“My life was saved by my martial aunt, which is why I obey her. Since you are not her and have never saved my life, why should I listen to you?” Liu Ying said coldly.
Xue Qing's heart turned completely cold. She never believed that people in ancient times, whose imaginations were so limited that they didn't even believe the Earth was round, could think of something like time travel. Xue Qing pinched herself hard; it hurt. She wasn't dreaming. For the first time, she so desperately wished she was in a dream. Why did Liu Ying say that? What had he discovered? Xue Qing's mind was in turmoil. Did he already know she had traveled from another time? How he knew didn't matter anymore. What mattered was what he wanted to do. Xue Qing stood against the door, gripping the Qingyun Sword tightly in her hand. The sword was the embodiment of the swordsman, and the Qingyun Sword was the embodiment of Liu Ying. But at this moment, it felt strangely heavy in her hand.
Author's Note: ╭(╯3╰)╮ Thank you mp and ol for the generous tickets!
I'm so frustrated! My wild imagination has come up with this ridiculous plot. There are many ways to suddenly unleash your martial arts prowess: slipping on a martial arts manual, bumping into a reclusive master, or swallowing a divine pill. I'm trying to level up Xiao Qingqing in a different way. It's just so absurd!
I came across this passage while researching on Baidu, and it was so cute, so I'm sharing it here: It's said that there was a martial arts novelist surnamed Liu who always liked to feed his protagonists ancient vegetables in his books—such as ancient tomatoes (often referred to as Cabernet Sauvignon or Zhu Guo in his books), or ancient eggplants (Kunlun purple melons), etc. Therefore, after he was designated as the leader of a certain school, he was jokingly called the "Wild Fruit School Leader," or the "Ancient Vegetable School Leader." Later, other writers who also liked to feed their "protagonists" ancient vegetables were collectively referred to as "Wild Fruit School Disciples."
I really want to be a disciple of the Wild Fruit Faction too! ><
Little Firefly Goes to the Brothel
"What are you saying? I don't understand. If I'm not your senior uncle, then who am I? Your senior master?" Xue Qing retorted stubbornly, pressing her lips against the door.
“Who you are doesn’t matter. You’re not her, I know that,” Liu Ying replied firmly.
"You suspect I'm in disguise? Open the door, you can check me as you please," Xue Qing said, her true appearance was as solid as gold, impervious to fire.
“You’re not in disguise; the body truly belongs to my martial uncle. I know that,” Liu Ying replied.
Xue Qing's heart skipped a beat. Did they really guess that she was from the past? She had underestimated the imagination of the ancients. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her palms as she gripped the sword.
"To be resurrected through a corpse," Liu Ying said leisurely.
Xue Qing almost slipped down, but breathed a sigh of relief. She thought the ancients' imaginations couldn't be that exaggerated. She had assumed she was a reincarnation. Feeling more confident, Xue Qing calmly replied, "What reincarnation? I'm not."
Liu Ying wasn't as calm as he appeared. His mind was racing. He was certain that the body truly belonged to Xue Qing, not a disguise. If the current Xue Qing was indeed another person possessing his body, it meant the original Xue Qing was dead. Last night, when he decided to come and find out the truth, he broke two strings on his zither. If that was the case, what should he do? Should he grab her and find out who was behind it all? That would confirm his uncle's death. How could he accept that the person he had always served was dead!
Liu Ying desperately hoped that the rumors of being resurrected were just empty gossip in the desolate wilderness, yet she could clearly sense the changes in everything. This woman made her feel very strange. She had spent fifteen years with her martial uncle, so how could her state of mind have changed in just a few months? The most likely explanation was that the person beside her was no longer the same person. That was why the feelings that had been stable for fifteen years were now rippled. The mutual emotional torment kept her awake at night. She had had enough of this suffering and wanted to put an end to everything.
“You are completely different from her. You know a lot about her. Yan Ming told you that he sent you to the Central Plains as an inside agent?” Liu Ying continued.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I think you're the one who's been resurrected. My nephew would never talk to me like that! If I were Yan Ming's mole, would I be helping Dong Qi Ge?" Xue Qing said, pretending to be angry.
“No matter how much I say, it’s useless. I trust my feelings. One of us has definitely changed,” Liu Ying said.
The words "I haven't changed" stuck in Xue Qing's throat. Why did it feel so difficult to deceive him? "It's you who has changed."
What Liu Ying sensed was an emotional shift. Intuitively and mentally, he was convinced that Xue Qing was no longer the same Xue Qing. However, he still had many questions. If it was a case of possession, how could the corpse have a pulse and breath? Many unintentional touches told him that Xue Qing had a temperature. And what corpse in the world is not cold?
Liu Ying's heart wavered, wanting to believe that everything was a misunderstanding. He was a man who acted based on evidence, and this was the first time in his life that he had put his emotions above his reason. Even if all the irrefutable evidence was on Xue Qing's side, he could not convince his own heart.
"I came here today to tell you that I'm leaving Shaolin Temple and going down the mountain," said Liuying.
"You're leaving? What about me? Will that bald monk let me go?" Xue Qing asked anxiously.
"I'm going to investigate the art of possession and resurrection. You stay here, and Abbot Chankong will ensure your safety."
The current situation is... I've been abandoned? Xue Qing never imagined such a day would come: "Go ahead, if I were to be resurrected, I'd eat this damn door alive!"
Liu Ying placed her hand on the door, as if trying to sense something through it. She took a deep breath, turned, and left, leaving only a trail of footprints on the frosty ground. The snow continued to fall, landing silently in the stillness. Suddenly, a slight sound came from Xue Qing, who slumped to the ground by the door. If he had asked just one more question, if he had asked her to promise him, she definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on. What was this intense guilt? Every time she was caught skipping class, she could come up with a string of excuses. Why was lying to Liu Ying so difficult? Luckily, there was a door between them. If she were facing his face directly, she definitely wouldn't have been able to say anything!
The firefly went down the mountain, and the little house suddenly felt even more lonely. She was already alone here, so how could she feel even more lonely knowing that he had gone down the mountain? Perhaps... she had lost all hope.
Deep within the Netherworld, in the windowless, dark room reserved for the domain lord, Yan Ming sat once again in that worn-out, rough chair, gazing at the portrait hanging on the wall before him. This time, he was looking at the portrait of the former domain lord, his master, the person he respected most in his life. The Desert Wasteland was a place that believed in the survival of the fittest, because those without power could not survive there. The boundless desert was teeming with bloodthirsty beasts, and water and food were limited, enjoyed only by the strong. The Netherworld was the most powerful symbol of the Desert Wasteland, and when Yan Ming was very young, the Netherworld was his god and his goal.
Yan Ming still remembers how, as a child, he went through countless hardships to find the Underworld and knelt outside for seven days, begging to become a member of the Underworld. His master, who was the Lord of the Underworld at the time, walked up to him and said, "Go back. The Underworld is not short of manpower."
The next day, young Yan Ming was still kneeling outside the Underworld, but this time there was something else beside him: a man's head. The man was a guard of the Underworld. The Lord of the Underworld came before young Yan Ming again. The young Yan Ming's innocent face held a coldness beyond his years. He said, "In this way, the Underworld is short one person. I can take his place."
The Lord of the Underworld not only allowed Yan Ming to enter the Underworld, but also took him as his disciple and taught him the most mysterious and evil divine skills of the Underworld. Yan Ming was a natural genius, and his martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds, to the point that he later killed his own master.
"I will kill you now, so that your cowardice will not be ridiculed by the world." These were the words Yan Ming said to his master before he killed him.
Master, I will show you what you didn't have the courage to do. This world should be enjoyed by the strong first. That rich land will eventually become mine, and those hypocritical people from the Central Plains will become your burial offerings. Yan Ming said to his master's portrait in his heart.
Outside, Nangong Luoluo stood at the door. The expressionless twin sisters guarding the door made her feel very uncomfortable. She looked very worried. Yan Ming would come to this room whenever he was in a bad mood. His mood would get worse after he came out of the room. If he was unlucky, two of the guards and maids would die. Nangong Luoluo was going to die here in advance. If she pleaded for him, she might be able to save one or two lives.
"Summon Qi." Yan Ming's cold command came from inside the room.
One of the twin sisters accepted the order and carried it out numbly like a puppet. Before long, she returned with Qi. Following Yan Ming, Nangong Luoluo often saw Qi. Feeling somewhat afraid of this silent assassin, Nangong Luoluo unconsciously took two steps back.
"The spies I planted in the Central Plains have been killed. It must have been Xue Qing who betrayed me. I've noticed something was wrong with her ever since she lost her martial arts skills. She's gone to Shaolin Temple. Go down the mountain and keep watch. When she comes down, bring her to me. I want to interrogate her myself," Yan Ming ordered with a frown.
Qi nodded and vanished like the wind. Nangong Luoluo's face turned deathly pale. She remembered Xue Qing, the female knight from the Lingyu Sect who had given her medicine. She was actually from the Underworld. Xiao Guiying was very close to her... Not knowing if it was serious, Nangong Luoluo clutched the black jade at her chest, hoping everyone would be safe and sound.
While at Shaoshi Mountain, Liuying, with Abbot Chankong's permission, searched through various ancient books in the Sutra Repository for information about resurrection, but found not a single useful word, suggesting that such a skill did not exist. Abbot Chankong also said that in his eighty-plus years of life, he had never heard of anyone resurrecting a body. Under Liuying's persistent questioning, he finally revealed that although he had not heard of anyone actually resurrecting a body, there was indeed a person who devoted himself to researching this art, but it eventually came to nothing, and no one knew how much he had achieved. That person was named Mulan, the owner of Qingping Le.
This time, Liu Ying's destination after descending the mountain was Qing Ping Le. Dong Chou had some connections with Qing Ping Le, and perhaps out of respect for his master, he could meet Mu Lan and obtain some information. With a clear goal in mind, he was willing to give it a try.
Qingping Le is located on a plain in southwestern Hunan. Its name sounds as elegant as a farmhouse villa, but it is actually a brothel, and a famous one at that, known for its allure. There's a saying: "Once a mortal enters Qingping Le, even a god would rather not be." It gathers hundreds of talented women from all over the country, as well as those poached from other brothels. It's a veritable sea of beauties. While most brothels have their own top courtesan, at Qingping Le, everyone is a top courtesan.
Liu Ying traveled all the way to Qing Ping Le, which, just as rumored, was a paradise on earth with beautiful scenery and melodious birdsong. As soon as she entered the gate, a still charming madam came up to her: "Young master, is this your first time here? You look unfamiliar. Would you like to join the crowd outside, or would this old lady find you a private room?"
"I don't like crowds," Firefly replied.
"This way, young master. Let me take you to the private room to rest." The madam smiled obsequiously and led Liuying inside.
After taking Liuying to the elegant pavilion, the madam asked again, "What kind of girls does the young master like? How many would you like to keep you company tonight?"
"Is your boss named Mu Lan?" Liu Ying wanted to confirm first.
The madam's expression changed: "Young master, our Qingping Le only sells women, we don't do that kind of thing."
"What?" Liu Ying looked at the madam in confusion.
"Although our boss is handsome, he is still a man. Why don't you have the roster so I can show you if there's anyone you like? If that's your type, then I'm afraid I can't help you."