"The Mortal Chapter Of Qing Zhuan" - chapter 26

Hatsumi Mountain Castle

As the plane landed smoothly, we disembarked. A middle-aged man with a fluent Chongqing accent—my aunt’s husband—came to pick us up.

“Well, look at you, you’ve grown so tall, son. And who’s this girl?”

Gao said, “This is Li Yuan, my childhood friend. We’ve been friends since we were little.”

My aunt’s husband gave us a mischievous, gossipy look. As he helped us with our luggage, he kept asking Gao, “Are you two dating?”

“No, she’s just my friend. What are you thinking?”

My aunt’s husband laughed heartily. “What a pity.”

Gao’s face turned red. “Where’s my cousin? Is he back?”

My aunt’s husband buckled his seatbelt and looked at Gao.

“He’s back. He’s at home having a blast with his buddies. He’s been hanging out everywhere since he got home for the holiday.

Now that you two are here, it’s a good chance for him to settle down.”

The mountain roads of this city were truly deserving of their reputation. The whole drive to the house made me feel dizzy and nauseous.

When we arrived, I saw my aunt busy cooking. Since she’s from our hometown, the food she cooked was a mix of both cuisines.

She had seen me when I was a child, so she recognized me right away. “Is this Yuanyuan?”

I nodded and smiled shyly.

Gu Kai and his friends, who had just finished playing games, came out of the room. When Gu Kai saw us, he went up and lifted Gao, happily spinning him around twice before putting him down. “You’ve grown so tall, and you’re even more handsome now.”

He then turned to me and gave a slightly reserved nod. He tilted his head and asked Gao in a low voice, “Who’s this girl? Jichang, are you two dating? You’re only in middle school, and you’re already dating? I’m in my second year of high school and I don’t even have a girlfriend yet.”

“Kai, you, you shouldn’t tease me…”

He walked up to me, politely extended his hand, and said, “Hello, my name is Gu Kai. What should I call you?”

I shook his hand and said, “My name is Li Yuan. I’m Gao’s childhood friend. I’m new here, so please bear with me.”

What I was really thinking was, “I want to go home!”

Just then, Ling Yin’s voice suddenly appeared. “You little good-for-nothing, you just got here and you already want to go back? No way. I can feel the abundant spiritual energy here. You need to help me collect it.”

What was even more comical was that Gu Kai was whispering to Gao, “If you’re not dating this girl, I’m going to make a move…”

When I heard that I had to work for her, I immediately became unhappy and blurted out, “I don’t want to!”

My words unintentionally aligned with what he was saying. My face turned red with embarrassment, and so did his. I was embarrassed because I was talking to myself. What if people thought I was crazy? That would be so awkward. He was embarrassed because he thought I had heard his words and was responding to him.

I could hear Ling Yin chuckling. I was so angry and annoyed, but I couldn’t curse back in front of everyone.

And Gu Kai was so embarrassed that even when we were eating, I was still sitting next to him. The situation was so awkward that I wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.

I initially thought Ling Yin could only sense my thoughts, but I didn’t expect that she could also hear the conversation between me and the people next to me.

While I was feeling awkward, Ling Yin spoke again. “Yiqing, this boy has a pretty good innate spiritual consciousness. You need to find a way to collect his spiritual bl00d to help me recover my divine power.”

I listened to her with a confused look on my face. I tried to communicate with her through my mind: “Are you crazy? How am I supposed to collect spiritual bl00d? And besides, I don’t even know what spiritual bl00d is.”

When she heard that, she scolded me impatiently. “Oh my god! Yiqing, you are so stupid! Do I need to teach you how to collect spiritual bl00d, which is such a simple thing?”

I continued to reply with my mind, “You’re just saying useless things. I’m not you, so how would I know! If you don’t want to teach me, then don’t. I don’t need this stuff anyway.”

Ling Yin laughed bitterly. “Hehe, forget it! I can’t blame you! After all, you’re just a mortal reincarnation! I really miss the days a million years ago when we fought demons together…”

I was stunned when I heard that. “You mean you’ve been alive for a million years?”

She said nonchalantly, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem? Besides, you’ve been alive for a million years too, haven’t you?”

I was so shocked by Ling Yin’s words that my eyes widened. This caused everyone at the table to think that the food didn’t suit my taste. Gao, with his bowl in hand, asked me in a panic, “What’s wrong, Da Yuanzi? Are you not feeling well from the flight?”

My aunt also quickly got up and said, “Child, do you not like Southern food? Auntie will cook you a bowl of noodles.”

I quickly shook my head and explained, “No, it’s not that. It’s my first time traveling so far, and I’m not feeling well from the flight. It’s okay. I’ll be fine after a while.”

I wiped a cold sweat from my brow, thinking, “Thank goodness they didn’t find out. How awkward would that have been!”

I asked Ling Yin in my mind, “I saw that person named Yunli seemed to be waiting for you. Why don’t you go back and look at him?”

Ling Yin was silent for a while. After a long time, I asked her again, “Where are you? Ling Yin, Ling Yin? Why aren’t you answering me! A general who has lived for millions of years is afraid to face her own heart? That’s truly a tragedy!

Ling Yin, it’s a shame you have a million years of cultivation. How could you ignore someone who has loved you for so many years for the sake of a joke about unifying the world? What were you thinking?”

Just as I was happily scolding her, she suddenly interrupted me. “Who said it was a joke? If I can refine the ancient forbidden art, I can create the Eight Trigrams Elixir of the Universe and open the Eye of Reincarnation. I can then stand alongside the ancient gods!

Everything in this world will be under my control, and I can naturally help that fool avoid his heavenly tribulations every thousand years.

It’s just a shame that I haven’t succeeded with this forbidden art, and now I’m suffering a severe backlash! Unless, I refine you! But how could I bear to do that?”

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but shudder. “Then I should thank you for letting me live!”

She sighed. “Now that I’ve found you, Goddess Nuwa will help me stabilize my mind!”

After hearing her story, I couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “Ling Yin secretly refined a forbidden art, almost falling into the demonic path. And because of the demonic energy, she did such evil things as killing gods and sacrificing souls!

Ultimately, she just wanted to help her beloved one overcome his heavenly tribulations? It’s incredible! So even deities have love!

I thought they were all pure and without desires! But ancient gods should have desires, otherwise, how would there be people in later generations?”

Ling Yin sighed. “Sigh, another thousand years is almost up. His next heavenly tribulation is right around the corner. But I can’t refine the Eight Trigrams Elixir of the Universe, and I can’t change the laws of heaven!”

I quickly asked, “Can’t other ancient gods help with heavenly tribulations? Don’t you have heavenly tribulations? How did you overcome yours?”

Ling Yin said, “I am the god of war of the Ancient God Temple, worshiped by mortals in heaven and on earth for thousands of years. Therefore, I have the spiritual protection of mortals, which allows me to resist the heavenly tribulations. But that fool has always advocated not being worshiped by others and not accepting the incense offerings of mortals.

Therefore, for generations, very few people know about him, and as a result, he doesn’t have the spiritual shield of mortals. So whenever a heavenly tribulation comes, he has to endure ten thousand heavenly lightning bolts. You should know that even for ancient gods, these heavenly lightning bolts are a struggle, let alone for a foolish deity like him who has nothing!”

“Do other deities not experience heavenly tribulations?”

Ling Yin sighed helplessly. “The level and intensity of the heavenly lightning bolts are determined by the deity’s rank. The older the deity, the higher the level of heavenly tribulation they endure. And since he doesn’t have the protection of spiritual consciousness, he suffers a great deal. That feeling is much worse than being pierced by ten thousand arrows!

Soul! I need you to give me the Star Moon Jade Pendant as soon as possible and come back to merge with me. We’ll refine the Eight Trigrams Elixir of the Universe together. At that time, we can change the ancient, unchangeable laws.

Of course, I won’t let you help me for nothing. You can also borrow my Eye of Reincarnation to glimpse your past lives and karma!

If you don’t agree with me, hehe! I see that the young man next to you is also not an ordinary person! How about I help him?”

“Stay away from Gao! You sound like you have multiple personalities! Are you threatening me, Ling Yin…”

Then a voice with a hurried tone said, “Yiqing! Don’t believe what she just said! She’s the demonic soul! I am currently being eroded by the demonic soul, and my divine consciousness is unstable, in addition to my mind not being here. So I will have demonic outbreaks from time to time!”

“So that’s what it is! I thought you had multiple personalities! When is your next outbreak?”

Ling Yin said, “Probably in seven days!”

At that moment, Ling Yin suddenly said, “Yiqing, the demonic soul is here…”

Then I heard that voice again:

“Have you thought it through, soul!”

“How can we change the rules of the great Dao? Even the ancient gods couldn’t shake the laws of heaven. With just our power, how can we alter destiny?”

She listened, and seeing that I was unwilling to cooperate, she threatened:

“The young man next to you seems to have extraordinary talent. If I can, I will help him…”

I interrupted him. “Don’t touch him. He’s my family. Stay away from him!”

Ling Yin came back and said, “Yiqing! I think I might need some spiritual bl00d!”

I replied helplessly, “Sigh! This is so difficult! Which one are you?”

After a few more minutes, Ling Yin suddenly recited a poem: “Yiqing! Everything has a cause, and everything has an effect; if you want to know the cause, first explore the effect; if you want the effect, ask your heart; if the heart’s way is not extinguished, karma will not stop…”

I listened to her words, although I didn’t understand why she would say something like that! But I felt a quiet sense of security in my heart, a very peaceful feeling.

After dinner, Gu Kai suggested, “It’s rare for Jichang to visit, and it’s your first time here, Yuan. How about I take you two out for a walk?”

Gao was sprawled on the sofa, with a pillow under his head and hugging a Black Cat Police Officer doll, and said lazily, “Let us rest for a bit. We left early this morning, and we’re so tired! I’m so sleepy right now! Brother, can we go out later?”

At this moment, I was helping my aunt with the dishes. My aunt quickly said, “Go rest, Yuanyuan.”

I quickly replied, “It’s okay, I’m not tired.”

My aunt smiled at me. “Good child! There’s not much left. I’ll just wash them myself in a bit! You go and rest so your cousin can take you out to play.”

I nodded and went to sit on the sofa. I saw that Gao was already sleeping soundly, and his snoring was echoing. I looked at him, and my mind couldn’t help but think of what the demonic soul and Ling Yin had said:

“This young man is not an ordinary person… Everything has a cause, and everything has an effect; if you want to know the cause, first explore the effect; if you want the effect, ask your heart; if the heart’s way is not extinguished, karma will not stop…”

What does this line mean? Does it mean that Gao is also related to this matter? Is he someone’s soul or something?”

Just as I was lost in thought, Gu Kai walked over and handed me a banana. I was dazed, looking at the banana in front of me, thinking, “What does it mean?”

Gu Kai saw my confused expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like bananas?”

I blinked and looked at him awkwardly. “No, no, I was just a little sleepy just now, so I zoned out.”

At this moment, my aunt’s husband, who had just finished tidying up our rooms, walked over with a smile and said to me, “You must be tired. Go back to your room and rest. I’ve finished tidying up. The one on the left is Jichang’s, and the one on the right is yours.”

With that, my aunt’s husband went over and shook Gao awake. “Jichang, wake up. Go to your room to sleep. Don’t get a stiff neck. Wake up…”

Gao stood up with sleepy eyes and was helped back to his room by his cousin.

I also returned to my own room. This room should be facing the sun. Looking out, I could see a beautiful view. I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was already past four.

Outside the window, the ancient city was bathed in the warm, golden light of the setting sun. Downstairs, I could hear the vendors’ calls, and people on the stone-paved streets had different expressions on their faces.

In the distance were the uneven mountains. Perhaps because of the rainy season in the South, clouds and mist swirled, suspended in mid-air, casting a mysterious veil over the mountain city.

The rain outside the window was drizzling, and I looked at this world in the fine rain, as if I were isolated from the outside world.

Just as I was immersed in this beautiful moment, Ling Yin’s voice appeared again. “Yiqing, I can feel that there is a very abundant spiritual energy here, but because of my injuries, I can’t find the exact location.

However, I can determine the general direction. It’s to the south of here. You can’t be wrong. When will you go to help me collect the spiritual energy, sister?”