After searching the bodies of the four, Shen Ying activated the old peach tree. Its roots shifted, smoothing out the overturned ground of Peach Blossom Manor. As for the four corpses, they were buried deep beneath the earth.
Returning to the manor’s front hall, the two sat down. The Eighteen Heavenly Maidens served tea, and Shen Ying began recounting the ambush by the four before dawn.
“From their actions and words, it seems they intended to capture my soul and take it back for that thousand-year-old peach tree spirit to devour,” Shen Ying said. “Its true form is also a peach tree. If it could consume me, it could use me as a vessel, merging with the essence of *Peach Blossom* to transform into a new Peach Blossom Fairy.”
Lu Zheng nodded. “I see. That’s the real reason it covets you. It wants to achieve enlightenment through you.”
“Exactly,” Shen Ying confirmed with a nod.
“Shameless old demon! These monsters and fiends from the southern border are utterly deplorable, not a single one is decent!” Tao Zhen cursed angrily, and the other Heavenly Maidens nodded in agreement.
They had been killed by an old monk from the southern border’s Bewitching God Valley. Having finally become Peach Blossom Heavenly Maidens under Shen Ying’s guidance, they now faced a thousand-year-old peach tree spirit coveting Shen Ying’s essence.
Shen Ying smiled, interrupting Tao Zhen. “Those who come to the Central Plains to cause trouble are naturally from evil sects. The southern border may have good people, but they wouldn’t come to bother us.”
Turning to Lu Zheng, she continued, “There’s still one soul. Lu Lang, with the techniques you’ve learned from the Jinhua Sect, could you extract some information from it?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “There’s a curse technique in the *Mysterious Secrets* that I can try.”
He patted his gourd with his right hand, and the Western Envoy’s soul appeared before them, dazed and unresponsive due to the sealing curses.
Lu Zheng had no intention of unsealing it. Instead, he formed a hand seal and cast a mental curse directly onto it.
The Mirror Observation Curse.
This allowed him to view the memories of the target from a period before their death.
Lu Zheng knew of soul-searching techniques in this world and had encountered the *Soul-Devouring Technique* before. If unorthodox sects could achieve such feats, Taoist techniques could naturally do the same. However, Taoist methods emphasized self-cultivation and typically avoided such practices.
That said, there were times when probing an opponent’s secrets was necessary. Only the Jinhua Sect, which specialized in refining the spirit, could devise a technique that balanced accessing another’s memories without affecting oneself.
The Mirror Observation Curse in the *Mysterious Secrets* differed from ordinary soul-searching techniques or the *Soul-Devouring Technique*. The latter absorbed the target’s memories, experiences, and even personality, essentially allowing one to impersonate them, while most soul-searching techniques provided a first-person perspective.
The Mirror Observation Curse, however, focused on “observation,” viewing the target’s experiences and memories from a third-person perspective, like skimming through records. It could only access the most significant recent memories and sounds. Its drawback was that it couldn’t retrieve everything, especially if the target’s true spirit was strong, but its advantage was that it minimally affected the user’s own mind and heart.
Even so, the scriptures advised against frequent use, as excessive exposure to others’ experiences could still influence oneself.
Once Lu Zheng had gathered enough, he promptly ended the technique.
Southern border…
Peach Mother Sacred Mountain…
Thousand-year Peach Mother Sacred Tree…
Four Divine Envoys of the East, South, West, and North…
“As expected!”
“What did you find?” Shen Ying asked, the Eighteen Heavenly Maidens looking on with curiosity.
Lu Zheng withdrew the Mirror Observation Curse and flicked his fingers.
*Poof!*
The Western Envoy’s soul completely dissipated, scattering into the heavens and earth.
…
In a certain part of the southern border’s mountains lies the Peach Mother Sacred Mountain. This mountain is covered with peach trees, among them a thousand-year-old tree known as the Peach Mother Sacred Tree.
Having cultivated into a spirit, the Peach Mother Sacred Tree protects an area spanning hundreds of miles, revered by millions of southern border tribespeople who worship it as the Peach Mother.
With a thousand years of cultivation, it has taken disciples to practice qi refinement and passed down techniques. Dozens of cultivators serve under it, the most powerful being the Four Divine Envoys of the East, South, West, and North, each with two to three hundred years of cultivation, making them a significant force in the southern border.
However, the Peach Mother, having achieved enlightenment through self-realization without a formal lineage, follows a wild path. Despite its thousand years of cultivation, its true form cannot move, and its soul and true spirit are impure, unable to leave the Peach Mother Sacred Mountain.
If things continued this way, the Peach Mother would have remained on the mountain for centuries, relying on its own cultivation and the offerings of the tribespeople, slowly improving over time. Eventually, it might achieve a breakthrough, allowing its soul to roam and extend its lifespan, or its true form might wither, and its soul would dissipate into the heavens and earth.
This was all quite normal.
But one day, the poem *Peach Blossom* reached the Peach Mother Sacred Mountain’s territory. As a peach tree itself, the Peach Mother was naturally aligned with *Peach Blossom*, which symbolized a beautiful life. When the southern border natives worshipped the Peach Mother, they instinctively incorporated the poem into their rituals.
As a result, part of the incense and prayer energy generated during worship was absorbed by the Peach Mother, while another part was drawn across space to the Central Plains.
This effectively split the Peach Mother’s incense offerings, immediately catching its attention. It sent its cultivators to the Central Plains to investigate.
The Western Envoy then uncovered Shen Ying’s true nature, learning she was a minor incense land deity who had unintentionally merged with *Peach Blossom*, giving her limitless potential.
Upon reporting back, this sparked the Peach Mother’s greed. As a peach tree, it was even more compatible with *Peach Blossom* than Shen Ying, a post-natal peach spirit.
If it could devour Shen Ying, all the incense energy of *Peach Blossom* would belong to it. With its thousand years of cultivation and innate talent, this would be like adding wings to a tiger, potentially making it one of the southern border’s top powers within a century.
As a southern border demon, it sought to consume and merge with Shen Ying, a land deity of the Great Jing. Naturally, Shen Ying would never agree.
What more was there to say?
Thus, it decisively recalled the Four Divine Envoys, imparting the Four Poles Soul-Locking Curse and corresponding magical wooden tokens, even embedding hidden traps within them. The sole purpose was to capture Shen Ying’s soul and bring it to the Peach Mother Sacred Mountain.
And so, the recent battle unfolded.
…
Lu Zheng looked at Shen Ying. “You were right. The Peach Mother indeed cannot leave the Peach Mother Sacred Mountain, and these four were its most powerful subordinates. With them dead, it won’t be able to threaten you for the time being.”
Shen Ying held Lu Zheng’s arm, speaking softly. “You were right too, Lu Lang. I was a bit complacent before. I didn’t expect this thousand-year-old demon, though unable to come here itself, to have such formidable methods. If you hadn’t arrived quickly, even if I escaped this calamity, I would have been gravely injured, my soul damaged.”
“Fairy, Young Master, stop showing off your affection in front of us. If you’re truly in the mood, why not go back to the bedroom and rest?”
“Exactly! After such a close call, you need to relax and calm your nerves!”
“Hehe, we promise not to eavesdrop!”
“I heard last time the Fairy pledged herself to the Young Master because he saved her.”
“Hehe, that’s right!”
Shen Ying shot them a playful glare, rolling her eyes at the teasing maidens.
“Bring me those magical artifacts first. Once I refine them, you can use them too.”
The Heavenly Maidens nodded eagerly, presenting the spoils of battle one by one: a porcelain bottle, a peach branch, six peach wood flying swords, and six peach wood tokens.
Shen Ying inspected them. “Their quality surpasses even the old peach tree, and more importantly, they’ve been refined and nurtured, making them quite powerful. Once I fully refine them, you can each take some.”
“Thank you, Fairy!”
With magical artifacts to enhance their strength, the Heavenly Maidens were naturally delighted.
Lu Zheng also noticed something he had overlooked before. “Do you have any need for weapons? I see Tao Zhen is still using an ordinary saber.” He patted his gourd, producing another Spring Embroidery Blade for Tao Zhen. “What do you think of this blade?”
“Great blade!” Tao Zhen’s eyes lit up.
Lu Zheng nodded with a smile. “Swords, spears, halberds, staffs, axes, maces, hooks, pick whatever you like.”
The Heavenly Maidens who practiced martial arts beamed with joy. They weren’t unaware that Lu Zheng could provide fine weapons, having seen the staff he gave Hou Ping. But they assumed such weapons were valuable and hadn’t dared to ask.
Shen Ying, unaware of the details and believing the Eighteen Heavenly Maidens, who had shifted to incense cultivation, had no need for weapons, hadn’t brought it up either.
Thus, the matter had been overlooked.
But now that Lu Zheng noticed, he couldn’t let these Heavenly Maidens face enemies empty-handed in the future.
“Whatever you want, name it!” Lu Zheng said generously.
“A square-heaven halberd!”
“A pair of mandarin duck maces!”
“A horse-slaying long saber!”
Lu Zheng: 〣(ºΔº)〣
