Chapter 294: Welcoming the Moon in the Wind

Xu Qing silently descended the mountain.

He didn't choose to fly, but instead walked through the night, treading on moonlight, step by step, towards the main city of Seven Blood Eyes.

The preceding scene had stirred a strange feeling within him; he had rarely experienced such a disturbance in his heart throughout his life.

This made Xu Qing somewhat uncomfortable.

So, as he walked, he recalled the Classic of Herbs in his mind. As knowledge of various medicinal plants surfaced, Xu Qing's heart gradually became as calm as still water.

His expression returned to its usual calm, his steps became more leisurely, and his pace increased accordingly.

A moment later, he reached the berth. Xu Qing stood on the shore, glancing back towards the direction of the Profound Nether Sect. Doubt and vigilance arose in his heart. He wasn't oblivious to Immortal Zixuan's provocative behavior; the current Xu Qing was no longer a naive child.

However, he didn't believe that an ancestor of such high cultivation would have such simple thoughts. There had to be another reason, for after all... in this world, there was no kindness without cause.

Everything had a reason.

But he couldn't figure out the reason. So, he waved his hand, summoned his dharma boat, stepped into the cabin, sat down cross-legged, and fell into contemplation.

He remained without a clue until dawn. He buried the matter in his heart and closed his eyes to meditate.

As for the work of the Security Special Division, Xu Qing hadn't attended to it for a long time. This was because the Jade Slip granting an 80% discount to the Immortal Pond, which he had given to the captain, was being used daily.

According to information from his informant, the captain had been inviting Wu Jianwu over every day recently. The two seemed to be talking about something, perhaps encouraging Wu Jianwu, who appeared to be a mix of excitement and hesitation.

Xu Qing was somewhat surprised, but his curiosity wasn't strong, so he didn't inquire. Instead, he seized the time to refine the swallowed blood of Miemeng. Several days passed this way.

On the morning of that day, as the darkness of the sky was burned away by the rising sun, visibly fading, and as sunlight streamed into the dharma boat, illuminating its faceless prow for an instant, Xu Qing received a message on his sound transmission jade slip.

"Little friend, get ready. Your sister is coming to pick you up. Let's go for a walk."

Upon seeing the message, Xu Qing fell silent. After thinking for a moment, he sent a message to Seventh Master, informing him of the matter and asking if it was permissible.

Seventh Master was also silent for a long time, then tentatively asked Xu Qing a question.

"Fourth Brother, is this your first date?"

"A date?" Xu Qing was startled.

Noticing Xu Qing's reaction, Seventh Master's laughter came through, telling Xu Qing that he could accompany her without worry.

As Xu Qing hesitated, Immortal Zixuan's soft, magnetic voice drifted from outside the cabin.

"Little friend, let's go!"

Xu Qing looked up and silently stepped out of the cabin, seeing Immortal Zixuan sitting on the railing of his dharma boat, tilting her head back to drink from a wine flask.

In the sea breeze, Immortal Zixuan's dark hair fluttered. Dressed in white scholar's robes, immaculate, her beautiful face, like a pear blossom, was absolutely exquisite.

The scene was beautiful: light brows like autumn water, jade-like skin caressed by a gentle breeze.

Bathed in sunlight, she was like a treasure, unparalleled in the world, a unique creation of a thousand years, embodying the very essence of heaven and earth.

Noticing Xu Qing emerge, Immortal Zixuan lowered her wine flask and gently turned her head.

At that instant, sunlight passed through her flowing hair, creating a halo of light that scattered a hint of rainbow hues, filled with beauty.

Especially her eyes, imbued with profound charm, held a hint of a smile when they rested on Xu Qing.

This smile was different from the predatory gaze Xu Qing had seen before; it seemed to contain a certain tenderness, captivating Xu Qing.

If anyone were there to witness this scene, they would surely be entranced. The two figures on the boat, the woman like a treasure and the man like a star, seemed to make even the morning light willingly become a backdrop in that moment.

Xu Qing paused his steps.

Immortal Zixuan today was completely different from what he had seen before: less alluring, more heroic; less overbearing, more gentle.

It was somewhat contradictory, yet on Immortal Zixuan, it blended perfectly.

This shift in style made Xu Qing involuntarily look at her a few more times.

"Do I look good?" Immortal Zixuan tilted her head and blinked.

Xu Qing nodded.

Immortal Zixuan was very pleased by his reply, letting out a delightful laugh, then patted the boat railing and smiled.

"Little friend, your boat is quite good. Let's travel on this one, to the Profound Nether Sect you saw before." After speaking, Immortal Zixuan turned around, took a deep breath of the sun-drenched air, picked up her wine flask, and drank again.

Xu Qing looked at the boat railing where Immortal Zixuan was sitting and her deep breath, then hesitated. His boat contained too many poisons; at least two hundred types of toxins permeated the surroundings at that moment. Whether it was the deck or the railing, every part of the boat was highly poisonous.

However, he felt that with Immortal Zixuan's cultivation, his poisons were insignificant. So, he formed a hand seal and waved. Immediately, the boat vibrated, slowly ascended into the air, turned its direction, and soared towards the Immortal River of Ten Thousand Ages, moving at a considerable speed, disappearing in an instant.

From afar, the boat in the morning light, with its sails unfurled, exuded a majestic aura.

On the deck of the boat, Xu Qing stood tall, controlling the vessel, his purple Daoist robe fluttering loudly in the wind.

Meanwhile, on the adjacent boat railing, the exquisitely beautiful Immortal Zixuan sat, her legs gently swinging. She tilted her head, gazing into the distance, drinking wine, and comfortably enjoying the breeze, her dark hair fluttering along with Xu Qing's robes.

This scene, if painted by an artist, would surely be incredibly beautiful and full of profound meaning.

On the ground, within the port, the captain peeked out from a corner, holding a recording jade slip, swiftly imprinting the scene.

"Little A-Qing's first date! Such a precious scene needs to be kept. It might sell for a high price in the future," the captain said, his face full of smugness.

He didn't notice, however, that not far behind him, Seventh Master stood in a pavilion, gazing at the boat in the sky, and sighed.

"Is this still the Immortal Fairy Zixuan who captivated countless heroes back then? That child, Fourth Brother's charm... it's already comparable to mine in my younger days."

Amidst the master and disciple's farewells, the boat left the Seven Blood Eyes mountain gate and swiftly advanced along a tributary of the Immortal River of Ten Thousand Ages.

The sky was clear, boundless and cloudless, and the vast, pure blue lake gave a refreshing sensation. Inside the boat, Xu Qing kept his gaze straight ahead, fully focused on controlling the vessel.

Time passed, and a day went by.

Though Xu Qing's tension persisted, he felt a sense of relief. During the day, Immortal Zixuan hadn't spoken a single word. She seemed to enjoy sitting on the boat railing, drinking wine, feeling the breeze, and gazing into the distance.

Perhaps due to the clear daytime, when night fell, there was more starlight than usual, and it seemed to gather around Immortal Zixuan without her noticing.

This made the already beautiful Immortal Zixuan appear to be embraced by stars, her charming face radiating a dazzling, flawless allure, simultaneously magnificent and pure, like a moon fairy descending to the mortal world.

Yet, this fairy was no longer alluring, nor gentle; instead, a certain chill emanated from her as she looked down at Mount Taishi Due in the night.

Xu Qing looked down and noticed that where Immortal Zixuan was gazing, there seemed to be a sect. Due to the distance, it wasn't clear, but he could faintly hear horrific screams carried on the wind.

"Let's go take a look," Immortal Zixuan said indifferently.

This cold expression and indifferent tone were something Xu Qing had never witnessed from Immortal Zixuan before. His heart chilled, and he steered the dharma boat directly towards Mount Taishi Due.

As they drew closer, Xu Qing saw that it wasn't a sect but a stronghold built on the mountaintop. Inside were hundreds of rogue cultivators, both human and non-human, most of them grotesque and reeking strongly of blood. There was a considerable amount of fresh blood within the stronghold, and in its center, a magic array was carved.

Countless corpses were piled upon the array, seemingly as sacrifices for some malevolent ritual.

As the ritual began, an indescribable evil emanated from the array, accompanied by echoing chewing sounds. The hundreds of monstrous cultivators around them showed expressions of madness, all prostrating in worship.

Xu Qing glanced, his pupils slightly contracting, and a sense of dread surfaced in his heart.

The hundreds of cultivators were nothing; the highest cultivation among them was merely at the Golden Core stage of a Heavenly Palace. What truly made Xu Qing's heart pound was the evil emanating from within the array.

"The Sword Bearers once decreed that offering sacrifices to malevolent creatures is strictly forbidden within Bianhuang Prefecture. The Eight Sect Alliance also has this decree. You all have quite the nerve."

Immortal Zixuan's voice, calm and resonating through the night sky, caused the evil aura within the magic array to fluctuate violently, revealing terror as it rapidly contracted, as if trying to retreat.

As for the surrounding cultivators, their expressions changed dramatically. But before they could speak or clearly see the dharma boat arriving in the sky, Immortal Zixuan raised her jade hand and gently beckoned downwards.

In Xu Qing's eyes, this gesture contained an indescribable charm. He couldn't discern much, only feeling that this seemingly casual beckoning seemed to conform to the rules of the world's operation. No divine power descended, no spell materialized, but...

Within the mountaintop stronghold, the hundreds of trembling cultivators instantly shrank. Along with the magic array, the evil aura within it, and even the entire mountain, they all became minuscule in the blink of an eye, vanishing from Xu Qing's sight in an instant.

As Xu Qing was shaken by this sight, a grain of sand flew over, landing between Immortal Zixuan's two fingers.

Looking at the grain of sand, Xu Qing activated his cultivation and scrutinized it with his eyes. With his full effort, he finally saw that the grain of sand was mountain-shaped—it was indeed the mountain from before.

The cultivators, the magic array, and the evil on it were all perfectly reproduced, except they were clearly shrunk countless times, and they all exuded immense terror and despair.

The next instant, Immortal Zixuan gently squeezed with two fingers. With a *crunch*, the grain of sand turned into dust and dissipated.

"Little friend, why are you standing there stunned? Let's keep going. Let's follow the mountain range; I want to see the mountain scenery." Immortal Zixuan, sitting on the boat railing, glanced at Xu Qing and smiled softly.

That smile melted away the coldness, its charm surpassing even moonlight.