Hearing this, Immortal Lixin immediately felt a surge of anger.
“What did you say?
You little brat, if you knew about your calamity beforehand, why didn’t you say something earlier? If I’d known you had a tribulation coming, I would have never, ever come out with you, even if beaten to death! And you! Since you knew you had a calamity, why did you wander around so recklessly!”
Upper Immortal Qingqing squatted on the steps, clutching her hair in both hands, looking utterly distraught. “Master only said I would face a tribulation in recent years, but she never told me it would be this year, nor what kind of tribulation it would be. How was I supposed to know it would be like this…”
“You!”
Immortal Lixin wanted to scold her, but seeing Qingqing’s pitiful state, her heart softened. She shook her head and sighed, her face a picture of misery. “It’s over. This time, I’m completely finished. Now practically everyone across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds knows that I, Lixin, groveled and humbled myself to save my skin—giving someone a massage, kneeling before them. I’ll never be able to hold my head up again. I’ve utterly disgraced Changsheng Pavilion.”
Recalling the incident, Immortal Lixin was filled with regret, pounding her chest and stamping her feet in frustration. “The tragic part is, I’m still all alone! Not even a single sweetheart. After something like this happens, I’m afraid no one will ever want me for the rest of my life. I’ll grow old alone and die in solitude!”
Upper Immortal Qingqing lifted her head. Her originally clear and beautiful face now looked as haggard as could be. “Martial Aunt, how can you still be in the mood to worry about such things right now?”
“Nonsense! This is my lifelong matter. If I don’t worry about this, what should I worry about?”
“There are who knows how many people outside looking for us right now.”
“What’s there to fear? Just tell them the truth. Let them do whatever they want. It’s not like we invited You Di here. What does it have to do with us?”
“That may be the fact, but… the commotion this has caused is just too great. I’m afraid… afraid that if we speak out, it might make things even worse. What if… I’m just saying what if… what if something truly terrible happens? Wouldn’t the two of us become the chief culprits, the sinners? The responsibility is too heavy. We simply cannot bear it.”
“Qingqing, don’t blame this matter on yourself. It has absolutely nothing to do with us, alright?”
Immortal Lixin walked over to comfort her. “The events on the Xuantian Vessel have long since spread throughout the Myriad Heavens and Worlds. Even if you don’t say anything, everyone already knows perfectly well. It wasn’t just the two of us present at the time. Why are you foolishly looking for trouble and blaming yourself?”
“No!
Martial Aunt, it’s not that I insist on blaming myself, but…” Upper Immortal Qingqing said with distress, “Although there were many others present at the time, none of them could truly confirm You Di’s identity. The same goes for those outside now. That makes the Cloud-Water Sword in my possession the key. If I’m not mistaken, those people outside are looking for me simply because they want me to hand over the Cloud-Water Sword. As long as they can prove the Cloud-Water Sword is one of You Di’s Five Element Swords, then they can confirm his identity.”
“If they want to see it, just let them see it. When you picked up the Cloud-Water Sword, you didn’t know it was one of You Di’s Five Element Swords. What can they possibly do to you?
I’m really puzzled. What exactly are you worried about?”
“I…” Upper Immortal Qingqing gave a bitter smile. “I don’t even know what I’m worried about.”
“Wait, Qingqing, I get the feeling you’re trying to hide something.
Could it be… you’re considering You Di’s situation and don’t plan to hand over the Cloud-Water Sword? You want to conceal the truth?”
“I!
Martial Aunt!
That’s not it!”
“What ‘not it’!
I noticed something was off with you a long time ago, you little brat. Ever since You Di left, you’ve been completely listless the whole way. Don’t tell me you’ve actually been captivated by that guy, You Di?
Let me tell you, you better put that notion out of your head right now. We’re already in such a huge mess. Don’t lose your head, or you won’t even know how you’ll die when the time comes.”
Upper Immortal Qingqing wanted to explain, but before she could speak, Immortal Lixin cut her off, scolding sharply, “You Di is a sinner! A sinner whom heaven and earth cannot tolerate, one who might trigger a cataclysm! Otherwise, why do you think his appearance caused such an uproar? Others hide from him as fast as they can, but you? You actually take the initiative to lean towards You Di. Do you have a death wish?”
“Martial Aunt, where did you get that idea? That’s not what I meant at all.”
“I don’t care what you meant. In short, you must speak the truth about this matter. You must hand over the Cloud-Water Sword. And you must publicly sever any connection with You Di.”
Having said that, Immortal Lixin quickly spat three times, “pah pah pah,” and continued, “Not ‘sever’—we have no connection with You Di whatsoever to begin with, so there’s nothing to sever. We just need to tell the truth. At this point, forget about face. Let’s just say we were scared at the time, forced by You Di’s oppressive might, and had no choice but to give him a massage, play the zither, humble ourselves, and kneel to him in order to save our lives.”
“Martial Aunt, doing it this way…
isn’t it too…
too dishonorable?”
Upper Immortal Qingqing frowned. “On the Xuantian Vessel, You Di never threatened us. Giving him a massage and playing the zither was something we did voluntarily. Kneeling to him was also… our own doing. He never harmed us…”
“Good heavens!
Usually you seem quite clever, girl, so why have you become so stupid now?
Do you have to see your martial aunt lose all face before you’re satisfied?
Can’t you think about me for a moment? I still don’t have a sweetheart! If we say we were threatened by You Di and I had no choice but to give him a massage, then although I’d lose a bit of face, at least I wouldn’t be utterly humiliated. I could still retain some dignity. But if we say I admitted defeat myself and voluntarily gave him a massage, then I’d truly have no way to go on living! I couldn’t bear that shame!”
“But…
but…”
“No ‘buts’!
We must say it this way!”
Seeing Qingqing fall silent, Immortal Lixin comforted her, advising with heartfelt sincerity, “Girl, I understand that little thought in your heart. I’ve been through this before. To be honest, if possible, I’d also like to find a man like You Di—one who stands tall between heaven and earth. But the problem is…
a man like You Di…
is too…
too…
How should I put it? He stands too high. So high that we can only look up at him. Even if we truly admire him, we can only admire him in our hearts.”
“It’s fine to think about it quietly to yourself, but you absolutely must not take it seriously. We’re not the Empress Saintess. The Empress Saintess can let the entire Myriad Heavens and Worlds know of her infatuation with You Di, but we cannot. The Three Thousand Great Daos can do nothing to the Empress Saintess, but killing people like you and me is as easy as crushing ants. So, don’t harbor any fantasies about You Di. Don’t get entangled with him in any way. Otherwise, you’ll bring disaster upon yourself, and you’ll regret it when it’s too late.”