Meanwhile, though all expected him to be in seclusion already, Lord Hanxing sat in his spiritual cave, with Xiao Hu standing in front him. Held in suspension by a levitating cultivation mat, Lord Hanxing stared at Xiao Hu from above. She stared right back, unsure of why the great elder had summoned her.
“Is this how you greet your master?” Lord Hanxing asked in a calm, jesting tone. Reminded of why she got the opportunity to fight on the yang side of the sword contest in the first place, Xiao Hu flinched. Although not written with the same Dongli characters or of the same significance, coming from Hanxing’s mouth, the term “master” didn’t sit well with her.
Still, under Xue Yuanshao’s guidance, she’d indeed accepted Lord Hanxing as her master. As if sensing her skepticism, Xue Yuanshao’s voice echoed in her soul. ‘Don’t forget that you have a clear objective here: you want an opportunity to study the Nine Paths of Yin and Yang. Your elastic dantian and all the Spiritual Drops you’ve cultivated will make your breakthrough into Foundation Building more difficult than it should have been with a Wind Spiritual Root. The Nine Paths of Yin and Yang can not only give you an opportunity to fix your gender issues but also smoothen your future breakthroughs. This is the priority. Don’t let anything distract you from it,’ Xue Yuanshao said, and though Xiao Hu had yet to figure out how the old fogey had escaped Xinzi’s cleansing, his words made perfect sense.
“Master, your disciple greets you.” Xiao Hu bowed to Lord Hanxing, and as he looked at her prostrated form, the great elder’s eyes flashed with a strange glint. “Good child, good child. You may rise. Thanks to recent good fortune, your master is about to make a perfect breakthrough into Divine Transformation. This will take me a few months of closed-door cultivation, and in that timeframe, I will not be able to guide your cultivation.” Lord Hanxing started. Xiao Hu let nothing transpire on her face, but inwardly, she sneered. With a former Supreme Clarity level expert to guide her cultivation, did she still need Hanxing to give pointers?
Of course, it was one thing to think so, another to betray the facade. “Master, your disciple will do her best to keep growing despite your seclusion and not fail your expectations,” Xiao Hu said, unwittingly making Hanxing arch one eyebrow.
“Good child, but since you say ‘her,’ does that mean that you’ve come to terms with your new gender? If so, then master must have misunderstood your desires. Perhaps we should no longer bother with having you revert to your previous appearance.” Lord Hanxing chuckled at his own words, but Xiao Hu, who realized her mistake, abruptly raised her head. “No I…” The visible confusion only made Hanxing laugh harder, and with a dismissive wave of his hand, the great elder swept aside Xiao Hu’s words.
“Never mind that. I will now impart the Nine Paths of Yin and Yang upon you. Although you lost the Yin-Yang Sword Contest and are therefore not qualified to study the Yin-Yang Sword Array, as your master, I am willing to break thousands of years of custom to give you the foundation of our sect. Study the Nine Paths, and if possible, gain enlightenment into a yin-yang skill. If you can achieve this and cultivate the Nine Paths to a high enough level, then there will still be an opportunity to fix your issue.” Following these words, Hanxing aimed one index at Xiao Hu’s forehead, conjuring golden characters that flew right into the stunned swordmaster’s head. Here, Hanxing paused, taking a moment to appreciate the surprise flashing in Xiao Hu’s wide-open eyes.
And who could blame her? When Guang Fanghu himself wouldn’t break the White Immortal sect’s ancestral customs to let Dong Ling study the Nine Paths in secret, Lord Hanxing did—all for a disciple he’d accepted less than 24 hours ago. One would be hard-pressed to find such a generous master, and Xiao Hu couldn’t help but wonder why the great elder bestowed such grace upon her.
“Don’t overthink it. I do not want you to fall too far behind Xinzi. The boy worries me. I believe that if left unchecked, he might grow into the evil that swallows up the cultivation world.” Lord Hanxing made up a casual reason, But unbeknown to him, these words rang true with Xiao Hu who, thanks to the vision she triggered during the Celestial Rhythm, couldn’t help but think that Xinzi’s future—the future Xinzi, might very well end the world as they knew it.
“What happened with Ziyun isn’t a reflection of how I treat my people. She betrayed the sect, colluded with enemies, and therefore deserved to be damned. Follow my guidance, follow my teachings, and perhaps you will still have the opportunity to surpass Xinzi. As we speak, he’s about to get introduced to the Nine Paths and the Yin-Yang Sword Array by Zi Yao. Chun Xu will be with him, and they will cultivate it together.” Hanxing made more excuses, and as he reached this point, he could see Xiao Hu’s face twist in apparent discomfort. The ‘cultivate it together’ had an obvious implication that, for reasons that Lord Hanxing could infer, didn’t sit well with Xiao Hu. His lips curled up.
“Knowing Zi Yao, she will recommend that Chun Xu carry out the first session through Soul Melding, all so she can build up the impious monk’s desires and gain a dominant position in their relationship. Will she, or will she not? Does Chun Xu care enough about your feelings that she will opt for Soul Melding for the first session, or will she just hop on Xinzi’s meat? This is a good opportunity for you to draw a mark on the past. Do you want to watch?” Lord Hanxing asked, a strange thing for a master to do. But the obscene interest flashing in the old man’s eyes made it obvious that he wasn’t the usual master type.
Conflicting emotions rose in Xiao Hu’s heart. Soul Melding wouldn’t produce the same results as raw dual cultivation. But regardless of the reasons behind the choice, if Chun Xu opted for Soul Melding in the first session, Xiao Hu could convince herself that the Sword Fairy still cared for her. The thought, the need for confirmation, lured her into accepting Hanxing’s offer.
‘This is not a reasonable thing to do! If you’re not careful, it can have disastrous effects on your Dao Heart. Refuse!” Sensing her eagerness to accept, Xue Yuanshao barked at Xiao Hu. Alas, hypnotized by the offer, Xiao Hu failed to register Xue Yuanshao’s warnings.
“Yes…I want to watch,” she said, making Hanxing’s lips widen into a broad grin. “Very well, go then. They will be at the Tower of Harmonious Bliss. This talisman will enable you to go undetected and sneak past the tower’s defenses.” Lord Hanxing said and tapped his storage ring, summoning a yellow talisman which he threw at Xiao Hu.
‘Fool! Fool! You don’t know what you’re…never mind. It might actually be for the best.’ Xue Yuanshao’s tone underwent a 180 shift. At the end of the day, the ancient freak wanted Xiao Hu to cultivate the Green Immortal Sword Art to unprecedented levels. Were events like these precisely not what that cultivation method required?
Xiao Hu had no care for those, triggered the talisman, and rushed out of Hanxing’s cultivation cave. “Ah…children. I am looking forward to harvesting you,” the great elder said, then shut his doors—entering seclusion.
…
Meanwhile, after readying the Tower of Harmonious Bliss, Zi Yao summoned Chun Xu, who now knelt before her master.
“Xu’er. Master knows that you’d placed all your hopes and affection on Xia Hu. But as you can see, he has failed the test of time. Xia Hu, or whatever she will be called in the future, is no longer an adequate match for you. Xinzi is better, and I hope that you have gotten accustomed to the idea of taking him as your Dao Companion.” Seated on an ebony cultivation mat, Zi Yao started—studying any change in Chun Xu’s face to see through her emotions.
Unfortunately for the matriarch, Chun Xu had learned from the best—her—and therefore let nothing transpire on her riveting face. “Xinzi is the better match. Xu’er will follow master’s instructions,” Chun Xu said in the cold, deadpan tone that she’d learned from Zi Yao. Satisfied, the matriarch nodded in approval.
“Very well. But don’t get too comfortable with this match. He is only temporary. In the future, Master hopes that you can draw the attention of the Imperial City’s top players,” Zi Yao said, and for once, Chun Xu failed to keep her composure—trembling uncontrollably.
“What do you m…”
“Don’t flounder. Xinzi is just a man. In the grand scheme of things, a man is nothing. What you need, Xu’er, is the perfect match. The match that enables you to push your talents to the limit and reach the peak of this world. That you will not find in Dongli or even Yanzhou—only the Imperial City can provide you with what you need.” Sitting with one hand resting on her raised right knee, and a gourd of Roaming Fairy Wine in her right hand, Zi Yao cut Chun Xu, and took a sip of her favorite liquor.
‘Then why don’t you do it yourself?’ Chun Xu almost blurted out, but knew that nothing good would come out of such words. So she clenched her fists and lowered her head.