Chapter 3: The Usurper
Entering the Peach Source Scenic Area through the back door, along the tourist walkway built around the mountains, one can see the Peach Source Canyon stretching over a hundred kilometers.
In the dead of winter, at midnight, everywhere was silent, beneath a lead-gray sky; the canyon was desolate and cold, and in the chill wind, snowflakes fluttered gracefully like pure white butterflies, quietly landing among the pines and cypresses.
Unfazed by the wind and snow, Jumeng walked gracefully along the winding pathway, her delicate figure in the snowy mountains radiating a confidence that surpassed the vibrant blossoms of three thousand trees.
After about ten minutes of walking along the winding path, as the road twisted and turned, two towering peaks suddenly burst into view, the wide canyon narrowing as it approached the two mountains.
In the dim light of the wind and snow, from a distance, the outlines of the two mountains resembled two figures, affectionately nestled against each other.
According to legend, these two mountains are the projections of the stars Qian Niu and Zhi Nu from the heavens, appearing on earth.
Couples who arrived here would be lucky enough to witness the magnificent sight of the “Magpie Bridge” spanning between the two peaks and would receive blessings from the mountain gods, ensuring their happiness and longevity together.
However…
The above legend is purely fictional; any resemblance to real events is coincidental and ultimately subject to Jumeng’s interpretation.
So, there was no real projection of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl here, and couples would not receive blessings from the mountain gods. In fact, the two mountains that appeared to be embracing were originally one.
It was only because it obstructed the true Peach Source’s sunlight and feng shui, influenced by the advanced thought of “to become rich, one must first pave the road,” that Jumeng forcibly split it open.
The spectacular view of the Magpie Bridge does exist, but whether it is visible and in what shape depends entirely on Jumeng’s mood and the monthly tourism revenue-sharing arrangements.
To be honest, Jumeng herself did not expect that the legend she casually invented would actually transform the once eerily haunted canyon into a tourist destination where couples pray for love.
Indeed, long ago, Peach Source Canyon was once a place of great danger.
Not only did it have steep cliffs rising like sharp teeth, with the narrowest paths allowing only one person through, but it was also filled with various terrifying legends.
Since the Tang Dynasty, local county records frequently documented the passage of spectral soldiers through here, and even now, tales of refugees during the turmoil of the Republic era encountering ghosts and monsters in the canyon circulate widely.
In this eerie place, the scenery was indeed bizarrely beautiful, yet praying towards a “forcibly separated” mountain for love’s blessings was probably futile; curses might be more reliable.
But…
Who could blame the many young lovers nowadays for being so love-struck that their hormones surged the moment the word “love” is mentioned?
Thanks to the generous support of the benefactors over the years.
When spring arrives next year, I will surely arrange a grand event for you all, making the magpies fly to form the characters for “love,” “affection,” and “may you have a child soon” and “safe delivery for mother and child.”
As Jumeng mused, she gently tapped her toes on the ground, soaring into the air, taking a few graceful steps in the air, and transformed into a magpie with exceptionally beautiful plumage, flying towards the depths between the two mountains.
———
In the heart of the Peach Source, in a massive cavern, a grand hall stood tall.
The hall’s structure lacked eaves and bracket sets, and it was not made of gold or jade, but its scale was magnificent—huge stone materials formed it simply, adorned with ancient murals that exuded an overwhelming grandeur.
Being inside, the dim lighting and immense space inspired a sense of awe, even fear, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
This hall conveyed that ancient people had an unwavering faith in deities, generating a terrifying perseverance far beyond that of modern times.
Walking deeper into the hall, the terrain suddenly rose. On a thousand stone steps up, around a large circular platform, one hundred and eight bronze pillars surrounded it, upon which a massive relief resembling a scroll narrated the story of the ancestors of Peach Source who traveled countless miles to find their deity.
In the center of the gigantic platform, there was a water pool, and two large trees rose from the depths of the pond, piercing through the ground, their robust branches tightly intertwined as if fused into one.
Just like the legendary divine tree Fusang.
The “Records of the Ten Zones” states: “The trees grow together from the same root; they lean against each other, hence they are named Fusang.”
They seemed to be dead.
The withered branches were covered in numerous cracks, devoid of leaves, only some decayed vines dangling into the pond, and even the winds that flowed nearby were dull and gray.
However, they were indeed “alive.”
On those robust shriveled branches, vines glimmered with the color of decaying flesh, rhythmically pulsing as if they were breathing.
The branches resembled disordered limbs, either like hands or feet, or perhaps like torsos, twisting and contorting to form a shape similar to a human figure.
On the chest of that human figure outline, grew a grotesque tree tumor that periodically undulated subtly like a heartbeat, releasing dazzling light like molten lava from its crevices.
Silence.
Even though the surrounding rock walls were filled with nests constructed by magpies, with tens of thousands of birds gathered here, not a sound was uttered.
They tilted their fluffy heads in unison, staring with small bean-like eyes, silently observing the graceful figure on the immense platform.
Jumeng stood before the pond, her brow slightly furrowed, her eyes closed, as various precious alchemical materials lay scattered at her feet.
As she recited a few incomprehensible incantations in a low voice, a green flame suddenly burst around her, and the alchemical materials at her feet flew into the flame, quickly becoming transparent and emitting pure, radiant light, accompanied by soft sounds.
Then, Jumeng suddenly opened her eyes, her peacock-like crystalline gaze appeared to flash with electric light, her hair and garment being swept by a sudden, strong spiritual energy fluctuation, swaying dramatically.
A colossal phantom rose behind her, like countless vines waving and intertwining to form the illusion of a giant tree.
The giant tree that existed in mythology overshadowed the sun, blooming with luscious peach blossoms, seemingly standing in a distant time, with the humans, beasts, and urban legends kneeling and praying at its base, appearing as small as ants.
In an instant, one hundred and eight shimmering lights shot from the phantom towards the surrounding one hundred and eight bronze pillars.
Consequently, the bronze pillars trembled, emitting a resonating, solemn buzzing sound, creating layers of green ripples in the air.
“Boom—!”
On the rock wall, all the magpies suddenly began to chirp, as if singing praises to their queen.
Eventually, those melodic calls transformed into coherent human words.
Elders, children, men, and women all shouted the same phrase.
“In the month of Mengchun, with the deity Jumang, the remaining spring months are the same; the sacred god stands high, substantiating the kingdom of wood virtue, bringing merit to the people.”
Amidst the chorus of voices, Jumeng focused all her spirit and multitasked, almost simultaneously etching intricate incantations onto the one hundred and eight bronze pillars.
Each time she finished an incantation, the bronze pillar shuddered violently, sending ripples that spread to the giant tree at the center of the platform, causing that human figure outline to convulse violently.
At that moment, a burst of flames suddenly erupted from the cliffside; thousands of magpies took to the skies, their feathers ablaze, turning into fiery crows, shrieking loudly as they charged towards Jumeng’s back.
In just a moment’s notice.
A murderous intent capable of slaying deities fell from the heavens!
A figure emerged amid the fiery crows, delivering a blade toward Jumeng’s back.
It was a rusted, seemingly scavenged fruit kn*fe, its blade dull and seemingly harmless, yet it bore a shocking spiritual energy fluctuation.
As the blade came within an arm’s length of Jumeng’s back, a brilliant green light erupted from within her.
It sounded like metal clashing, causing one’s teeth to ache, as the fruit kn*fe was halted.
Sensing that attack had nearly breached her defenses, Jumeng was startled, interrupting the fortification of the barrier, she spun around and saw a figure surrounded by crows and enveloped in flames.
Seeing her turn, the person coldly stated, “Usurper, do you still remember me?”
Jumeng furrowed her brows, tilting her head, “d*mn it, who the hell are you?”
“Crow Slave.”
“Who?”
Crow Slave, “…”
After a prolonged silence of half a minute, Jumeng shrugged, “Sorry, I really don’t remember; after all, I’ve offended so many people—what do you count for?!”
Crow Slave remained silent, the flames around him suddenly intensified, gripping his fruit kn*fe tightly, he lunged forward, aiming the kn*fe at Jumeng’s chest.
In the next moment, flames engulfed the entire cavern, resembling a miniature sun within the cavern, leaving only dazzling light.
In that light, Jumeng heard the person claiming to be Crow Slave shout, “What are you all waiting for? Don’t forget your promise!”
As the words fell, two powerful waves of spiritual energy surged from all directions, heading straight for Jumeng.
In an instant, the collisions of the spiritual energies produced hundreds of explosions per second, causing the bronze pillars, the hall, and even the whole cavern to shake violently.
“Thud—!”
Amidst the chaos, a muffled sound of flesh being torn apart echoed.
As if sensing something, countless magpies screeched in terror, flapping their wings toward Jumeng, only to be intercepted by the fiery crows that suddenly emerged from the flock, leading to a tumultuous fight.
Beneath a blinding light, black feathers fell like snowflakes from the sky.
Once the light finally dimmed, on the platform littered with magpie corpses, Jumeng’s figure had vanished, leaving only a shadow cloaked in flames, a scarred man with a hunched back, and a man with a pained expression fiddling with a cadaver.
“d*mn, she got away!” the scarred man cursed softly.
The shadow surrounded by flames glanced at him and calmly replied, “No matter; once my master returns, she won’t be able to stir up any more trouble.”
As he spoke, he kicked aside a magpie that had been barely alive, moving toward the giant tree at the center of the platform, kneeling on one knee before it, lowering his head, he murmured, “Qunyang, I have returned.”
———
The bed had been ravaged, and the helpless Luxianbei eventually fell asleep on the sofa.
As her consciousness sank deeper as if submerged in water, moments later, she opened her eyes to see the familiar yet somewhat weathered silhouette by the rooftop’s edge, carrying a hint of solitude.
Despite possessing a scholarly and elegant face, he looked like a lonely elder.
“Ancestor, I’m here! Long time no see!” Luxianbei called to Qing Ji.
Qing Ji cast a sidelong glance at Luxianbei, slightly raising his chin with a cold snort.
“Hmph—!”
“Uh…” Luxianbei froze momentarily, approaching and placing a hand on Qing Ji’s shoulder, “Ancestor, don’t be angry! I just recently encountered some trouble and didn’t have time to check in on you!”
“Hmph—!”
Qing Ji coldly snorted again, shaking off Luxianbei’s hand, turning his face away.
Out of sight, out of mind; it was best if he didn’t look at her at all.
“This…” Luxianbei opened her mouth, moving in front of Qing Ji, continuing, “Ancestor, I didn’t come empty-handed this time; I brought you a gift.”
As the saying goes, gifts are never too much.
Hearing that Luxianbei brought him a gift, Qing Ji’s eyes brightened, excited like a child, “Oh? What is it? Hurry up and show me!”
“Just a moment! Let me see how to take it out.”
As Luxianbei spoke, she released the destructive aura that she had been suppressing with her spiritual energy, in an instant, it felt as if a colossal beast from ancient times had been unleashed, a surge of overwhelming power erupted from within her, violently tearing at every inch of her flesh.
Enduring the intense pain, she focused her spirit, wrapping that power with spiritual energy and gradually pushing it outward.
In the next moment, she exploded.
“Boom—!”
Qing Ji slowly raised his hand, wiping the bl**d splattered all over his face, momentarily at a loss for words.
Didn’t she say she brought a gift?
Why start with an explosion?
Could it be that this little girl intended to give a self-destruct performance as her gift?
While Qing Ji pondered, Luxianbei’s figure reappeared on the rooftop, walking towards him, mumbling, “Ancestor, don’t rush; this gift is a little hard to take out; please give me more time.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than her upper body vanished in a muffled explosion.
Qing Ji, “??? ”
Although this girl hadn’t been visiting him lately, which made him a bit angry, if she wanted to apologize like this, it might also—
“Boom—!”
Just as Qing Ji was thinking, Luxianbei exploded again beside him.
As the embroidery ball had mentioned, wanting to master the power containing the Hundred-Armed Giant Power was undoubtedly very challenging; the slightest mistake during the control process could result in painful consequences.
As time went by, after being explosively transformed into various limited forms over a hundred times, Luxianbei finally succeeded in directing that power into the palm of her left hand.
Feeling the terrifying power in the palm that could break free from her control at any moment, she hurriedly moved to where the now numb Qing Ji was, excitedly saying, “Ancestor, quickly, quickly, the gift is out!”
“Oh…” Qing Ji replied weakly, extending a hand toward her.
Seeing this, Luxianbei grasped Qing Ji’s hand tightly, causing Qing Ji to look at her with fear.
He opened his mouth to say something, but in the next moment, his body began to spasm violently as if electrocuted, bl**d and flesh pulsating beneath his skin, as though something was about to burst forth.
Then, he exploded alongside Luxianbei.
Unlike the pain of being pierced to d*ath with a sword while training with Luxianbei, that soul-crushing agony, as if his flesh and bl**d turned to powder, brought Qing Ji an entirely new and excruciating experience.
———
Ten minutes later.
On the dilapidated rooftop.
Luxianbei knelt on the ground, holding her ears, while Qing Ji stood behind her, gripping Ling Tai Purification, his expression grim.
“Have you made progress after a month? Torturing someone, and now you involve your own ancestor? You tell me, what kind of behavior is this? And to call it a gift? Hmph!”
“Ancestor, I didn’t mean to, I was just trying to—”
“Not what you mean to! Still trying to argue?” Qing Ji interrupted sharply, “As a girl, instead of learning to be good, you’re doing nothing right, and now you’re number one in mischief! Hand it over!”
As he spoke, Qing Ji raised the sword in his hand like a disciplinary ruler and harshly struck Luxianbei’s palm twice.
“Let that teach you a lesson!”
“Smack—Smack—Smack—!”
With several light sounds, Luxianbei shrank her hand in pain.
“What are you dodging for? There are two more!”
Luxianbei, “…”
She had initially thought to give Qing Ji a “surprise,” so the two could gleefully explore the power of the Hundred-Armed Giant together.
However, it turned out that when a joke goes too far, your ancestor remains your ancestor…
“Smack—Smack—!”
After striking Luxianbei’s palms twice, Qing Ji seemed to have calmed down, retracting his sword and eyeing the pitiful Luxianbei, letting out a sigh, “Alright, get up…”
Girls with a bit of “vitality” aren’t necessarily a bad thing.
So she wouldn’t get bullied outside.
Musing, Qing Ji softly said, “Tell me about it; what was that power of yours just now?”
Upon hearing this, Luxianbei quickly stood up, moved close to Qing Ji, “Ancestor, let me tell you, the situation is like this…”
In the following minutes, Luxianbei completely omitted Jiang Li’s existence and thoroughly analyzed the dangers of the Dream Come True journey, portraying herself as a chivalrous heroine who eradicated harm for the people, recounting her perilous adventures.
Half-truths always make the most persuasive lies.
When Qing Ji heard that Luxianbei ultimately defeated the Big Boss and saved countless innocent people and urban legends, his eyes gleamed, and he clapped in praise, “Well done! Just like my granddaughter!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll think of a way to resolve that power; I’m quite skilled in this matter!”
“Skilled?” Luxianbei tilted her head.
Qing Ji smiled slightly, “Our Lu family has dealt with injuries and near-d*ath experiences; who hasn’t been in a less than human form a few times? When I was younger, I, along with my son Yuebo, experienced it too.”
“Oh? Grandfather went through that too? Seems he has some commendable stories as well?”
As Luxianbei spoke, she straightened up and cast a curious glance at Qing Ji.
Sitting obediently, preparing to listen to the story.
“Hmph! Past? More like an embarrassing story!” Qing Ji coldly snorted, grit his teeth, “He did bad things and got beaten by me, for doing such indecent acts, hitting him was only fair to our ancestors!”
Luxianbei, “…”
Although she was very curious about what misdeeds her great-grandfather had committed to be beaten into that state by Qing Ji, she did not dare to ask further.
“Alright!” Qing Ji waved his hand, “Let’s not talk about that ungrateful boy; you try to bring forth that power you showcased earlier, so I can study it carefully this time.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Luxianbei nodded, concentrating her energy to gather the terrifying power into her palm, after a bout of intense pain, a silver-gray energy mass the size of a grain of rice, dazzling and chaotic, radiating wild spiritual energy fluctuations began to materialize in her palm.
As they observed the energy mass, Qing Ji and Luxianbei leaned in closely to examine it.
“Ancestor, do you see anything?”
“Nothing! Make it a bit larger; it’s too small.”
“Oh.” Luxianbei nodded, pushing more power into her palm.
Then, a cold gleam erupted from her palm, followed by an abrupt intensity, the light shining brightly.
Then…
Accompanied by a huge explosion, two headless corpses collapsed to the floor of the rooftop…
