Time passed.
They were still about two days away from the Dark Serenity Sect Xu Qing had discovered. The starry sky overhead cast down dazzling light, and the moonlight added to it. Soft light shone down for as far as the eye could see. The lands were quiet and peaceful.
Flute music drifted out from the dharmaskiff. It was no longer a whimper. It had a cadence to it, and a distinct melody. What was more, there was something violent and deadly about it that differed from Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s music. Some of it came from the fast-paced tempo of the song. It seemed like an army on the move. Then the song changed, as if the war had ended. Now the lands were littered with bones, and the survivors were staring up into the dome of heaven, trying to understand what it all meant. The song seemed filled with bewilderment, seemingly reflecting the mood of the person playing the song.
However, someone familiar with music would be able to tell that this song was being played by an amateur. The musician was someone new to performing. The musician seemed devoted to the song, though, and would eventually master what they had been taught.
At the very least, that’s what it seemed like with Xu Qing.
He wore his gold-embroidered violet daoist robe, and held the emerald green willow flute as he sat cross-legged on the deck. His black hair drifted in the wind and moonlight. His sharply angled eyebrows, thoughtful eyes, and somber expression, coupled with the way his lips hovered just above the flute, made him seem bewitching. And his long, slender fingers manipulating the flute would prompt any observer to sigh at how good-looking he was.
Arch-Immortal Plumdark reclined on a divan crafted from thousand-year-old rosecloud wood. Her head rested in her hand as she looked at Xu Qing immersed in his flute music. He seemed incredibly dashing, but as he continued to play, an unusual look appeared in her eyes. That look grew stronger as his song grew erratic.
He closed his eyes and stopped playing. To Xu Qing, the study of the flute was like an indescribably difficult grindstone. He had never done anything like it, and wasn’t sure exactly how to deal with it all. Other than spending some time in meditation, he focused fully on studying and practice. Xu Qing had always valued learning. For example, after Master Seventh taught him how to play Go, he had often taken time to mentally review what he had learned. Already, he had developed a deep appreciation for what Arch-Immortal Plumdark had taught him about flute music. Since he wasn’t a person inclined to words, music was a great way for him to express his thoughts and feelings.
That said, Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s gaze continued to leave him feeling confused and awkward. He didn’t understand this matriarch of the Dark Serenity Sect, and couldn’t figure out why she was toying with him.
It seemed to him that carnal desire shouldn’t be important to someone with such a high cultivation base. Beyond that, over their time traveling, he had seen her resort to violence seven times. Her actions almost seemed casual, and after she was finished, there was nothing left behind. Those who died by her hand didn’t shed a drop of blood. Sometimes, those she killed had been courting death by acting maliciously. But other times, it seemed to be Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s whims that dictated her actions. On the previous day, a nonhuman cultivator flying nearby had looked too closely at her. A moment later, he transformed into ashes that quickly dissipated in the wind.
When things like that happened, Xu Qing could only watch regretfully as the souls vanished into nothing. He needed souls to imprison in all 120 of his dharma apertures! However, he didn’t dare to open his mouth about it.
Xu Qing also noticed some things about Arch-Immortal Plumdark that were different from anyone else he knew. She showed goodwill toward the impoverished nations that occasionally appeared on the riverbank. With the wave of her hand, she would resolve random problems that the mortals had.
A few days previous, they passed a small nation that had been plagued with bandits recently, and couldn’t root them out of the countryside. Things like that happened all the time in the world, and most cultivators wouldn’t even pay attention to them. But Arch-Immortal Plumdark captured the bandits and wiped them out of existence.
The more Xu Qing got to know Arch-Immortal Plumdark, the less he understood her. Her very personality seemed to change at random. Sometimes she acted like a young lady whose face would light up when seeing a pretty flower. Other times she seemed like a valiant hero, sipping alcohol, her hair swaying in the breeze under the moonlight. On other occasions, she was colder than ice, and would carry out slaughter with the wave of a hand. And then there were times when she seemed profoundly attractive, with her every smile or frown exuding charm and grace. Of course, there were also times when she was warm and kind. Whenever Xu Qing made a mistake when playing the flute, she seemed to exude tenderness as she gently corrected him.
She was innocent, cold, heroic, seductive, warm, and seemed like she came from the jianghu…. Xu Qing had never met one person who had so many conflicting qualities.
Two days later, Xu Qing discovered yet another personality trait.
It was when they finally laid eyes on the Dark Serenity Sect he had discovered. The entire sect only had a few dozen members, and they all came out looking shocked and terrified, but at the same time, acting unsurpassably respectful. Arch-Immortal Plumdark looked at them, and her eyes filled with reminiscence.
“Are you Master Littlecloud?” she asked the old man who had once tried to pull a fast one on Xu Qing and the Captain.
“Y-yes, Arch-Immortal Plumdark. I’m… I’m Master Littlecloud.” In his bitterness, the old man realized that Arch-Immortal Plumdark looked exactly as she had last time he saw her. A host of thoughts and emotions filled him. He remembered all those years ago when he was just a child, and how his Master had been so infatuated with her. But sadly, the falling flowers yearned for love, but the heartless brook rippled on. Back then, not one single person had ever won Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s heart.
There was no sign of the passage of years on her. And yet, in the presence of this old man, it was possible to sense how much time had passed.
“Take me to your Master’s grave.”
Xu Qing quietly followed as the old man led them into the rear courtyard of this Dark Serenity Sect. There was a lone grave there. A willow tree grew over it, and the leaves rustled in the wind, as if they were excited by Plumdark’s presence.
She stopped in front of the grave and looked at it. Sighing softly, she spoke to Xu Qing. “He was an old friend of mine. And a good person.”
Xu Qing thought back to the story he’d been told about this man. He said nothing.
The old man stood off to the side, wrapped up in sorrow and regret.
.
Soon it was time to leave.
Arch-Immortal Plumdark asked if the sect was willing to join the coalition. The old man seemed excited at first, but then he looked at the grave and shook his head. Then he asked permission to continue tapping into the tributary. Arch-Immortal Plumdark agreed. She even set up some spell formations to help. Finally, she boarded Xu Qing’s dharmaskiff again, and they sailed off into the distance.
On the way back, Xu Qing continued to improve with the flute. Soon, they were getting close to the Eight Sect Coalition. It was evening, and they were only about an hour away. It was even possible to see the Forbidden Sea off in the distance. Arch-Immortal Plumdark sat on the railing looking at the evening clouds.
“Xu Qing,” she said quietly, “play that song for me again. I want to hear it.”
As he sat there cross-legged, he closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. Then he put the flute to his lips and started to play.
The song contained the spirit of the jianghu. It described the joys and sorrows of life, and ended in a flagon of unfiltered rice wine. Alone, one drank. ．𝚌ｏ𝚖
They arrived at the coalition.
“The name of the song is Parting with Sorrow. I composed it a few years ago.” In the glow of sunset, Arch-Immortal Plumdark stood at the prow, looking off into the distance. The wind blew her hair, and her robes fluttered. She seemed like she herself was ready to fly away with the wind. The loneliness she normally kept hidden now permeated her, seemingly drawn out by the wind, filling even the depths of her pupils.
She looked over her shoulder at Xu Qing, and her eyes seemed like mysterious pools of water. She seemed like she was trying to fix Xu Qing’s image into her mind. Finally, she smiled.
He looked back at her.
“A lot of people have given me gifts over the years,” she said. “I probably have over a hundred flutes. I don’t even remember who gave me that one, but I know I like it. You keep it, child. A gift to thank you for coming with me on this little trip.”
She lifted her flagon and took a drink, then turned her head, causing her hair to swish. Finally, looking immensely heroic and carefree, she stepped off the deck and flew off into the distance.
Xu Qing looked down at the flute he held in his hands, and then at Arch-Immortal Plumdark disappearing in the distance. Right now, he had no way to describe what he was feeling. Eventually, he took a deep breath, clasped hands and bowed. Then he piloted his dharmaskiff back to Seven Blood Eyes.
***
Back in the Dark Serenity Sect, Arch-Immortal Plumdark was still dressed in her white garment. Her mood was mixed. Thirty percent of her was happy. Fifty percent was relaxed. And twenty percent felt as if she were parting with sorrow. Back in the pagoda atop the mountain, she looked in the direction of Seven Blood Eyes and murmured, “If only you were born a hundred years earlier….”
“So what if he was?” a man said gently. Arch-Immortal Plumdark turned to see the president of the coalition walking out of thin air, clad in a blue jerkin. Coming to a stop next to her, he looked toward Seven Blood Eyes. “If he was born a hundred years ago, Junior Sister, he would already be dead. Believe it. What’s more… he could end up dead in the present.”
The president turned to look at Arch-Immortal Plumdark.
“Would you dare?” she said coldly.
He looked at her for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. “How could I possibly hurt a chosen disciple from my own coalition? That being said, Junior Sister, don’t forget that though I fear the life soul Master left to you… you’re running out of longevity. If you find the ‘light’ you’re looking for now… it would actually be a bit tragic.
“Half of a sixty-year-cycle will be gone before you know it. If he doesn’t reach the Spirit Trove level, then you won’t be able to practice cultivation together with him and mend your dao. And that means that, in the end… you’ll have to make a choice between life and death.
“I’ll come back next month to ask you again.” With a smile, the president of the Eight Sect Coalition vanished.