Chapter 448 : I'll Stay With You
448: I'll Stay With You
The little tiger had clearly forgotten where she'd seen the fake monk before, but Yun Qingyue obviously remembered and had recognized him at a glance. So in the end, she gave Jiang Mo the answer: "He's Wuxiang."
Wuxiang? Jiang Mo pondered for a moment before finally retrieving this person from the recesses of her memory.
Yet she still found it hard to believe: "Wuxiang? Demon Monk Wuxiang? He didn't look like that, and besides, he was clearly captured by the Buddha Sect people..." Her voice grew increasingly faint toward the end.
She didn't even finish the last sentence because she had already remembered—the Wuxiang they had encountered in the secret realm was merely a clone, and what the Buddha Sect had captured and brought back to clear house was also just a clone. As for where Wuxiang's true form was, or whether it looked the same as the clone, she truly didn't know.
The little tiger raised her head in shock, looking at her Senior Sister: "He's completely changed his face, and his cultivation level is different from what was rumored—how did you recognize him?"
How did she recognize him? Perhaps it was just intuition. Whether clone or true form, Wuxiang carried a hint of madness. In the moment their gazes met, Yun Qingyue had recognized him.
After hearing the explanation, Jiang Mo pondered with her chin in hand, yet still came to no realization. Perhaps she was naturally slow to perceive such things, but she hadn't noticed these clues hidden beneath the surface.
Of course, if she had noticed then, she wouldn't have ended up injured.
Jiang Mo didn't doubt her Senior Sister's judgment at all and silently added Wuxiang to her mental list of enemies. She reached out again to touch her frozen wound. After the initial bone-chilling cold, she had quickly adapted, and her body no longer felt as cold as it had at first. But her Senior Sister's embrace was still warm, so she had no intention of pulling away and remained contentedly nestled in her arms.
It was Yun Qingyue who, based on Jiang Mo's earlier reaction to the cold, had completely underestimated the White Tiger's constitution. Seeing her touch the ice again, she took hold of her cold fingertips: "That's enough, don't touch it. It's cold."
As Yun Qingyue gently grasped her fingertips, Jiang Mo's jumbled thoughts instantly scattered, leaving only warmth and sweetness in her heart. Her lips curved into a smile, but fearing she looked too pleased and would be noticed, she quickly composed herself and said: "Yes, it's very cold, and this isn't a long-term solution anyway."
Yun Qingyue had actually seen her smile but didn't find anything wrong with it. When Jiang Mo smiled, her eyes sparkled in a way that tugged at one's heart, making anyone who saw it want to smile along.
She unconsciously twirled a strand of Jiang Mo's hair around her finger, though her words remained solemn: "It'll be fine. We're very close to the Xuanqing Sect now."
Yes, the Xuanqing Sect. After leaving the sect for more than eighty years, Yun Qingyue was finally returning. This wasn't a sudden decision, nor was it an expedient measure after Jiang Mo's injury. In fact, their destination had always been the Xuanqing Sect—that day when Abbot Huining was seriously injured, what he had entrusted to them was actually a request to deliver messages on his behalf, while rescuing Buddha Sect disciples was simply something they did along the way.
Abbot Huining's insight was considerable. From the moment Huiqian uttered the words "demon race," he understood why the Buddha Sect was being targeted. Because compared to cultivators of other paths, Buddhist cultivators were precisely the nemesis of the demon race!
In the cataclysm tens of thousands of years ago, the cultivation world had mobilized the entire realm's strength to seal the passage to the demon realm. The sacrifices and items needed to suppress the grand formation were numerous. Due to human scheming, the monstrous race had even sacrificed the fortune and future of their entire race. But the monstrous race, despite giving the most, wasn't the most crucial element in the formation. The most important part of the sealing formation was actually the Seven Treasures Glass Heart.
The Seven Treasures Glass Heart, imbued with the Buddhist teachings of great monks and virtuous masters, served as the array's eye to resist the invasion of demonic qi from the other side of the seal, forming the basis for the entire sealing formation.
However, after tens of thousands of years, few people still knew this point, and Abbot Huining only knew that Buddhist methods could counter the demon race.
Whether or not Huiqian's words were alarmist, these two words were enough to arouse Abbot Huining's concern. So he immediately wrote letters, not trusting magical transmission and not daring to let disciples deliver them personally, finally entrusting this important task to the two women.
Two letters in total—one for the Tiandao Sect and one for the Xuanqing Sect.
Yun Qingyue and Jiang Mo didn't have a good impression of the Tiandao Sect and didn't trust them either. Almost with a single glance at each other, they silently agreed to deliver the letter to the Xuanqing Sect first. Abbot Huining and Golden Peng noticed this but didn't object. Only when seeing them off did they shamelessly request that the two women help any Buddha Sect disciples they encountered along the way, if convenient.
This was why the two had been so busy along their journey, and now after their long trek, they were not far from the Xuanqing Sect.
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Returning to her old home after more than eighty years, perhaps no one else could understand Yun Qingyue's complex emotions.
The spirit boat stopped outside Xuanqing City. Actually, Jiang Mo's spirit boat bore the Xuanqing Sect's insignia, so directly entering Xuanqing City or even proceeding to the Xuanqing Sect wouldn't have been a problem. But perhaps feeling apprehensive about returning home, Yun Qingyue lacked the composure she had shown during previous returns to the sect. She stopped the spirit boat far from the city and had no intention of entering the sect immediately.
Jiang Mo didn't urge her. Having adapted to the ice on her shoulder, she quickly became energetic again. Plus, the ice layer on her shoulder wasn't thick to begin with and didn't affect her ability to dress. So after getting ready, she accompanied her Senior Sister off the spirit boat, entering the city on foot.
She appeared completely normal, except for the chilling aura around her, making her look more like an ice spiritual root cultivator than the person beside her.
The two entered the city. Under the protection of the major sect, the city remained peaceful and harmonious. The eighty years had left almost no trace on it. Apart from a few changes in the street vendors, the inn servants who, due to their low cultivation, were beginning to age, and the occasional new faces wearing Xuanqing Sect disciple robes on the streets, little had changed.
When Jiang Mo was at the Xuanqing Sect, she had focused entirely on cultivation and had little contact with the sect's disciples, so she didn't feel anything particularly special. But as they walked down the street, she would occasionally point to certain places and reminisce with Yun Qingyue about the past—like the first time she was brought here, what they ate, what they played with, what they bought... Small matters that Yun Qingyue had almost forgotten, but which Jiang Mo remembered clearly.
It must be said that being kept in someone's heart is a wonderful feeling. Even with her mind full of concerns, Yun Qingyue's eyes and eyebrows unconsciously softened as Jiang Mo recounted these memories.
So when Jiang Mo pointed to a restaurant by the street and said to Yun Qingyue: "I remember this restaurant has good meat jerky."
Yun Qingyue followed her gesture and immediately saw the bright Yingxian Tower sign on the restaurant. After some recollection, she remembered Jiang Mo was talking about jerky made from Wind Speed Steed. The first time she ate it was when Bei Luo treated her; the little tiger had initially been coy and reluctant, but then ended up clearing the plate in one go, even taking a lot home.
Recalling the past, Yun Qingyue changed direction and led Jiang Mo directly into the restaurant: "Let's go. Since you like it, let's try it again."
"Eh..." Jiang Mo was pulled by her sleeve into the Yingxian Tower, wanting to remind her Senior Sister that they still needed to return to the Xuanqing Sect to deliver the letter, and they could come back here anytime. But just like when the spirit boat stopped outside the city, she ultimately said nothing.
Eighty years had passed, but the inn's servant hadn't changed, though his low cultivation meant he no longer looked as young as before. Having welcomed and seen off so many people over the years, when he first glimpsed Yun Qingyue, he only thought she looked familiar. Then he was immediately intimidated by the aura unique to high-level cultivators and hurriedly lowered his eyes, saying: "Honored guests, there are still private rooms upstairs. Please follow me."
Yun Qingyue nodded slightly but didn't take Jiang Mo upstairs. Instead, she asked the servant to pack some Wind Speed Steed jerky.
The Wind Speed Steed wasn't of high grade. When prepared with Heavenly Lotus Grass and Spirit Rhinoceros Fruit, it had some nourishing effects for low-level cultivators, but for high-level cultivators, it was completely insufficient, not even considered top-tier in taste.
The servant was stunned upon hearing this request. He glanced at the two women a couple of times but dared not say anything, hurriedly agreeing and running to the kitchen to pack the order. Though his cultivation was low, he was quick with such tasks and didn't keep them waiting long, rushing back with the packed jerky: "Honored guests, the jerky you ordered."
Yun Qingyue nodded, took the jerky, paid with spirit stones, and promptly handed the large package to Jiang Mo.
Even through the wrapping, Jiang Mo could smell the familiar aroma of the jerky, but with one shoulder still frozen, she could only accept the large package with one hand. Finding it inconvenient, she finally stored it in her spatial storage.
This counted as a gift from her Senior Sister. Though not precious, it still made Jiang Mo beam with joy.
As the two stepped out of the Yingxian Tower's entrance, Jiang Mo turned her head and asked Yun Qingyue: "Ah Yue, where do you want to go now? I'll accompany you wherever."
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue looked up to see the majestic mountain in the distance, shrouded in clouds and mist, with barely visible roof ridges and curved eaves—truly a celestial scene from Xuanqing City's perspective. She slowly shook her head, her previously chaotic heart gradually calming as they spent time in the city: "Let's go back to the sect. Your wound can't be left like this forever."
Jiang Mo was startled. From when they had entered the city, they had spent at most a quarter hour here. She had thought her Senior Sister would stay longer, or perhaps send a message to the sect first, or even have her deliver the letter alone.
But returning was good too. After all, that place was her Senior Sister's home.
So Jiang Mo took Yun Qingyue's hand, her eyes curving with a smile: "Alright, I'll stay with you."
As she finished speaking, the two transformed into streaks of light, speeding toward the mountain gate hidden in the clouds and mist in the distance. Their speed was so fast that unless someone had been watching them intently, they would have thought they'd merely seen a momentary flash.
This was exactly what happened to the servant who came running out. He had personally handed the jerky to Yun Qingyue and was returning with the spirit stones to report to the manager when he finally remembered this woman—the famous Immortal Maiden Qingyue from eighty years ago. For some reason, he rushed out, but unfortunately, one moment the two were standing at the restaurant entrance, smiling and chatting, and the next moment they had completely vanished.
He ran outside and looked around, not even catching a glimpse of their streaking figures, and could only return dejectedly.