Chapter 119: Don’t Jinx It

Xiaoshu Village was hard to find, but Fangjia’ao was easy enough to locate.

Xiang He flew on her sword with Junior Brother Bian, quickly finding Fangjia’ao. The place was a self-contained little town; though it was rather quiet after nightfall, the local inn was still open.

The two disguised themselves, entered the inn, and ordered some simple food.

The waiter was very welcoming at first, but as soon as he heard them mention going to Xiaoshu Village for some “Marrying the Divine Tree” ceremony, his expression instantly turned guarded. He clearly knew something, but refused to say a word.

“Guests, please don’t make things difficult for me. I really don’t know anything.”

“Really?”

The waiter’s eyes darted evasively. “It’s already late,” he muttered. “Why don’t you two stay the night here and we can talk tomorrow?”

He didn’t even dare to linger after speaking, rushing back to the kitchen with his head down. The two exchanged a look. Xiang He hadn’t wanted to reveal their identities as disciples of Yonglu Mountain, but it seemed she had no choice now.

The waiter had run off, but the innkeeper was still there. The innkeeper had originally ignored the pair, but upon hearing they were immortal masters from Yonglu Mountain, his attitude immediately turned respectful. “I didn’t realize such esteemed immortal masters had arrived. Please forgive my offense, and I hope you will not hold it against me.”

“No matter. We only wish to ask about Xiaoshu Village. Of course, if you don’t want to speak of it, we won’t force you.” Xiang He looked up, stopping the innkeeper from bowing in apology.

“Well…” The innkeeper hesitated. He called the waiter over to close the doors, led the two into an inner room, and finally spoke. “Immortal masters, you don’t understand. That Xiaoshu Village… you cannot enter it.”

“Why not? Is there some evil spirit causing trouble there?”

Bian Chunzhou was quite surprised by this. Back in Langyuan City, the rumors about Xiaoshu Village were merely considered strange, and people didn’t show much fear when discussing them. Yet he could see clearly that both the innkeeper and the waiter harbored an inexplicable dread of the place. Did Xiaoshu Village eat people or something?

“It’s not that, it’s just…” The innkeeper spoke hesitantly. He gave Bian Chunzhou a strange look before continuing, “The women of Xiaoshu Village are all… stunningly beautiful, like heavenly fairies. Ordinary men can hardly tear their eyes away once they see them. Since you two immortal masters know of Xiaoshu Village, you must know that when their women marry out, they have to transplant a tree. But those trees are extremely difficult to keep alive outside. In the end, marrying out always turns into… marrying in. It’s fine for you to go, young lady, but this young master should really stay away.”

Xiang He frowned. “If they know the trees are so hard to keep alive outside, why do they still transplant them?”

“I wouldn’t know about that. Besides, when the women of Xiaoshu Village marry the Divine Tree, it also serves as their coming-of-age ceremony. This ceremony is never open to outsiders. It’s said that after marrying the Divine Tree, the women must leave their families and serve the Divine Tree devoutly for two years before they can marry.”

It sounded like nothing more than some bizarre customs without any real danger. However, Xiang He instinctively felt the innkeeper was still hiding something. Otherwise, if it were just a matter of marrying in, it wouldn’t make people this terrified.

“I see. Thank you for the warning. Could you please tell us the exact location of Xiaoshu Village?”

The innkeeper shook his head. “Please forgive me, immortal master, but I don’t know where Xiaoshu Village is either. I only know it’s about a day’s journey on foot from Fangjia’ao, toward the Tenfold Mountains to the west.”

“That’s enough then. We won’t disrupt your business any further.” Xiang He paid the bill and signaled Junior Brother Bian to follow. Once they left the town, Bian Chunzhou spoke up. “Senior Sister, how about we forget it for tonight and come back tomorrow?”

Xiang He, however, was someone who loved adventure, which was why she had taken up her current post at Kaiyuan Peak. “Scared? We’re already here. Don’t worry, your senior sister has your back. Come to think of it, you’re quite handsome, Junior Brother. You really do look like the type who could easily be kidnapped to be a bandit chief’s husband^[1].”

What kind of wild talk was this?! Bian Chunzhou’s eyes widened. “Senior Sister, don’t jinx it!” In the middle of the night, it was easy for such words to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ever since he transmigrated, he had become a bit superstitious.

“The Tenfold Mountains are full of dangers, and it’s hard to fly on a sword inside the forest. We should hurry. It’s not long before midnight.”

This was also Bian Chunzhou’s first time in the Tenfold Mountains. Nature’s wondrous craftsmanship was breathtaking even at night. Unlike the overwhelming spiritual energy of the Yonglu Mountain Range, the Tenfold Mountains felt dangerous yet captivating at first glance.

“To think there are actually quite a few rogue cultivators staying on the outskirts. That old grandmother I met was probably a cultivator in disguise.” If his mind had been a bit sharper, he might have figured it all out on the spot. If Wen Xuxu had been there, he would have known instantly.

“All the more reason to go investigate.”

Under the cover of the deep night, Xiang He and Bian Chunzhou entered the dense forest, quickly vanishing into the Tenfold Mountains.

*

Wen Xu had completely given up on keeping track of time. After repeatedly walking the same paths he had trodden countless times, he finally found the jade token, devoid of any spiritual light, tucked away in a tiny crevice.

As it turned out, the jade token had fallen here just like him, and the spiritual energy attached to it had also been completely drained. Holding the cursed jade token, Wen Xu couldn’t feel even a trace of spiritual energy from it.

It was actually just a plain, non-spiritual piece of jade. No wonder he couldn’t find a single trace of it when he first searched a wide area with his spiritual energy.

He had searched to the point of near-despair, even wondering if the jade token might be at his starting point or perhaps on his own person. But after searching everywhere, the jade token had remained missing.

No wonder it was called Body Tempering. This was practically looking for a needle in a haystack.

Panting heavily, Wen Xu dragged himself back to his starting point. This time, he had finally found the jade token, but… perhaps because the search had been so grueling, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of joy or accomplishment.

He only wanted to leave this godforsaken place as quickly as possible and get a good night’s sleep.

Everyone in the sect said the clearing tasks on Lingyao Peak were torturous, but Wen Xu felt this trial realm was the true test of one’s sanity. The jade token had been hidden so discreetly, as if it were terrified he would find it.

“Your temperament is exactly like your master’s.” The voice finally rang out again, this time carrying a somewhat profound tone. “But kid, a blade too sharp is easily chipped. Giving up sometimes isn’t a big deal. Choice is more important than effort, and your master is a prime example.”

Wen Xu was just about to speak when, in the blink of an eye, he was ejected from the trial realm.

What did that mean? The words echoed in his mind, but he ultimately suppressed his curiosity. Once out of the trial realm, the seal on his storage ring vanished. Wen Xu drank two bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills, which finally eased the dryness in his Dantian.

Only then did he take out his Transmission Talismans to send messages to his two friends.

Wen Xu hadn’t expected to spend over three months in the trial realm. But since three months had passed, his master’s “enthusiasm” for Divine Venerable Wushan should have cooled down by now. He went back to wash up first, then headed to Guochun Hall to pay his respects to his master.

However, he met with a soft rejection. His master was drunk, and the barrier at the hall’s entrance hadn’t even been opened, leaving him unable to enter.

Returning to his cave dwelling, Wen Xu glanced at his entrance. Surprisingly, there was no Transmission Talisman from Chunzhou. That shouldn’t be. If Chunzhou knew he had emerged from the trial realm, he would have immediately sent a dozen talismans, chattering away. Could he not be on the mountain?

After a moment’s thought, Wen Xu flew on his sword to Ruoshui Peak. The boy guarding the peak told him that Senior Brother Bian hadn’t returned since yesterday, and hadn’t mentioned where he was going.

Since Chunzhou wasn’t here, could Chen Zui be gone too?

Had the two of them gone down the mountain together to do a mission? But if it were a sect mission, Chunzhou wouldn’t have left without at least letting the peak’s guard boy know.

“Wen Xu, you’re out of seclusion. You look… a lot stronger.” Chen Zui drew his saber, looking eager to test his skills. “How about a spar?”

“You didn’t go down the mountain? Where is Chunzhou, then?”

Chen Zui scratched his head. “Ah, Junior Brother Bian? He went to the Tenfold Mountains with a senior sister from Kaiyuan Peak.”

“The Tenfold Mountains? Did he take on a sect mission?” Wen Xu had memorized the 《Records of the Four Regions》. Although a portion of the Tenfold Mountains fell under the jurisdiction of Langyuan City, it was already very close to Xishan City. Even for a cultivator flying on a sword, it would take nearly two shichen to get there.

“It wasn’t a sect mission.” Chen Zui briefly explained what he had seen and heard yesterday. However, he was clumsy with his words and spoke ambiguously, rambling about trivial details while skipping over the important parts, leaving Wen Xu utterly confused. “Since it was just giving up a set of clothes, why would Chunzhou be so concerned about it?”

“I don’t know either. He felt that the old woman had spiritual energy about her and was likely a cultivator, so he went to the Tenfold Mountains with the senior sister to investigate.”

Out of instinct, Wen Xu felt something was off. “Tell me everything in detail. Don’t leave out a single thing.”

If it had been anyone else, Chen Zui would have been too lazy to bother. But Wen Xu was different; he was his good friend. So, Chen Zui recounted every bit of the conversation he could remember.

As Wen Xu listened, his brow furrowed deeper. “If such a bizarre custom has survived since ancient times, the villagers must hold it in high regard. You said the old woman claimed she was marrying her daughter to the Divine Tree that very night, yet she only prepared the wedding dress that day. This makes no sense. When a normal family’s daughter gets married, they prepare the wedding dress months in advance. Furthermore, Xiaoshu Village is several hundred li away from Langyuan City. How believable is it that she claimed her daughter liked the clothes from Handan Pavilion?”

“On the other hand, you two are clearly cultivators, yet you disguised yourselves as ordinary people to buy ordinary women’s dresses at Handan Pavilion. For her to run into you like that, I fear she targeted the two of you. Giving up the dress was just a pretext; her real goal was to strike up a conversation.”

Chen Zui scratched his head. Huh? Was that it?

“Then why did she want to strike up a conversation with us?” Chen Zui didn’t understand.

“I’m afraid it was to lure you to Xiaoshu Village.” Wen Xu hoped he was wrong. “I’ll make a trip to Kaiyuan Peak to ask for that senior sister’s name, and look into whether this Xiaoshu Village is real or not.”

Besides, if even the owner of the Gongshang Bistro could speak of it in such vivid detail, the legend of Marrying the Divine Tree in Xiaoshu Village must be widely known. The cautious Wen Xu never believed in coincidences; he suspected someone was deliberately spreading the news.