Qiao Songlin nodded and assigned the three of them to different directions before they each departed. I remained among the crowd, releasing the Huanzhen Flower and allowing it to wantonly swallow and suckle upon the invisible mists of the illusion.
As I manipulated the Huanzhen to spread its grains of sand, I glanced sideways at Wei Qingming. She was a practitioner of illusions herself, and her soul strength was extraordinary; given her usual proactive nature of cutting through any mountain in her path, she would never passively wait. Yet today, she seemed exceptionally desolate and despondent. She remained seated between the two female cultivators from the Moyu Sect, one hand supporting her forehead and the other clutching a wine cup. She kept her head bowed, quietly watching the faint ripples in the liquid, seemingly indifferent to everything happening around her.
Yu Niannian was already flailing her arms and legs, even leaping about violently as if dodging something. She ran across the field, screaming, "Ah! Centipedes! See if I don't chop off all eight hundred of your legs! Ah! A scorpion! Don't sting me..." I felt both amused and pained; it turned out the girl was afraid of bugs. I extended a finger and tapped the air, injecting a strand of soul power to lull her into a peaceful sleep. There were several others acting frenzied, and I dealt with them in the same manner.
Despite her young age, Anchi Nalong was also full of hidden sorrows. She was witnessing a scene of a great fire consuming her mother’s palace, her tears drenching the table...
The more I observed the reactions of the crowd, the more my worry grew regarding Wei Qingming’s abnormal behavior. Though I knew she certainly wouldn't be affected, I decided to go forward and check on her. Just as my hand was about to touch her shoulder, she shifted slightly with seamless grace, avoiding the contact. She stood up and said indifferently, "I will go assist Fourth Brother Qiao."
With that, she indeed took flight, heading straight toward Qiao Songlin’s position. He had found the main array eye and was attempting to break it with brute force. Once Wei Qingming joined him, the task suddenly became simple. Her mastery of arrays was, after all, her true forte. She injected spiritual energy into a few subtle points, going with the flow of the energy, which allowed Qiao Songlin’s soul power to achieve twice the result with half the effort. Soon, the false canopy shattered, revealing the true sky.
A moment later, two similar explosive sounds echoed from not far away; Zhu Yixin and Lu Lingfeng had respectively broken the Earth and Water sub-array eyes. Zhu Yixin drifted back from the other side of the mountain, huffing coldly, "To think they could even lay an Elemental Array. They aren't some common street performers after all!" An Elemental Array was one where the key points of the illusion were set upon natural elements like Heaven, Earth, Water, Wind, or Thunder. By using certain nodes to trigger it, those who entered the array would be trapped without ever noticing a change.
Lu Lingfeng tilted her head to look at me, then at Wei Qingming. This was her first time meeting her on this trip; fortunately, she didn't open her mouth to say anything about "paramours."
The crowd began to slowly wake up. The few of us also buried ourselves among the tables, feigning that we had been caught in the spell. Wei Qingming naturally returned to her original seat. As she walked back, she inspected the food and water on the tables, finally reclaiming her persona as an Envoy of the Yingzhao Bureau.
"How strange. How very strange," everyone muttered. "How did such a nightmare end so abruptly without rhyme or reason!" Women who were close to one another held each other's arms, soothing their hearts and comforting their companions as they recounted the terrors of their dreams.
But elite disciples were not so easily fooled. Yan Mingqiu, Guan Shanping, and the highest-ranking male cultivator of the Moyu Sect, Zhang Yuande, each dispatched several junior brothers and sisters to check the main road leading to the mountain. As expected, the paths in and out were sealed; an array still blocked the surroundings.
The disciples of the Wujing Sect were the most composed. They were in their own home, and the challenge was a contest of arrays—it was truly like "swinging an axe at Lu Ban’s door." They weren't afraid of what trouble might be stirred up. However, it was only natural that other sects felt some resentment. Yan Xiangjun hurriedly smiled to smooth things over, claiming they had been poor hosts and asking everyone to remain calm. "If our own attempts to break the array prove fruitless, it won't be too late to send word to the sect elders. Perhaps the great powers of the sect already know and have sent people to rescue us." Tantai Ye and a few other leisurely sorts had even resumed drinking and chatting.
In such an atmosphere, jumping up to blame the Sect Master for poor management would be a great loss of grace. A hothead from the Tianjun Sect stood up to start cursing, but three or four hands immediately yanked him back and forced him to sit down.
At this moment, Guan Shanping actually called upon a few people and cupped his fists. "This humble one is willing to try. Perhaps I can break the array."
I was greatly surprised. Bai Yuyu had already gone to check the front of the mountain. He set down his wine cup and said with a serious, frowning expression, "The array ahead is of the Canxia Realm, and there are people guarding it, likely also of the Canxia cultivation level. I cannot break it. There is no harm in Senior Brother Guan trying, but you must be careful."
Since the array genius of this group had said as much, Guan Shanping was surely even less capable. Did he actually intend to use the array knowledge of the Tianjun Sect to challenge the very foundation of the Wujing Sect?
To everyone's surprise, Guan Shanping merely offered his thanks and led his men away with a wave of his hand.
Wei Qingming held her wine cup to her lips, watching this scene expressionlessly. However, from her cold gaze and the slight curl of her lips, I read a hint of danger.
Soon, Guan Shanping and his three companions returned in defeat. He was unharmed, but his three junior brothers had suffered backlash from the array, blood staining the corners of their mouths. Perhaps unable to bear the loss of face, his usual composure vanished. He slammed the table and shouted in anger, looking up to gauge the crowd's reaction, only to lock eyes with Wei Qingming’s mocking gaze.
Guan Shanping was instantly consumed by rage. He stared at her with a fury that could pierce the heavens. After the two stared at each other for a moment, Guan Shanping could no longer restrain himself. He vaulted into the air, launching a flying punch toward her.
Wei Qingming waited until he reached her face. Unhurriedly, she raised the hand holding the cup and slapped it against his fist. The porcelain shattered into a thousand pieces, cutting his hand. This move of redirecting force actually sent Guan Shanping—who was twice her width—flying backward, nearly crashing to the ground. He barely managed to steady himself by grabbing a table, knocking over a spread of food and wine. With blood on his hand, his bloodlust was ignited. Gritting his teeth, he hissed, "You... are laughing at me?"
"Though a guest from afar is still a guest," Wei Qingming said, elegantly using a handkerchief to wipe the wine from her hand. Word by word, she said coldly, "Do you truly think I wouldn't dare touch you?"
The cold light in her eyes was like a blade, and her entire body shimmered with killing intent. I saw it clearly—this killing intent was the real deal. She truly wanted to kill him, even more so than when she faced the ghost-transformed Xu Xingze. It was terrifying...
Guan Shanping let out a long cry and actually drew his natal sword. Wei Qingming also summoned a blade with a flick of her hand. She took neither Zhishui nor Chengying, using instead an ordinary spiritual sword. The two clashed in mid-air, their swords meeting with a massive, ringing collision.
No one present could match the two of them in cultivation or martial prowess. The only one who could have intervened, Yan Mingqiu, actually shouted his approval. His sister couldn't bear it anymore; she anxiously called for them to stop one moment and urged her brother to pull them apart the next... In the end, no one dared to go up. Even when Zhu Yixin signaled Qiao Songlin with her eyes to do something, he merely shook his head slightly, remaining as steady as a mountain. Indeed, if one went up to mediate, which side could they afford to offend? Forget the Tianshan Meeting; they wouldn't even have a peaceful year...
Everyone present was a shrewd individual. They looked at one another, thinking: *Fortunately, this is an affair within our small circle. Once we leave, we'll just say the wine went to our heads and we had a friendly spar.* Thus, in the end, no one had to stop them. Instead, they focused all their attention on admiring this duel—a duel of real blades and spears, entirely different from that sword dance of peach blossoms and moonlight.
I watched for a while and gradually began to see the truth of it. Guan Shanping’s mental state was truly abnormal; even his martial style no longer reflected his previous habit of hiding his light. It turned out that for the sake of the Tianshan Meeting, he had been keeping his true abilities hidden. In this state of a "mad tiger," the swordplay he used was exquisitely high-level, all orthodox legacies of great sword sects: the Wuyi Sword of the Sword Saint Pei Min, the Falling Leaf Swordplay of the Xingfeng Sect, the Great Compassion Swordplay stored in the foremost Buddhist temple, and more. There were roughly twelve or thirteen styles in total. In her fully sober state, Wei Qingming was certain to defeat him, yet she chose not to take him down in a few moves. Instead, she intended to toy with him. Using an ordinary sword against his ancient spiritual natal sword, she sliced a piece here and cut a hole there, shredding Guan Shanping’s fine robes beyond recognition, yet never drawing blood.
As for why Guan Shanping had suddenly lost his mind... My gaze swept over the items on the table that Wei Qingming had seemingly moved by accident earlier, and I understood.
Finally, even Yan Mingqiu grew a bit impatient, feeling his friend was winning ungracefully and losing his poise. Just as he was about to speak up to stop them, Lu Lingfeng threw a cup from afar, which cut precisely between the two sword blades.
When masters clash, a single variable can affect the battle. Wei Qingming flicked her sword, catching the cup and spinning it on the tip; the bone china, thin as a cicada's wing, did not break. Guan Shanping took the opportunity to strike, but Wei Qingming tilted her head to dodge. Her left hand shot out in a cunning palm strike, hitting Guan Shanping square in the chest.
The crowd stood up and cried out in alarm. The chest was a vital spot; had she used even a fraction more force, Guan Shanping would have died on the spot! However, after receiving the palm strike, his mind seemed to clear slightly. Before he could speak, he fainted and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. It turned out she had used her soul power to shatter and dispel the evil thoughts in his heart.
Only then did Lu Lingfeng shake her head and say, "This is... not good. If you are angry, you should tell her."
Wei Qingming remained as she was before, very respectful and obedient toward her. The fight had just ended, and the murderous aura around her could not be retracted immediately; she stood with her sword, her momentum like a surging rainbow, seemingly suppressing her rage. After a few breaths, she calmed slightly. She tossed aside the broken sword, which had several nicks from Guan Shanping’s blade, and looked at me, saying coldly, "Take good care of him."
She had never spoken to me in such a harsh tone. Even when we first met and I discovered her secret, her desire to kill was just that—a desire to kill, never accompanied by verbal humiliation. This sharp sentence was truly a severity I had never heard before. Having said her piece, she flicked her sleeve and flew toward the back of the mountain.
I no longer cared about anyone's gaze. I could no longer maintain any semblance of pride or logic. I hurriedly knocked over the wine on the table and ran after her.
Her footwork was naturally fast. I pushed my Minxue technique to its limit, chasing for a long time before I finally caught sight of her back. I had already begun to cry unconsciously, shouting as I ran, "Wei Qingming, don't go!"
When her speed slowed slightly, I lunged forward and hugged her, burying my face in her back.
I could imagine that the previous fight, where she had to restrain her killing intent, had left her mind and body in turmoil. Holding her now, I could still feel a slight trembling and her angry, ragged breathing. Her hand curled into a fist, but upon feeling my tears soaking her back, it slowly relaxed.
I sobbed, "Are you... resentful of me?"
"Resentful? Never." After a long silence, she finally answered in a raspy, soft voice, "A-Zhi, I just missed you."
"Missed me..." I smiled bitterly. "But you weren't even willing to look at me."
"It wasn't that I was unwilling." Her voice trembled slightly, tinged with bitterness. "I was afraid that if I looked back, I wouldn't find myself in your eyes."
I was actually moved to angry laughter. I pounded her shoulder hard, only to hear her say, "A-Zhi, if you truly intend to be with a... a man, to spend your life with him, the most I can do is hope for your well-being. I cannot bring myself to hope for his."
"How could I ever look at anyone else!" I cried out. "I only want you! To compare me to someone like that is a great insult!"
My body fell heavily into her embrace. The trembling in her body grew even more pronounced, threatening to shatter my heart along with it. Her arms circled me tightly, yet she restrained herself with great effort so as not to hurt me. One hand, filled with deep longing and hunger, rubbed against my face for a fleeting moment, only to pull back immediately—like a startled bird afraid of bruising a delicate petal—changing to a touch so light it was almost non-existent, as if she dared not desecrate me.
She brushed against my temple in something between a scent and a kiss. Cupping my face, she gently forced me to look up. Thus, what we saw in each other's eyes was our own reflection.
We embraced in a warm, silent hug for a long time before she whispered, "Being with me... we will surely be apart more than we are together, or perhaps even be abandoned by all... A-Zhi, I cannot bear it. I am afraid of causing you grievance."
I smiled. "Qingming, do you remember that night in the tomb? The path ahead was unknown, and you said you weren't afraid because there were two of us. Now, I return those same words to you."
"I remember... I remember everything." Water shimmered in Wei Qingming’s eyes as she gave a radiant smile. "A-Zhi, I, Wei Tian... what virtue do I have to deserve this..."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 惧阵 | Fear Array | A high-level illusion array that forces victims to see their greatest fears. |
| 元素阵 | Elemental Array | An array tied to natural elements (Heaven, Earth, Water, etc.). |
| 英招寺 | Yingzhao Bureau | The organization Wei Qingming serves; functions as an investigative/security body. |
| 令使 | Envoy | A title/rank within the Yingzhao Bureau. |
| 餐霞 | Canxia Realm | A cultivation stage; literally "Radiance-Consuming" or "Cloud-Eating." |
| 无意剑 | Wuyi Sword | "Unintentional Sword," a sword technique of Saint Pei Min. |
| 落叶剑法 | Falling Leaf Swordplay | A sword technique of the Xingfeng Sect. |
| 大悲剑法 | Great Compassion Swordplay | A Buddhist sword technique. |
| 泯雪 | Minxue | "Snow-Eraser," the protagonist's movement/footwork technique. |
| 魏天 | Wei Tian | Wei Qingming's true or more personal name. |
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Dreams of the Ancient Mountain: The Cat's Masquerade | Chapter 86 | No Resentment, Only Longing | Novela.app | Novela.app
