People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 396, Gesang Flower and the Wrath of the Moon Goddess

Seeing Fei Yan's appearance, Xu Qing gave a helpless smile and said...

“Young lady, it’s been so long since you’ve spoken to a stranger. If you’re not used to thanking me, you don’t need to be so polite. You are my guest, and it is my duty to treat you.”

"A clear blue sky shines upon a beautiful woman, her radiant beauty like springtime warming the heart. Her graceful steps dance in the sunlight, her captivating charm enchanting the world."

"If such a beautiful young lady were to die from this injury, it would truly be my fault."

As she listened to the poem Xu Qing recited, a glint of light flashed in Fei Yan's usually calm eyes. She glanced to the side, and her indifferent face showed a slight change in expression.

Everyone likes nice words, especially since Xu Qing's poems were truly elegant. However, the praise he gave her made Fei Yan feel that it was a bit too much. She felt a little shy, but also inexplicably happy.

However, a hint of disappointment flashed in Fei Yan's eyes. The beauty in Xu Qing's poem was so radiant, she didn't seem to be a cold person like herself.

“Your writing is excellent, but it’s not appropriate for this occasion,” Fei Yan said, shaking her head slightly.

Upon hearing Fei Yan's reply, Xu Qing's eyes flickered slightly. He wasn't afraid of women being aloof; he was afraid of women who didn't want to talk to him.

As long as Feiyan shows a desire to chat, he will do everything in his power to get her to sit down and have a long chat. If he lets the atmosphere cool down, then all those movies and books he watched in his past life will have been for nothing.

“There’s only the young lady here. This poem was written for her. How is it inappropriate?” Xu Qing countered.

Fei Yan didn't speak, but glanced at Xu Qing with her dark golden eyes. She didn't say anything, but it was as if she had said everything.

Although Fei Yan's expression was calm, it was enhanced by her stunningly beautiful face. This calmness was more like the afternoon sun, which, while not as surprising as the sunshine after a snowfall, brought comfort and peace.

"Dongjun is the sun god in the mythology of the Chu Kingdom, and although the girl has a cold expression, she has a dignified and calm temperament, just like the sun hanging in the clear sky, which makes people look up to her in awe, while also making them unable to help but get closer and more intimate."

“I’ve heard that there’s a flower on the Kunlun Mountains in the west, different from the cold and pure snow lotus of the Tianshan Mountains. Although it also grows on the cold snow-capped mountains, its petals are pale purple, its roots are long, and it also has yellow petals. It’s called the Gesang flower, just like a young lady,” Xu Qing said with a smile.

"Gesang flower?"

Feiyan looked puzzled. She was well-read, but she didn't know that such a flower existed in the world.

“That’s right, there’s actually a legend about this flower,” Xu Qing continued.

Feiyan looked at Xu Qing with her beautiful eyes, waiting for him to continue.

She naturally didn't care about flowers and plants, but Xu Qing's comparison of this flower to her made her a little curious.

"Legend has it that there is a snowy region south of the Kunlun Mountains, where a tribe lives. It has always been said among this tribe that whoever obtains an eight-petaled Gesang flower will be blessed with happiness."

"I didn't believe it at first, thinking it was nonsense and that I should find my own happiness. But after meeting the girl, I believed it."

“Miss Feiyan is like that eight-petaled Gesang flower. Even just sitting here makes me feel endless happiness and contentment.”

As Xu Qing's steady and sincere voice fell, a look of confusion appeared in Fei Yan's eyes.

After carefully recalling Xu Qing's poem and the meaning of the Gesang flower, Fei Yan understood what Xu Qing meant. Her cold expression began to crumble, and she clenched her small hands on her lower abdomen slightly. She felt flustered and dared not look at Xu Qing anymore, instead looking around.

"Thank you for taking my pulse. I'll be going now."

Feiyan maintained her composure as she spoke.

Before Xu Qing could speak, Fei Yan took Xu Qing's identification document and left.

Looking at Fei Yan, who had been flirted with by him, Xu Qing couldn't help but laugh. Fei Yan's skin was even thinner than the Moon Goddess's.

"Although the girls of the Yin-Yang School have a cold personality, they are quite easy to flirt with. They are all innocent girls who have never experienced the harsh realities of the martial world. Is this old man Donghuang Taiyi really not afraid that his girls will be tricked away?"

Watching Fei Yan's departing figure, Xu Qing thought to himself.

If Donghuang Taiyi knew Xu Qing's thoughts, he would naturally say, "The Yin Yang School has fallen to this state because of your teacher."

Because He Guanzi interrupted two generations of the Yin-Yang School, the Yin-Yang School has since retreated from the world. For the sake of the Yin-Yang School's future, Donghuang Taiyi ordered that no disciple be allowed to leave the mountain at will.

Feiyan and Yueshen, as the most talented disciples of the Yin-Yang School in the past century, bear the responsibility for the development of the Yin-Yang School for the next hundred years.

Therefore, the Yin-Yang School attaches great importance to the two of them, treating them with utmost care and respect.

Therefore, before the two had reached a sufficiently high level of strength, Donghuang Taiyi dared not let them go down the mountain for training. Even though the last time they trained, they were accompanied by a master like Chu Nangong, who was at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Realm, for fear that the Yin Yang School's hopes would be dashed.

While this extreme protection did allow the two to grow up smoothly, it also resulted in them being ruthless in their methods but simple-minded in their hearts.

Besides, in this day and age, how could a spoiled brat or a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world) use such tricks to flirt with girls? Nine out of ten words in one sentence are tricks, and yet he speaks so sweetly.

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't have lasted more than a few words before the two of them attacked and seriously injured them.

"I wonder if the Moon Goddess is in a better mood. We agreed yesterday that we would confide in each other, but I haven't confided in you yet," Xu Qing thought to himself.

However, he couldn't just go to the Moon Goddess so proactively, otherwise wouldn't that expose his ulterior motives?
With that thought in mind, Xu Qing got up and headed towards Xinzhai to continue studying the Book of Changes.

Feiyan, who had walked away, arrived at a quiet, deserted place.

Looking at Xu Qing's certificate in her hand, Fei Yan thought of the poem Xu Qing had written for her. A few sparks flashed in her originally calm eyes, and she gently pursed her lips.

Fei Yan felt a bit strange about Xu Qing's flirting with her; she couldn't say she disliked him, but she wasn't interested either.

It was just a very novel feeling, something she had never experienced before.

After silently reciting the poem Xu Qing had written for her, Fei Yan felt an even stronger strange feeling, but she quickly shook her head and suppressed it.

"This is a good start. Shall we continue taking pulses tomorrow?"

Fei Yan smiled slightly, then her expression turned cold again as she turned and walked towards her room.

It seems she can get closer to Xu Qing more easily than the Moon Goddess. I wonder if the Moon Goddess will be even angrier after learning about her progress.

Thinking of how the Moon Goddess had provoked and mocked her when she first received the mission, Fei Yan was looking forward to seeing the Moon Goddess standing next to Xu Qing. She wondered if the Moon Goddess would cry.
She hadn't seen her silly little sister cry in a long time, and thinking about it, she was actually looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, the Moon Goddess, whom Xu Qing and Fei Yan were thinking about, was in the bamboo forest halfway up the mountain. The Moon Goddess sat on a rock by the lake, her hands clasped on her lower abdomen, gazing at the scenery before her in a daze. Suddenly, she turned around and looked around, as if searching for someone, or waiting for someone.

"Let's wait a little longer; perhaps he'll arrive soon," the Moon Goddess thought to herself.

She came here early in the morning to wait for Xu Qing. She left in a hurry yesterday and forgot to arrange the time and place for their next meeting. So she thought she would wait for Xu Qing here.

The moon goddess turned to look at the stone beside her, her veiled eyes gleaming with a sharp light, as if the gentle young man from yesterday were right before her eyes.

Although they had only met once, and she had approached him with a purpose, Xu Qing's actions and comfort yesterday still left a deep impression on her, making her feel a strange sense of anticipation for Xu Qing and wanting to see him again.

The moment the idea came to mind, the Moon Goddess paused, taken aback.

"What am I thinking? Why am I so looking forward to meeting him? Yes...yes, it's because of the mission given to me by His Excellency Donghuang, it's for the Yin Yang School's plan to enter Qin, it's for the future of the Yin Yang School!"

After a moment of panic and tension, the Moon Goddess quickly found a reason to convince herself.

"How can I get close to him without meeting him? How can I befriend him? I'm not doing this for personal gain, but for the sake of the Yin-Yang School," the Moon Goddess muttered softly.

After speaking, a hint of nervousness flashed in the Moon Goddess's eyes. She glanced around guiltily before gradually feeling relieved.

Just as the Moon Goddess composed herself and prepared to continue waiting for Xu Qing, footsteps suddenly came from the bamboo forest behind her.

A glint of light flashed in the Moon Goddess's eyes. She quickly turned her head to look, and when she saw that the figure in the bamboo forest was not Xu Qing, her eyes behind the veil returned to calm, and she felt a strange sense of loss in her heart.

Seeing the two approaching her, the Moon Goddess composed herself and used her movement technique to silently enter the bamboo forest, using the bamboo to conceal her figure.

"Hey, have you heard about it? Have you heard about what happened to Junior Uncle?" a disciple of the Heavenly Sect asked the person next to him.

The Moon Goddess, who was about to leave, stopped in her tracks after hearing the words "Junior Uncle." Xu Qing was the only one on Mount Taiyi who was called Junior Uncle.

"What happened? Isn't Junior Uncle obsessed with the I Ching lately? I bumped into him a couple of days ago, and it scared me to death," another person said, still somewhat shaken.

Xu Qing's comprehension of the Book of Changes is related to the covenant between Heaven and Man. If he disturbs Xu Qing and causes Xu Qing to be defeated at the Guanmiao Platform, then he will be a sinner of the Heavenly Sect.

"That's not it. Today, Junior Uncle came down from the mountain to Taiyi Palace and was stopped by the Yin Yang Clan. The two of them talked about something, and then the woman from the Yin Yang Clan left with Junior Uncle."

As soon as the Tianzong disciple finished speaking, he heard a sound like bamboo breaking, so he quickly turned his head to look at the source of the sound.

Looking at the quiet, deserted bamboo forest, a look of doubt appeared in the eyes of the Tianzong disciple. He must have heard correctly, but there was no one else in the bamboo forest besides them.

"Senior brother, what's wrong with you? Why are you so easily startled?" another disciple asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing. I thought I heard someone crush bamboo just now. Maybe it was just my imagination."

The Tianzong disciple shook his head and said.

The Moon Goddess concealed her aura, hiding behind the bamboo forest. Her originally indifferent pretty face turned frosty, and her veiled eyes were full of coldness. A section of the tall, straight bamboo in front of her was snapped off, and bamboo shavings drifted in the wind.

"You've probably been too busy lately and are having delusions. You just said that Junior Uncle and the Yin-Yang Clan left? What exactly happened?"

"I don't know either, I heard it from my senior brother."

At this moment, the Moon Goddess had no interest in what the two Heavenly Sect disciples said next; her mind was filled with the fact that Xu Qing had been stopped by Fei Yan and that the two of them had left together.

No wonder Xu Qing hadn't come to the lakeside so late; it turned out Fei Yan had stopped him and taken him away. No wonder she had been waiting for so long without seeing him.

Thinking back to what Feiyan had told her last night—that she had no intention of interfering with her mission—she realized she had actually believed her.

At this moment, the Moon Goddess felt like a clown, being toyed with at will by Scarlet Smoke.

"Good, good, very good. It seems you're determined to interfere with my mission."

A cold glint flashed in the Moon Goddess's eyes as she turned and walked toward the pavilion where guests were entertained. She was going to settle scores with Fei Yan. It was clearly her mission to get close to Xu Qing, so why did Fei Yan have to interfere?

She must still be holding a grudge against her for the provocation she made at the Donghuang Pavilion.

Thinking of this, the Moon Goddess felt a surge of anxiety and tension. The pressure and shadow that Fei Yan had cast on her since childhood was too great.

Although she had always been unwilling to admit defeat and compete with Fei Yan, after repeated failures, she had long understood the gap between herself and Fei Yan; she was simply unwilling to accept it. If Fei Yan was determined to interfere with her mission, she would preemptively befriend Xu Qing.

On the surface, she seemed not to think she would lose, but deep down she was still slightly scared and nervous.

Immediately, the moon goddess quickened her pace.

If it weren't for the fact that guests on Mount Taiyi are not allowed to use their lightness skills without reason, the Moon Goddess would probably have already used her skills to angrily confront Feiyan and demand an explanation.

Taiyi Mountain, Xinzhai (a place name).

Xu Qing left Xinzhai with a scroll of the Book of Changes in his hand, and a young Taoist boy walked towards him.

"Master Uncle, Master requests your presence," the young Taoist said, bowing.

"Qingfeng, does Senior Brother Sect Leader want to see me about something?" Xu Qing asked, puzzled.

This young Taoist was a servant of Chisongzi, named Qingfeng. He was responsible for things like cleaning, boiling water and making tea. He had been sent to Taiyi Mountain to cultivate since he was a child.

Although he was called a disciple, he was similar to Chishongzi's disciple, only lacking a formal title.

"I don't know. The teacher just said to ask you to come over, but didn't tell me what it was about," Qingfeng said, shaking his head.

"Let's go then," Xu Qing nodded and said.

Although he had doubts, since Chishongzi had sent Qingfeng to find him, it must be because he had something important to tell him. Now that the covenant between heaven and man was drawing ever closer, the person closest to him was not him, but rather Chishongzi, the leader of the Heavenly Sect.

"Uncle Master, please follow me."

Qingfeng led Xu Qing toward where Chisongzi was.

(End of this chapter)