Chapter 573: All the Fault of Xuan You Ancient Emperor

A soft voice descended from the sky, accompanied by a low hum that echoed in all directions.

"Clouds in the sky are like mountain peaks; rocks in my heart stand taller than the earth!"

Xu Qing was momentarily stunned, and the Captain was surprised. Wu Jianwu, who was behind them, suddenly looked up at the woman in mid-air, raising an eyebrow before speaking softly.

"Green mountains do not perceive the dark void; when the moonlight falls, when will it be known?"

"I was presumptuous," the middle-aged woman said softly, clearly having understood Wu Jianwu's poem. "You may call me Yunxiazi."

This time, it was Wu Jianwu's turn to be stunned.

It was midday. A gentle breeze blew, swaying the green grass on the mountains. The clouds in the sky also seemed to move faster in the wind, ruffling everyone's hair and stirring Wu Jianwu's heartstrings.

He hadn't expected that there would be someone in this world who could understand his poetry and appreciate his talent. This sudden appearance greatly surprised him.

Ever since he began imitating the Xuanming Ancient Emperor, everyone he had encountered in his life had completely misunderstood him, even his own master.

But he always adhered to his principles, always remembering the Ancient Emperor's legacy. After walking this path until now, he had long grown accustomed to the mediocrity of the world and to not being acknowledged.

Until this moment...

A sharp glint appeared in Wu Jianwu's eyes. He raised his head, with his hands clasped behind his back. The wind ruffled his hair and made his clothes flutter.

But he paid no attention to any of it. He gazed at the middle-aged woman in mid-air, and a low voice emerged from him.

"The mountains and seas of Kyushu reach high, as do heaven and earth; is the vast mist a Dao bridge?"

The woman was moved. Her body descended from mid-air, landing in front of Wu Jianwu.

The sunlight on her illuminated her plain Daoist robe with a rainbow-like shimmer. Her somewhat attractive face, too, with the light in her eyes, appeared even more ethereal.

She gently nodded.

"Young master, you guessed correctly," she said. "I am the sect leader of the Southern Branch of the Yin-Yang Flowered Interstice Sect."

A strange light shone in Wu Jianwu's eyes as he spoke again.

"How many mornings have passed since yesterday's starlight and wind? I wonder if the Heavenly River has fallen on dogs and cats?"

The woman smiled.

"I understand." As she spoke, she turned and waved her hand. Immediately, a gap appeared in the sect's protective light screen, which quickly spread open to both sides. Three bell chimes also echoed from the mountaintop.

This level of courtesy was significant.

Xu Qing and the Captain were utterly dumbfounded. Ning Yan was also dumbstruck, feeling bewildered.

He looked at Wu Jianwu, then at the sect leader, and felt that one of them must be completely insane.

It wasn't just Ning Yan who thought so. The three disciples guarding the mountain gate were also utterly confused at this moment. They didn't understand a single word of Wu Jianwu's poetry, yet their own sect leader seemed to have truly understood it.

This reminded them of the rumors within the sect about their sect leader. It was said that she most admired the Xuanming Ancient Emperor of the human race and also favored talented individuals. She even occasionally recited poetry herself.

Regardless, all three of them were now extremely respectful. They quickly cleared the path, secretly keeping an eye on Wu Jianwu.

"Young master, please!"

The middle-aged woman said softly. She showed no disdain despite the disparity in cultivation between Wu Jianwu and herself. In fact, in her eyes, there were too many high-cultivation individuals, but those with such poetic talent were exceptionally rare in this world.

Therefore, in her eyes, Xu Qing and the Captain were merely escorts.

Wu Jianwu was invigorated. He held his head high and puffed out his chest, walking forward. Cloud-like mist accompanied them along the way, treating him with great courtesy.

With the two of them in front, Xu Qing and the Captain exchanged glances, then obediently followed behind. Just as Ning Yan was about to follow, Wu Jianwu, who was ahead, paused and spoke calmly.

"Half a piece, one piece, two, three pieces; even short dogs must bow their heads and see!"

Hearing this, Yunxiazi turned her head and looked at Ning Yan.

Ning Yan shivered. Before he could speak, a light screen instantly formed in front of him, blocking him from entering.

"What is this? She can understand this? Impossible!" Ning Yan was dumbfounded. He knew Wu Jianwu was petty; although he was indignant, he dared not show it, and could only watch helplessly as Xu Qing and the other two walked away.

In this manner, they entered the Yin-Yang Flowered Interstice Sect. Along the way, he saw swarms of tiger-headed butterflies fluttering in mid-air. Their numbers were far greater than those found in the wild.

From a distance, they resembled a colorful mist, swirling between the two mountain peaks.

This struck Xu Qing as peculiar. He had seen these butterflies several times along the way, but this was the largest concentration. As his gaze settled, while following Wu Jianwu forward, his vision suddenly blurred, and everything around him appeared to overlap.

Xu Qing paused, but the next instant, everything returned to normal.

The Captain, who was ahead, turned and glanced at Xu Qing, with an inquiring look in his eyes.

Xu Qing shook his head, appearing normal. Yet, a strong sense of vigilance arose in his heart. He knew his body was unharmed, so the previous disorientation and blurring felt somewhat ominous.

However, this was not the time for discussion. Xu Qing lowered his head and continued to follow. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they were led to the sect's guest house and settled there.

The sect leader watched Wu Jianwu and the other two enter the guest house before turning and leaving.

As she walked through the sect, many butterflies flew to her, circling around her. At the same time, two figures materialized from the void beside her, accompanying her.

One of the figures spoke in a low voice.

"Sect Leader," one figure said, "these individuals suddenly appeared in Yingniu City ten days ago. They weren't there before. First, they went to the Spirit Bathhouse, and everything seemed normal."

"Then they left, heading into the Weiyang Mountain Range, and disappeared."

"Their purpose for coming to our sect is unknown."

"As for their disciple identities, they are genuine. They are from the Western Branch."

The other figure also spoke in a low voice.

"As for the young master with talent," the other figure added, "his status among their group is not high. However, there are no signs of him being coerced or kidnapped. He appears to be accompanying them voluntarily."

"Furthermore, these individuals all carry traces of curses. It's unlikely they are outsiders. Especially one of them, whose internal curse is extremely deep, to the point where it could erupt at any moment."

Listening to the words of those beside her, Yunxiazi nodded.

"Monitor them for now," she said. "If they are indeed just here to reside, and do not harbor ill intentions toward our sect, then there is no need to pay them further attention."

"What if..." the figure beside her hesitated.

"If they truly harbor ill intentions..." Yunxiazi paused her steps and spoke calmly.

"Execute them and feed them to the dancing butterflies. As for that young master, give him a grand burial."

"As you command!" The two bowed their heads in affirmation. Their figures blurred and vanished.

Time slowly passed in this manner. Soon, seven days had gone by.

Xu Qing and the other two settled down here peacefully, showing no extraordinary behavior. They were well-behaved; although they occasionally went out, they never explored secrets.

They also knew that their sudden arrival would certainly attract attention. Although Wu Jianwu's unexpected situation had eased things somewhat.

But ultimately, they were not disciples of this sect, so they could only reside below the mid-level of the first mountain peak.

The three of them could not go anywhere else at will. Even if the sect leader admired Wu Jianwu, she would not break the rules for him.

However, being able to reside here was already the first step of Xu Qing's plan.

Because the spirit pond in the back mountain was open to all disciples. As long as one paid a certain amount of spirit stones, anyone could go.

Xu Qing and the Captain had gone twice. They silently sat in the spirit pond, each meditating and breathing, trying to suppress the curses within their bodies as much as possible.

These curses were the excuse they had come up with on their way here.

To lie, one must have a real element embedded within. Only then could truth conceal falsehood and create confusion.

While the spirit pond did not directly affect curses, it could nourish the physical body. Thus, it could indirectly have some effect.

There were actually many such places within the Moon Worship Domain. This was also one of the reasons for the formation of the Sky-Ox Alliance.

During this period, Xu Qing experienced another sensation of disorientation and blurring. Each time, it occurred when large numbers of tiger-headed butterflies appeared. He now knew the name of these butterflies.

They were called Dance Butterflies, the peculiar life forms required by the Yin-Yang Flowered Interstice Sect for their role as ceremonial dancers.

Regarding his disorientation, Xu Qing secretly informed the Captain. The Captain took it very seriously and discussed it with him for a long time, but they couldn't find a real answer.

Xu Qing vaguely felt that something was very wrong with this matter. So he didn't say much more, but he had already given it high priority in his mind.

And during these seven days, Xu Qing and the Captain also perceived a variable in their plan.

That was the sect leader, Yunxiazi, who frequently stayed at the spirit pond.

With her presence, even if Xu Qing and the Captain's planned trap for You Jing was cleverly laid, and under the Captain's guidance, it wouldn't emit any fluctuations, it would still be right under her nose.

In this way, it was impossible not to be noticed.

And the day of You Jing's arrival for the ritual was less than a month away.

This made the Captain anxious. Although he and Xu Qing had backup plans, given the current situation, it was clear that if Wu Jianwu exerted himself, the effect would be better.

So on the eighth day, the Captain found Wu Jianwu, put his arm around his shoulders, and spoke in a low voice.

"Brother Sword," he said, "this won't do."

Wu Jianwu squinted at the Captain, saying nothing. He had been quite pleased these past few days and had many poems drafted in his mind.

The Captain coughed and tried to persuade him.

"Little Sword," he coaxed, "you go and flirt with the sect leader, and lure her away from the spirit pond..."

Wu Jianwu sneered. After arriving at this sect, his status among the three was already different. At this moment, he proudly waved his hand, took out his offspring parrot, and placed it on top of his head.

He didn't speak. The parrot raised its chin, speaking on its father's behalf.

"What kind of rubbish method is that?" the parrot squawked. "It's too childish. Sect Leader Yunxiazi isn't a fool. Once my father tries to flirt, she'll definitely become suspicious."

"At that point, she only needs to sense the spirit pond, and she'll catch you red-handed!"

"If you want to die, that's your business. My father and we will absolutely not participate!"

Xu Qing glanced at the parrot. As it spoke, the bird held its head high, like a stick, looking down at people through its nostrils beneath its feathers.

The Captain looked surprised.

"I didn't say that after your father lures Yunxiazi away, we would immediately go to the spirit pond to set things up."

"We'll do the opposite," he continued. "Your father goes to flirt, Yunxiazi will be suspicious. She'll investigate, but she'll find everything normal."

"It'll be like this every time. Repeating this dozens of times, she naturally won't be so suspicious anymore."

"Don't you agree?"

The parrot was startled, and Wu Jianwu's expression also became more serious.

"It will take some time for me to set up things within the world fragment," the Captain explained. "As for placing it in the spirit pond and forming a stealth array, three hours will be enough."

The parrot lowered its head and secretly glanced at its father. Wu Jianwu's eyes showed some hesitation. The Captain knew Wu Jianwu too well. He went up and continued to persuade him, and as Wu Jianwu gradually wavered, the Captain delivered his final persuasive blow.

"My past life body, I can just give it up if needed," the Captain said. "I also have other alternative methods. There are the five ancient texts of the Xuanming Ancient Emperor. Alas, you won't be able to get them."

"They recount many things about the Ancient Emperor, including his early ambitions, and they are left in poetic form..."

"I even remember a fragment of a poem from within. Let me recite it for you."

"The Heavenly Dao bows, sun and moon regain their light; the imperial land is purified, uniting all corners of the world!"

The Captain spoke softly. As soon as these words were uttered, an indescribable aura arose.

Hearing this, Wu Jianwu trembled all over, his eyes filled with longing