Chapter 37: Visiting the Divine Gate, Mortal Troubles
Only true friendship remains bright and everlasting. (Gu Long)
……
“The camellias emit a fragrant aroma; what fine tea!” Liu Yi praised Shui Er’s tea as he tasted it.
A Jiu took it, took a big gulp, and said, “Hmph! How come I didn’t smell any fragrance? What kind of tea is this? It’s so poor—far worse than the tea in the palace.”
Shui Er smiled slightly at A Jiu, who was deliberately causing trouble, and said, “Sister A Jiu, this is just coarse tea. Maybe you’re not used to it. But in these mountains, this is the only tea I have. Please forgive me, Sister A Jiu.”
Liu Yi glanced at A Jiu. What kind of person was this? Clearly a troublemaker. Having Shi Jie Yi around was enough trouble; now there was also A Jiu. Usually, Shi Jie Yi avoided women, but this guy kept picking on them. It seemed like all the women around him had some grudge against A Jiu. Alright, perfect. Trouble was coming his way.
Liu Yi changed the subject and said, “Let’s stop talking about tea. Everyone has different tastes. Let’s talk about the reason for my visit to the Kunlun Divine Gate.”
After serving tea for everyone, Shui Er sat next to Liu Yi and asked, “That’s right. Young Master Liu, you still haven’t told us why you’re here.”
A Jiu gave Liu Yi a disdainful look and whispered, “It’s because that fool loves to meddle in others’ affairs.”
Although everyone heard it, they didn’t say anything, pretending not to hear to avoid trouble.
Liu Yi felt upset. Was A Jiu his enemy? If not for her, he wouldn’t have so many problems. But despite his thoughts, he didn’t want to offend this stubborn Ninth Princess either.
Liu Yi said, “When we passed through Fengmo Town, we met an old man there. We call him Uncle Jiu, and he told us about some events happening in Fengmo Town.”
Shui Er put down her tea and said, “Oh, the story of Fengmo Town. My master once mentioned it to me. I heard it’s always unstable. A hundred years ago, when my master passed by there, he subdued a group of demons.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi also put down his tea and said, “So that person was your master? Uncle Jiu said that those who subdued the demons were worried that the demons might break free after a hundred years, so they left a message saying that people could go to Kunlun Mountain and the Divine Gate a hundred years later to seek magic artifacts to subdue the demons.”
Shui Er shook her head. “I’ve never heard my master mention that.”
Liu Yi quickly asked, “Then, did anyone come to the Divine Gate to seek those treasures twelve years ago?”
Shui Er shook her head again. “I’ve never heard of it. But I was young at that time. My master probably kept me locked in the house every day, so even if something happened, I wouldn’t have known.”
Liu Yi stopped asking questions and fell into thought. “Could it be… that the people sent twelve years ago never made it to the Divine Gate? Or something happened to them on the way?”
Shui Er took a sip of tea and, seeing Liu Yi lost in thought, asked, “Young Master Liu, are you here to get those treasures?”
Liu Yi nodded. “Fairy Shui Er is right. I’ve been entrusted by Uncle Jiu to come to the Divine Gate to find treasures that can subdue demons. Otherwise, if the demons in Fengmo Town break free, not only will Fengmo Town suffer, but people all over the world will also endure hardship as the situation spreads.”
Shui’er gazed at Liu Yi with her beautiful eyes and said softly, “I truly admire Lord Liu for thinking of the people of the world.”
Ah Jiu looked into Shui’er’s eyes and immediately felt uneasy, rushing to say, “I mean, Sister Shui’er, when will you introduce us to the head of the Divine Gate? Let me, Ah Jiu, also get a chance to see the greatness of the leader of this heavenly realm!”
Shui’er put down her teacup and said, “The head probably doesn’t know about this. Asking him would only cause more trouble. How about you follow me to see our master? He has subdued many demons and monsters. If we ask him, he will surely have a solution.”
Ah Jiu casually replied, “So Sister Shui’er’s master isn’t the head of the Divine Gate? I thought…”
Shui’er continued, “Sister Ah Jiu, you’ve misunderstood. My master is one of the four elders of the Divine Gate, in charge of guarding the ‘Red Flower.’ His real name is Bo Cangqiong. He hasn’t been around the three realms for a long time. I wonder if anyone still knows him.”
As soon as Shui’er finished speaking, the Great Sword King quickly interjected, “I know, I know! Ever since I was born, I’ve heard stories about Bo Cangqiong’s ‘Heart-Repelling Spear’ that swept through the martial world, and his ‘Heavenly Heart Talisman’ that blasted the five continents with lightning. Those stories have endured for ages. But… it seems Shui’er’s master was even more famous than the current head of the Divine Gate.”
Shui’er smiled and said, “That’s just because the new head has just taken office. Over time, how could his fame surpass that of my master?”
The Great Sword King took a sip of tea and sighed, “What a pity. Twenty years ago, I don’t know why the former head retired without reason. If only the Divine Gate had left it to a younger generation… Now, its prestige has even fallen below that of the Demon Gate, not to mention compared to the Human Realm’s Cold Sword.”
Shui’er shook her head and sighed, “These are not things we should worry about. My master always teaches me that doing one’s duty well and living without shame before heaven and earth is the best.”
The Great Sword King nodded as well…
Shui’er stood up and said, “Lord Liu, let me take you to see our master first. Let’s finish this matter first, and then we can talk, okay?”
Liu Yi smiled and said, “Of course. I never expected that Fairy Shui’er is not only beautiful but also sensible. I truly admire her.”
Shui’er smiled and said, “Lord Liu, stop praising me. If you keep it up, I’ll lose my way.” With that, she led the way outside.
Ah Jiu followed behind and whispered, “Hey, I think you’ve already lost your way.”
Shi Jieyi saw Ah Jiu’s murderous gaze and asked doubtfully, “What’s wrong, Ah Jiu? It seems you don’t have a good impression of Shui’er.”
Ah Jiu glanced at Shi Jieyi and said, “Of course I don’t. Let’s go.”
The group continued up the stairs. Looking up, they could faintly see the main hall of the Divine Gate—thirty-three zhang high and sixteen zhang wide, surrounded entirely by clouds.
Shui’er said, “That’s the main hall. Ordinary people aren’t allowed in unless there’s a reason. Come, turn left with me.” Then, she turned left halfway up the stairs.
As they walked, Shui’er continued, “In our Divine Gate, people’s living areas depend on their rank. The higher the rank, the higher the residence. My master lives right below the main hall.”
Liu Yi smiled and said, “Since Elder Bo is one of the elders of the Divine Gate, it makes no sense for him not to live below the main hall.”
Suddenly, Shui’er stopped beneath a very smooth wall and whispered, “My master doesn’t like to be disturbed. I’ll go in first to check things out. You wait outside.” With that, she took out a yellow spirit talisman from her waist, held it between her middle fingers, and sent a white light through her meridians, which merged into the yellow talisman. In the blink of an eye, just like Liu Yi, she moved her right hand and attached the talisman to her body, disappearing from everyone’s sight in an instant.
The Great Sword King widened his eyes in awe and exclaimed, “So amazing… Ah. This is the ‘Invisibility Talisman’ I’ve always longed for. If I could master it, I wouldn’t have to worry about sneaking in to watch beautiful women bathe anymore.”
“A ‘Thunder Curse’—a sharp cry!”
With a crack, a thunderbolt struck in broad daylight, and a white lightning bolt instantly hit the Great Sword King…
Liu Yi and the others watched the Great Sword King in shock when Shui’er’s laughter was heard. “Stop this guy from talking nonsense. Give him a lesson. Don’t worry, I haven’t mastered even 10% of my Thunder Curse, so it won’t hurt him. I’m leaving. Wait for me.”
Not even 10% mastered? Though she said that, looking at the Great Sword King—his whole body was pitch black and shiny, his hair stood straight up, his entire body emitted the smell of burning pig hair, and everything on his face except for his eyes was black. Black smoke kept coming out of his mouth. He muttered, “What kind of world is this? Does talking count as a crime?” With a thud, he fell to the ground and was silent forever…
A Jiu looked at the fallen Great Sword King and thought to himself, “This little girl clearly isn’t showing this to me. I need to be careful. Otherwise, I might get struck by her. That wouldn’t be worth it.”
Liu Yi and the Ten Heroes walked over to the Great Sword King, knelt down, and shook their heads. The Ten Heroes said together, “Brother, I can only say you’re really lucky. A thunderbolt in broad daylight—first time I’ve seen that in twenty years. What a coincidence—it hit you right away. Luck, nothing but luck.”
Liu Yi didn’t say anything. Seeing the Great Sword King’s appearance, he really wanted to laugh, but he was too embarrassed to do so… His face turned red.
The Great Sword King stared blankly at the sky and said, “I know you want to laugh. Go ahead, I don’t blame you.” As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yi and the Ten Heroes were laughing so hard they couldn’t stand straight.
Since nothing else could be done, they helped the Great Sword King up. But he had no clothes to change into, his hair wouldn’t fall down no matter what, and black smoke would come out every time he burped. Liu Yi shook his head and laughed, “Let’s leave it at that. Honestly, your look isn’t bad either.”
Just then, two people emerged from the smooth wall. One was Shui’er, and the other was dressed in silver armor, with tightly tied black hair and two “phoenix feathers” on his crown. He looked upright and righteous, appearing to be around forty years old! Could this middle-aged man be Shui’er’s master? One of the Four Elders of the Divine Gate—Bo Cangqiong?
No matter how Liu Yi looked at the old man, he thought he resembled an opera actor, just based on his outfit. How many opera fans would he attract?
The middle-aged man spoke up, “I am indeed Bo Cangqiong. I just heard from Shui’er that the Seal Demon Sect sent someone to borrow something to suppress evil demons. May I ask who’s speaking?”
Liu Yi stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, “Elder Bo, I am Liu Yi from Jiangnan. I was appointed by the elders of Fengmo Town. On Uncle Jiu’s behalf, I’ve come to retrieve the item used to suppress evil forces.”
Bo Cangqiong sized Liu Yi up and asked, “Are you a disciple of Leng Jian from the human realm?”
Not understanding Bo Cangqiong’s intent, Liu Yi replied, “Elder, I’m just an ordinary person, a first-tier scholar, not a hero of the three realms. I’m acting on Uncle Jiu’s request, fearing that the evil forces in Fengmo Town will harm humanity.”
Bo Cangqiong remained silent. Clearly, his earlier question was to ensure Liu Yi wasn’t trying to steal the sacred treasure by lying, to test whether he had the integrity to return it.
Liu Yi continued, “I wonder if there’s anything difficult you’d like to discuss?”
Bo Cangqiong smiled kindly, giving off an impression of trustworthiness. “Young man, the treasure to suppress evil does exist. But the ‘Qiankun Mirror’ is one of the Twenty-Four Sacred Treasures of the Divine Gate, and it’s also the greatest treasure I’ve cultivated over the past ten years. Yet, based solely on your words, I might lose this sacred item.”
Shui Er quickly interjected, “Master, Young Master Liu is a good person. Please help him!”
Bo Cangqiong smiled and looked at Shui Er. “Little girl, I already know he’s good. Have I lived in vain all these years? But human desires keep growing—there’s no comparison between one moment and the next.”
Liu Yi said unhappily, “If you don’t trust me, Elder, I have two solutions.”
Bo Cangqiong was surprised. “Oh? What are they? Tell me.”
Liu Yi waved his folding fan. “First, you can go to Fengmo Town yourself to eliminate the evil forces. It’s faster and less troublesome, and I won’t have to go either. Second, if you think traveling to Fengmo Town is too tiring, I can do it for you. Within a month, I’ll return the treasure. Otherwise, the Divine Gate can issue a warrant for Liu Yi in Jiangnan. Though I’m just a first-tier scholar, I’m quite famous there. The Divine Gate could offer a reward of ten thousand taels—catching me wouldn’t be hard at all.”
Bo Cangqiong suddenly laughed and said, “Haha, what a remarkable scholar! What a brilliant mouth! Not bad, not bad. Full of integrity—I like that. They say scholars are upright, but I didn’t believe it. Today, I’m ashamed.”
Liu Yi wasn’t sure what game this old man was playing and grew puzzled…
Bo Cangqiong smiled. “What the young man says makes sense. But I do have my reasons for not going. Otherwise, I would have gone to Fengmo Town long ago. As for your second suggestion… is Young Master Liu implying that the Divine Gate of the three realms is so narrow-minded?”
Liu Yi smiled. “How dare I? It was just a moment of urgency.”
Bo Cangqiong laughed. “Only then can we see your true nature. Well… I’ll consider it and report this to the sect leader. I’ll give you an answer within three days.”
Liu Yi bowed politely. “Thank you, Elder. For thinking of the people, please make a wise decision.”
Bo Cangqiong smiled. “Not bad, not bad. Shui Er really has good taste.”
His words sounded mysterious, but A Jiu and Shui Er understood—after all, they were both women. What was there not to understand? Shui Er blushed and quickly pulled at Bo Cangqiong’s robe. “Master…”
Bo Cangqiong laughed heartily and said, “Alright, Shui’er, please ask those young masters to go rest at the foot of the mountain on my behalf. The master needs some time to think about going to the Upper Divine Gate Hall.” With that, he turned around and disappeared on the smooth stone wall.
The Great Sword King widened his eyes and blurted, “This is even more amazing! If one can learn to pass through walls, they won’t need to use doors to enter rooms—how many boudoirs can they break into…?” Before he could finish, another thunderclap rang out, striking straight at the Great Sword King’s standing hair.
A gentle breeze blew, and in it, everyone smelled something burnt. Looking back against the wind, they saw the Great Sword King covered in black smoke, his hair standing even straighter. Trembling, he said, “Damn it… so… accurate.”
Shui’er hurriedly explained, “It wasn’t me who used it. It seems… it seems to be the master who did.”