Volume Two: The Mortal Realm, Chapter 124: Quiet Days

Under the arrangements made by Jian Jiu, the group, having disguised their appearances, entered Yangjing with ease. They even settled into an exquisite little courtyard not far from the imperial palace, where, by simply raising their heads, they could see the fiery red eaves that shared the same color as the morning clouds.

According to Jian Jiu, this location made it more convenient for him to visit. The headquarters of the Watcher Division was located near the Ascension Platform, just behind the imperial palace.

"We are right under the noses of both the Watcher Division and the palace. Is this really okay?" Xu Zixian glanced at the imperial palace, which could almost be called their neighbor, and asked with a look of distrust.

"A problem? There is no problem. I am only afraid of trouble." Jian Jiu sat at the stone table in the courtyard, his gaze slowly sweeping over Liu Xi, Ye Mingke, and Xu Zixian. "Will you bring trouble to me? What is it that you truly want to do by entering Yangjing?"

"I am looking for someone. I am not lying to you." Ye Mingke also sat on a stone stool, facing Jian Jiu. He took a intricately patterned jade pendant from around Aru's neck, handed it to Jian Jiu, and asked with a cautious expression, "Can you help me investigate the origin of the pendant Aru wears?"

Jian Jiu reached out and took the pendant from Ye Mingke’s hand. The moment he saw it, his gaze narrowed slightly.

"It looks somewhat familiar."

He thought for a moment and said, "I seem to have seen it in the sect’s archives; it appears to be a token of a certain sect. I will go back and check. There should be news soon."

"Then I will trouble you." Ye Mingke expressed his sincere gratitude.

"As long as you know it is a trouble. Every time you trouble me, it consumes the favor I owe you. A life is not much, but it is very precious to you. Do not waste it on unimportant things." Jian Jiu’s tone was cold. He turned his head to look at Liu Xi and Xu Zixian. "What kind of trouble do you two want to bring me? What do you want to do now that you have come to Yangjing?"

"To see," Liu Xi said indifferently.

"Me too. To see," Xu Zixian replied with the same indifference.

"Oh." Jian Jiu was noncommittal. He turned to Ye Mingke and said, "Once I find the information about the jade pendant, I will bring it to you quickly. Suit yourself, and go ahead and cause more trouble so that I can finish repaying the favor I owe you sooner."

"Rest assured. I will make sure you owe me for a lifetime," Ye Mingke smiled.

Jian Jiu stood up, opened the door, and soon left the courtyard.

Not long after he had gone, Xu Zixian immediately looked at Liu Xi and asked, "What level has this person's cultivation reached?"

Liu Xi also shook his head with a grave expression. "In my perception, he is at the same mid-stage of Soul Transformation as the purple-robed immortal my father killed."

"But this person gives me a feeling ten times more terrifying than that purple-robed immortal."

"Your senses are not wrong. I have seen him take action in the Mist Sea. I was not a cultivator before, so I didn't know, but looking at it now, his cultivation level might be equivalent to the purple-robed immortal, but he carries nine swords. Among them, the 'Sword Nine' has the strange ability to devour and shatter spirits. His lethality is more than ten times that of that purple-robed immortal."

"However, you can rest assured; at least until he has finished repaying my favor, he will not strike at me. You can settle in safely. Just try not to attract the attention of the Watcher Division when you go out. Although he is capable enough to smooth things over, that guy is very stingy and would certainly calculate it all as a favor to be deducted."

Ye Mingke shook his head with a smile, patting his thigh as if he felt a pinch of regret. "That guy’s favors are very expensive. It is not easy to make him owe someone a favor."

Liu Xi and Xu Zixian did not argue further. They trusted Ye Mingke; since Ye Mingke felt Jian Jiu could be trusted, they would choose to believe in Ye Mingke’s judgment, at least until they discovered signs of other dangers.

Ye Mingke did not continue to think about Jian Jiu. Instead, he looked at the exquisite courtyard drifting with light snow, feeling a long-lost sense of relaxation. He possessed a trust in Jian Jiu born of their similarities; he believed that with Jian Jiu in Yangjing, he was safer here than in the treacherous Longling Mountains.

After wandering for ten thousand miles, he finally had a place he could call home or a residence again.

Aru, who had just had the jade pendant removed, leaned against him. They had arrived in Yangjing, but the girl showed no sign of excitement; instead, she looked gloomy.

"Aru, don't worry, that person will bring the information about the jade pendant over very soon," Ye Mingke stroked Aru’s head and comforted her softly.

Perhaps Aru’s mother could still be found through the jade pendant, but what way would he choose to explain the lies of Aru’s father? Ye Mingke lowered his head in contemplation, yet he was at a loss.

He raised his head again to look at Xu Zixian and Liu Xi, but before he could speak, Xu Zixian smiled faintly. "What we said earlier was the truth; we are just here to 'see'."

Liu Xi also nodded in silence.

Ye Mingke did not ask further. To "see" could mean just taking a look, or it could mean watching to see what would be done. But how they acted was their own business, and Ye Mingke trusted them just the same.

It was dawn when they entered the city. By the afternoon, Liu Xi and Xu Zixian went out together, telling Ye Mingke before leaving that they were going to "see."

They were gone for several hours. Aru fell asleep soon after noon, and Ye Mingke, even in this enemy's lair, surprisingly fell into a deep, relaxed sleep. This was because, in the shadows behind the door, stood a dark, massive sword.

That was the "Giant Gate" left behind by Jian Jiu.

The tall, thick door of the small courtyard was not the real door; this sword was. With this sword here, no one in Yangjing could truly threaten them.

Except for the sword’s master.

This sleep was exceptionally long, stretching from the sunny afternoon, through the time for dinner, and straight into the snowy night. The ten-thousand-mile journey had exhausted too much of his heart and spirit.

When Ye Mingke woke up, Aru had not yet stirred. The little girl was still fast asleep, though there were tear stains at the corners of her eyes; he wondered what she had dreamt of.

The night was already deep, but Liu Xi and Xu Zixian, who had gone out to "see," had not yet returned. He wondered if they were watching the night scenery of Yangjing after the curfew.

Ye Mingke sat in the courtyard amidst the drifting snow, drinking cold tea alone in the dark of night, waiting for the two to return. However, he did not wait for them; instead, he heard a knock on the door late at night.

The master of the house would not need to knock; the visitor was a guest.

Ye Mingke walked calmly to the courtyard gate and opened it, encountering Jian Jiu in his white robes in the snowy night.

"The information has been compiled. Here."

An immortal’s schedule was clearly different from that of a mortal, so Jian Jiu had no intention of apologizing for a late-night visit. He walked directly to the stone table in the courtyard as he had during the day and handed a thin letter to him.

"The information was gathered in a hurry; I only found the most basic data. If you need deeper inside information, I can write back and have Penglai Island send it."

"These might not help you much; after all, all you have is a jade pendant."

Ye Mingke opened the letter and read through the contents in silence. His expression was grave and constrained.

"Is this all there is?"

Ye Mingke looked up at Jian Jiu and asked, "What is the reason?"

"That is a secret from many years ago. Neither the imperial palace nor the Watcher Division has it. You can only check it on Penglai Island; they should have archives there."

"I beg of you," Ye Mingke said, looking at him with gravity and sincerity.

"Very well. But this time it might take a while. That secret might involve many things," Jian Jiu said slowly.

"Understood. Also, help me look into a scholar named Li Han who was in Yangjing ten years ago. If that lead cannot be uncovered, this one might be effective." Ye Mingke said.

"Li Han." Jian Jiu smiled faintly. "So your old friend was that mortal in the Mist Sea. However, it is strange that a mortal like him could have a daughter with a natural curse-body. No wonder it would be linked to a secret of that level."

"A natural curse-body? Do you know what is going on with the strange condition on Aru?" Ye Mingke asked, looking up.

"Of course I know. A natural curse-body is a rare, peculiar constitution that can still maintain a huge advantage in cultivation even after the promotion of the Six Paths Scripture."

"Before the Six Paths Scripture was popularized, the world of immortality was actually mostly controlled by families. The so-called noble families were giants held up by ancient constitutions. In the turmoil of those years, most of these constitutions fell from their pedestals, leaving only a few that still held a massive advantage over ordinary cultivators."

Jian Jiu spoke to Ye Mingke, looking toward the room where Aru was sleeping, a glimmer of intrigue in his eyes.

"A natural curse-body is a genius that all forces in the world strive to recruit. This is the first time I have ever seen one. It is said that those with a natural curse-body are born close to the Dao, capable of speaking true words, possessing the divine power to kill with a word or issue decrees to all things in heaven and earth. Their perception of the Heavenly Dao is extremely sharp. In this current age where the Six Paths Scripture prevails, their advantage in cultivation is even greater."

"If that secret cannot be uncovered, or if it is uncovered but you cannot find this girl's mother, you might consider letting her join our Penglai Island. With her aptitude, the resources she could obtain on Penglai Island would not be less than mine. Of course, she must have the temperament to withstand it; otherwise, she will still die. You can consider it."

"So Aru’s talent is this astonishing," Ye Mingke said with some surprise. However, he recalled the few times Aru had acted; her methods were extremely bizarre and almost ignored the differences in cultivation levels, allowing her to attack the opponent regardless.

Such a talent was indeed terrifying.

"What you mentioned earlier about the Six Paths Scripture and that turmoil—what was that about?" Ye Mingke remembered that the puppet, which had once been the immortal Ling Chen, had also mentioned the Six Paths Scripture and a turmoil that had caused countless special constitutions in the world to perish.

"You have never even heard of the Six Paths Scripture? Never heard of it at all?" Hearing Ye Mingke’s question, Jian Jiu looked extremely surprised, as if he had met someone who claimed to be a swordsman but did not recognize a sword.

Ye Mingke was just about to answer that he hadn't, when suddenly, a boom echoed in his mind, and he remembered a sentence his Uncle had once said to him in the past:

"If one day you leave the town and come into contact with the methods of cultivation, remember, you must never learn a technique called the 'Six Paths Scripture'."

"Why?"

"Because... there is a pair of eyes behind it."