MOF Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Nangong Yue Saves an Orphan and Joins the Southern Return, Xie Yiling Suddenly Thinks…

“What’s the use of just copying a lot?” Xie Yiling’s tone was normal, but his words were barbed, “Senior Brother Lu has copied the pavilion rules into a mountain, but he still doesn’t understand what righteousness and etiquette are? Has he done any less behind-the-scenes scheming and setting traps for me?”

“You!” Lu Jinnian glanced at the fellow disciples below, gritting his teeth and lowering his voice, “Don’t be too smug.”

Xie Yiling raised his lips slightly, not wanting to waste any more words with him. Stepping on the white stone tiles of the roof, he leaped down, his immortal robes flaring open like startled white birds. His movements were quick and accurate, and he grabbed the green-feathered sparrow, which was still in a pompous state, regardless of its panicked struggles, and pressed its head down with his thumb.

A burst of exclamations rang out from below, mixed with Si Wumian’s cheers.

Afterwards, Xie Yiling didn’t even look at Lu Jinnian. He flew down from the eaves, landing just in front of Si Wumian, “Take it. The culprit who tore up the pavilion rules.”

He used magic to trap the green-feathered sparrow and tossed it towards Si Wumian.

“Hey!” Si Wumian frantically reached out to catch it. The green-feathered sparrow landed on his chest with a “thud” and angrily pecked at his flesh with its smooth beak.

Si Wumian muttered, “If you had killed it, you would also be a culprit.”

“Stop.” Seeing that Xie Yiling was about to leave after showing off, Lu Jinnian flew over to block him. “Xie Yiling, what do you mean by this?”

The surrounding disciples, worried about being implicated if the two, known to be at odds, started fighting, left or scattered for a while, leaving only a few who watched quietly from a distance.

Seeing this, Si Wumian snorted coldly, cupped the green-feathered sparrow in his palm, and was about to step forward to support Xie Yiling when two figures simultaneously blocked his way.

Zhu Zimo said, “Si Shidi, where are you going?”

His twin brother, Zhu Zishan, also said, “What are you worried about? Isn’t Xie Yiling quite capable? Are you afraid he’ll be bullied by Senior Brother Lu?”

Si Wumian coldly said, “A den of snakes and rats.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Zhu Zimo said, “Say whatever you want, but you can’t go over there today.”

Si Wumian was immediately angered. He pushed Zhu Zimo with a palm, saying, “Get out of the way!”

“Hey, Si Shidi, why are you hitting people!” Zhu Zimo shouted loudly and exaggeratedly.

A disciple nearby came over to persuade, “The three senior brothers should each take a step back. It won’t be good if Young Master Yue is called over later.”

The disciple’s words seemed to be advising all three impartially, but in reality, they were subtly criticizing Zhu Zimo for making a loud scene.

“What’s it to you?” Zhu Zishan retorted, but he didn’t dare to do anything, and simply continued to block Si Wumian, one on each side.

Si Wumian told that disciple to go back first, and he stood still, only raising his chin, looking at Xie Yiling across the Zhu family brothers.

“What ‘what do you mean’?” When Xie Yiling stood still, his figure was as straight as a section of green bamboo, “Senior Brother Lu’s words, I don’t understand.”

“I think you understand very well in your heart.” Lu Jinnian said, “From the beginning, you’ve always had to compete with me in everything. Am I really that invincible to you?”

Xie Yiling’s mouth twitched, and he couldn’t help but laugh. After laughing, he belatedly felt a bit disgusted, and his face changed as he said, “Say less disgusting things. Have you lost to me few enough times over the years? If you want to save face, fine, we’ll see each other at the Spirit Trial Gathering in half a month!”

After speaking, he walked past Lu Jinnian and left without looking back.

Si Wumian abruptly pushed aside the human wall in front of him and chased after him, “Senior Brother Xie, wait for me!”

Xie Yiling walked extremely fast, and he disappeared from sight in a short while. Si Wumian followed the road leading to Fufeng Pavilion, calling out as he walked, the green-feathered sparrow in his hand struggling relentlessly all the way.

Si Wumian knew that Xie Yiling hadn’t caught it for any other reason than to anger Lu Jinnian. In the end, he would still have to let it return to the back mountain. But to just release it… thinking about the pavilion rules that he would have to copy again, it would probably be another sleepless night, and he felt his eyelids drooping.

“You, you,” he raised the green-feathered sparrow and began to scold it, “What did you have to tear up? Why did it have to be the pavilion rules? I ask you, do you want to go back to the back mountain?”

“Chirp!”

The green-feathered sparrow nodded.

“Then you should make up for your mistakes.” Si Wumian released the magic that was binding it, “Help me find the person who caught you earlier, it’s not hard, right?”

The green-feathered sparrow nodded again. It hopped twice, from Si Wumian’s shoulder to the top of his head, then chirped and kicked off, flying away.

Si Wumian froze in place: “…”

Birds play people, birds are treacherous!

And the person he was looking for was currently lying on a tree not far from him, carelessly chewing on a thin blade of grass.

Xie Yiling had watched the entire process of Si Wumian being played by the green-feathered sparrow and only felt amused. Seeing the person below stiffen and then start looking for him again, acting as if he wouldn’t give up until he found him, he helplessly spoke out, “Si Wumian, do you have nothing better to do?”

Hearing his voice, Si Wumian’s face immediately lit up with joy, “Senior Brother Xie, I finally found you!”

“What are you looking for me for?” Xie Yiling sat up from the tree trunk, propping his chin with one hand, and looked down at the person on the ground, “Have you finished your homework for today?”

Mentioning homework, Si Wumian scratched his head and chuckled twice, “I finished it, Young Master Yue even praised me!”

Xie Yiling’s body stiffened, and the smile that had been brought about by the previous scene lessened by more than half, “Enough nonsense, what’s the matter with you following me?”

Only then did Si Wumian remember the purpose of looking for Xie Yiling, saying, “You just said to Lu Jinnian that you’d see him at the Spirit Trial Gathering in half a month.”

“Yes, I said it, so what?” The leaves rustled. Xie Yiling spat out the wild grass in his mouth while answering and jumped down from the tree.

“You remembered wrongly, right? The Spirit Trial Gathering isn’t in half a month, it clearly starts in only five days.” Si Wumian didn’t forget to advise him, “Senior Brother Xie, you’d better hurry up!”

“What? Five days!” Xie Yiling’s landing motion was a bit clumsy, and he exclaimed, “Didn’t they say it was in half a month before?”

Si Wumian sighed, “The time has already been changed, Senior Brother Xie, did you not listen carefully to the elders again?”

Xie Yiling’s originally leisurely expression disappeared, and worry covered his face. His voice was also a bit muffled as he said, “I know. Thanks, I’m going back first.”

Seeing that he had suddenly lost his energy, Si Wumian couldn’t help but worry, “Senior Brother Xie, are you alright?”

Xie Yiling waved his hand, saying, “I’m fine. I was just thinking that only disciples who pass the Spirit Trial Gathering can go to the Spirit Trial Platform to choose a weapon that belongs to them. If I don’t pass, not only will I not have a weapon for the next year,” he paused, and his tone became unpleasant, “I don’t know how Lu Jinnian and his group will laugh at me.”

Si Wumian’s face changed slightly, “Those two, Zhu Zimo and Zhu Zishan, follow Lu Jinnian around all day, groveling and flattering him. Every time I see them, I feel disgusted.”

Xie Yiling thought of something, his eyebrows and eyes smiling, and suddenly said, “How can Lu Jinnian trip me up?”

He didn’t say the rest of his words, but Si Wumian knew it better than anyone else.

Since first entering the Southern Return eight years ago, Si Wumian had watched Xie Yiling transform from a soft persimmon who would stumble when talking to people into the hard bone he was today, who would go three days without causing trouble on the roof.

And what caused all of this, besides Xie Yiling’s nature, was probably… the indulgence of Immortal Lord Fufeng.

The figure of the hard bone gradually walked away. Si Wumian turned his head and also turned to leave.

It was late spring, and the crabapple trees in Fufeng Pavilion were full of pink blossoms. As soon as Xie Yiling entered the pavilion, he saw the fat flowers and slender branches clustered together.

The crabapple branches were high, and their swaying waists seemed to be bowing to people. Xie Yiling accepted this courtesy and strode inside, suddenly hearing a burst of crisp bells.

He stopped and saw a corner of the Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion’s snow-white immortal robes peeking out from under the drooping crabapple branches.

Today, the wind was clear and the sun was bright. Under the crabapple tree, there was a white-robed Daoist, a silver bell hanging from his waist, ringing crisply.

Nangong Ci turned his head and saw Xie Yiling. His ink-like eyebrows and eyes unfolded slightly, and he lifted his foot and walked over. As if walking through thousands of mountains and rivers, across thousands of generations.

Xie Yiling suddenly thought of the phrase “A god descended from heaven to save me.” He straightened his body and respectfully bowed to Nangong Ci, saying, “Greetings, Immortal Lord Fufeng.”

Nangong Ci only found it amusing, “Brother isn’t here, who are you pretending to call for?”

Xie Yiling smiled and asked, “Sixth Brother, do you have important matters today?”

Nangong Ci’s gaze lightly fell on his face, “What matters do you have?”

Xie Yiling sighed, “Sixth Brother doesn’t know, seeing that the Spirit Trial Gathering is only five days away, I still don’t quite know how to circulate spiritual energy. At that time, I’m afraid I’ll become a laughingstock for all the disciples in the pavilion!”

Seeing that as he spoke, anxiety really gathered between his brows, Nangong Ci raised his hand and touched his head, saying somewhat helplessly, “Come with me, I’ll teach you.”

Hearing this, Xie Yiling’s face immediately lit up with joy, and a shallow dimple appeared on his face that had lost its baby fat, “I knew Sixth Brother would definitely help me!”

Nangong Ci casually knocked on his head, “A unique secret, only taught once, learn well.”

Xie Yiling’s expression immediately became serious, “Thank you for the Daoist Lord’s teachings.”

Nangong Ci looked at him, only smiling and not speaking.

Xie Yiling kept a straight face, his expression extremely similar to another person: “A-Ling is now the Immortal Lord Fufeng of the Southern Return. Xie Yiling, from now on, you must change your previous way of addressing me. You can’t be without rules.”

Nangong Ci chuckled and comforted him, “Don’t take Brother’s words to heart.”

Xie Yiling nodded, “I know.”

Because the Spirit Trial Gathering was only five days away, Xie Yiling wished he could stay in Fufeng Pavilion twenty-four hours a day. However, although he had time, Nangong Ci was short on manpower.

The current Nangong Ci had been granted the title of “Immortal Lord Fufeng” by the headmaster a year ago and assisted Nangong Yue in managing the Southern Return. It was at that time that he changed his style name, from “Yiling” to “Fufeng.”

The former style name was requested by Xie Ci, who was present at the time, to the headmaster.

Nowadays, Nangong Yue has to go to various places to exorcise evil spirits from time to time, so the Southern Return is almost entirely taken care of by Nangong Ci.

Xie Yiling practiced by himself for a while. Seeing that Nangong Ci had not yet returned, he put away his wooden sword and sat on the stone bench nearby, intending to rest for a while.

“Senior Brother Xie!” Si Wumian’s voice came from outside the house. After a series of footsteps, he arrived in the courtyard.

Xie Yiling was feeling bored. Seeing him come, his mood also improved. He raised his eyebrows, which were covered in a thin layer of sweat, and asked, “Why did you come?”

Si Wumian must have run all the way over. His originally fair face now showed a bit of flushed red, and he was breathing heavily as he spoke, “Don’t, don’t mention it! It’s infuriating!”

After his breathing became more steady, Si Wumian said indignantly, “Tell me, how can someone like Lu Jinnian have the nerve to cultivate and become an immortal?”

Hearing this, Xie Yiling really seriously considered it and concluded, “By relying on thick skin.”

Si Wumian strongly agreed, reached out his hand, and bumped fists with him.

Having only sat for a moment, Xie Yiling stood up and picked up the wooden sword from the ground again.

Si Wumian moved aside a bit, watching Xie Yiling circulate spiritual energy with the sword and said, “Today, I heard other disciples say that after the Spirit Trial Gathering, the elders of the Southern Return will choose disciples. It seems that Immortal Lord Fufeng will also take in disciples.”