Lu Zheng rubbed his chin, wondering whether he had enough face to ask the Yuejin River God for some Nine-Bend Cloud-Light.
“There is one more place,” Xue Heng continued. “In Luzhou of Chuandong Circuit stands Mount Qingqi. The mountain is extraordinarily tall, piercing straight into the clouds. Every day a strand of cloud-light falls into the cyan pool at the summit and transforms into Biluo Cyan Cloud-Light.”
“Mount Qingqi is perilously steep. From halfway up, heavenly winds blow all year round. Almost no one can live there. Only a thousand-year-old eagle has made the peak its home for centuries. Mortals cannot approach.”
Xue Heng spread his hands helplessly. “So you see, the world is only so big. All the good things have owners.”
“Mount Qingqi? A thousand-year-old eagle?” Lu Zheng blinked, then asked, “Does this eagle happen to be surnamed Yi?”
Xue Heng looked surprised. “Exactly! The eagle named itself Yi Qingtian. Brother Lu has heard of him?”
“I have indeed,” Lu Zheng nodded, then asked, “Is this Biluo Cyan Cloud-Light useful to Yi Qingtian?”
“Of course it is, but he has been collecting it for hundreds, even thousands of years. He must have plenty to spare. It is just that very few can manage to obtain any from him.”
“I see.” Lu Zheng nodded and sighed. “Good things are never easy to take…”
Xue Heng also sighed. “Indeed…”
…
They stayed another three days on Feiyu Mountain. During that time Lu Zheng not only sparred with Xue Heng and the other younger disciples, but also exchanged a few courteous moves with several elders, stopping at the first touch. It further enriched his swordsmanship experience.
On the day of departure he once again paid respects to Immortal Han, expressed his gratitude, and invited Xue Heng and Min Qing’er to visit them in Tonglin County whenever they came down the mountain.
Xue Heng and Min Qing’er personally escorted them thirty li along the mountain roads all the way to the official highway before waving goodbye.
…
“Lu-lang, you know this Yi Qingtian?” Shen Ying asked once they were on their way.
Lu Zheng nodded, then shook his head. “I know of him, but he probably does not know me.”
Seeing Shen Ying’s curiosity, he explained, “This Yi Qingtian is a friend of Hu Yijun.”
“The Tiger King of Dingfeng Mountain?” Shen Ying asked in surprise.
Lu Zheng nodded. “Last time Hu Zhou went to Chuandong Circuit to deliver a letter, didn’t he? On the return journey he even helped me kill the Holy Maiden of the Primordial Saint Sect.”
“The letter was for Yi Qingtian?” Shen Ying asked.
“Yes,” Lu Zheng confirmed.
Shen Ying thought for a moment. “Does Lu-lang plan to visit Mount Qingqi to request some Biluo Cyan Cloud-Light?”
Lu Zheng shook his head with perfect seriousness. “How can you put it that way? I simply heard Hu Zhou mention the great name of Senior Yi Qingtian. Since we are passing by anyway, I wish to pay a friendly visit, bring some homemade wine as a gift, and make the acquaintance of an esteemed senior.”
Shen Ying giggled mischievously. “You are Hu Zhou’s master, which makes you the same generation as Hu Yijun.”
“Oh, right!” Lu Zheng nodded. “Then I definitely must go up the mountain. Making friends is important.”
Shen Ying’s eyes curved into crescents. The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
They whipped their horses onward, their laughter echoing along the road, leaving only the sound of hoofbeats behind.
…
Their original route had taken them from the northwest of Lingbei Circuit through Zhiyang Circuit into Guanglin Circuit. Now, to return via Chuandong Circuit, they headed south, first entering Chuandong Circuit, then making a detour to Luzhou before turning east back to Lingbei Circuit.
Guanglin Circuit was famous for its many mountains, but Chuandong Circuit had even more. The two followed winding mountain paths the whole way; in many places they had to carry the horses.
Huangfeng and Taxue, who had spent their lives being ridden, finally experienced what it was like to ride humans.
“I’m almost tempted to fly the whole way,” Lu Zheng said, using true qi to carry both horses across a narrow cliffside plank road. When he set them down, the horses’ legs were still trembling.
“It seems they don’t enjoy riding people,” Shen Ying said, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she laughed.
“Useless creatures!” Lu Zheng scolded, then vaulted back into the saddle.
Once their hooves were on solid ground again and their familiar riders were on their backs, Huangfeng finally felt comfortable. He reared up, neighed loudly, then broke into a brisk trot along the forest path, with Taxue galloping close behind.
The horses trotted swiftly and soon emerged from the trees. A mountain gorge blocked their path, forcing them to halt.
Lu Zheng pulled the reins and looked ahead. Not far away, a suspension bridge spanned the chasm.
Yet what truly drew the eye was not the bridge or the gorge, but far to the west: a solitary mountain that pierced the heavens.
The surrounding peaks, though taller than the nearby ranges, remained within reasonable proportions. This mountain’s main summit, however, was utterly different. It soared straight upward, standing alone like a crane among chickens.
Mount Qingqi!
Lu Zheng clicked his tongue in wonder. “Good heavens, you really can’t see the summit!”
Shen Ying gazed into the distance. “The highest peak of Mount Qingqi is three thousand zhang, more than two thousand zhang taller than the second highest. Legend says that in ancient times an immortal used a stone as a sword. After winning a great battle, he casually planted it here. Over countless sunrises and moonsets, seas turned to mulberry fields, and it merged with the surrounding mountains to become the tallest peak in Chuandong Circuit.”
“Three thousand zhang… and only the tallest in Chuandong Circuit…”
Lu Zheng smacked his lips. It was even higher than Everest. And that was not the main point.
In this world, rich with spiritual qi and fierce heavenly winds, ascending or descending the skies was far more difficult than on Earth. After his cultivation had risen, Lu Zheng had once tried flying upward. He had managed five thousand zhang before he could go no higher.
“Indeed. North of the central capital lies Lingkong Mountain, five thousand zhang tall, connecting directly to the Lingkong Heavenly Realm. That is one of the imperial court’s cave-heavens, said to be larger than any sect’s blessed land,” Shen Ying said.
“I know…”
Lu Zheng nodded. He had read the relevant files at White Cloud Temple. The ancestral founders of the Great Jing dynasty and the celestial star officials they had enfeoffed all resided in the Lingkong Heavenly Realm.
To serve as a star official, one needed at least five hundred years of cultivation.
Surely a star official had to be able to fly?
“There are also the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the southern borders,” Shen Ying said curiously. “I hear many peaks there are similarly tall and perilous. I just wonder why a thousand-year great demon like Yi Qingtian did not settle in the southern borders instead.”
The corner of Lu Zheng’s mouth curved. “Simple!”
“Why?” Shen Ying looked at him, eyes filled with doubt.
Lu Zheng shrugged. “Because the southern borders are full of great demons too. Have you considered that peaks taller than Mount Qingqi might all be occupied by demons even stronger than him?”
Shen Ying: ⊙_⊙
“That… actually makes a lot of sense…”
“Come on, let us pay our respects!”
Lu Zheng called out, glanced at the suspension bridge ahead, dismounted, and carefully led Huangfeng across.
…
Mount Qingqi was not a human sect; there were no proper roads. Lu Zheng and Shen Ying rode, climbed, and trekked for an entire day before reaching the foot of the mountain.
They tethered the horses, set up an illusion array to protect them, then rose hand-in-hand into the sky, flying straight toward Mount Qingqi.
“This junior Lu Zheng, friend of the Tiger King of Dingfeng Mountain, has long admired the great name of Eagle King Yi. Passing by today, I have come specially to pay my respects!”
“SCREEE!!!”
In answer came a piercing eagle cry that cut through the soul, accompanied by a faint yet unmistakable trace of demonic qi.
