Ch21 - An Underground Romance

Editor: chestnutwhale

The task of wrapping up the siege of Yun city was given to Yan Caiwei and the Fang Lu Zhenren Zhen Hanliu from the Yingzhou sect. Two Primordial God level Zhenren were more than enough to take care of the remnants.

After informing his Zhangmen-shixiong via messenger array, Jiang Yinghe accompanied Hui Jing Canshi back to Lan Ruo Temple.

Lan Ruo temple was the number one religious site for buddhists to gather, as it was situated in a spiritually pure location. The abbot of this monastery was called Chan Qing and despite his appearance, he could easily be considered Jiang Yinghe’s senior. His cultivation was said to be even higher than that of Jiang Yinghe, but he was currently in the midst of a test of mentality and could not easily leave the temple.

After the Hollowed Cave stage, there were three tribulations and five tests of mentality to pass before becoming a Half-step Golden Immortal. The most recent person to achieve this level was the Xuehe Demon Lord from a thousand years ago. Due to his influence, the demonic cultivators were able to run rampant, as the righteous sects had no way to deal with their leader.

But evil always gets its comeuppance. The fall of the Xuehe Demon Lord allowed the righteous faction to catch their breath.

Upon close examination, all the evil cultivators that manage to reach the Half-step Golden Immortal stage seem to have been struck down by heavenly lightning. Whether it was just a coincidence or something more was unknown. On the other hand, the legendary Dao Sage came from the slower path of buddhist cultivation.

It was said that the world was first created by this Dao Sage. Although it was just a legend, Jiang Yinghe felt a bit of hope.

After all, the only other method he had to go home besides raising his disciples was to raise his cultivation to this ‘mythical’ level to ascend beyond the boundaries of this world and return to Earth.

It seemed too far-fetched. Jiang Yinghe sighed lightly as he glanced at the task progression display. He had more hope in this method.

Before he could put more thought into figuring out what was influencing the progress bar, Hui Jing Chanshi stopped at the entrance of the Lan Ruo temple prayer room. He announced, “Xuan Wei Xianjun has come to visit.”

The wooden doors before them opened in sync to reveal the scene within.

Jiang Yinghe had never personally seen the abbot, but he had been aware of this person’s reputation for a long time. When they finally met now, he sucked in a quick breath of the sandalwood incense burning here. This guy still had hair!

He felt slightly disoriented looking at both the long white hair and the pure white monk outfit of the abbot. He also happened to be  wearing a completely white outfit. He stepped into the dark room illuminated only by candlelight and took a seat across from the other.

The only hint of colour to Chan Qing was the buddhist letter situated between his brows.

Since Chan Qing was his senior in both age and cultivation level, Jiang Yinghe made the appropriate salutations before engaging this senior in conversation.

He briefly went over the situation in Yun city, Qin Jun’s past and the events that occurred during the tribulation.

The incense sticks were not even burned halfway by the time he finished. The longer he listened, the stranger Chang Qing felt. Glancing outside, he asked, “Have all three of Jiang Xianjun’s disciples accompanied him here?”

Jiang Yinghe: “Yes.”

Chan Qing nodded as if he had expected this. He muttered a buddhist prayer before continuing, “And you plan to take them to visit the mortal realm in the coming days?”

Jiang Yinghe replied, “It could be beneficial for them to experience something new.”

Chan Qing was momentarily silent. He suddenly said, “This old one would like to look into the karmic fate of Jiang Xianjun and your three disciples. Will you indulge my flight of fancy?”

The Lan Ruo Abbot has long been confined to the temple for his test of mentality. To have one’s future foretold by a karmic monk cultivator was a rare opportunity. Jiang Yinghe had no reason to refuse.

The scent of incense grew more intense. Chan Qing’s voice rose with it.

“There is a tangled string of fate stretching across a long time on Jiang Xianjun’s body. It is too complex to examine further.”

“The first disciple…..En? It’s very hazy. Romantic relationships will be difficult for him, and there are signs that he will not obtain the one he desires. Xianjun’s second disciple is quick to follow his heart due to being surrounded by miasma, which will lead to his downfall. This little disciple of yours…..seems to wear many masks.”

Chan Jing seemed to be surprised at how muddled these predictions were. He stopped abruptly to comment, “Their souls are all too light.”

“Light?” Jiang Yinghe asked, “These three children have not led an easy life, and I fear that their future will not be smooth sailing either. As for their souls….”

The Lan Ruo Abbot across from him suddenly clenched the string of beads in his hands tightly and leaned to the side, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Jiang Yinghe hurried to support his arm, asking with concern, “Abbot Chan Qing?”

He seemed fine before, so why’d he spit out blood now? ….Wait. Since Chan Qing was still undergoing his test of mentality, did he trigger something with his words?

Just as Jiang Yinghe grew more and more confused, Chan Qing suddenly brushed off his hand. His previous good mood had disappeared and he stiffly turned away, saying, “This one would love to help but there is nothing I can do. Jiang Xianjun should seek the assistance of another for his disciple.”

Chan Qing glanced at the confused Jiang Yinghe before wiping the corner of his mouth. He struggled with his words for quite some time before muttering a buddhist prayer. He sighed helplessly.

…..No one would be able understand the nonsensical fortunes he had foretold.

Jiang Yinghe was still unclear about what just happened.

He remembered the strange expression on Abbot Chan Qing’s face as they bid their farewells. He seemed to want to say something to him. But he couldn’t think of anything that the abbot could have been hiding from him.

Was it that his sense of compassion forbade him from sharing how hard the lives of his disciples will be?

Jiang Yinghe couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. Although he was supposed to be taking his disciples on a journey through the mortal realm, the majority of his thoughts were occupied along the way back. In the end, that was all he could come up with.

Sword cultivators were not skilled in the art of deduction. Besides, he was a staunch materialist turned cultivator. This was the first time he considered a concept like karma.

“An unfulfilled desire….quick to following his heart, leading to his downfall….” Jiang Ying tapped absentmindedly on his whisk that had a jade handle when he came to a sudden realization. “Why does it all seem to be caused by relationship problems?”

Jiang Yinghe felt his mind go blank as he stumbled across what seemed like the answer. Although the last time he was with a woman was when he came out of his mother, this didn’t mean he was completely oblivious about the matter. He immediately swept open the curtain of the horse-drawn carriage to speak with the driving Qin Jun. “Jun-er, come in.”

They were currently travelling with a group of merchants passing by Yun city. The carriage that used to be pulled by cranes was now following the merchants’ caravans without anyone being the wiser.

This journey was not to improve his disciples’ cultivation but instead their minds. The higher one cultivated, the more they understood how ordinary they were in the grand scheme of things.

Qin Jun’s hand could not be salvaged, so he was wearing a pitch black cloak to hide it. He had only been using one hand to drive the carriage, acting as if his right hand didn’t exist. He turned to enter the carriage where his gray eyes were filled with the image of Jiang Yinghe.

“I came.” Unintentionally, Qin Jun’s mind saw another way to interpret their conversation. He licked his lips. “Shizun?”

Jiang Yinghe cut straight to the point. “Jun-er, is there someone you like in our sect?”

The question was calmly stated, but it was like a bomb dropped on Qin Jun’s head. There came a day where the illustrious Spirit Patriarch could be rendered speechless by a single sentence.

He almost thought that he had been too overt and Jiang Yinghe had discovered his intentions. He even suspected that Chang Ye was the one who exposed him. Neither his Shixiong or Shidi were anything good.

Qin Jun focused on Jiang Yinghe’s eyes but he could not detect a single trace of emotion in them. He moved closer as he felt his ice-cold body warm with a fire burning in his heart.

His intention to kidnap him rose once again in his mind. The bone hand hidden under his cloak held onto the other end of the whisk in between Jiang Yinghe’s fingers. His voice was hoarse. “You…..found out everything?”

Even Qin Jun himself did not realize how much danger he was in right now.

Jiang Yinghe was just casually asking, he didn’t expect to actually receive a response. He blinked and couldn’t think of a single female cultivator from the sect that could be in a relationship with Jun-er. Then who was Chan Qing referring to…..?

“Who is it?” Jiang Yinghe’s expression became serious as he reached over to pull on a bony finger. “I will give her five hundred thousand……No, an entire carriage of artifacts if she leaves my disciple.”

“…..You don’t know who they are?”

Jiang Yinghe recoiled in shock. He thought that the other was hurt that he did not pay enough attention to know who he interacted with. “It’s not that Shizun is against you getting a cultivation partner, it’s just that you recently advanced to the Primordial God stage and your foundation is still unstable. Romantic relationships are tricky. Why don’t you reconsider once you stabilize?”

Qin Jun stared at him with a complicated expression. He withdrew his finger to instead encircle Jiang Yinghe’s in his hand. He murmured in consideration. “How would Shizun know if they were since you’ve never had a cultivation partner?”

Jiang Yinghe did not expect Jun-er’s retort. He felt that his self-esteem as a single dog had been plundered. He frowned, “Let me meet this young lady when we return to the sect. I know that people your age tend to jump into things like this, so we should discuss the long-term….”

He suddenly felt that Qin Jun was too close to him. He could feel his slow and steady breath brush softly against his collar.

Jiang Yinghe leaned back reflexively, as Jun-er lift a hand to straighten his slightly askew lapels.

….He had been too used to using spiritual techniques these past few days, and as a result, he’d become lazy when it came to his attire.

Jiang Yinghe had on a light green top with white plum blossoms embroidered onto the collar. As Qin Jun’s finger slowly traced them, he smelled that alluring cold fragrance from Shizun’s body. It was like he was in a snow covered bamboo forest.

“Discussing the future, huh.” Qin Jun repeated his words in a low voice. “I’ll tell Shizun who that person is when the time is right, okay?”

Jiang Yinghe was silent for a moment. “….Are you guys interested in an underground relationship?”

Qin Jun’s mind went over the foreign phrase ‘underground relationship’ with curiosity. He asked tentatively,“Is it a relationship with someone underground?”

Someone underground as in dead people or ghost cultivators? Jiang Yinghe tiredly rubbed his eyebrows. This was the first time he felt the impact of being in another world. “It means hiding it from me.”

Qin Jun stared at him some more. He then replied, “I won’t hide it from Shizun.”

“Really?”

“En.” said Qin Jun. “After I…..confess, I hope Shizun will acknowledge our relationship.”

Jiang Yinghe felt a weight being lifted from his chest. If his disciple had yet to confess, it should be something recent. Perhaps it’s not too late to avoid his ‘downfall’.

He nodded. “If both parties would benefit from becoming cultivation partners, I would naturally…”

The curtain of the carriage suddenly opened again as Chang Ye peeked his head in. His gaze quickly swept through the interior as he chattered incessantly. “Shizun, why’d your carriage stop? The merchants are already far ahead of us and Li-shixiong is waiting at the hotel. Hey, what are you guys talking about? What’s all this about cultivation partners and acknowledging them?”

He wore a half mask and the seal on his forehead glittered. His eyes were lively and struck a delicate balance between purity and sensuality.  His voice was cute and soft. “Shizun, is it something you can’t tell me? Are you and Li-shixiong keeping little secrets?”

His little disciple was too skilled at acting spoiled. It was like he was a max level automatic attention seeker, even able to say words like that with an innocent face.

How long has he been listening in?! Qin Jun narrowed his eyes and smirked. “Yup, it’s got nothing to do with you.”

Chang Ye seemed to be shocked by his refusal. He practically flew into Jiang Yinghe’s arms. “Is it about what happened in Yun city? I heard that Spirit Patriarch’s sword was silver and gray just like Qin-shixiong’s….”

Qin Jun: “…..”

Chang Ye tugged his Shizun’s sleeve as he continued to blabber. “Qin-shixiong was hurt because of those ghost cultivators! Shizun, we have to closely examine his hand…”

Qin Jun: “…..Shut up.”

Jiang Yinghe realised the atmosphere in the carriage wasn’t right. Thinking that Chang Ye’s words had struck one of Qin Jun’s sore spots, he was about to act as a mediator when the little disciple in his lap said with an obstinate expression, “Shizun, let Shixong drive. It’s going to be dark soon.”

Jiang Yinghe: “…..En, okay.”

He glanced at the sky, then back down at the seemingly sincere little disciple in his lap. Why did he feel like he missed something important….

Author’s Corner

Lies on top of lies. Hmph, you’ll make Shizun dislike you if you keep this up.