The Transcendent Immortal Chapter 178 So Long, Jade Qing Sect

At first light the following morning, Xiao Chen was at the Coalesced Colors Hall which sat at the foot of Yuqing Mountain. He was being sent off by his companions and comrades. Perfected Immortal Qing Chen remained quiet all the time, silently pondering, until he said suddenly, "It might be good for you to go venturing abroad. But you have to be careful. Do not be brash especially if you encounter any strong opponents. We are here if you need us. We might be able to mediate things for you."

Xiao Chen's heroics had made him widely-recognized as a son of the Eastern Continent. But the relations.h.i.+ps between the Five Continents of the Violet Manor have been delicately brittle that even the slightest tumult could cause tremendous upheaval.

Hence, the Perfected Immortal was hinting to him that the Jade Qing Sect would always be there for him in the case of any unfriendly conflicts with certain factions from other continents. There was no need to incite further hostilities and break the uneasy peace across the lands.

But Xiao Chen was hardly a person was eager to invite trouble upon himself; he full well knew that the true purpose of his trip was to search for the trails of his Teacher. Moxuan Zi appeared suddenly from the inner chambers of the hall, waving his fan casually as he came nearer.

"I have never had a student before in all my life. Yet you refuse to be one of mine," he lamented softly, "Nevertheless..." He thrust his fan outwards and conjured a finely-crafted mirror bordered by the octagonal eight-trigram shape around it. As it hung in mid-air, he could feel the radiation of the strong force imbued within it.

"This is the Bagua Mirror of the Cosmos. It is a powerful instrument. Use it sparingly, for there are certain limitations to its use," Moxuan Zi smiled as he explained. He waved his fan, and sent the Mirror gliding through the air into his hands.

Xiao Chen immediately felt the tingle of its power electrifying his senses as he held the magical artifact. Knowing better than to decline, he replied, "My deepest thanks to you, Senior Moxuan." Curious stares, laced with envy and longing, came from the many disciples and acolytes watching from outside. The instruments and devices of Moxuan Zi were never simple trinkets, to begin with; what fortunes Xiao Chen has!

Xiao Chen stowed the Mirror away, and bowed to everyone. "I'll leave Senior Sister Luo with you then, Perfected Immortal. My thanks to you." He was most worried about her; there was no knowing when he would be able to return.

"Rest a.s.sured that I will treat her as my own student," replied the leader of the Jade Qing Sect.

With everything settled, Xiao Chen and Murong Xian'er walked down the mountain, accompanied by Yu Yifeng, Li Muxue, and Luo Shangyan. Together, they first went to the city of Qing Province where Xiao Chen found a horse-drawn carriage. Before leaving, Yu Yifeng cautioned again, "Be really careful. Remember, we are here for you. There's no need to force things yourself outside."

"I know. Don't worry."

The chilly breeze brushed across the faces of the three who watched as the carriage slowly trotted out of the city, the cold p.r.i.c.kly stings on their faces only adding to the sorrows of watching a friend and loved one leave.

The vastness of the world of Violet Manor was so much larger and wider than the Human World that it took almost an entire day for the carriage to reach the next city. But Xiao Chen was hardly perturbed by the progress, otherwise, he would have taken a Flying-cloud Stone instead.

Speed was hardly paramount to him; there was a great deal of thinking to do. Where would his Teacher venture to thousands of years ago? Being badly wounded, she would need a suitable site to recuperate while remaining in hiding. Did she meet Wentian again? It was a pity that there had not been any chance for him to procure more information from Patriarch Guanshan.

Xiao Chen and Xian'er disembarked their carriage when they reached another city. Inquisitive and interested glances fell upon them, the pair of strangely-clad newcomers from abroad. Many were young men who were captivated by Murong Xian'er's adorable beauty, that some even stopped to ogle at her while a few even followed behind.

The sight of an unwanted entourage trailing behind them brought a frown to Xiao Chen, although Xian'er seemed to be immensely enjoying herself, scampering around him cheerily with hardly any concern to their surroundings. The group of gawking men came nearer and nearer and finally, Xian'er noticed them. She stopped in her tracks and glared at them angrily, her hands at her waist as she yelled, "Why are you lot following us! I do not even have any strange ears on my head!"

To prevent trouble, Xiao Chen dragged her away quickly. They came to an inn and were about to ask for available rooms when he noticed that they were still being followed. With his spiritual senses, he scanned their surroundings, but there was no one around them. Feeling troubled and confused, Xiao Chen could only hope that they were not being followed by powerful people with sinister designs.

They chose the final room at the end of the second-floor corridor, as per their usual custom, where Xiao Chen first searched for any peculiarities with his spiritual senses before they settled down. But Murong Xian'er was hardly fatigued by the long journey. She scurried around the room like curious mice, examining the furniture of the room and playing with part.i.tion screen while having fun herself.

Xiao Chen could only smile with exasperation. Her purpose of coming seemed more bent on having fun rather than seeking the truth of her past, Xiao Chen grimaced. "Come here, Xian'er," he beckoned.

Hearing her name being called, she sped over to Xiao Chen and nearly knocked him into his bed. With her eyes gleaming wide with enthusiasm, she asked, "What?"

Their noses were so near that they nearly touched each other. "Errr..." Xiao Chen stammered, pulling himself up. He felt himself getting out of breath at such uneasy closeness. After an uneasy silence, he quickly gasped, "I-it's nothing..."

"You called me, yet now you tell me it's nothing! What a spoilsport!" Murong Xian'er complained and ran off to the windows to look at the streets below which are still busy in the night. "There are lots of people down there, Big Brother! Let's go down and walk around!"

Xiao Chen immediately thought of the band of young men following behind her earlier. "We ought to rest early," he said, "We still have a long journey ahead tomorrow."

But Murong Xian'er would never relent. She tugged at his sleeves, trying to pull at his s.h.i.+rt as hard as she could. "Come on, Big Brother! I want to go down and see things that are down there!" She exclaimed through her pursed lips, "There are so many people down there!"

Xiao Chen shook his head. He knocked on her head lightly with a smile," All right, all right. We'll go." Murong Xian'er giggled exultantly. She stuck out a tongue, saying, "This is how I get someone to mollycoddle me! It's Big Sister Yan who taught me this!"

Heavens, what had Shangguan Yan been teaching her, Xiao Chen groaned.

The bustling streets were lined with various lanterns in various shapes that hung over the night sky. It was a scene that reminded him of the Human World. Many young maidens stood by the banks of the rivers, setting floating lamps alight before releasing them into the river and making wishes. Countless peddlers and hawkers were trying fervently to ply their wares to any prospective patrons that walked past with lion dances and acrobatic performances spicing up the joyous atmosphere to the maximum.

Murong Xian'er wandered around, her eyes twinkling with fervor and exhilaration, das.h.i.+ng from stall to stall to look at the different items for sale with the curiosity that would even put a cat to shame. Xiao Chen could only follow closely behind, smiling benignly at his little sister's lovable behavior. It has been quite some time since they came to the Violet Manor; yet this was the first time they enjoyed such a peaceful night.

Xiao Chen was temporarily mesmerized by the reminisces of his past in the Human World until he shook himself awake. But Murong Xian'er was missing.

"Xian'er!" Xiao Chen felt a fear slowly engulfing him. There was no sight of Xian'er everywhere as he looked around, until a buoyant chirp came from behind all of a sudden. "Try guessing who I am, Big Brother!"

Xiao Chen exhaled a gasp of reprieve when he recognized the voice. He turned and there was Murong Xian'er, wearing a mask of a monkey that looked exceptionally magnificent with its phoenix-tailed headdress.

He was about to chastise Xian'er for running off on her own when an old man, looking almost in his sixties, came hurrying towards them. "You have not paid money, little girl!"

Murong Xian'er took off her mask, giggling slyly, pointing at Xiao Chen. "He'll pay for it."

Xiao Chen scowled, shaking his head. He paid the old man. But the mask felt unique to him. "Who is this that you've drawn on this mask, old man?"

"Huh? Don't you recognize who this is?" The old man exclaimed with surprise, "This is the famous Demon Lord from the fables of old."