty percent.
Even so, the moment their palms connected, Fu Peibai was sent flying a full zhang backward. The stone tiles beneath her feet cracked along her retreat, sending up a cloud of dust.
"Little Bai!"
"A-Pei!"
Shouts rose from the crowd below. Just as they were about to rush forward to check on Fu Peibai's injuries, the dust settled, and a thin, tall figure gradually emerged.
Lu Wencheng was shocked. The moment his palm had connected with this youth's hand, he had detected a powerful internal energy surging through the other's body. This was extremely strange.
He hurried forward, about to ask, but the tall, thin figure suddenly went down on one knee as if all strength had left him.
Fu Peibai hung her head. After several heavy breaths, she raised her face. It was deathly pale, blood staining the corner of her mouth. She looked at Lu Wencheng and asked unsteadily, "Sect Master, did I win?"
Lu Wencheng looked at Fu Peibai's weak state, wondering if he had sensed wrong earlier. After a moment, he nodded.
The crowd below cheered and swarmed around. Meng Yan helped Fu Peibai up and leaned her against his knee. He asked with concern, "Little Bai, how do you feel right now?"
Fu Peibai's ears were ringing, her whole body ached, yet her heart felt incredibly light. She pulled at the corner of her mouth and smiled. "I'm fine, Brother Meng."
The next moment, Lu Qingwan pushed through the crowd. Ignoring everyone's gazes, she grabbed Fu Peibai's hand, looking heartbroken. "Are you okay? Why are you bleeding? Father, really, how could you use such heavy force!"
Fu Peibai quickly withdrew her hand and replied politely but distantly, "Second Young Miss, I'm fine."
Lu Qingwan had grown accustomed to Fu Peibai's cold attitude toward her. She reached out, wanting to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
At that moment, Lu Wencheng's low voice came from outside the crowd. "Qingwan! Before all these eyes, men and women should observe proper boundaries. What are you doing?!"
"He's the man I like! Can't I show him some concern? Father, you too. Why did you use such heavy force? What if you seriously injured him?!"
Everyone present was in a state of wanting to laugh but not daring to, their expressions strained from holding back. Fu Peibai was especially awkward. She simply closed her eyes and pretended to faint.
Lu Wencheng's face was strained. He coughed heavily. His own daughter taking an outsider's side, how could one not be angry?
"Come, return with me!"
"I won't go. I still need to take care of him."
"Take care of him? You can't even take care of yourself. I see I've spoiled you rotten. Wu Zhong, carry her away."
A tall man beside Lu Wencheng quickly stepped forward. He said, "Forgive me, Second Young Miss," then picked her up like a small chick. No matter how she kicked and punched, he didn't budge.
Before leaving, Lu Wencheng cast a meaningful glance at Fu Peibai and left behind the words, "Continue to work hard."
After Lu Wencheng departed, the crowd erupted in excited chatter. Anyone could see that the Sect Master especially appreciated Fu Peibai. Fu Peibai's future was surely bright and promising.
Yun Ruoling smiled and said, "Little Bai, the Sect Master is gone. Open your eyes."
Fu Peibai opened her eyes, let out a breath of relief, and climbed to her feet.
Meng Yan hoisted her over his shoulder and tossed her into the air. As she fell, pair after pair of hands caught her and tossed her up again.
"Yeah! Little Bai has become a formal sect disciple!"
"You've brought such honor to our Chaoquan Peak! Well done, Little Bai!"
The crowd cheered and walked away amid laughter and joyful voices.
The training grounds returned to silence. Two slender female figures slowly emerged from beneath a large tree.
A-Fu looked at the group of people departing toward the back mountain, then looked at her Peak Master. She asked quietly, "Peak Master, why didn't you watch the Sect Master's test of Little Bai openly?"
Lu Yanran didn't answer. With a calm expression, she gazed once at the blurry figures of the crowd in the distance, then withdrew her gaze and said, "Let's go."
When Fu Peibai returned to her room, Yun Ruoling was checking her pulse. Fu Peibai recalled the unfamiliar current of energy that had surged through her body when she exchanged palms with the Sect Master. She said, "A-Ruo, earlier an uncontrollable current of energy suddenly rose within my body, rushing chaotically through my internal organs and dantian. What's going on?"
Yun Ruoling's expression grew more serious. She carefully felt the pulse under her fingers but detected nothing unusual. After thinking for a moment, she said, "When you've been practicing that yang-attribute internal cultivation manual lately, has your body felt any discomfort?"
"A little. Sometimes I feel extremely hot and restless, my mind very agitated. Other times I feel very cold, as if I've fallen into an ice pit."
"This... sounds like your body is rejecting that cultivation method. If you continue practicing it for a long time, I don't know what might happen. To be safe, you should switch to a different internal cultivation method."
Fu Peibai shook her head, very firmly. "No. I'm learning this one."
Yun Ruoling knew her stubborn nature, so she didn't press further. "Alright. I'll just prescribe a few recovery tonics for you. Your body has become much sturdier than when you first came up the mountain. To receive three strikes from the Sect Master without serious injury is remarkable."
Fu Peibai was also quite surprised by this. Originally, she hadn't held much hope for this test. After all, she had only just started practicing martial arts and was far behind her peers in skill. She never expected to actually pass the test like this. She felt both delighted and somewhat anxious. She even wondered if the Sect Master had gone easy on her because of the Second Young Miss.
Now that she could enter the Heavenly Pole Sect to study martial arts as a proper disciple, naturally she was overjoyed. Yet amid the happiness, she also felt a sense of loss. The loss came from the fact that this meant she had to leave Chaoquan Peak.
Every year, those who passed the Heavenly Pole Sect's entrance examination were all assigned to the Four Halls as outer disciples, waiting for the following year's inner disciple examination. Only by passing that could they be promoted to inner disciple status. Then the Sect Master and the Peak Masters of the four peaks would select them to join their respective peaks. After that came promotion to true transmission disciple, personal disciple, and so on.
However, there were also many disciples from other renowned sects who joined the Heavenly Pole Sect simply to learn the Heavenly Pole Sword Technique. These people would often leave the sect after studying for a year or two, having learned the essentials of the sword technique, and return to their own sects to take over. Thus, most sword practitioners in the martial world carried traces of the Heavenly Pole Sword Technique in their style.
In her mind, she recalled that cool, elegant white-clad figure. She sighed heavily, closed her eyes, and refused to think further.
Just like that, she rested for a day. The next day, a managing disciple from Cangqiong Peak came to escort her into the sect.
Everyone was reluctant to see her go, yet happy for her at the same time.
Meng Yan pulled her into an embrace. "Little Bai, I'll miss you."
Fu Peibai didn't refuse Meng Yan's rare display of warmth. She hugged him back. "Brother Meng, take care of your health."
"Little Bai, you take care too. Look after yourself."
Fu Peibai nodded at Yun Ruoling, then pulled over the sniffling Huo Jiaran and pinched his small face. "There, there. Why is everyone crying? Uncle Zhang, Auntie Qin, don't cry. I'm going to study martial arts, not to suffer. Besides, it's not like I won't come back. I'll visit everyone often."
Ding Yi patted her shoulder. "Little Bai, I wish you success in your studies and that you achieve your heart's desire soon."
Fu Peibai nodded. She swept her gaze through the crowd and asked with some unwillingness, "Sister A-Fu, the Peak Master didn't come?"
"The Peak Master entered seclusion three days ago. Every year after her cold condition flares up, she secludes herself for a period of time. Little Bai, Cangqiong Peak isn't like Chaoquan. There are many formalities and complicated rules. You must be careful."
Fu Peibai couldn't hide her disappointment. After acknowledging everyone's reminders one by one, she shouldered her travel bundle and stepped onto the rope bridge leading to Cangqiong Peak, facing the first rays of dawn from the east.
Her figure was tall and slender, her steps steady, just like when she left Xingyang City for Jinyun Mountain last year.
......
Inside the Mingxi Cave at Chaoquan Peak, the scene was one of ice and snow. On a bed of ice sat a white-clad woman. Her waterfall of raven hair fell naturally, forming a sharp contrast with her pale face. Her thin lips were pressed tight, and even her long lashes had frost clinging to them.
Footsteps faintly sounded at the cave entrance, drawing closer. Someone walked up to the ice bed and spoke. "Peak Master, Little Bai has departed for Cangqiong Peak."
The person meditating on the ice bed was none other than Lu Yanran. She suddenly opened her eyes and parted her lips slightly. "Understood."
A-Fu looked conflicted, as if wanting to say something. Finally, she voiced the question in her heart. "Peak Master, in past years you always entered seclusion in the fourth month. Why did you start so many days early this year?"
Lu Yanran didn't answer. She slowly closed her eyes.
A-Fu continued, "Is it because you didn't want to see Little Bai? Peak Master, you and he..."
"Say no more." Lu Yanran suddenly spoke, her voice as devoid of warmth as this ice cave.
A-Fu could only awkwardly withdraw.