In Gengchen Immortal Mansion, besides the sect leader’s lineage which was almost always led by the Fengshan clan generation after generation, there were also eight major palaces: Heaven, Earth, Yin, Yang, Sun, Moon, Star, and Four Seasons. Each palace had several main branches, as well as dozens to hundreds of branches, and countless minor branches. Liao Tingyan was a disciple of Qinggu Tian, a minor branch under the Red Maple main branch of the Four Seasons Palace.
This Red Maple branch had been controlled by the Xiao family for nearly a thousand years. The elder who provoked Sima Jiao at the Three Sacred Mountains and was killed was a senior elder of the Red Maple branch, and also the son of the previous head of the Xiao family.
“Great-grandfather, you’ve finally come out of seclusion. You must seek justice for grandfather!” Xiao Huaying, with a face full of sorrow, knelt beside a middle-aged man who was resting with his eyes closed.
The middle-aged man was Xiao Changlou, the previous head of the Xiao family. Judging by appearance, he looked even younger than some of his sons or even grandsons. He had been in seclusion for three hundred years, attempting to break through to the Great Perfection realm, but still hadn’t succeeded.
“Seek justice?” Xiao Changlou spoke to his direct great-granddaughter in a bland tone. For someone like him, with such a large family, and countless generations of descendants, it was impossible for him to care about every descendant. Xiao Huaying beside him had only been around a dozen years old when he entered seclusion three hundred years ago. She had served him for a while then, which was why he had some impression of her.
“Yes!” Xiao Huaying looked up at him. “Although Lord Cizang is our ancestral master, he shouldn’t humiliate our Red Maple branch like this. Grandfather was just going to the Three Sacred Mountains to investigate, how could he be casually killed? Isn’t this a harsh slap in the face to our Xiao family? Moreover, grandfather had already used his soul rebirth once before, so this time he’s truly gone from us!”
Xiao Changlou remained unmoved, saying indifferently: “So what if it’s a slap in the face to the Xiao family? Just based on his surname being Sima, he can kill anyone and nobody would say anything.” He glanced at this young child, inwardly sneering.
The Sima clan, the Fengshan tribe now reduced to a single person, had truly declined. From being the master of Gengchen Immortal Mansion to now… a prisoner at the end of his road.
Xiao Huaying seemed not to have expected him to say this, was stunned, and spoke with some panic: “But Great-grandfather, grandfather’s death, are we just going to let it go?”
“I’ve always said, if he kept thinking about the Xiao family members killed by Sima Jiao’s madness five hundred years ago, sooner or later he would die by his hand.” Xiao Changlou waved his hand. “That’s enough, go now.”
Although Xiao Huaying was still grief-stricken and unwilling, she dared not say more and left feeling wronged.
Once out the door, her face immediately shed its wronged expression, turning into hatred. She had grown up listening to the origin legends of Gengchen Immortal Mansion. The Sima clan had almost risen alongside Gengchen Immortal Mansion’s prosperity. She did feel longing and awe for this once-powerful clan, but she had never experienced the fear of being dominated by the Sima clan like previous generations had, and completely couldn’t understand her great-grandfather’s tolerant attitude. In her view, no matter how powerful an ancestral master was, he was still alone—against a large family, he should surely be at a disadvantage.
“Let’s go to Qinggu Tian!” Xiao Huaying frowned fiercely, leading her attendant disciples toward Qinggu Tian.
She couldn’t deal with Lord Cizang, but she could certainly find someone else to vent her anger on. For well-informed people like them, it had only been half a day since the incident at the Three Sacred Mountains, but they already knew what had happened there. Naturally, they had also figured out the identity of Liao Tingyan, the only disciple who survived in the ancestral master’s hands.
Now, the sect leader and some people of rank from the major palaces, knowing that the unpredictable and ferocious ancestral master had seemingly taken a liking to a female disciple, didn’t dare to see Sima Jiao who had just gone on a rampage, but all headed to Qinggu Tian without prior arrangement.
When Xiao Huaying arrived at Qinggu Tian, she found that this small branch had changed from its usual quietness to become very lively, with people coming and going. She even saw Shi Zhenshu from the sect leader’s lineage, who stood like a stabilizing pillar in Qinggu Tian. In terms of hierarchy, he was a generation above her. Seeing him there, Xiao Huaying cursed silently, knowing she probably couldn’t do anything today.
This Shi surname sect leader’s lineage was truly laughable. Such a huge family, yet willing to serve the Sima clan, and still act like loyal dogs to this day. Xiao Huaying thought privately. The current sect leader’s lineage hadn’t been in power for long. They initially were just servants to the Sima clan. Later, as the Sima clan diminished, struggling to maintain blood purity until only one person remained, the sect leader’s lineage, originally led by the Sima clan, was gradually replaced by the Shi clan.
Shi Zhenshu had a kind and friendly face, but no one would think that a powerful figure like him would have this attitude toward just anyone. The branch master of Qinggu Tian, True Immortal Dongyang, had been sitting beside Shi Zhenshu since early morning, his mind still in turmoil.
His information wasn’t current, and it was Shi Zhenshu who told him the current situation—that his disciple had caught Lord Cizang’s eye and stayed by his side. As the saying goes, “When one person attains the Dao, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.” In just half a day, countless people had sent gifts. Their usually unfrequented quiet place had become the most prominent location.
True Immortal Dongyang had no great ambition, his joy far less than his trepidation.
“Dongyang need not worry. The disciple you’ve taught having such ability is a good thing. If she can continue to stay by the ancestral master’s side in the future, Qinggu Tian will have no worries, and might even directly become a main branch.” Shi Zhenshu smiled. “Currently, the ancestral master is still at the Three Sacred Mountains. We dare not disturb him these days, but perhaps after some time, the sect leader will take you to visit your disciple. You should prepare yourself.”
His words contained the intent of protection and alliance from the sect leader’s lineage. True Immortal Dongyang naturally understood and respectfully replied: “Yes, Uncle Master, Dongyang understands.” Inwardly, he was truly worried.
At the Yuanmei branch of the Four Seasons Palace, Yuan Shang, the most beloved eighteenth son of the Yuan family head, sat with a complex expression in a dark room. From the moment he heard the news from the Three Sacred Mountains, he had been sitting here in deep thought for a long time. He had never imagined that the spy he had previously planted in the Three Sacred Mountains would have such good fortune. Among so many forces in Gengchen Immortal Mansion, with so many people arranged to go in, in the end, only Liao Tingyan, whom he had arranged, remained. This was truly laughable.
Yuan Shang heard about the movements of the sect leader’s lineage and other palaces. He knew what those people were thinking. Whether openly protecting Sima Jiao or secretly wanting to kill him, they all had only one purpose: to gain benefits from the Sima clan. But he was different. His sole purpose was to destroy Gengchen’s Immortal Mansion.
The most direct way to destroy Gengchen’s Immortal Mansion was to destroy Sima Jiao. What he now possessed was an advantage no one else had—a woman that Sima Jiao treated differently.
As long as the bone-eroding poison in Liao Tingyan remained uncured, she would have to obey his control each day. Even Sima Jiao couldn’t save her.
…
Liao Tingyan slept until dusk, sleeping through the entire day. Outside, the schemes, hatred, and entanglements had nothing to do with her. What did concern her was that their ancestral master Sima Jiao, killed people as easily as cracking peanut shells.
He was no longer in her hammock, which made Liao Tingyan much more relaxed. Just as she said, sleep on it and all problems would be solved—see, everything was fine now.
She got up and felt the abundant spiritual energy within her, feeling wonderfully bubbly. The salted fish had soaked in water and was a bit swollen. The Three Sacred Mountains now were ethereal. Although many places had turned to ruins, they strangely emitted a sense of decadent beauty, probably due to the filter created by the spiritual mist, giving everything a hazy beauty.
She didn’t see the big black snake or Sima Jiao, only the magically restored flame standing there with hands on hips, cursing loudly: “Useless fellows, those useless grandsons of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, such a great opportunity yesterday and they still couldn’t kill Sima Jiao!”
Sometimes Liao Tingyan really couldn’t understand what stance this flame had. One moment it would say that if it suffered, Sima Jiao wouldn’t be better off, that they had a symbiotic relationship; the next moment, it would desperately hope someone would come and kill Sima Jiao immediately.
Half of the central tower had collapsed. Liao Tingyan walked to the gap and looked down, not daring to stand too close. In just that glance, she saw a dark figure standing beside a circle of flower beds below, with a black snake laboriously using its body to push away the broken stones that had fallen beside the flower beds.
Those were the Youduan flowers of the sun and moon, the only plants on the Three Sacred Mountains. The flame red lotus probably shouldn’t be considered a plant? She remembered the precious red lotus she had placed in her pouch and became curious about the Youduan flowers below. When those sisters first saw these flowers, they had acted strangely, and she still hadn’t figured out the inside story.
Sima Jiao beside the flower beds suddenly turned his head to look toward the central tower. He moved his hand, gesturing for her to ‘come over.’
The eyes of cultivators were just that powerful. Liao Tingyan couldn’t even pretend not to see. She shrank her head, turned, and went toward the stairs. She descended more than twenty flights of stairs and walked to the edge of the flower beds draped in light purple clouds. However, Sima Jiao who had been standing here earlier was gone, only the black snake remained doing brick-moving work. She turned her head to look around, and suddenly a voice sounded in her ear: “Why did you take so long to come?”
The ghost-like ancestor appeared behind her, nearly scaring her into the Youduan flower bed. She remembered that those sisters generally didn’t casually approach this flower bed without reason. There must be something here, so she quickly dodged to the side—and crashed into Sima Jiao’s arms.
Liao Tingyan: … This, doesn’t it look a bit like throwing herself into his arms?
While considering this question, she also felt it wasn’t a question. After all, if the ancestor turned on the truth buff and asked, “Woman, are you throwing yourself into my arms?” she could completely prove her innocence.
But Sima Jiao didn’t ask. He gave her a sideways glance with an expression that said, “I’ve seen too many seduction attempts, so don’t bother.”
Liao Tingyan: Damn it! Use the truth buff! Use it quickly! Let me tell you the truth!
“Do you know what this is?” Sima Jiao asked, looking at those flowers. No truth buff.
Liao Tingyan: “… The Youduan flowers of the sun and moon.” Damn, so frustrating.
Sima Jiao raised his hand and passed it over those flowers that were gradually changing color. These flowers had white petals and black leaves during the day, but now as the sun was setting, they slowly changed to black petals and white leaves. To Liao Tingyan, it seemed as if the flowers that Sima Jiao touched instantly turned black. Manual coloring, very powerful.
“Do you know how these flowers came to be?”
Liao Tingyan: “I don’t know.”
Sima Jiao seemed to particularly enjoy destroying flowers, especially loved to mischievously tear others’ well-grown petals. He plucked a black petal and tossed it aside, speaking in a tone without inflection: “The seeds of the Youduan flowers of the sun and moon are very special. They are a pearl left in the body after a member of the Sima clan dies. One pearl can grow one Youduan flower of the sun and moon.”
Liao Tingyan looked at this large patch of Youduan flowers and felt a chill down her back. So this… wasn’t this a graveyard? With so many Youduan flowers, how many people must have died here?
Sima Jiao: “After a Sima clan member dies, their body doesn’t remain. All that’s left is one pearl. There used to be many pearls preserved, but later I scattered them all here, growing these flowers.”
“Are they beautiful?”
Honestly, although it was a bit horrifying, it was still quite romantic. Liao Tingyan nodded, straightforwardly: “Beautiful.”
Sima Jiao: “Then I’ll give you one, choose for yourself.” He pointed to the large patch of swaying black flowers.
Liao Tingyan’s instinct told her there was a problem, but Sima Jiao was staring at her, his face stern as he urged: “Pick one.”
Liao Tingyan raised her hand and snapped off a flower.
Only then did Sima Jiao say: “The most unique thing about the Youduan flowers of the sun and moon is that they might be a spiritual medicine that can eliminate any poison, or they might be a deadly poison with no cure. It’s said that for Sima clan members, the bone pearls of evil people grow into deadly poisonous Youduan flowers, while the bone pearls of good people grow into spiritual medicines. But they look completely identical, and no one can tell them apart.”
Liao Tingyan: “… Hiss.” Sounds impressive. So can the spiritual medicine that can cure any poison cure that incurable deadly poison?
Sima Jiao: “Seeing that you can still stand here, I guess you’ve chosen a spiritual medicine. Good luck.”
Just as he finished speaking, Liao Tingyan collapsed.