A crescent moon hung in the sky, with leaves rustling in the wind. Countless islands, some delicate and others massive, floated in the air. Under the desolate moonlight, the tallest library tower reflected a pale glow.
Li Fei sat quietly on Xi Zhi Jiao, gazing at the scenery she hadn’t seen in years. The day she left Qing Qiu, it was under a similarly wan crescent moon. And when she left the academy, it was during such a deep night as well.
In the blink of an eye, six or seven years had passed.
Six or seven years had gone by at the academy.
Only the extremely powerful spiritual energy of immortals could be sensed in the academy, likely belonging to Master Zuo Qiu and the others. Indeed, this should be the time when disciples were given a break before the selection of new students. Li Fei stared blankly at the library tower bathed in moonlight, recalling those innocent and joyous times from years ago. Yet now, she couldn’t feel a hint of warmth. The happier the past, the colder her heartfelt in this moment.
Just as she was about to guide Xi Zhi Jiao down the cliff, her vision blurred. A woman entirely shrouded in black gauze appeared before her, standing on a black sword. Upon seeing Li Fei, she seemed somewhat surprised, but still cupped her hands in greeting: “Visiting the academy late at night, what brings you here?”
The black-gauze woman was at the academy, which meant Hu Jia Ping must be there too. Why hadn’t he come with her? Realizing she was here alone looking for him, had he hidden away again?
Li Fei spoke softly, “I’m looking for Hu Jia Ping. Tell him to come out and see me.”
The black-gauze woman hesitated, “Young Master Ping doesn’t wish to see you. You should go back.”
“Tell him I know everything now, and I have questions for him.”
The black-gauze woman still shook her head, “I won’t do anything against Young Master Ping’s wishes. If he doesn’t want to see you, he must have his reasons. Please leave.”
On a normal day, Li Fei might have argued with this stubborn and inflexible spirit weapon. But now, she had no patience for such banter. With a sudden thought, Xi Zhi Jiao forcefully bypassed the woman and darted into the academy. The black-gauze woman hurriedly gave chase, but to her surprise, Xi Zhi Jiao flew much faster than her. Unable to catch up, she suddenly transformed into a plume of black smoke, which then coalesced into a black sword. Though its tip was broken, it still gleamed coldly, streaking like a meteor to Li Fei’s side. The sword’s body swung horizontally, slashing towards her.
She had no intention to harm, only to block, but Li Fei neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, she suddenly reached out and grasped the sword’s blade. The Tu Zhu Hu Shen on her body emitted a faint orange glow in the night. The black-gauze woman tried to struggle free a couple of times but couldn’t escape from that slender hand. She was both shocked and terrified – at the Dou Fa Conference, this child had barely approached the third bottleneck, how had she reached this level now?
Li Fei’s face bore a faint smile, though her eyes held no mirth. She spoke calmly, “With you by my side, Hu Jia Ping won’t be able to hide for long.”
The black-gauze woman’s surprise grew. Li Feng suddenly emitted a crisp sound, vibrating incessantly in Li Fei’s palm. The glow of Tu Zhu Hu Shen quickly extinguished it. Just as Li Fei was about to summon Tu Zhu Hu Shen again, she sensed a gust of wind behind her. She immediately released Li Feng and turned to bow, “Disciple Jiang Li Fei pays respects to Master Zuo Qiu.”
Before she stood an immortal with a waist-length white beard, exuding an otherworldly aura. He stood on a snow-white fly whisk – it was indeed Master Zuo Qiu, who had named her and helped her greatly. Seeing Li Fei, he chuckled and said warmly, “Rushing to the academy in the dead of night is not a good habit. Grasping Li Feng in your hand is an even worse one.”
Li Fei bowed deeply, “This disciple was rash. I only had an urgent matter to discuss with Senior Brother Hu.”
Master Zuo Qiu glanced to her side and smiled, “Hasn’t he come already?”
Li Fei turned her head to look. Indeed, Hu Jia Ping was standing awkwardly on a small white cloud about a hundred feet away. He turned his head to avoid her gaze. Li Feng flashed in mid-air and transformed back into a woman entirely shrouded in black gauze, landing lightly behind him.
Master Zuo Qiu continued, “The East Sea is constantly experiencing anomalies now, with natural disasters approaching. The academy has temporarily stopped accepting new disciples this year. You young disciples shouldn’t be wandering about. The sea sects have already begun evacuating their disciples. You should quickly return to your sects as well, don’t add to the chaos.”
Li Fei respectfully agreed. Master Zuo Qiu gazed at her for a moment. This child seemed to have changed quite a bit – was something troubling her? He smiled slightly, “Since you’re here to see Jia Ping, you may go. Jia Ping, you’ve been loitering at the academy for quite some time. If you don’t return soon, I fear Guang Wei will come demanding your return. You might as well return to Wu Yue Ting with your junior sister. Take Li Feng with you as well.”
Hu Jia Ping awkwardly agreed. After Master Zuo Qiu left, he still didn’t look at Li Fei. He stood with his arms crossed, gazing at the numerous floating islands in the distance, refusing to turn around. After a long while, he finally sighed, “A Mu, could you go pack my things for me?”
The black-gauze woman left immediately without a word of question. Hu Jia Ping finally turned slowly, glancing at Li Fei, “Alright, come with me.”
He flew to the highest library tower, leaning against the railing of the lotus pond, staring intently at the lotuses in the water. After a long while, he finally spoke, “What do you want to ask?”
Li Fei also paused for a long time before saying, “Master was always focused on matters overseas. After returning from overseas, he stayed in Gan Hua Realm. Why did he suddenly take you as a disciple? Who are you?”
Hu Jia Ping laughed bitterly, “You do know everything. How did you find out?”
“You’ve known all along that Master has been tormented by the Wu Yue Ting immortals for years, yet you could live so happily?”
“Then what should I do?” Hu Jia Ping’s expression finally turned serious. “Cry and seek revenge for him, only to be killed along with him? Should the three of us die in vain?”
“Is it that easy for you to die?” Li Fei stared at him.
Hu Jia Ping frowned slightly, “It wasn’t so easy for me to die before, but now it’s different. My horn has been cut off, and the curse of the Jian Mu fruit has disappeared along with it. The lost memories have only gradually returned recently. I didn’t even recognize you when I saw you before. Master is both my great enemy and the benefactor who gave me rebirth. He gave me a new life, and all I can do is cherish it well.”
Li Fei took a deep breath, “So you are indeed that Yaksha whose horn was cut off.”
“That day, Lei Xiu Yuan and I were trapped in the Sen Luo Da Fa, time-reversed by several hundred years,” Hu Jia Ping finally confessed everything. “We both turned into children, and our abilities greatly diminished. We barely broke out of the Sen Luo Da Fa when Master cut off my Yaksha horn in one strike. The curse of the Jian Mu fruit was instantly severed. We escaped back to the East Sea with Lei Xiu Yuan but got separated. With my Yaksha horn cut off, I lost my memories and fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up, the first person I saw was Master.
Seeing that I had lost my memories and become no different from an ordinary child, he gave me a name and carefully taught me. Later, he sent me to Wu Yue Ting, where I happened to meet the current Immortal Guang Wei. Seeing my excellent aptitude, he brought me back to Wu Yue Ting. That’s how Hu Jia Ping stood before you came to be. To be honest, I quite like my current life. I never want to go back to the days cursed by the Jian Mu fruit. Now when I see you, I feel calm. I prefer this state – at least I’m living like a human.”
Li Fei stared at him in astonishment, “…What do you mean?”
Hu Jia Ping smiled, “You were brought back to the Central Plains by Master from Jian Mu while still in the fruit, not knowing your origins. It’s better not to know, otherwise, you might end up like me, not knowing whether to see Master as an enemy or a benefactor. I only recognized that kid Lei Xiu Yuan later. I don’t know what he went through, but he seemed even more damaged than me. He’s still under the curse of the Jian Mu fruit. No wonder he’s been clinging to you since childhood, putting all his effort into staying close to you. You two becoming Dao partners – I don’t know whether to be happy or sigh.”
Li Fei fell silent. She recalled Ri Yan once saying that if she wanted to be an ordinary person, she shouldn’t ask anything and just consider herself ordinary. Because once you know everything, you can never go back to being ordinary. He had cleverly shifted the focus – the one who should make the choice was herself. Her cowardice made her prefer to bury her head in the sand, thinking that not knowing meant it didn’t exist.
She should know everything before making a choice. Only then could she truly see where her heart lay.
She walked a few steps forward, leaning on the railing of the lotus pond like Hu Jia Ping, standing beside him. She spoke softly, “Tell me more about the curse of the Jian Mu fruit.”
But Hu Jia Ping just rubbed his nose and continued smiling, “Are you sure? I don’t want to be the one breaking up a happy couple. If that kid Lei Xiu Yuan finds out I’ve been talking too much, it’ll be troublesome. Master has already taken both my horns, I’m no match for him now.”
“Please tell me.”
Hu Jia Ping sighed, “This is just an ancient legend even among the Yaksha tribe. The Yakshas once stole the fruits from Jian Mu and were cursed as a result. Since then, our people have killed each other for the Jian Mu fruit. The Jian Mu fruit holds an irresistible allure for us, capable of increasing a Yaksha’s power immensely. Instinctively, we want to seize and possess it exclusively. Our tribesmen died or had their horns broken, losing their memories and leaving in the years of infighting over the Jian Mu fruit. In the end, only Lei Xiu Yuan and I were left competing for it.
Five hundred years ago, there was no fruit on Jian Mu. We came to the Central Plains with the heavenly thunder and sea of fire of the sea calamity. In the tomb of foreign people in the cultivation sect at Bai Bian Cliff, a forearm bone from the ancient Jian Mu fruit was sealed. Unexpectedly, we didn’t get the bone, but we met Master, such a formidable immortal. Even more surprisingly, he could go overseas and bring back the newly grown Jian Mu fruit to the Central Plains. All of this must be a coincidence, the whims of fate.”
Seeing that Li Fei remained silent for a long time, with an unreadable expression, he smiled bitterly again, “Little girl, we’re all people who’ve been given a second life by Master. Whatever decision you want to make, think it through yourself.”
Li Fei spoke softly, “What about you? What do you plan to do in the future?”
Hu Jia Ping laughed heartily, “What do you think? I’m set on being Hu Jia Ping for this lifetime. Together with the woman I love, free from the curse of the Jian Mu fruit, and a genius disciple of a cultivation sect – I couldn’t ask for better days than these.”
Seeing that Li Fei still didn’t speak, he said seriously, “Little girl, I already have a new life now. When I first saw you at the academy seven years ago, I vaguely recalled some things from the past. But even so, I still want to be Hu Jia Ping. The questions you asked me – this is my final answer.”