54: Chapter 54: The Cuckoo's Feather

When Jiang Yuhe woke up, the first thing she smelled was an extremely pungent medicinal scent, bitter and astringent, mixed with the raw, fishy smell of plant juices.

She opened her eyes to see a roughly hewn cave, with pale yellow stone lamps embedded into the cave walls.

She was lying on a wooden bed.

The sword wound on her abdomen had been sealed, covered by a layer of pale green medicinal film. Beneath the film, tiny wisps of coldness still seeped out, but they were suppressed within her flesh by the gentle medicinal power, preventing further spread.

The wounds on her body caused by the tiny Sword Qi had also mostly healed, leaving only faint red marks behind.

Jiang Yuhe moved her fingers, and the Grain Rain Qi in her Dantian began to circulate slowly.

She propped herself up to sit, but the movement tugged at her abdominal wound, causing her to frown slightly.

Not far away stood a large medicinal barrel.

Young Master Gu Xingzhi was soaking in the barrel, his entire body submerged in a dark green medicinal liquid. A layer of fine bubbles floated on the surface, occasionally popping with a soft gurgle.

He leaned against the side of the barrel with his eyes closed, his face deathly pale. He had injuries on his shoulders, chest, abdomen, and arms. In particular, a wound below his left rib, though the bleeding had stopped, still had Evil Qi roiling around its edges.

Jiang Yuhe watched him for a moment.

"Where did these wounds come from?"

Young Master Gu Xingzhi opened his eyes. Seeing she was awake, he first let out a sigh of relief, then looked down at the wound on his chest.

"Not long after you lost consciousness, three rogue cultivators arrived, hoping to pick up an easy bargain." He paused. "I killed them all."

Jiang Yuhe said, "And then you ended up injured like this?"

"One of them had hidden a Demonic Weapon and detonated it before dying. The other two also had some tricks up their sleeves. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have suffered such a heavy loss."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi said this nonchalantly.

First fighting Shen Zhaowei, then protecting her as they left, and finally killing three rogue cultivators. He was already injured to begin with, and his True Essence was severely depleted; simply managing to hold on until they reached Cangya Ridge was no easy feat.

Young Master Gu Xingzhi said, "A night has already passed. It is likely the morning of the second day now."

As the two were speaking, a sound of bells drifted in from outside the cave.

Shortly after, a fox demon walked into the cave.

This fox demon had transformed into the appearance of a woman. She was slender, wore a snow-blue tight-sleeved robe, with a bit of white fluff hidden at the tips of her ears. Her eyes were long and narrow, and her lips were pale and colorless.

A string of silver bells hung at her waist; they didn't jingle when she moved, only producing a soft sound when she came to a halt.

As soon as she entered, she swept a glance at Young Master Gu Xingzhi and said in a sharp, caustic voice, "Young Master Gu wakes up quite quickly. If not for my Great King spotting that 'Call of the Dove and the Fluttering Wings' aura on you, you would have been strung up on the mountain gate to catch the wind all night after forcing your way into Cangya Ridge covered in blood."

Jiang Yuhe's gaze flickered.

Forcing his way into the mountain gate.

She only then realized that in order to seek medical help for her as quickly as possible last night, Young Master Gu Xingzhi had not followed the rules.

Young Master Gu Xingzhi did not offer excuses, only saying, "The matter was urgent last night. Many thanks to your mountain for taking action."

The fox demon huffed.

"No need to be in such a rush to thank us. My Great King said that we can help the Gu Family, but you must agree to one thing."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi sat up a bit straighter in the medicinal barrel.

"What matter could I possibly have that would garner the attention of Cangya Ridge? To have even the Great Sage Tunxiao inquire about it, I am truly flattered."

The fox demon looked at him.

"Young Master Gu, no need to probe. The Great Sage is high above and naturally would not come to see you in person. It is just that my Great King says, if you achieve success in your cultivation in the future, you must do one thing within your power for Cangya Ridge. This matter will not harm the Gu Clan, nor will it harm this Young Miss."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi did not hesitate.

"If it can resolve the Gu Family's crisis, I, Gu Xingzhi, will not refuse."

The fox demon then nodded, her expression softening slightly.

"The Young Master of the Gu Family is indeed sensible."

She added, "The Shen Clan went too far this time. Canghu Market was established jointly by the Shen Clan and Cangya Ridge. For them to dare plant seals within the building and intercept and kill people outside the market is to show no regard for Cangya Ridge."

At this point, a cold smile appeared on her lips.

"It just so happens that our Saint has just come out of seclusion and wants to see the world. On your way back, he will accompany you, so as to save the Shen Clan from forgetting who exactly is in charge on this lake."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi's heart stirred.

"The Saint?"

The fox demon said, "That's right."

Her gaze lingered on Young Master Gu Xingzhi, as if looking at a rather interesting object.

"The Saint is also slightly interested in Young Master Gu. He is already waiting at the foot of the mountain. If the two of you can still walk, don't keep him waiting."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi dared not delay and immediately rose from the medicinal barrel.

A set of clean robes and medicinal bandages had already been prepared nearby. He simply dressed his wounds, changed his clothes, and took out a Medicinal Pill to swallow.

Jiang Yuhe also got out of bed. The wound on her abdomen still hurt, but it did not affect her ability to walk.

The two followed the fox demon out of the cave.

The morning mist in Cangya Ridge was thick. On both sides of the mountain path grew large swathes of dark green trees, with white vine flowers entwined around their trunks.

Occasionally, demonic birds swept past in the distance, their shadows flashing by and vanishing. The Spiritual Qi in the mountain was far denser than in Baili Mountain, and mixed with the Demonic Qi, it appeared exceptionally vibrant with life.

On the way down the mountain, Young Master Gu Xingzhi whispered, "I didn't expect this trip to go so smoothly. Although we didn't see the Fox King, gaining the company of the Saint of Cangya Ridge is, in a sense, even more important than the Fox King appearing in person."

Jiang Yuhe did not respond to this.

She was more concerned about what the fox demon had said earlier.

"What is the 'Call of the Dove and the Fluttering Wings' aura?"

Young Master Gu Xingzhi's footsteps paused slightly, then he smiled.

"You certainly listen carefully."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi explained, "The second phase of Grain Rain is 'the dove calls and flutters its wings.' This bird knows the timing; it calls before the rain falls. If a dove comes to the courtyard when a descendant of the clan is born, fluttering its wings to summon the rain, it signifies a profound Grain Rain destiny."

He explained it calmly. This matter had been strictly sealed off at the time of his birth. Before he came out of seclusion, even his existence was known to very few in his family.

"The night I was born, a heavy rain was about to fall outside the Gu Family's ancestral home. A green dove stood on the eaves and fluttered its wings three times before the sound of rain began. After the rain fell, a green feather appeared beside my swaddling clothes."

Jiang Yuhe finally understood why Cangya Ridge held him in such high regard.

Young Master Gu Xingzhi said, "The first time the Fox King saw me, he said I possessed the 'Call of the Dove and the Fluttering Wings' aura—naturally knowing the timing and finding Opportunity when meeting rain. The Gu Family was able to establish a connection with Cangya Ridge precisely from that time on."

He paused.

"My father sealed the news after that. Apart from a few core members of the Gu Clan, almost no one outside knew. It wasn't until I came out of seclusion these past few years that the rumors slowly began to spread."

After hearing this, Jiang Yuhe did not ask any more questions.

Her conferred talismanic Qi, "Listening to Rain to Avoid Death," was inherently capable of perceiving the destiny of others.

To speak more pragmatically, if she hadn't seen those special qualities in Young Master Gu Xingzhi, Jiang Yuhe might not necessarily have engaged with him so deeply.

At the end of the mountain path, the mist gradually thinned.

A person was standing on a blue stone ahead.

That person looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a pale gold long robe.

His skin was extremely fair, his features beautiful to the point of being eerie, and a lock of golden hair hung down over his forehead.

Jiang Yuhe's Listening to Rain landed on him, but it was like touching a thin golden shell and was immediately bounced back.

That person raised his eyes to look at Young Master Gu Xingzhi and laughed.

"Are you that 'Dove' from the Gu Family?"

He looked Young Master Gu Xingzhi up and down.

"Not bad, the feather-Qi has grown a bit more."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi frowned slightly.

"What did the Saint say has grown?"

The golden-cicada youth waved his hand.

"No need to call me Saint, it sounds troublesome. My name is Saint Child of Cangya Ridge."

After speaking, his smile held a bit more playfulness.

"What I just said was about destiny. People like you are born with strange phenomena, naturally favored by the Heavenly Dao; how could you die so easily? Spiritual aptitude, Cultivation Techniques, and Opportunities will all stick to you on their own."

Young Master Gu Xingzhi did not speak.

Saint Child of Cangya Ridge continued, "But destiny is something mostly determined at birth. The destiny you carry has actually increased in the Acquired stage; that is quite novel."

His gaze fell upon Young Master Gu Xingzhi, as if he could see something that ordinary people could not.

"I'm afraid you might have encountered another child of destiny and devoured their life."

At this point, Saint Child of Cangya Ridge chuckled softly again.

"That's fine too. In the clash of fates, one or two Prodigies of the era must be determined."

He suddenly turned his head and cast a light, airy glance at Jiang Yuhe.

"Interesting."

He turned to look down the mountain, his pale gold robe fluttering gently in the wind.

"Alright."

Saint Child of Cangya Ridge's voice remained light and cheerful.

"The Shen Clan is so rampant; it is time for me to go and settle the score."