Chapter Twenty-Four: His Name Is Long Jinyi

Chapter 24: His Name Is Long Jinyi

I tread upon green mountains and drifting clouds, gazing freely upon the vast heavens and earth. Once more, I see white clouds wandering, flying toward Immovable Peak, where two figures stand upon the clouds.

Fang Junmei, at this moment, had just bathed and changed into fresh clothes. His spirit was clear and invigorated; it was as if these three trials had purged the impurities and filth from his body. His skin appeared much fairer, radiating a dazzling luster like white jade, making him look even more handsome. Even his two dark eyebrows seemed to set off his countenance all the more attractively.

“Junior Brother Fang, I knew I wasn’t mistaken about you,” Song Shede, ever the chatterbox, began again. “In my opinion, the revival of your Immovable Peak will rest on your shoulders in the future…”

Fang Junmei only smiled without replying. He was in good spirits today. The reward for passing the third trial was fifty medium-grade Sword Spirit Stones, equivalent to five thousand low-grade ones—quite a generous sum.

Moreover, Elder Chunyu Qian had granted him a year to recover his spirit. If the trials of the heart had been continuous, one after another, they surely would have broken Fang Junmei.

“Senior Brother Song, there are a few matters I wish to ask you about,” Fang Junmei suddenly said, recalling something.

Song Shede’s rambling halted abruptly. With a grin, he replied, “Ask away, Junior Brother. If I know the answer, I’ll tell you everything you wish to know.”

Fang Junmei nodded. “Senior Brother Song, you once mentioned that our Immovable Peak’s eldest brother also tested medicine for Elder Chunyu. Could you tell me more about him?”

Fang Junmei was truly curious about this person.

At his question, Song Shede’s eyes flashed, and he grew solemn. “Did none of your fellow senior and junior brothers and sisters on Immovable Peak mention him to you?”

Fang Junmei replied calmly, “You must know the situation of Immovable Peak, Senior Brother. My fellow seniors are each busy with their cultivation and haven’t had the time to speak of him.”

Song Shede nodded slightly, recalling, “Your Immovable Peak’s eldest brother is named Long Jinyi.”

Long Jinyi.

Fang Junmei’s eyes brightened; finally, he knew the man’s name.

Song Shede continued, “Within our Peach Blossom Sword Sect, there are the Ten Great Sword Immortals among the inner disciples, as I’ve mentioned before.”

Fang Junmei nodded.

These Ten Great Sword Immortals included his own master, the ‘Sleeping Sword Immortal’ Daoist Cuotuo, Song Shede’s master, the ‘Medicine Sword Immortal’ Chunyu Qian; and the other eight were: the Sect Leader, ‘Cloud Sword Immortal’ Daoist Tianhe, who presided over White Cloud Peak; ‘Phantom Sword Immortal’ Luo Caiwei of Embroidered Smoke Peak; ‘Zither Sword Immortal’ Liu Feibai of Absolute String Peak; ‘Snow Sword Immortal’ Piaoxue Daoist of Colorful Cloud Peak;

‘Iron Sword Immortal’ Lonely Star Daoist of Dark Cloud Peak; ‘Morning Sun Sword Immortal’ Tianfeng Daoist of Morning Sun Peak; ‘Bamboo Sword Immortal’ Tianzhu Daoist of Green Tree Peak; and ‘Yin-Yang Sword Immortal’ Murong Hanchan of Great Void Peak.

“These Ten Great Sword Immortals all have outstanding disciples under them, the rising stars and future pillars of our Peach Blossom Sword Sect,” Song Shede went on. “Of them, the two most widely acknowledged geniuses are Senior Brother Gu Xijin, disciple of the Sect Leader, and your former eldest brother of Immovable Peak—Long Jinyi. Senior Brother Gu Xijin is a cultivation fanatic and rarely appears, while Long Jinyi’s remarkable performance was the reason Immovable Peak retained its status in the last two sect tournaments. The two of them are considered the twin jewels of our Peach Blossom Sword Sect, with limitless prospects.”

Fang Junmei nodded in understanding, signaling Song Shede to continue.

Song Shede thought for a moment before lowering his voice. “Senior Brother Long Jinyi had a somewhat sullen and eccentric temperament. After entering the sect, he clashed with many disciples. As his cultivation grew, he became even harsher in the tournaments. Thus, the relationship between Immovable Peak and other disciples of the inner and outer sects is not the best. Junior Brother Fang, you should be prepared for this.”

“Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother Song,” Fang Junmei replied with a slight bow. He then asked, “Why did my eldest brother leave the sect?”

Song Shede sighed. “Strictly speaking, he’s no longer your eldest brother. He publicly severed the master-disciple bond with your master and is no longer a disciple of Peach Blossom Sword Sect.”

“Why?” Fang Junmei was taken aback.

“There are many rumors about this,” Song Shede replied. “Some say it’s because your master, Uncle Cuotuo, remained in slumber and could not teach him, which hindered his cultivation. Others say he found a more accomplished master outside and switched allegiances.”

Abandoning one’s master and ancestors?

Fang Junmei frowned, pondering. Could his eldest brother truly be such a man?

“Did the Sect Leader and the others agree to let him leave?” he asked after a while.

“No, they did not,” Song Shede answered. “Long Jinyi left behind a jade slip and departed on his own. It’s said that when the Sect Leader learned of it, he flew into a rage and sent people after him, but what happened in the end, no one knows.”

Fang Junmei nodded thoughtfully once more.

Could Long Jinyi have been killed? Did Daoist Tianhe, feeling guilty toward Immovable Peak and Daoist Cuotuo, agree to compensate with a new disciple—himself? Was there an even deeper secret behind all this?

…

The conversation passed quickly as they traveled.

After more than a month away, Fang Junmei returned to Immovable Peak, while Song Shede took his leave.

Atop Immovable Peak, white clouds still drifted across the sky. The quiet was profound; even when the mountain wind stirred a gentle rustling, it only added to the tranquility. For the first time, Fang Junmei felt a sense of home here. The torment of those three pills had also left his heart and mind much steadier.

Fan Lanzhou and Linghu Jinjiu seemed still immersed in cultivation, their doors tightly shut. As for Yang Xiaoman, who lived alone halfway up the mountain, there was no sign of her.

He entered the courtyard and first visited the slumbering Daoist Cuotuo.

The old man remained asleep.

Fang Junmei gently dusted off his master’s robes and arranged them neatly, sighing inwardly. He couldn’t help but wonder who had wounded his master so grievously as to leave him in such a state.

For a time, he sat alone in the room, brewing a pot of tea, then returned to his own chamber to resume his cultivation.

Now, he possessed sixty medium-grade Sword Spirit Stones. Linghu Jinjiu had once advised him to save the stones for breakthroughs in minor realms if they were few in number. Thus, having started cultivating the foundational Peach Blossom Sword Manual again, Fang Junmei continued, as before, to first draw sword spirit energy from the world itself.

Time slipped by swiftly once more.

It took him nine months to progress from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Guidance, his spiritual energy growing even more robust.

He did not stop. After another three months of cultivation, he finally emerged, his sixty medium-grade Sword Spirit Stones now completely spent.

Outside, the rooms of Linghu Jinjiu and Fan Lanzhou were still tightly closed.

Fang Junmei did not disturb them. He checked once more on Daoist Cuotuo and, seeing that his master was well, left the small courtyard.

“Junior Brother Fang, I’ve been waiting an age for you!” Song Shede was already waiting outside, wearing his trademark, wily old fox grin. Seeing Fang Junmei emerge, he greeted him with a cheerful remark.

“Senior Brother Song, you didn’t come all this way just to fetch me, did you?” Fang Junmei asked in mild surprise.

Song Shede laughed heartily. “With someone as young, talented, and handsome as you, Junior Brother, who knows how many senior or junior sisters already have their eyes on you? I had to come in person—if you were sucked dry, how would I explain myself to our master?”

Fang Junmei shook his head with a smile at the jest. “You’re more worried about me being slaughtered, aren’t you?”

Song Shede laughed even louder.

Having interacted several times, the two of them had grown quite familiar, their conversation easy and congenial.