Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 4

Ten days later.

Yun Qing and Fu Xue ultimately gained nothing and stood before the gate of Huayang Sect.

The gate stood tall and majestic, grand and imposing. Just this entrance alone was almost larger than the entire temple of their Longshou Sect.

Fu Xue looked up at the lotus flowers and symbols carved on the gate, covering her mouth in amazement and softly exclaimed, “Wow.”

Two gatekeepers stood at the entrance. Major sects cared about appearances, so the gatekeepers were naturally carefully selected—these two were truly tall and handsome.

Seeing the young woman at the steps looking so awestruck, they couldn’t help but exchange glances and shake their heads with mocking smiles.

Yun Qing took out a carefully wrapped visiting card from her treasure pouch.

Big sects indeed had many rules. They first had to pass through this mountain gate, then walk about half a mile inward with the visiting card, and submit it to the gatehousel, where the staff would arrange everything according to the visitors’ status.

Yun Qing presented the visiting card and said, “We are disciples of Longshou Sect, Yun Qing and Fu Xue. We seek an audience with your Sect Leader on important matters.”

The gatekeeper on the right took the card and glanced at it. Longshou Sect? What kind of unknown sect is that? Never heard of it. Being a cautious person, he asked, “May I ask what path does your sect practice?”

“The Path of Compassion.”

The Path of Compassion, heh.

The gatekeeper almost laughed out loud.

This Path of Compassion was “well-known” in the martial world—the lowest of the low among second-rate sects.

Anyone with even a little talent could join a proper sect. Only those without talent, without a master, and without opportunities would practice that so-called Path of Compassion, using it merely to deceive ordinary people.

He wondered where these two shabby girls from the Path of Compassion got the courage to come seeking an audience with the Sect Leader. If he let in such questionable people, he would surely be scolded by the senior disciples at the gatehouse.

The gatekeeper coldly returned the visiting card, “The Sect Leader is busy and cannot receive you.”

“Hey,” Fu Xue, seeing his arrogant attitude, defiantly said, “My master saved your Sect Leader’s life. If you don’t believe it, just go and ask.”

“Is that so?” The gatekeeper on the left sneered, thinking these girls couldn’t even make up a convincing lie. How could the Sect Leader, with his powerful cultivation, ever need to be saved by someone from the Path of Compassion?

“Every month we get eight or ten groups of swindlers claiming to be our sect’s relatives, benefactors, or fated connections, all coming up the mountain to deceive us.

Our Sect Leader, considering your humble cultivation, chooses not to pursue this matter. But instead of appreciating this kindness, you push your luck? If you don’t leave now, don’t blame us for being merciless!”

With a clang—both gatekeepers simultaneously drew their blades halfway as a threat.

Fu Xue shrank her neck, “If—if not the Sect Leader, meeting the Young Master would also work. Your Young Master surely knows about this.”

“Hahahahaha!” The gatekeeper on the right finally couldn’t hold back his laughter, “You don’t think you can seduce our Young Master with your mediocre looks, do you? Our Young Master has seen all sorts of heavenly beauties. Just look at yourselves!”

As he spoke, he carefully examined the two young women before him, but the more he looked, the more beautiful they appeared. He couldn’t help saying, “Since you’re so eager to offer yourselves, why not accompany me and my brother for a few days? Then I’ll submit your visiting card, how about that?”

The other gatekeeper joined in laughing, “Yes, yes, we four could have quite a party together.”

“You! You both!” Fu Xue was so angry her face turned red, but unfortunately, arguing was what she was least skilled at.

A hand gently pressed on her shoulder. Fu Xue turned her head to see Yun Qing’s calm, gentle gaze, which somewhat settled her emotions.

Yun Qing turned her face, her gaze sweeping past the two gatekeepers, her tone completely flat. “Those who insult others will be insulted in return. Remember that.”

As she and Fu Xue turned to leave, Fu Xue heard her grinding her teeth.

“Senior Sister?”

“My desire for revenge runs very deep.”

****

Fu Xue knew that Yun Qing’s desire for revenge ran deep.

The first revenge they took together was against a farming family upstream of the Fulong River. She was only twelve years old then.

The two had just learned some skills, and her senior sister took her traveling mountains and rivers to reach that village.

First, they summoned a swarm of rats to eat all the grain in that household, then killed the family’s two piglets, three ducks, and five chickens, arranging the corpses neatly at their front door.

When the family woke up in the morning and saw the empty rice jar and the neat arrangement of carcasses, they jumped in rage, cursing and wailing for a long time.

Fu Xue and her senior sister perched on a tree, enjoying their cries. At that time, her senior sister laughed uncontrollably while slapping the tree branch, saying, “I’m really too kind-hearted.”

Another time, Fu Xue was playing with the Six-Path Sealing Bell and accidentally summoned a tiger. The tiger had some cultivation and refused to obey her, wanting to bite her.

When Senior Sister saw this, she beat the tiger severely and threatened to beat it every time she saw it again. They indeed encountered the tiger several more times—the first few times it got beaten, but the last time it saw them, it turned and left from a distance.

Fu Xue clearly saw the tiger roll its eyes dramatically as it turned away.

…….

So now, Fu Xue had no doubt that Yun Qing would take revenge; she was just curious about the method this time.

Yun Qing and Fu Xue wandered around the mountain for a while, spotted some Three-Branch Nine-Leaf Grass, and her eyes curved in a smile as she came up with a plan. She dug up the Three-Branch Nine-Leaf Grass and sneaked back to the mountain gate.

She placed the Three-Branch Nine-Leaf Grass at the xun position of the two gatekeepers, then put her index and middle fingers together in a sword position in front of her lips. Her lips moved slightly, her voice almost inaudible. (TL: southeast position)

Master had instructed that anything seen in Emperor Xi’s Wordless Book must not be revealed to others, not even a single character, or she might suffer heavenly punishment.

After the prayer, the two sisters crouched in the wildflowers by the roadside, peering through the gaps in the branches to observe secretly, looking quite sneaky.

Yun Qing even pulled a grass stem to play with between her lips. Fu Xue turned her head to see her senior sister’s face dappled with flower shadows, the green leaf turning between her teeth, her expression relaxed with a hint of cynicism.

Fu Xue thought it looked fun and copied her, pulling a blade of grass into her mouth. Being her first attempt, she wasn’t very skilled and accidentally chewed it with a crunching sound.

Yun Qing couldn’t help but laugh, “Are you possessed by a sheep? Why are you eating grass?”

Fu Xue embarrassedly spat out the grass leaves and pointed toward the mountain gate. “Look, look!”

The two gatekeepers’ expressions were no longer stern and orderly; their gazes gradually became unfocused. They looked at each other, and the air seemed to thicken.

Coincidentally, a group of people walked up from the mountain at that moment, each carrying gifts.

It turned out that it was the Sect Leader’s wife’s birthday this month, and people had been coming successively to offer gifts. This group arrived at the mountain gate, and their leader presented a visiting card, “Disciples of the Shendan Sect come to pay respects for the Madam’s birthday.”

The two gatekeepers walked down the steps together. They didn’t take the visiting card but slowly approached each other like two magnets, gazing face-to-face, and then—suddenly kissed passionately.

“Eek—” Fu Xue, crouching behind the flowers, let out a low cry, her tone suggesting both excitement and disgust.

Yun Qing, with the grass stem lightly between her teeth, chuckled, “Hehe.”

The Shendan Sect disciples were greatly shocked, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

The lead disciple was stunned for a good while before finally calling out with a red face, leading everyone to bypass the two men, cross the mountain gate, and hurry straight to the gatehouse, their retreating figures as panicked as if fleeing for their lives.

After a while, several Huayang Sect disciples came running from the direction of the gatehouse. Seeing the two gatekeepers fooling around from a distance, they shouted angrily, “Audacious!”

Yun Qing patted Fu Xue’s shoulder. “Let’s go.” She then quietly moved to the xun position, retrieved the Three-Branch Nine-Leaf Grass, and slipped away with Fu Xue, grinning.

After running far away, Fu Xue praised, “Senior Sister, you’re so clever to think of a solution so quickly.”

“I thought of it as soon as I saw it,” Yun Qing waved the Three-Branch Nine-Leaf Grass in her hand. This plant was also called Horny Goat Weed—the name itself revealed its effects.

Yun Qing asked Fu Xue, “So, do you feel better now?”

“Yes!” Fu Xue nodded firmly, then frowned again, “But even though we got revenge, we still can’t see Jiang Binghe.”

Yun Qing rubbed her chin with her thumb and index finger, bowed her head in thought for a moment, and said, “If we can’t do it openly, then we’ll sneak in. I’m also very good at sneaking around.”

“Senior Sister, you don’t need to sound so proud about it.”

****

That night, in a small inn at the foot of the mountain. Most rooms were dark and quiet, with steady breathing inside, except for the room Ren-Zi-Wu, where an oil lamp was lit.

Yun Qing put on black stealth clothes and a black face mask, revealing only a pair of bright eyes. She planned to infiltrate Huayang Sect at night to have a good chat with Jiang Binghe.

Fu Xue was still very worried, “Senior Sister, let me go with you.”

“No need. You stay here. If I don’t return tomorrow, then figure out a way to rescue me.”

“I—”

“Shh,” Yun Qing suddenly lowered her voice to interrupt her, “Someone’s coming!”