Chapter 39: Putting Feathers on One’s Head and Competing with the Sky

In the world, people are like flowers on branches—blooming and withering, gathering and parting, often beyond their control. (Gu Long)
……
Stretching and rubbing his eyes, Liu Yi jumped out of bed. They had talked late into the night the previous evening, and Shi Jieyi refused to sleep alone, insisting on staying with Liu Yi. With no other choice, Liu Yi practiced the martial arts techniques taught by the Wolf King before falling asleep with Shi Jieyi. Thus, a room was left vacant, and Shui Er didn’t go back either.
Liu Yi opened the door, and a fresh scent greeted him. The warmth from the sunlight enveloped him. Waving his fan, he said, “The weather is really nice today. The air here is excellent.”
“Of course,” replied the beautiful fairy, Shui Er. “Kunlun is the gateway to the divine realm. If the air here isn’t good, where else could it be?”
Liu Yi smiled. “Shui Er, you got up so early too.”
Shui Er gave a sweet smile, and it seemed as though time itself paused for a moment. She continued, “I can’t sleep any longer. I need to prepare breakfast for you all.”
It was then that Liu Yi noticed a lavish breakfast already laid out on the stone table—full to the brim, along with a large plate of fruits. Shaking his head, he said, “I thought Shui Er was only beautiful, but I didn’t expect her to be so thoughtful. It seems my eyes were distracted.”
Shui Er replied, “Enough praise. Go wash up and come back for breakfast. I’ll call them.” With that, she turned and headed to another room.
Liu Yi found a spring beside the stone house and thought, “This Divine Gate is truly different. Even the way of life here is unlike that in the Jiangnan region.”
When he looked back, he saw Shi Jieyi acting as usual—complaining that he wasn’t awake while heading toward the food. Da Dao Wang, on the other hand, was quite peculiar—his hair standing on end as he staggered toward Liu Yi. As for A Jiu, he complained that there weren’t even maids here while searching for a spring himself.
The three of them were extremely awkward, and Liu Yi shook his head helplessly. He sat down at the stone table, chatting with Shui Er while eating…
Finally, after eating three times in a row, everyone took turns finishing their meals. Liu Yi patted his stomach and said, “I’m full.”
“Do you like the food, young man?” came a rough voice.
Liu Yi stood up and saw Bo Cangqiong approaching from around the corner of the stone house. Liu Yi nodded and said, “Elder, Shui Er’s food is absolutely delicious to me. And the fruits here in the Divine Gate are unparalleled.” He didn’t understand why Bo Cangqiong had come here. He had said he needed three days to consider—had he changed his mind?
Bo Cangqiong laughed heartily. “Good. As long as you like it. Do you know why I came here today?”
Liu Yi shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I’m ignorant. I don’t know, Elder…”
Bo Cangqiong said, “Yesterday afternoon, I already met the head of the Divine Gate in the main hall and discussed things with him. I had no doubts. But… the head wants to meet you.”
Liu Yi thought to himself, “What’s this old man trying to pull? Isn’t the head of the Divine Gate just a young rookie who just took over? Why would he want to see me?”
He still shook his head. “I… don’t quite understand.”

Bo Cangqiong smiled and said, “Even if I wanted to lend you the treasure, I’d need the sect master’s approval. So… do you understand now?”
Liu Yi quickly nodded and said, “So what you’re saying is, as long as the sect master agrees, I can use that mirror to seal the demons?”
Bo Cangqiong laughed and said, “You’re not that stupid after all, haha… Are you full?”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “Thank you for the compliment, sir. I’ve already eaten. I’m ready to meet the sect master at any time.”
Bo Cangqiong nodded and glanced at Shui Er, saying, “The sect master wants you to go with Young Master Liu as well.”
Shui Er pouted and whispered, “Why do I have to go? I don’t want to see that pervert at all.”
Although her voice was soft, Liu Yi and Bo Cangqiong, who were close by, heard it. Bo Cangqiong lowered his voice and said, “Be obedient, Shui Er. He’s the sect master, and we must obey him.”
Shui Er’s mouth almost reached her chin as she nodded and said, “Okay.”
At that moment, A Jiu, the Great Sword King, and Shi Jie Yi also ran over and said, “We also need to go to the main hall.”
Bo Cangqiong’s expression changed, and he said seriously, “Is it okay to enter the Divine Gate Hall just like that? Wait here. If anyone wanders off, they’ll bear the consequences.” With that, he turned and headed outside.
Liu Yi turned back and said, “Wait here for me. I’ll be back soon.” Then he followed after them.
Shui Er also said, “Don’t wander around. There are many talisman arrays in the Divine Gate, which are very dangerous. Wait for us here.” Then she followed as well.
A Jiu stamped his foot and said, “Hmph, they’re all dead. They underestimate us!”
Shi Jie Yi hurriedly tried to calm A Jiu, saying, “Alright, alright. A Jiu, don’t be angry. Let’s go eat fruits. I heard the fruits in the Divine Gate have health benefits and can even make the skin smoother or something.”
All this was what Shi Jie Yi had learned from Liu Yi. Women love beauty—it’s in their nature. Once they hear it can beautify them, they’ll surely try it… But when spoken by Shi Jie Yi, it sounded messy.
Fortunately, A Jiu was smart. Hearing this, he forgot all his worries and rushed toward the fruit plate…
As for Liu Yi, he followed Bo Cangqiong and Shui Er upward to the Divine Gate Hall. As they walked, Bo Cangqiong asked, “Young man, have you learned martial arts?”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “I’m not sure if it counts as martial arts, but I’ve learned a bit on my own.”
Bo Cangqiong smiled and said, “It takes an ordinary person an hour to climb up to the Divine Gate Hall. You’ve been walking with me for such a long time without getting flushed or out of breath. It seems you’ve learned more than just a little, haha.”
After being reminded by him, Liu Yi finally realized he had climbed for so long without using any martial techniques or internal energy, yet he wasn’t tired at all. Could it be he had made new progress these past few days?
Liu Yi nodded and said, “A friend taught me some martial arts. Otherwise, in this chaotic world, I might have already been killed by bandits.”
Bo Cangqiong said as they walked, “In my opinion, ordinary bandits can’t kill you now.”
Liu Yi smiled and said, “Well, the fact that I’m still alive proves that.”

Bo Cangqiong only asked Liu Yi some trivial questions, but through these trivial talks, the three of them had already arrived in front of the Divine Gate Hall. Towering into the clouds, it was impossible to see the entire hall surrounded by clouds. The gate was twelve zhang high, truly magnificent… Bo Cangqiong raised his right hand slightly and flung his sleeve; the two nine-zhang-wide gates seemed to be pushed open slowly as if by someone. Yellow light shone from inside, so dazzling that it made it impossible to open one’s eyes for a moment. Bo Cangqiong said, “Young Master Liu, please come in.” Liu Yi forced himself to open his eyes. Once he got used to the yellow light, he saw that the hall was extremely spacious, with six stone pillars stretching endlessly on both sides. There was no one inside. Looking ahead, he saw a figure sitting on a throne hundreds of zhang away. Liu Yi thought to himself, “This must be the master of the Divine Gate.” With that thought, he walked inside. Upon reaching the throne, Bo Cangqiong stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Report, Master. Young Master Liu and your disciple have been brought here.” After saying that, he remained motionless. Liu Yi secretly looked up: the person on the throne appeared to be under thirty years old, with a face full of “craftiness.” He wore silver armor and a seven-star crown, along with two “phoenix feathers,” probably thinking he looked handsome and dashing. But Liu Yi didn’t understand why everyone in the Divine Gate wore such feathers on their heads. Did they think it made them look cool? Liu Yi and Shui’er stepped forward. Liu Yi said first, “I am Liu Yi, a scholar from the south. I pay my respects to the master of the Divine Gate.” Then he bowed. Shui’er added, “Shui’er also pays her respects to the master.” The master with feathers on his head glanced at Liu Yi and then at Shui’er, saying, “Come here, Shui’er, to your brother Qiong… Why didn’t you come to see your brother last time you returned to the Divine Gate?” Shui’er glanced back at Bo Cangqiong, who gave her a signal to go over. Shui’er had no choice but to lower her head and walk slowly over. The master with feathers on his head quickly said, “Oh… right, right. Please forgive Qiong Fenglei for not greeting you properly. Please sit down first.” Bo Cangqiong sat down on a stone bench next to Liu Yi. Liu Yi thought to himself, “Looking at you like that, how can you be Qiong Fenglei? You look more like ‘Poor Madman.’ And yet you can be the master of a sect?” Suddenly, Bo Cangqiong’s voice came to Liu Yi’s mind: “Young brother, you can think what you want, but don’t say it out loud.” Liu Yi looked at Bo Cangqiong in confusion. Although this master wasn’t very good, the elder beside him was unfathomable… He had no idea that Bo Cangqiong had used the Divine Gate’s “mind-reading” and “telepathy” skills on him. Shui’er finally reached the side of the master with feathers on his head, the “Poor Madman.” The guy rolled his lecherous eyes, grabbed Shui’er’s hand, and said with a lewd smile, “Shui’er, you haven’t come to see your brother Qiong for so many days. You must miss me terribly.” Liu Yi felt a chill and shuddered, thinking, “Why is my body so numb? If this continues, I might vomit.” Bo Cangqiong telepathically said seriously, “Young brother, hold on. Otherwise, learn from me—just vomit. After a few years, you’ll get used to it.” Liu Yi quickly shook his head. Then they heard the master with feathers on his head say, “Shui’er, I think we should get married.”

Shui’er hurriedly stepped back, sneaking a glance toward Bo Cangqiong, her eyes filled with a plea for help…
Bo Cangqiong suddenly stood up, clasped his fists, and said, “Master, please reconsider. Shui’er already has someone she loves.”
Qiong Fenglei turned sharply and asked, “Shui’er’s sweetheart? Who is it?”
Bo Cangqiong resolutely turned around, pointed at Liu Yi, and said, “It’s him.”
Liu Yi quickly stood up, intending to say he already had a fiancée, but when he saw Bo Cangqiong’s eyes blinking 360 times per second, he couldn’t speak.
Liu Yi certainly understood what Bo Cangqiong meant—this way, Shui’er could get rid of this annoying master, and he would indirectly do a good deed. Yet, he still felt that this “good deed” was rather troublesome.
The Master finally regained his composure, cleared his throat awkwardly twice, and said, “Well then, Shui’er, go sit down first.”
Hearing this, Shui’er felt as if she’d been pardoned. She ran down at nearly three times the speed she went up and sat down next to Liu Yi…
The Master narrowed his eyes and glared at Liu Yi, saying, “Are you the scholar from Fengmo Town? Here to borrow a magic artifact?”
Liu Yi stepped forward and said, “It is indeed me.”
The Master’s eyes rotated 720 times in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Nodding, he said, “Young Master Liu is truly a man of chivalry. But… if the magic artifacts of our sect are taken away like this, how can our sect maintain its authority in the eyes of the world?”
Liu Yi took out his folding fan and thought to himself, “This guy is clearly looking for trouble.”
He continued, “Master, then what do you mean…”
Qiong Fenglei smiled, fiddling with the two night pearls in his hand, and said, “I’ve heard that Liu Yi is a talented scholar from the south, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Even the emperor of the human world highly admires his abilities.”
Liu Yi shook his head and said, “I don’t understand what you mean, Master.”
Qiong Fenglei abruptly stopped smiling and said coldly, “That’s why I feel very uncomfortable. I really want to see the talents of this great scholar, Liu Yi.”
After a pause, he added, “In that case, I’d like to compete with you in playing the guqin. I consider myself fairly skilled in music. If, unfortunately, I win, then please go back the way you came and forget about Fengmo Town.”
Liu Yi waved his folding fan and thought, “This guy is clearly trying to embarrass me. This is his territory; everyone here is his. How can I win? But if I don’t compete, I won’t be able to help Fengmo Town, let alone Shui’er beside me.”
He replied, “What if I happen to win?”
The Master laughed loudly and said, “Good! If you can win, I’ll agree to any request you make.”
Liu Yi looked at the Master and smiled, saying, “Well then, it seems Master is very confident in music. In that case, I, the humble Liu Yi, dare to accept your challenge.” With that, he sat back down.
Qiong Fenglei waved his sleeve, and two men in white armor appeared immediately—apparently his guards. He ordered, “Go prepare the guqin.”
The two guards left at once.
Qiong Fenglei continued, “For this competition, let the two guards, Elder Bo, and Shui’er serve as judges.”

Liu Yi nodded and said, “I’m fine.” Meanwhile, he thought to himself, “This ‘poor madman’ seems to have some real skills; otherwise, he wouldn’t have just hired these four as referees. Could he really intend to defeat me with music?” Indeed, Qiong Fenglei was most skilled in music, something Liu Yi, who had just arrived at Shenmen, was unaware of. Qiong Fenglei wanted to use music to defeat Liu Yi, embarrassing this talented man from the south in front of Shui Er, preventing him from fulfilling Uncle Fengmo Zhenjiu’s trust and ruining his reputation completely, thus stripping him of his title as a talent. The two guards had already placed the guqin in the middle of the hall. Liu Yi waved his folding fan and said, “The sect master has invited you.” Qiong Fenglei didn’t hesitate. Perhaps he wanted to see Liu Yi embarrassed as soon as possible, so he wanted to start quickly. With a leap, he flew straight down from his high throne and sat down steadily beside the guqin. Liu Yi waved his folding fan as he walked toward Shui Er, slowly saying, “There are always those better than us; there’s always a higher mountain.” He sat down gently, ready to enjoy the music of this so-called “talented” man.