Chapter 842: Qin Mu Eats a Peach
“Young master, the palace master invites you. Please follow us.”
Those few girls carried lanterns, the lanterns emitting a red light, which flickered before Qin Mu’s eyes as the girls’ bodies sank slightly. The girls retreated half a step, made a fist with their left hand and placed it at their waist, held the lantern in their right hand and pressed it over their left hand, and sank down, offering him a blessing.
Qin Mu returned the courtesy, and then he saw the lanterns turn half a circle. The girls turned around, their figures graceful, carrying the lanterns to lead the way ahead.
The red candlelight from the lanterns illuminated the path ahead. The ground was very clean, not a single withered leaf to be seen.
Qin Mu followed them as they walked, looking around, trying to deduce the identity of the master of this place from the architectural style. However, the buildings here had no carvings or engravings, making it impossible for him to determine their age.
Determining the age of a building from its architectural style was not troublesome for him. Every era had different architectural styles, easily distinguishable. Even within the same era, different races had vastly different architectural styles.
Yet the palace within this peach grove had no adornments whatsoever—white walls, red bricks, green tiles—simple and unadorned, yet it possessed a unique beauty, especially under the starlight and candlelight, appearing simple and refined.
“Earlier, the woman inside the palace said an old friend had come. So, does the ‘old friend’ she mentioned refer to me, or to the Heavenly Lord, Earth Lord, and others within my eyes? Or perhaps someone that Emperor Chi and the others know?”
Qin Mu’s divine consciousness rippled, transmitting to the Qin Continent, and said, “Heavenly Lord, I don’t know who the woman in this peach grove is. Heavenly Lord, please take a look from the heavens for me.”
The Heavenly Lord’s avatar shook his head and said, “I cannot see the situation inside the palace. There is a strange barrier here. When I look over, all I see are peach blossoms, fluttering and dancing chaotically.”
Qin Mu was surprised. Blind had also said that when he looked at the palace in the peach grove, he could only see peach blossoms.
“Heavenly Lord, you said earlier that you saw me in a strange celestial realm. What does that celestial realm look like?”
The Heavenly Lord’s voice gradually weakened: “The space in this celestial realm is distorted, forming various folded spaces. With one step, you could travel a thousand miles, or step from one world into another. I have never seen such a celestial realm…”
His voice disappeared, as if blocked by something.
Qin Mu tried to sense the Qin Continent, but found that it seemed to have vanished as well. He tried to sense the Netherworld, and then discovered that he could not sense it either!
He steadied himself, thinking, “Since it’s an old friend, there shouldn’t be any ill intent…”
Soon, he followed these women into the main hall. The hall’s arrangement was also very simple, without much decoration. Only a few night pearls hung on the walls, their light shining brightly, making the place feel warm like spring.
A screen stood in front, and behind it, a woman could be faintly seen sitting there, seemingly playing a zither, but very slowly, occasionally plucking a string. There was no melody, yet it left a lingering aftertaste.
The woman behind the screen was turned sideways towards him. Behind her was a night pearl, casting her silhouette onto the screen.
The girls carrying lanterns paid their respects to the woman behind the screen, then turned around and hung the lanterns outside the door. One girl brought a cushion and invited Qin Mu to sit.
Qin Mu sat down, facing the woman behind the screen. His eyes blinked, and the vertical eye on his forehead also blinked from time to time, but he did not speak.
After a moment, a zither string was plucked, the sound lingering.
“The Heavenly Lord is truly meddlesome, bringing you here for no reason.”
The woman behind the screen had a very pleasant voice. She tilted her head slightly, a strand of hair falling from her temple, and a pearl hanging from her earlobe could be faintly seen, swaying slightly.
“It has been a long time since I’ve had a guest here. Originally, I shouldn’t have seen you, but Young Master Qin has shown me kindness. Since you have come seeking me, I cannot refuse to see you.”
The woman laughed and said, “It’s rare to see an old friend. As the host, I have been remiss in my hospitality. Please forgive me.”
Qin Mu’s eyes flickered as he tried to see through the screen, but the screen was a treasure of unknown origin. Even his Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Technique could not penetrate it, and even the vertical eye on his forehead could not see the face of the woman behind the screen.
“Elder Sister, since we are old friends, why not come out and meet?”
Two girls carried a small jade table and placed it in front of Qin Mu, brewed some fragrant tea, and then withdrew. Qin Mu took a sip, the fragrance lingering on his lips and teeth, even better than the tea from the Upper Firmament. He laughed and said, “The Primordial Realm has reappeared. It was quite difficult for me to find my way here from the Primordial Realm. Since it’s rare for us to meet, why does Elder Sister still hide behind the screen?”
“I am no longer what I once was.”
The woman behind the screen sighed softly and said, “My legs are broken, and I cannot rise. Please forgive me, Young Master Qin.”
Qin Mu stood up and walked towards the screen, laughing and saying, “I am quite skilled in medicine and the art of creation. I can cure any ailment with ease, even recreating your physical body is no problem. Since it’s inconvenient for you to rise, I will come to see you.”
He arrived in front of the screen and walked around it, but suddenly froze. Before him was still the screen.
Qin Mu walked around again, but still faced the screen. No matter which angle he went to, he was always facing the front of the screen. The woman’s silhouette was still cast on the screen, as if he had never moved.
Qin Mu turned around and looked at the door of the main hall, then moved his steps to the side. However, no matter how he moved, he was always facing the door of the main hall.
This woman’s divine ability should be a spatial ability, extremely profound.
“Young Master Qin, please sit down.”
The woman behind the screen plucked a zither string and laughed, saying, “Now, I am ugly in appearance and my body is incomplete. I wouldn’t want to frighten you. As for my injuries, I’m afraid Young Master Qin does not yet have the ability to heal them. My injuries were caused by a divine ability, and the residual power of that ability remains hidden in the wounds, constantly destroying my physical body and primordial spirit. You do not yet have the means to erase this divine ability.”
Qin Mu had no choice but to return and sit on the cushion, saying, “Elder Sister…”
The woman chuckled and said, “Young Master Qin, how many elder sisters do you have?”
Two more girls came carrying a fruit platter, placing it on the jade table in front of Qin Mu. The platter contained some peaches, washed clean, their fragrance invigorating and making one’s mouth water.
Qin Mu’s face flushed slightly, and he laughed, saying, “I haven’t counted. Elder Sister, have we met before?”
“Naturally, we have.”
The woman said, “I only found out later…”
Suddenly, the faint sound of a zither came from outside. The woman’s expression shifted slightly, and she said, “I have a guest. Yan’er, you and the others, please take Young Master Qin to rest in the rear hall. Move the jade table there as well.”
She said apologetically, “Please go to the rear hall to drink tea and eat some fruit.”
Qin Mu had no choice but to get up. The girl named Yan’er and the other girls lifted the jade table and carried it away.
The sound of the zither from outside grew closer. The woman behind the screen also plucked a string, the sound very ethereal.
Qin Mu sat in the rear hall, listening to the zither music. The woman behind the screen only plucked a string occasionally, while the music coming from outside was a complete piece.
The zither sounds seemed to collide in the air, making the space unstable. Space seemed to vibrate like zither strings, or pulse like musical notes.
Qin Mu’s heart stirred, and he immediately knew who had come: “Emperor Chi, Qi Xiayu! Why is she here?”
Just as he was thinking, the zither music arrived in front of the hall, and then abruptly stopped. The sound of footsteps came, followed by Qi Xiayu’s voice: “Disciple pays respects to Master! Has Master been well all these years?”
“I am well.” The woman behind the screen said.
Qin Mu’s heart shook violently: “Qi Xiayu is the disciple of the woman behind the screen? Wait, wait. Qi Xiayu is a Di Zuo level powerhouse, the Southern Heaven Emperor Chi of the Heavenly Court, and was once the leader of the Phoenix Clan under the Earth Mother Yuanjun! This woman is her master, so who exactly is she?”
What frightened him even more was Qi Xiayu’s experience. Qi Xiayu first served under the Earth Mother Yuanjun, then became a general under the Northern Supreme Emperor’s Heavenly Court. Later, during the Supreme Emperor era, she suffered a calamity, was defeated and captured, and defected to the Outer Realm Heavenly Court.
After defecting to the Outer Realm Heavenly Court, Qi Xiayu also fell in love with Li Youran, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Kai Emperor, who later became Emperor Shi Tianwang Buddha.
This relationship was extremely complicated, and Qi Xiayu’s character was therefore criticized by others.
However, what if all her experiences were pre-arranged? What if every move Qi Xiayu made was secretly controlled by the woman behind this screen?
“Has Master’s injury flared up again?” Qi Xiayu’s voice came.
The woman behind the screen said, “Since you left, it flares up once every few hundred years. Up to now, I have lost count of the number of times. I suppose I am used to it by now.”
“If Master could find the Dao Ancestor, the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, and others, perhaps they could heal the injury.”
“It’s useless. The Dao Ancestor came to see me and said he was powerless as well.”
Qin Mu listened intently. The girl named Yan’er picked up a teacup and gestured for him to drink. Qin Mu hurriedly took the cup, took a sip, and then put it down, continuing to listen.
The girl sat down on the floor, leaning beside him, and peeled a peach, bringing it to his mouth. Qin Mu tried to take it, but Yan’er shook her hand. Qin Mu had no choice but to take a bite, swallowing it hastily, and whispered, “Sister Yan’er, I can manage on my own.”
The girl named Yan’er chuckled and said, “You really do call everyone ‘elder sister.’”
The other girls also chuckled.
Qi Xiayu seemed to sense something and became alert, saying, “Master, is there a man hidden in the hall? I heard a man’s voice!”
The woman behind the screen laughed and said, “It’s an old friend of mine who came to see me. You are too suspicious. Your excessive suspicion is why your life is not happy.”
Qi Xiayu stood up and walked over, laughing and saying, “Since it’s Master’s old friend, I naturally should pay my respects to the senior.”
She quickly arrived at the rear hall and laughed, saying, “Senior, why hide? Your junior, Qi Xiayu, has come to pay respects… How is it you?”
Her eyes widened. In the rear hall, a sunny young man sat on a cushion, with several girls leaning beside him, all trying to feed him a peach.
Qin Mu had a peach in his mouth, juice all over his lips, and looked at her awkwardly, laughing and saying, “Emperor Chi, no need to be so polite.”
Qi Xiayu was furious. She walked over, gritting her teeth, and said, “A fickle lover by a faithless man’s side, actually coming to my master’s place to flirt! Today, I’ll send you on your way!”
Just then, the woman behind the screen in the front hall coughed, and her voice came, saying, “Xiayu, he is my honored guest. Do not be rude!”