Chapter 86: An Encounter with an Old Foe in the Cabin of the Deep Valley

Yixian saw this and swiftly lifted her slender hand, sending out a gentle force to halt the old man’s bow. At the same time, she said calmly, “Driving away evil with the sword is my duty. There is no need for such ceremony.”

“Also!”

Her tone shifted as she spoke. Fixing her bright gaze on the mountain sprite, she said softly, “This time, in capturing the antlered monster, half the credit belongs to the mountain sprite. From now on, the people of the Clouded Feather Clan must no longer wrong him. Do you understand?”

“Understood, understood.” The clan chief hastily lowered his brows and replied obediently. “It was all our fault before, for being blind and wrongly accusing Lord Mountain Sprite. From this day forward, our Clouded Feather Clan will enshrine the statues of both the immortal lady and the mountain sprite, and offer them reverent worship year after year, so that we may gaze upon your grace and your merits.”

“That is not necessary.”

With an indifferent expression, Yixian drew a jade pendant of pure emerald from the wide sleeves of her white gauze robe and kindly placed it into Little Falling Blossom’s hands. In a tender voice, she instructed, “This jade charm is wondrous in effect and rich in spiritual power. Within it is stored a fine cultivation art. Keep it safe. In the future, the safety of the Clouded Feather Clan will rest in your hands.”

Having said this, she swept her eyes over the crowd once more and finally cried out, “Today, as I, Yixian, passed through your noble territory, I received everyone’s warm hospitality. I am deeply moved.”

“At dawn is nearly upon us, I must once again set forth to fulfill my mission. Here I take my leave of you in the Goulou Mountains. Though the green hills remain unchanged and the flowing waters go on forever, we shall meet again!”

When she finished, she lovingly patted the little girl Falling Blossom on the cheek, then leapt gracefully onto the back of the qilin before her. In full view of all, beast and rider sprang into the depths of the forest and vanished in an instant.

She came softly, and just as softly she left. She had quietly gathered this merit and virtue, yet carried away not a single cloud.

When had the people there ever witnessed such a marvelous sight? They stood stunned and dumbstruck, unable to utter a single word.

Only after Yixian’s figure had completely disappeared did the crowd, led by the clan chief, fall to the ground and worship reverently.

Even the mountain sprite, who had achieved a measure of cultivation, knelt with an expression of admiration, staring toward the direction where Yixian had vanished as he murmured, “Truly one of the people of the Sacred Hall of the Sea’s End. She came without leaving her surname, departed without leaving her name; having done the deed, she brushed away her sleeves and went, hiding both body and fame deep within herself!”

“The Sacred Hall of the Sea’s End?”

The well-traveled clan chief heard his murmur and could not help asking curiously, “You mean this immortal lady is from the Sacred Hall of the Sea’s End?”

“Of course!”

The mountain sprite replied with excitement. “If I am not mistaken, she is very likely the disciple of the War God, Fanxian. Otherwise, how could she possibly have a qilin, king of ten thousand beasts, as her mount?”

“In that case, she truly deserves to be called a new generation of war goddess!”

As he spoke, the clan chief once again knelt in devout prostration toward the direction Yixian had gone, then rose and led everyone back to the tribe under the moonlight.

As for the wicked antlered monster, it was naturally taken back by the villagers to the Clouded Feather Clan and locked up, awaiting judgment after everyone had deliberated.

Meanwhile, because the mountain sprite’s injuries had not yet healed, and after repeated invitations from the clan chief, he also returned with the others to the tribe to recuperate.

In any case, the two had already buried the hatchet. From now on, dwelling in the tribe and protecting everyone would be far better than enduring wind and frost in the Goulou Mountains.

To turn to another matter: when Bai Mu awakened once more, he was already in an elegant yet simple little wooden house.

Opening his eyes and looking around, he found the room decorated in a refined and unusual style. Four sandalwood chairs stood neatly in the center, with several teacups arranged upon them.

Nearby, an incense burner still released faint wisps of smoke. The delicate fragrance carried a trace of mugwort, making Bai Mu’s weakened body even sleepier.

Two antique paintings hung on the wall. Because of the distance, Bai Mu could not clearly make out the faces within them.

Struggling upright from the bed, he cautiously scanned the surroundings and suddenly discovered that his Azure Dragon Sword and Lingyan were both gone without a trace!

He then extended his senses to probe the area, vaguely detecting that outside the house there seemed to be something of the fire element, staring at him with predatory intent.

Alarmed, he hurriedly climbed out of bed. After straightening his clothes, he took a few quick steps and rushed out through the door.

Once on the ground, he looked again and saw before him a plum grove in full bloom with red blossoms!

It was the season when spring was passing into summer, and most of the flowers on the mountain had already withered away. Yet here in this grove, there still grew red plum blossoms that should only have bloomed in the dead of winter!

Even more unexpected was that within the bustling sea of plum trees ahead, there stood proudly a golden bird with a single leg.

At a glance, he recognized the creature as his former mortal enemy—the fierce bird Bifang.

At that very moment, Bifang’s gaze also fell upon Bai Mu at the doorway.

The instant man and bird locked eyes, Bifang let out a heaven-shaking roar, flapped its wings fiercely several times, and shot from the crown of the plum tree straight toward Bai Mu.

The powerful gale from its wings sent blossoms swirling through the grove, and the fiery red Bifang danced among the falling petals. Had they not been life-and-death enemies, Bai Mu would certainly have been stunned by the breathtaking scene.

But he knew Bifang’s ferocity all too well, and thus did not dare show the slightest carelessness.

Seeing it dash toward him, Bai Mu instinctively reached out in the posture of drawing a sword.

Yet where his hand fell, his right hip was empty. Only then did he remember that the Azure Dragon Sword had vanished while he was unconscious.

Terror surged through him. He hastily summoned all the power in his body, slowly condensing it into a luminous orb in the palm of his hand, and roared as he hurled it at Bifang’s abdomen.

Because his body had not yet recovered, the light sphere could at most gather only about half of his usual strength. In speed and power alike, it was far from enough to pose any serious threat to Bifang.

As expected, when Bifang saw Bai Mu abruptly unleash a light orb at it, it shifted midair in haste and easily avoided the attack. Wreathed in fire and scorching heat, it continued charging toward Bai Mu.

Terrible.

Bai Mu inwardly cried out that all was lost. Thinking of standing alone against such a formidable Bifang, he felt a wave of helplessness surge through him.

Not to mention that his body was still grievously wounded; even at his peak, he would not be the match of Bifang in ten moves.

Moreover, the sword on which his life depended was not with him now. If he were to meet it head-on, he feared he would be burned to ashes by its innate inferno in no more than the blink of an eye.

One must know that even with Lingyan’s formidable strength, when they had fought in White Deer Valley, she could only force Bifang to a draw. If Bai Mu had not launched a sneak attack from behind back then, they might not even have succeeded in driving off the fierce bird.