Chapter 41: The Second Book
Zhong Liqian could only explain awkwardly: “It is Zhong Wenzun and Zhong Yinjiang from the Zhong family. These two were once a branch of the Zhong family two hundred years ago, and later became my staff in the form of disciples. I sent a message to these two after I heard about the matter of the mountain fire, hoping they could help us think of a solution. I wonder if you can let them in?”
He had a courteous attitude and was a Mahayana realm cultivator whose words carried a lot of weight so the Purple Spirit Pavilion disciple then took Zhong Liqian to that male Pavilion Master to report this matter.
“Zhong Liqian asked them? These two names… ” The pavilion master put his hand on his forehead and looked at Zhong Liqian hand-written invitation.
Zhong Liqian said that it was rude for the two guests to visit without invitation so he specially wrote an invitation for the two, hoping that the pavilion master would forgive him.
The Purple Spirit pavilion master repeatedly looked at the words “Wenzun” and “Yinjiang” several times then Zhong Liqian said with a shallow smile: “Pavilion master might not know but Zhong family cultivates the sage path, each disciple would choose a subject of knowledge as the foundation of his cultivation. The six arts of gentleman, such as rites, music, archery, chariotry, calligraphy, mathematics, and so on, are all within the scope. The Zhong Wenzun cultivates rites and Zhong Yinjiang music. These two also have some scholar’s frivolity, for fear that others will not know what they learned. They specially chose new names like Wenzun and Yinjiang but their real names were Zhong Liwen and Zhong Liyin.
“The way these two paid their respects at the door was really a bit rude, Liqin will take blame for these two first.”
He cupped his hands together and bent his waist while extending his arms forward, performing an extremely respectful salute.
The Purple Spirit Pavilion Master straightened his back and looked at Zhong Liqian face and said: “In these thirty years, it was said that Zhong family has no vision, mistaking pearls for fish eyes to actually expel Zhong Liqian from the family. I thought this was just a false rumor in the cultivation world, but today, after meeting the Crane Hair Scholar I realized what a true gentleman should be like.”
“Your honor is too kind.” Zhong Liqian said with a faint smile.
“The Purple Spirit Pavilion has been secluded from the world for many years, but there are a lot of people coming to Purple Spirit Pavilion today. Coupled with the fact that a mountain fire erupted for no reason, I was going to close the mountain and no longer receive outside guests, but for the sake of master Zhong I will let them stay for a few days.” The Purple Spirit Pavilion Master said.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” When Zhong Liqian saw the Purple Spirit Pavilion Master put down that invitation a stone weighing in his heart was finally settled down.
He went with the Purple Spirit Pavilion disciples to the Misty Morning Bell. Several female Purple Spirit Pavilion disciples blushed, when looking at Zhaong Liqian and asking him questions along the way, asking him why his hair was white, about his relationship with Baili Qingmiao. Zhong Liqian answered their question truthfully one by one, once they heard that he and Baili Qingmiao had been together for 30 years and were still just righteous siblings, several female disciples’ eyes lit up a bit.
The Purple Spirit Pavilion mountain protection array, excluding Lord’s carriage and flying boat, made other people unable to fly. The flying boat was much slower than Zhong Liqian’s own speed and he also rode with several beautiful female cultivators. But Zhong Liqian felt that he was sitting on the needles all the way to Misty Morning Bell. The disciples opened the formation and Zhong Liqian divine sense felt Wen Renhe and another person so he took a lead in saying: “”Two Zhong family brothers, long time no see.”
He also grabbed the hands of the two men in front of the Purple Spirit Pavilion disciples, frantically hinting. But after squeezing, Zhong Liqian froze.
He turned to Wen Renhe, his eyes still blindfolded, but his doubts written all over his face.
Wen Renhe coldly said: “Master Zhong, thank you for welcoming us. Why don’t we go in and talk about it?”
Wen Renhe didn’t expect that Zhong Liqian would take the initiative to shake hands and failed to avoid it in time, Zhong Liqian held the fake arm and instantly sensed that Wen Renhe condition was not right.
Zhong Liqian also knew that he could not talk about this matter here so he quickly introduced Wen Renhe to several female disciples. The Purple Spirit Pavilion disciples saw that the two of them looked very plain and ordinary after changing their appearance and were not as good as Zhong Liqian so their attitude was rather superficial as they still leaned against Zhong Liqian along the way.
After returning to the room, Zhong Liqian immediately transmitted: “Venerable Wen Renhe, your hand ……”
“Let’s talk about this matter afterwards. Tell me about the Purple Spirit Pavilion Master.” Wen Renhe also quickly transmitted.
Zhong Liqian had to stop asking about his fake arm. Seeing that Yin Hanjiang had already set up a sound-proof formation, he said with confidence: “I have three doubts about Purple Spirit Pavilion Master. First, Purple Spirit Pavilion Master only has female disciples, and he is the only one who is a man.”
“Second, the mountain fire was so sudden but Purple Spirit Pavilion Master appeared so quickly. He arrived as soon as the mountain fire started. I saw the speed of his rickshaw he definitely set out before the mountain fire started. If Liqian calculated the time correctly the time from when Baili Qingmiao went through the door and to the underground crater should just be about right.
“Third, our accommodation arrangements.”
Zhong Liqian drew the structure of the interior of the Purple Spirit Pavilion with tea on the table, and after drawing it, he nodded to a certain room and said: “This is the residence of Baili Qingmiao.”
“Her guest room is right next to the Purple Spirit Pavilion Master’s residence?” After Wen Renhe looked at the map his eyes slightly narrowed as he remembered something.
“I suspect that the other party is coming for Miss Baili,” Zhong Liqian said: “I wonder if lord Wen Renhe has noticed that Miss Baili’s chances are always particularly good?”
“I know,” Wen Renhe waved his sleeve to make the water stains on the table evaporate and disappear without leaving any traces: “But I am not the only person who knows, there is another person.”
He briefly recounted the matter of snow flame in Wanli Ice fields forty years ago and the fierce beating of the Supreme Elder of the Purple Spirit Pavilion. Then Zhong Liqian said after a brief thought, “That’s right, it’s just as I suspected. The Purple Spirit Pavilion master has a male body with a female soul.”
Wen Renhe: “… if she is the scattered immortal that this venerable injured back then, why did she possess a man’s body?”
“I believe we will know in a few days.” Zhong Liqian said, holding the bamboo slip.
It didn’t even take a few days, just the next day the Purple Spirit Pavilion master took out the protected lock core herb and summoned all the disciples of the Shangqing sect and three people of Zhong family, the said: “I have dug up the Lock Core herb and I am willing to hand it over to the Shangqing sect to help save people but under one condition.”
“As long as it doesn’t go against the justice and righteousness path, Shangqing Sect will definitely do it.” He Wenchao said.
This dialogue was exactly the same as the one written in the two books, according to the original book plot Purple Spirit Pavilion master would ask to marry He Wenchao next. But now that this person becomes a male how would it develop? Wen Renhe squinted his eyes and observed.
“It’s very simple, Baili Qingmiao will marry into the Purple Spirit Pavilion.” The Purple Spirit Pavilion master looked at Baili Qingmiao who sat closest to him. His eyes were affectionate and he smiled very gently.
“No!”
“Yes!”
Two voices sounded at the same time, it was He Wenchao and Liu Xinye.
The one who said “no” was naturally He Wenchao, hearing his wife say “yes” he looked at Liu Xinye angrily. However, in front of outsiders, he will not quarrel with his wife. So after giving her a furious glance he turned to the master of Purple Spirit Pavilion and said: “Although this matter does not violate justice, it is also a lifelong event for my younger martial sister. I can’t promise it.”
“It’s not your place to say yes or no, right?” The Purple Spirit Pavilion Master ignored He Wenchao and looked at Baili Qingmiao, placing Lock Core herb right in front of her and saying: “As long as you nod your head and make a soul contract with us, this thing is yours.”
Not only marrying him but also having a soul contract! Cultivators seldom formed a soul contract, once the soul contract was formed, they really will live and die together. Even when He Wenchao and Liu Xinye got married, he did not form a soul contract with his wife. In 《Abusive Love Affair》He Wenchao and Baili Qingmiao also did not form a soul contract till the end. In 《The God of Destruction》 blood demonic ancestor also taught He Wenchao that he should never form a soul contract for love because being tied to that person for life and death would be a burden.
“Elder martial brother, it’s about master’s life.” Liu Xinye stared at her husband and said word after word “The pavilion master is a Mahayana stage cultivator, forming a soul contract with him will only benefit junior martial sister Baili and not harm her. Also under the soul contract, both parties cannot betray each other, since the pavilion master has made this request, he would by no means treat sister Baili as a menace. The younger material sister has not yet refused so why are you so excited about it?”
“You!” He Wenchao pointed at his wife and nearly slapped Liu Xinye.
He did his best to suppress his anger and ran to Baili Qingmiao saying: “Junior martial sister, you must think clearly, don’t wrong yourself!”
In the original book, when Baili Qingmiao heard that Purple Spirit Pavilion Master wanted to marry He Wenchao she was in so much pain that she cried and begged him to not marry.
At this point, He Wenchao said something similar to Liu Xinye: “Junior martial sister, it’s about the life of the master!”
At the moment, because of the Purple Spirit Pavilion Master gender change, He Wenchao said the exact opposite words.
Wen Renhe guessed in his heart seven or eight points but didn’t speak. He just narrowed his eyes to see how Baili Qingmiao would choose.
Xiu Huai was the junior generation disciple so he was not qualified to speak on such occasions. But he also knew that his master was a simpleton, he advanced to the Golden Core realm because of the body of the ghost cultivator, attracting a heavenly calamity comparable to the soul transformation realm and became seriously injured. In order to save him, his master went behind his back to Ruohuai Valley to seek out medical cultivators. The doctor not only separated this master and discipline from immortal Qingxue and Zhong Liqian, but also asked for her nascent soul in exchange and his silly master really planned to hand it over.
Fortunately, Zhong Liqian was smart and arrived just in time to break the formation, master Qingxue beat the scattered immortal medical cultivator severely, and said that she would refine him into a ghost cultivator to eat, so the scattered immortal medical cultivator was forced by master Qingxue to save Xiu Huai.
From that time onwards, Xiu Huai really recognized Baili Qingmiao as a simpleton. It was also because of her stupidity that he was willing to let Qingxue fool around with his soul bound magical weapon. Otherwise, which cultivator would be willing to use that kind of magic weapon, if it wasn’t for the sake of their master!
Fearing that his master would say yes, he reached out to pinch the back of Qingxue’s hand wildly. She was the person with highest cultivation and seniority here so she was the only one qualified to refuse for Baili Qingmiao.
“What are you pinching me for?” Qingxue glared at Xiu Huai : “Say it frankly.”
Xiu Huai: “…”
Good thing Zhong Liqian was already used to his three companions’ way of getting along so he quickly got up and said: “The Purple Spirit Pavilion Master might not know but miss Baili is not able to double cultivate with others.”
“Oh? Why? ” The master of Purple Spirit Pavilion sat lazily in his chair, looking intently at Zhong Liqian; his eyes were even more gentle than when he looked at Baili Qingmiao.
Baili Qingmiao also got up and said: “Pavilion master, because of the chance encounter I have the same compulsion Gu as big brother Zhong. This compulsion Gu is very powerful and even after thirty years, brother Zhong who is Mahayana realm cultivator is not able to deal with it. To be honest, Young Master Zhong cultivation advances rapidly, and he is only one step away from advancing. The reason he has been suppressing his cultivation is all because of me.”
Seeing Baili Qingmiao refuse, Xiu Huai breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh? Can I see your compulsion Gu?” The Purple Spirit Pavilion Master said.
He clasped his hands on the veins of Baili Qingmiao and Zhong Liqian respectively, and after the infusion of his genuine Qi he saw that there were indeed compulsion Gu resonating, and with his power he could not destroy them at the same time.
He murmured: “No, how could it be? It shouldn’t be like this.”
When Wen Renhe heard the words of Purple Spirit Pavilion Master, his expression slightly paused as he looked at this person more intently.
This person looked somewhat similar to the scattered immortal that he fought before, yet not exactly the same. That scattered immortal had taken fancy to Baili Qingmiao innate godhood more than forty years ago, but had never made a move, holding back until now, had something changed?
Wen Renhe thought for a moment and a bold idea emerged in his mind.
‘Zhong Wenzun” stretched lazily as if he was not interested in the internal affairs of the Shangqing sect and took out a book out from his sleeve.
The people around who saw him read the book although they felt it was a bit rude didn’t say anything. After all this was a marriage matter, and it also didn’t seem good to watch the play with an indifferent gaze. The hands of the Zhong family never leave the book. After all Zhong Liqian’s soul-bound magic weapon was also a bamboo book, perhaps this book was also Zhong Wenzun’s magical weapon.
But the book looked strange, there was a man drawn on the cover, not in the popular ink painting style of the mortal world but in color. The character eyebrows and eyes proportion were somewhat exaggerated, but still make him look very handsome.
On the cover of the book there were also a few words written – 《The God of Destruction (Volume 1)》
When the master of Purple Spirit Pavilion saw the book he immediately let go of Baili Qingmiao and Zhong Liqian, suddenly staring at the book in Wen Renhe hands.
“How did you get ……” he opened his mouth but stopped after saying just a few words. He then coldly swept the crowd and said: “Since you do not agree with Baili Qingmiao marriage to me, there is nothing to talk about today. Come back to me when you change your mind.”
After saying this, the man turned around and left, leaving several guests looking at each other.
Wen Renhe transmitted messages respectively to Zhong Liqian and Yin Hanjiang, who noticed the problem: “Don’t come to my room for a while, give this man a little time to reveal himself.”
He took the book and went back to his room alone, lying on the bed and reading for a while, when he heard a knock on the door outside he opened it and saw a women saying that the Purple Pavilion Master had something important to discuss, and hoped that Mr. Zhong could go to the Pavilion Master’s room alone.
Wen Renhe was not afraid to go alone with the book.
After entering the room, the Purple Pavilion Master locked the door and laid down several formations before saying grimly: “Where did you get this book? Why did you deliberately take it out, what did you know?”
“I don’t understand what the Pavilion Master is saying.” Wen Renhe said: “I just picked up an idle book, the writing is quite interesting, so I took it out to read while I was bored.”
“If you can get this book, I’m sure you are not Zhong Wenzun. Zhong Lifei, Cen Zhengqi, Yao Jiaping … you are Zhong Lifei! Purple Spirit Pavilion Master said sharply: “It is rumored that you have been disposed of by the Zhong family, could it be that you took over Zhong Wenzun body to be reborn? Yes, you have this book so you should also know the method of rebirth.”
“If you call me a Zhong Lifei, so be it,” Wen Renhe flipped through the book and said: “But there is a point in this book that is really interesting, it is written here, the Purple Spirit Pavilion master is a great beauty. The wife of He Wenchao is a gentle and virtuous woman. When I came to Purple Spirit Pavilion I was a little surprised to see that the Purple Spirit Pavilion Master was a male.”
“Give me this book!” Purple Spirit Pavilion Master said angrily, reaching out to grab it.
Wen Renhe dodged and directly said: “Since it has already come to this you shouldn’t hide it. I’ve got 《The God of Destruction (Volume 1)》, did you get the other book? How about we exchange books with each other? “
The Purple Spirit Pavilion Master after hearing Wen Renhe words became silent for a while before saying; “I got the third volume, the final volume of this book. Do you know why this book is called God of Destruction? It’s mentioned in the final volume. If you want to know, show me the first volume first.”
Edited by: Ninja
Proofread by: Nio