Chapter 450 : Giving Up
450: Giving Up
After many years, Sect Leader Qingxiao remained the same as before, still able to tease Yun Qingyue upon seeing her. Perhaps it was precisely this teasing that made the barrier between Yun Qingyue and the Xuanqing Sect seemingly disappear in an instant.
It was currently mid-afternoon, with perfect sunshine and a gentle breeze, as if time had suddenly been pulled back to long ago.
A trace of disorientation even appeared in Yun Qingyue's eyes. She cupped her hands in salutation, and her hesitant words circled her tongue twice before finally emerging: "This disciple greets Sect Leader Uncle-Master."
Hearing this, the smile on Qingxiao's face immediately became more genuine.
Jiang Mo, watching this scene from the side, also inexplicably felt happy for her Senior Sister. However, as she was feeling happy and looking back at her Senior Sister, with an inadvertent movement, two white bird feathers suddenly floated down from her body. She instinctively caught them, and upon careful examination, discovered they weren't her Senior Sister's feathers, but probably from the cranes that had nuzzled against them earlier.
Since that was the case, Jiang Mo didn't pay much attention and casually tossed the two feathers away. Then, recalling the earlier chaotic scene, she felt somewhat apprehensive and thought there might be other feathers stuck to her.
So she shook her clothes vigorously, and sure enough, like rainfall, more than a dozen feathers came tumbling down. This time they weren't just crane feathers, but white, black, yellow, green—all kinds of feathers... She suddenly felt a darkness come over her, not daring to imagine what kind of image she had presented before Sect Leader Qingxiao.
Just as she was thinking this, Yun Qingyue, as if sharing the same thought, happened to turn and look at her.
The little tiger then saw her own reflection in her Senior Sister's beautiful crystal phoenix eyes—disheveled clothes and slightly messy hair aside, the main issue was why she had two bird feathers stuck in her hair?
They had both been surrounded by the flock of birds, so why was her Senior Sister clean and tidy without a single feather on her?!
Yun Qingyue saw Jiang Mo's disheveled and shocked appearance and suddenly couldn't help but laugh. Then, visibly, the little tiger's cheeks began to flush, from a slight pink to bright red, almost making one suspect blood might drip from her face—she was clearly upset, embarrassed and annoyed, with a hint of grievance at being laughed at by her Senior Sister.
Jianbing was in a small temper; Jianbing didn't want to pay attention to these two people; Jianbing turned around with puffed cheeks, intending to cool off alone.
Seeing her turn away, Yun Qingyue pressed a hand on her shoulder and turned her back. Then, under the little tiger's increasingly aggrieved gaze, she reached up to pluck the two feathers from her hair, and while she was at it, tidied her slightly disheveled long hair.
Jiang Mo's grievance immediately dispersed, her golden eyes brightening again, her gaze intense with affection and joy.
"Come now, it's such a small matter. Is it worth getting angry about?" Yun Qingyue spoke softly, easily soothing the little tiger back from the brink of bristling, once again a well-behaved large cat before her.
Sect Leader Qingxiao, observing, seemed to witness the entire process of the little tiger's transformation from bristling to wagging her tail. He didn't interrupt their interaction until Yun Qingyue had successfully placated the tiger. Only then did he turn and say: "Let's go. It's not easy to come back for a visit. I imagine you have important matters to discuss with me. Let's return to Lingyun Hall to talk in detail."
Yun Qingyue responded with an "Yes," pinched the little tiger's hand, and turned to follow behind Sect Leader Qingxiao.
"Hey, wait for me." Jiang Mo squeezed her palm and quickly followed.
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The reunion outside Lingyun Hall had been about catching up, but once inside, everyone's demeanor became serious.
Since Yun Qingyue had addressed him as "Sect Leader Uncle-Master," she naturally still considered herself a disciple of the Xuanqing Sect. She first took out Abbot Huining's personal letter from her storage ring and handed it to Sect Leader Qingxiao, then recounted their experiences during this time—including their encounter at Mount Xuanyin, what they witnessed at the Buddha Sect, and what they had done on their return journey.
Sect Leader Qingxiao divided his attention, examining the letter while listening to Yun Qingyue's account. He read quickly, scanning the letter at a glance, while Yun Qingyue had barely begun her narrative.
So he put the letter away and listened carefully to Yun Qingyue's detailed account.
Yun Qingyue's narration was both meticulous and concise. She elaborated on information she deemed useful and briefly mentioned what she considered unimportant. Even so, by the time she finished, half a quarter hour had passed.
After listening, Sect Leader Qingxiao pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Jiang Mo: "May I examine Jianbing's wound?"
Examining injuries was a most ordinary matter, especially since Sect Leader Qingxiao could be considered an elder. However, since the little tiger had transformed into a human girl, certain proprieties had to be observed.
Jiang Mo was also uncomfortable letting anyone other than her Senior Sister see her bare shoulder, so after some thought, she directly reverted to her original form. A huge white tiger suddenly appeared in the hall, and without clothes to cover it, her shoulder injury was clearly visible... Of course, the thin layer of ice applied by her Senior Sister had already broken apart, unable to hold, and the black energy that had been frozen had regained its vitality, beginning to flail about.
The white tiger had black markings on its body, but Sect Leader Qingxiao immediately spotted that flamboyant mass of black energy. His brows suddenly furrowed, and his expression darkened—no matter how meticulously Yun Qingyue had described it, seeing it firsthand was different from merely hearing about it. With just one glance, he detected negative emotions like violence, bloodthirst, and chaos emanating from that black energy.
This was somewhat similar to Sect Leader Qingxiao's usual understanding of demonic qi, yet completely different. Before today, he had never seen such a thing, but upon first sight, he confirmed Yun Qingyue's conjecture in his heart.
It was demonic qi, yet not demonic qi, because it didn't originate from demon cultivators of the cultivation world, but from the demon race of the demon realm!
Sect Leader Qingxiao drew in a sharp breath before calming himself and saying: "I understand. This matter is of great importance and shouldn't be disclosed for now. Please stay temporarily at Mount Tianyang."
Yun Qingyue knew that Sect Leader Qingxiao meant he needed to consult with others, and it wouldn't hurt for them to stay as witnesses. However, some things still needed to be clarified, such as the letter for the Tiandao Sect she still held, and Jiang Mo's injury that shouldn't be delayed any further. If Sect Leader Qingxiao couldn't resolve it, perhaps they could consult Divine Lord Zhiming.
Sect Leader Qingxiao took her words to heart and after some thought said: "Regarding the Tiandao Sect, I'll have someone else deliver the letter. As for Jianbing's injury... there's a lightning pool behind Mount Tianyang. Would Jianbing be willing to go there?"
Demonic qi was fundamentally a yin and evil force, and lightning was most effective against such forces. The demonic qi on Jianbing's wound would certainly be cleansed away after soaking in the lightning pool for a few days. The only concern was that lightning's violent nature might harm the body. But the White Tiger was known for its tough hide and flesh—aside from some pain, there shouldn't be other side effects.
Jiang Mo had never imagined that Sect Leader Qingxiao's suggestion would be to have her struck by lightning. It should be noted that she hadn't even undergone a heavenly tribulation for her advancement, so who would willingly be struck by lightning without reason?
The massive tiger head shook like a rattle drum: "Thank you, not necessary, goodbye."
After these words, the large tiger tried to slink away, but after just a couple of steps, she felt someone grab her hind leg. This was quite sensitive, and she instinctively swung her tail to swat the person away. But as she turned her head, she glimpsed that the person holding her hind leg was her Senior Sister.
The big tiger's tail-swinging motion immediately halted, and then she felt a tremendous force pulling her back. She was thus dragged back by her Senior Sister with one hand. Yun Qingyue frowned deeply, her worried gaze sweeping over the wound on her shoulder: "It's just soaking in the lightning pool for a few days, consider it body tempering. Why are you running? If you run away like this, what about the demonic qi attached to your wound?"
Jiang Mo was reluctantly dragged back, stubbornly explaining: "It's fine, I'll find a way to resolve it myself."
Yun Qingyue didn't believe her excuse and questioned: "Then what method do you have? If you truly had a method, why didn't you say so on the journey? Wouldn't it have been better to resolve this demonic qi earlier?"
At this, Jiang Mo didn't know what to say, because it involved the system.
Since encountering the White Tiger in the inheritance space, the system could no longer appear separated from her body, and its presence had become increasingly diminished. But it must be said that, although Jiang Mo was wary of the system's tricks, its existence was her final line of defense. Just like when she encountered Third Elder's soul-devouring insects' sneak attack years ago, the system's antivirus program had killed the insects, protecting her soul from harm.
While demonic qi was certainly insidious, its effect on the body was secondary—what it truly targeted was the soul. Therefore, she was eighty percent certain that if her soul were invaded by demonic qi, the system would once again activate its antivirus function.
However, unlike the soul-devouring insects from before, the demonic qi's damage worked from the outside in, and simply letting it run its course would be like killing a thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of one's own troops.
For this reason, Jiang Mo had never dared to let it develop unchecked, and since it involved the system, she couldn't easily explain. But now that she was asked to soak in the lightning pool, she thought perhaps she could negotiate with the system and try actively initiating the antivirus system?
While Jiang Mo was calculating inwardly, Yun Qingyue only saw her speechless expression. So she softened her tone, stroking the tiger's head comfortingly: "It's alright, the lightning pool just sounds scary. With your strong physique and Fusion stage cultivation, soaking for a few days won't be a problem." After a pause, she added: "There's nothing else to do these few days anyway, how about I accompany you?"
The big tiger's ears twitched, and her heart moved along with them.
Yun Qingyue knew she was tempted just by looking at those ears. A hint of amusement appeared in her beautiful crystal eyes as she continued her persuasion. Finally, Jiang Mo turned and cautiously asked: "It won't be very painful, will it?"
Ah, this...
Yun Qingyue tilted her head in thought for a moment before answering: "It should be much better than a heavenly tribulation."
This response made Jiang Mo's heart ache, because her Senior Sister had truly been struck by heavenly tribulation too many times. Moreover, due to her bloodline, the tribulations she experienced were far beyond what ordinary people could comprehend, and Jiang Mo's heart ached immensely every time she watched.
Now, hearing her use heavenly tribulation as a comparison, Jiang Mo suddenly felt as if her entire body had been electrified, but inexplicably, a sense of heroism also arose in her heart. Finally, under her Senior Sister's gaze, she thought resignedly: Fine, she would have to experience a heavenly tribulation when ascending anyway, so why not take this opportunity to get a taste of it first?