Only at this moment did Shu Fu belatedly realize that Ye Shusheng had come up the mountain to seek a master all for the sake of meeting more demonic cultivators, to facilitate his search for that fox who had left in anger years ago.
It was said that on her deathbed, his adoptive mother, upon learning of this twist of fate, had left him a final wish:
"Xiao'er, you must find that fox demon from back then, properly explain to her, and make clear that you only held her in high esteem, with no intention of looking down on her. Do not let regret remain because of this."
Shu Fu deeply suspected that what his adoptive mother had wanted to say was "do not let regret remain because you're a clueless straight man," but she couldn't find the right words to express it. In the end, she was left speechless, choked with emotion, and passed away with lingering regret.
After all, her son had managed to anger away his future wife—the only hope in this lifetime for him to escape singlehood!
Ye Shusheng: "Although I don't know why Mother insisted I find the fox demon, a parent's command must be obeyed. As their child, I must fulfill it even if it costs me my life."
Shu Fu: "No, I think she was just worried you wouldn't find a wife. After all, you don't know how to pursue anyone. A girl who comes to your door proposing marriage like that isn't someone you can run into anytime, anywhere."
A wife who delivered herself to his doorstep—even she could be angered away by this gentleman.
Truly a proper scholar, practicing the teachings of the sages from childhood through personal action, walking his own path and making all manner of spirits and monsters flee in panic.
Yao Huang was also deeply shocked and moved by this story. She solemnly promised Ye Shusheng that she would definitely investigate and gather information for him within Zhongzhou, searching for traces of that fox demon from years past. If she couldn't be found, she feared his adoptive mother would never rest in peace.
Shu Fu offered her heartfelt blessings and supported them in spirit.
After this interlude, Shu Fu once again came to the realization: "What kind of ridiculous friends have I made? There's not a single normal person among them."
Amid infinite melancholy and nostalgia, she followed Jiang Xuesheng back to Yaoguang Peak.
Along the way, she had accumulated quite a few scrapes and bruises from all the climbing and tumbling. One of her legs was especially covered in blisters, swollen and red beyond recognition.
After settling down on Yaoguang Peak, several little demons clambered about applying medicine to her. Jiang Xuesheng sat leaning to one side, chin propped on his hand, watching Shu Fu suck in sharp breaths repeatedly. He frowned slightly and said, "Fu'er, by being so stubborn, you've suffered needlessly."
Shu Fu clutched her head and wailed, "I beg you, please stop calling me Fu'er."
"......"
Jiang Xuesheng looked up at the sky, his gaze drifting and distant, pretending he hadn't heard anything. "Si Fei, keep an eye on Fu'er. Don't let her cultivate these next few days. Let her recover from her injuries first."
The merman youth acknowledged the order and sat down close beside Shu Fu, the two fins on the sides of his face twitching like weather vanes. He turned his face, his pair of large, blue, glistening eyes staring straight at her, his delicate features set in an expression of earnest determination. "Little Junior Sister, be good."
Shu Fu was caught between laughter and tears. "I'm already so old—"
"Yes. Already so old, yet you still managed to get yourself into such a state."
Jiang Xuesheng interlaced his fingers, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the mountain rock. "If I hadn't had Ruyi keep watch, noticed Fang Wanqing's plot against you, and caught those rabbits in advance outside, how did you plan to resolve this matter?"
"I would have dealt with it as it came."
Shu Fu scratched her head. "She wanted to shift the blame onto me, but did she think Master Qiu would just stand by and let her? The Jiuhua Sect's elders aren't limited to just Master Huaigu."
Regarding this point, she truly felt no fear.
Probably because she had met Master Qiu once, she knew that while he had a good temper, he wouldn't let Master Huaigu do as he pleased. Taking it a step further, even if today she couldn't prove her innocence and Master Huaigu forced a guilty verdict on her, at worst she would have endured a few scoldings from him—nothing like Fang Wanqing's immediate and utter defeat.
To her, such a minor grievance was completely inconsequential.
However, even this tiny bit of grievance, Jiang Xuesheng hadn't let her suffer.
Yaoguang Peak's reputation for fiercely protecting its own was indeed well-deserved.
Thinking of this, Shu Fu suddenly felt a warmth in her heart and stopped minding Jiang Xuesheng's nagging and that embarrassingly affectionate nickname so much.
When your mom thinks you're cold, your grandma thinks you're hungry, and they keep calling you "baby," isn't it all because they care about you?
Although he wasn't her mom or grandma, but a reliable adult male.
Perhaps noticing her expression softening, Jiang Xuesheng gave a faint, elusive smile. Lowering his eyelashes, he instructed, "Ruyi's spirit left his body this time; he needs more rest. Si Fei is young and not very meticulous, but his heart is pure. Let him accompany you these next few days. If you need anything, tell me anytime."
Shu Fu nodded in agreement to each point, but couldn't help feeling curious again: What exactly had Jiang Xuesheng been busy with all this time?
Was it the same as before, searching for traces of the ancient divine birds, the "Five Phoenixes"?
The so-called Five Phoenixes refer to the five divine birds: the Feng (phoenix), the Qingluan (azure luan), the Honghu (swan goose), the Yuanchu (simplified as 'Yuanchu'), and the Yuezhuo (simplified as 'Yuezhuo'), corresponding to the colors red, azure (blue-green), white, yellow, and purple respectively.
Simply put, they were the Red Phoenix, Blue Phoenix, White Phoenix, and so on.
In this world, ancient times were rich in species, with many mythical beasts familiar to Shu Fu roaming the land—dragons, phoenixes, qilins among them. They were born gathering the world's spiritual energy within themselves, their cultivation advancing a thousand miles a day, incomparable to other creatures, objects of worship and yearning for both humans and demons.
However, as time passed, for reasons unknown, the once glorious mythical beasts gradually vanished. Whether the dragon clan or the Five Phoenixes, they all faded away without a trace.
Simultaneously, mortal world belief in these divine beasts gradually diminished, eventually fading into oblivion.
Today, even a Honghu like Liu Ruyi could be denounced as a "monster" by Master Jinghai—truly lamentable.
If not for Jiang Xuesheng, Shu Fu might never have heard anyone mention the existence of the Five Phoenixes in her entire life.
Among the figures she knew, Liu Ruyi was a descendant of the Honghu; the mixed-blood demon beast "Big Yellow" carried half Honghu lineage; the young master of Lingxiao City bore "Feng" (phoenix) in his name, and his ancestors had a grudge against the Honghu clan. Shu Fu had long suspected there was quite a connection. In fact, Lingxiao City was indeed descended from the Yuanchu clan among the Five Phoenixes, but their bloodline had been mixed and diluted over time. Their divine bird blood was now thinner, less pure than even Big Yellow's. One could also call them a nest of bird-people.
That Yuanchu descendants persecuted the Honghu so shows that even among the Five Phoenixes in ancient times, their relationship wasn't solid as a block.
Since the Qingcheng incident, Tian Xin had been living on Yaoguang Peak with Big Yellow. It was said Big Yellow's spirit was damaged. To help him recover memories from before his nirvana and regain his past temperament, Jiang Xuesheng had been painstakingly nurturing him with great care.
What exactly did he want to accomplish by searching for the phoenixes with such exhaustive effort?
Shu Fu had a basketful of questions but didn't know where to start asking.
She vaguely felt that regarding the matter of the Five Phoenix divine birds, Jiang Xuesheng and Liu Ruyi had their own considerations and didn't want her to know. Looking at her merman senior brother's carefree, naturally clueless expression, he probably didn't know either.
Since that was the case, she didn't plan to dig to the bottom of it. After all, an outsider meddling would only cause trouble.
Better to wait until her own cultivation advanced, and then see if she could be of any help.
Shu Fu lowered her head in brief contemplation, then remembered another question. "Right, sir, do you know about the Seven Demon Monarchs and the Four Demon Kings?"
"What of it?"
Jiang Xuesheng lifted his eyelids halfway, giving her a glance that seemed both amused and not. "After meeting Wu Yao, you've become interested in these demons and monsters? You must remember, not all of them are as easy to talk to as Wu Yao and the demons of Yaoguang Peak."
"I know."
Shu Fu nodded repeatedly. "But one day I will have to travel the world, vanquishing demons and upholding the Dao. Aside from Lingxiao City, I need to know what I might face."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuesheng paused slightly. Then he leaned forward and flicked her forehead with his finger. "Good, you're thinking ahead. However, if you ever encounter any of these demons head-on, your best course is to flee for your life."
Shu Fu rubbed her forehead. "Are they all as powerful as the Lich King?"
"Wu Yao... he was ambushed by Lingxiao City and suffered severe injuries. His current strength is less than half of what it was."
Jiang Xuesheng frowned with a light sigh, a trace of imperceptible melancholy flashing in his eyes. "Besides the Lich King, there are the Tian and Yu Demon Kings. One guards Qingqiu, the other resides in a lofty jade tower. You've probably heard of them too."
These names were indeed familiar. After a moment's thought, Shu Fu had the answer. "The Heavenly Fox of Qingqiu, and the Jade Rabbit of the Jade Branch?"
"Exactly."
Jiang Xuesheng casually rested one hand on his knee, his pale fingertips tapping up and down with a peculiar rhythm. "The clan leaders of the Heavenly Fox and Jade Rabbit races are called the Heavenly Demon King and the Jade Demon King respectively, each commanding their own faction. Both have a 'mind their own business' disposition. While not to be trifled with, they aren't particularly fearsome either. I'm even somewhat acquainted with the Jade Demon King."
Shu Fu: "..."
He's even given his own daughter to you as a disciple. That certainly counts as being acquainted.
No wonder Qi Yexin was so shocked upon hearing Zhao Yun was "returning home." Turns out she's not just a demon, but the beloved little princess of one of the Four Demon Kings.
"As for the Heavenly Foxes of Qingqiu, they are inherently proud and generally not welcoming to outsiders. Occasionally, some flirtatious and wandering ones enjoy playing in the mortal world. One of them, with countless romantic entanglements, even charmed away Wu Yao's second Daoist companion in passing, living a rather carefree and happy life—who knows where he's wandering now. Another, whose cultivation was insufficient, ended up with a broken heart and is now seeking solace on Yaoguang Peak. You've met him too; he loves playing the erhu while singing that heart-wrenching tune, 'Where in the world can I find a soulmate?'"
"..."
Shu Fu thought to herself, who knows where Ye Shusheng's fated fox-sister is at this moment, and whether she's also heartbroken, playing Chopin in the rain.
Her mind wandered, but she continued asking, "And the last Demon King? What about the Seven Demons?"
This time, Jiang Xuesheng didn't answer. Instead, he rummaged in his storage pouch for a moment, pulled out a scroll, and tossed it to her. "Take it. Study it yourself when you go back."
Shu Fu: ???
Wait, what about the promised explanation session? Can a master just go on strike like this?
Jiang Xuesheng's expression remained calm. "They're all scum. Speaking of them dirties my mouth and turns my stomach. Be a good girl and read it yourself."
Shu Fu knew his eccentricities were acting up again, but she couldn't muster any anger after being called "a good girl." She could only obediently accept the scroll and politely bow to this nominal master of hers. "In that case, I'll take my leave now."
"You—"
Jiang Xuesheng seemed to want to say something more, but in the end, he just raised his hand and ruffled her messy hair, saying gently, "Actually, you don't need to think so much. Whether it's Lingxiao City or the demonic cultivators, there are others to worry about them. There's no need for a junior like you to trouble yourself."
Shu Fu pushed his hand away. "Sir, you are not 'others.' My senior brothers and sisters aren't either."
Truthfully, she didn't want to live such a tiring life, thinking ten steps ahead with every move. But who made her the female lead?
She could avoid the romance plotlines, the catfight plotlines, but the main storyline concerned the fate of the entire world. It wasn't something she could avoid just by wanting to.
Moreover, ever since coming to Yaoguang Peak and getting to know fellow disciples like Qi Yexin, Yun Ying, Ye Shusheng, and others, she had gradually begun to think, "This world is actually not so bad." Although it was full of idiotic male side characters and malicious female side characters, there were also many kind and upright ordinary people.
For their sake, and for her own, Shu Fu wanted to try a little harder, to at least do what she ought to do.
The original male lead and female lead didn't let the villains succeed or the world be destroyed. She couldn't possibly mess it up, could she?
"Well then, sir, I'll go back and study the demonic cultivators."
"Go on."
Jiang Xuesheng waved his sleeve at her helplessly. "Rest well these three days. If you're bored, sleep more, sunbathe more. No cultivating while injured."
"I know!"
"..."
Si Fei stood motionless in place, his wide eyes following Shu Fu as she walked away. After a long while, he slowly uttered, "Master, does junior sister really know? I feel like she didn't listen to a single word."
"She knows my—"
Jiang Xuesheng covered his mouth with his sleeve, swallowing back an inappropriate line. "Of course she doesn't know. That's why I told you to follow her."
Si Fei nodded. "Mhm, I'll listen to Master. If junior sister tries to push herself again, I'll stop her. If junior sister doesn't obey, I'll tell Master."
"Silly child, what are you thinking?"
Jiang Xuesheng shook his head with a sigh. "What I meant was for you to follow her and sing the lullaby passed down through generations of the mermaid lineage to her every day. Make her sleep twelve hours a day for three days straight. That would solve the problem once and for all, saving me the trouble of worrying. I'm very busy; I don't have time to play along with you kids."
Si Fei: "..."
Shu Fu, who had already walked far away: "Achoo!"
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