Chapter 7: Peach Blossom Spring

Death was almost upon him. At the critical instant, under the stimulus of mortal danger, that familiar burning sensation appeared again. A blood-red talisman suddenly burst from Niu Youdao's head and slammed head-on into the force of Tang Susu's descending palm.

Boom!

A violent report shook the air. Fierce winds blasted outward, tearing clumps of wild grass up by the roots and sending them flying. Niu Youdao was knocked backward, rolling several times before crashing into the foot of the slope. The howling wind subsided. Torn grass fluttered back to the ground.

"A Transmission Protective Talisman!" Luo Yuangong and Su Po exclaimed almost together. They exchanged a glance, then both looked toward Tang Susu, who stood there stiffly, momentarily at a loss.

Tang Susu's face darkened. She showed no intention of attacking again.

The Transmission Protective Talisman was a supreme art of the Shangqing Sect. Only inner disciples were permitted to cultivate it, but not every inner disciple was capable of mastering it. Only someone with considerable attainments in formations and related arts had any real chance of success. There was another reason almost no one chose to practice it: once mastered, it did nothing for the practitioner himself. It was purely a method of expending one's own cultivation for another person's benefit, and even the attempts made during the process of learning it consumed a considerable amount of cultivation. The cost simply outweighed the gain.

At present, Dong Guo Haoran was the only person in the Shangqing Sect who knew the art. Even Elders such as Luo Yuangong had never mastered it, which in itself showed that Dong Guo Haoran's attainments in formations were indeed extraordinary. The moment they saw Niu Youdao protected by a Shangqing Sect Transmission Protective Talisman, there was no longer any need to argue over whether he was Dong Guo Haoran's disciple. Unless Dong Guo Haoran had been clear-minded when he bestowed it, an art this intricate could not possibly have been performed.

Niu Youdao shook his head, still somewhat dazed from the impact, then slowly climbed to his feet. He rubbed his chest until his breathing settled and looked around at the complicated expressions fixed on him. Rage surged up inside him. More than anything, he wanted to curse Tang Susu until there was not a clean inch of her left.

In the end, however, the old woman was simply too fierce. One disagreement and she went straight for the kill; one casual palm from her was enough to wipe him out. A wise man did not court disaster when the odds were against him. He had no choice but to swallow his anger and think of a way through this predicament.

After a moment's thought, he said nothing. He walked back to Dong Guo Haoran's body, pulled the ragged cloth over the corpse again, slung the vine rope over his shoulder, lifted the front of the stretcher, and began dragging it back the way he had come. What was that supposed to mean? Everyone stared in surprise.

When Su Po realized he was actually leaving, he flashed forward and blocked Niu Youdao's path. "Where are you going?"

"Sorry to have troubled you. I may have come to the wrong place." With that, Niu Youdao dragged the stretcher around him and continued through the grass and brambles with a rustling scrape.

Everyone could sense a trace of childish pique in his behavior. It was understandable. He was, after all, still a boy who had not yet grown up. Su Po glanced at Tang Susu and tipped his head slightly, signaling for her to apologize. Tang Susu turned her face away, her expression cold and indifferent. She had no intention of apologizing.

Helpless, Su Po once again flashed forward and stopped Niu Youdao. He sighed. "What happened just now was a misunderstanding. You did not come to the wrong place."

"I did. I'm taking Master home." Niu Youdao stubbornly insisted and again tried to drag the stretcher around him.

For some reason, the stubborn words left an ache in the hearts of those who heard them. Not far away, the almost immortally beautiful Tang Yi could not bear the sight. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but with the sect's elders present, it was not her place to make any decision.

Su Po reached out and pressed a hand to Niu Youdao's shoulder, pinning him so firmly that he could no longer move. In a gentler voice, he said, "There is no mistake. This is the Shangqing Sect. Come with us." As he spoke, he smoothly removed the stretcher rope from Niu Youdao's shoulder.

Niu Youdao thrust both hands into his sleeves and folded his arms across his chest. He wore a ragged padded coat, his toes stuck out through his torn shoes, he reeked of fish, a bamboo tube hung at his waist beside a woodcutting knife, and he was filthy from head to toe without seeming to realize it. With a sour look on his face, he tilted his head up at the sky and acted as though he wanted nothing to do with anyone.

Did the brat have no idea how wretched he looked? Su Po did not know whether to laugh or sigh. He beckoned, and two disciples came over and took Niu Youdao by the arms.

"What are you doing?" Niu Youdao cried, looking from side to side.

The two disciples ignored him. Holding him between them, they skimmed away through the forest and simply carried him off. Su Po then summoned two more disciples to take Dong Guo Haoran's body away.

After the remaining disciples had been dismissed, only the three Elders were left at the scene. Only then did Luo Yuangong turn to Tang Susu. "Junior Sister, what you did just now went too far."

Tang Susu said coldly, "The boy was obviously spouting nonsense. We still don't know who sent him here as a spy."

Luo Yuangong asked, "Then how do you explain the Transmission Protective Talisman?"

Tang Susu stiffened her neck. "Listen to the way he speaks. Does he sound like some village brat from the mountains?"

"That can be investigated in due course. There was no reason to strike to kill before hearing an explanation." Luo Yuangong looked at her steadily. "You're afraid he'll become Sect Leader, aren't you?"

Tang Susu avoided his eyes. "Second Senior Brother, you're imagining things. Dong Guo Haoran had many disciples. No matter whose turn it was to inherit the position, it would never fall to him."

Luo Yuangong shook his head lightly. "Dong Guo led all his disciples out with him, and now only his corpse has returned. I'm afraid his situation was much the same as Tang Mu's. If even one of his disciples had survived, Dong Guo would never have needed to place a Transmission Protective Talisman on an outsider, and this boy would not have been the one to bring his body back. He must have had no other choice. Don't tell me you haven't already realized that."

Tang Susu pointed in the direction of the Shangqing Sect and said heavily, "If that's true, then according to the sect rules, are you planning to let this nameless boy take charge of the Shangqing Sect?"

Luo Yuangong's voice hardened. "That still did not give you the right to do what you did! Do you think the other disciples are fools? Do you think they couldn't see what you were trying to do? Why did Tang Mu summon every inner disciple to witness his final command before he died? Wasn't it precisely to prevent anyone from tampering with his last wishes? If you act like this, what are the others supposed to think? Can you bear the charge of murdering the Sect Leader? Even if someone else takes the position afterward, without a legitimate claim, how will they command obedience? Are you trying to leave the Shangqing Sect with the seeds of internal strife? Foolish!"

Tang Susu's face remained taut. She had no answer.

In a hot spring among the mountains, Niu Youdao soaked with his eyes half closed, his face a picture of comfort. He thought back over everything that had happened these past few days and felt as though he were dreaming. Only days ago he had still been inside the underground palace of that mysterious tomb. In the blink of an eye he had arrived in this world, then gone through one ordeal after another before ending up here. The road ahead remained a complete mystery. He understood almost nothing about this place and had no idea what might still be waiting for him.

His thoughts returned to the detailed questioning he had undergone before his bath. He carefully reviewed every answer he had given. Deciding there should be no obvious holes in his story, he finally relaxed. By the time he emerged from the mountain valley after bathing, he had been scrubbed clean and changed into a long gray Shangqing Sect robe. His long hair had simply been gathered into a ponytail behind his head.

The crucial problem was that he had never worn his hair this long in his previous life, much less tied it into a traditional topknot. He had no idea how to arrange one. Three sword-bearing disciples waited outside the valley. Niu Youdao had already dealt with them earlier. The leader was Song Yanqing, a fair-skinned, rather handsome young man whose expression carried an air of pride. The other two were Chen Guishuo and Xu Yitian. Both seemed eager to curry favor with Song Yanqing, calling him Senior Brother with particular warmth.

The three had been assigned by the Shangqing Sect to keep watch over Niu Youdao. When he came out, all three seemed briefly surprised and could not help looking him over several times. Clothes make the man, as a saddle makes the horse. Niu Youdao's young body had never been bad to begin with, and with Master Dao's worldly bearing inside it, the filthy mountain boy had acquired a touch of easy grace and unrestrained poise after being cleaned up.

Walking up to them, Niu Youdao tugged at his new clothes and asked, "Could you report this for me? I want to see the Sect Leader."

He had lost count of how many times he had asked to see Tang Mu. He still had not carried out Dong Guo Haoran's final instruction.

Disdain flashed through Song Yanqing's eyes. "You think the Sect Leader is someone you can see whenever you please? Behave yourself and come with us."

"Move." Chen Guishuo and Xu Yitian each gave Niu Youdao a shove between the shoulder blades.

Niu Youdao staggered a step. He had no idea how he had offended these three. From the first moment, they had not shown him a friendly face or spoken a decent word to him. Hemmed in between them, he was escorted to the foot of a steep cliff. A zigzagging flight of stone steps had been carved into the rock face and wound upward. Halfway up, Niu Youdao's attention was drawn to the grand buildings on the cliff opposite. Judging from their scale compared with the structures around them, that had to be the heart of the Shangqing Sect.

At the top stood a quiet, ancient courtyard. Beside the cliff outside it grew an old peach tree, its roots and branches gnarled with age. Clusters of pink blossoms covered the boughs, brilliant as rosy clouds. When the wind came, petals broke loose and drifted down in a shower.

The peach blossoms were so beautiful that Niu Youdao was drawn to them again. He exclaimed in surprise, "Peach blossoms can actually bloom in this season?"

Chen Guishuo, following just behind him, chuckled. "Never seen anything like it, have you? This peach tree has lived for more than a thousand years. It had already become a spirit when the Founding Ancestor came here to establish the sect, so he severed its root of sentience and left it standing here as an ordinary tree. In the early years its flowers still bloomed and withered, but after its root of sentience was severed, the blossoms stopped fading. For several hundred years now, spring, summer, autumn, or winter, they have remained as brilliant as rosy clouds, crowning the tree like a splendid canopy. It's one of the wonders of the Shangqing Sect."

Niu Youdao was astonished by what he heard.

Song Yanqing snorted. "Why waste so many words on him?"

Embarrassment crossed Chen Guishuo's face, and he fell silent. At the courtyard entrance, Niu Youdao looked up and saw three vigorous characters carved into the lintel: Peach Blossom Spring.

Song Yanqing stopped at the gate and jerked his chin toward the courtyard. "This was Senior Martial Uncle Dong Guo's place of secluded cultivation. You'll stay here for the time being. Without permission, you're not to wander around. If you do, don't blame anyone when your legs get broken. Understand?"

Niu Youdao frowned. "Before Master died, he told me to pay my respects to the Sect Leader—"

"In you go!" Xu Yitian seized him by the collar and practically threw him through the gate, then shut the door behind him.

Niu Youdao barely regained his balance before he fell. Anger surged up. He rushed back, yanked the door open, and snapped, "What is this supposed to mean? Are you treating me like a prisoner?"

Song Yanqing turned and gave him a cold smile. "Don't make trouble. If you accidentally lost your footing and fell off the cliff, there wouldn't be anyone to cry injustice on your behalf." The threat in his words was unmistakable, and he backed it with action, walking slowly toward Niu Youdao.

"Nice weather today!" Niu Youdao looked up at the sky.

Bang!

He casually shut the door again. Behind it, killing intent flashed in his eyes. In his previous life, people on the road had called him Master Dao. In the jianghu, that name had never belonged to a harmless man.

"Hahaha! At least he knows what's good for him..." The three men's laughter came through the door.

Niu Youdao drew a deep breath and quickly forced down his anger. His emotions soon settled. He deliberately shifted himself into a mood suited for appreciation and ignored the mockery outside. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled through the courtyard. Its covered walkways and upturned eaves carried an old-world elegance; the place was tranquil, refined, and unusually secluded. It was a rare retreat, and his own mind gradually grew quiet with it.

A towering tree stood at the center of the courtyard, encircled by a low stone platform. Upon the platform sat a sword rack, and across it rested a long sword. Niu Youdao walked over, gripped the hilt, and slowly drew the blade. Cold light emerged inch by inch from the scabbard. He gave the sword an idle sweep, then held it horizontally before his eyes and looked at the reflection within the blade.

"High mountains, long roads, deep pitfalls. Three feet of cold steel—and still within Peach Blossom Spring."

[End of Chapter 7]