Immortal Soaring Blade

Everyone, welcome to 2021!  2020 has been an absolutely horrid year for many people on many levels, and I think many (most? all?) of us are glad to leave it behind.  With that said, I wanted to give everyone a preview for some of the things that are coming up in the coming few months for Wuxiaworld.

Front-End Site Redesign - This one has been a long time coming!  Historically, we've focused more on incremental changes and feature build-out rather than overhauling the site itself, but for quite a few months now...

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Zhao Jiuge walked into the dark alley and away from the crowd. His dark eyes even became somewhat cold. At the previous intersection, Zhao Jiuge had casually asked an elder where the Yu family was. Fortunately, the town wasn’t big, and the Yu family was the largest family in town. The elder enthusiastically gave Zhao Jiuge directions.

After learning the location, Zhao Jiuge left the half of the watermelon he couldn’t eat to the old man. The old man was shocked as he watched Zhao Jiuge leave.

Borrowing the cold moonlight, one could see Zhao Jiuge’s cold eyes even more clearly. After leaving the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect and coming into contact with people once more, Zhao Jiuge’s mentality began to change little by little. The youth that once only worried about his own survival was no longer there.

After he walked out of the dark alley and turned a corner, he saw the gate to the Yu family home that was lit up by eight red lanterns.

In the middle were grey stone steps and a brownish black door that was made of some unknown wood. There was a huge plaque above the door with the words “Yu Mansion” written in gold paint. There were several paper lanterns hanging on the stone wall and two majestic stone lions beside the entrance. This was very similar to the Mo family in the city of Dong Yang, the only difference being that it was much smaller.

The door was open, and on the other side was a large courtyard. As for what was further inside, it could not be seen from here, but Zhao Jiuge could still see a lot of lights.

He stepped forward, climbed up the steps, and stopped before the gate. He hesitated a bit and then looked around to make sure no one was around. Then he stepped forward, grabbed the copper handle, and knocked a few times.

Although he had come to the Yu family to help, it was Zhao Jiuge’s first time doing a mission, so he didn’t know how to deal with people. He didn’t want to suddenly invade someone’s home.

After hearing the sound from the gate, an elderly man who was dressed like a housekeeper quickly came out. He was wearing a long, grey-blue silk coat. His clothes were spotless and his eyes were filled with energy. Even though his beard was very clean, he gave off the aura of an astute person.

The town of Yu Hua was not big, but the Yu family was definitely the richest family here. As the housekeeper of this family, there was nothing wrong with his vision and judgement.

When Yu Fu looked at this ordinary-looking youth who looked clean and young, he had an unspeakable feeling. Although the youth looked ordinary, Yu Fu didn’t dare to act arrogantly. Instead, he was filled with doubt and asked, “You are?”

After Yu Fu finished speaking, he observed Zhao Jiuge. He wanted to find some clues.

Zhao Jiuge smiled and slowly said, “I came to the town of Yu Hua under orders from my sect to help your Yu family resolve your problem.”

Yu Fu didn’t react right away when he first heard this, then his eyes widened in shock. He frowned and asked, “Sect?”

Zhao Jiuge nodded. “Yes, the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect.”

This time, it was Yu Fu’s turn to be surprised. A while back, something strange happened and the family’s master couldn’t resolve it. He had gone everywhere to try to find people to help him with the issue. There were many temples and sects in the Huaxia Dynasty, so the people naturally believed in ghosts and gods. The surrounding area was under the protection of the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect, so the master had managed to send in a request a few months ago. However, after not getting a reply for a while, the master had to find someone else. Who would’ve expected a Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect disciple to come now, and one so young. Although Yu Fu had his doubts, this matter was simply too important, so he didn’t dare to slack off.

“Immortal Teacher, please wait, I’ll go call my master,” he said quickly before bowing respectfully and then rushing back into the courtyard.

Zhao Jiuge was stunned. He muttered to himself, “Immortal teacher? Just like this, I’m an immortal teacher?”

Zhao Jiuge didn’t have to wait long before no less than a dozen people rushed to the door. The person leading the way was a middle-aged man wearing a golden silk coat with a slight belly. Beside him was a tall young man, a beautiful girl, and a youth around Zhao Jiuge’s age. Behind them were several servants and the housekeeper, Yu Fu.

At this moment, Yu Fu pointed at Zhao Jiuge. His breathing was still rough as he said "Master, this is the immortal teacher.” After he finished speaking, he silently stood to the side.

The youth beside him was surprised at how young Zhao Jiuge was and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Dad, this person is only around my age. What immortal teacher? Could he be a fraud?”

“Shut up, what does a kid like you know?!” Yu Qingshan shouted angrily as he stared at his youngest son, Yu Qiusheng. He was afraid his son would speak disrespectfully and provoke unwanted trouble. No matter how much he spoiled his youngest son, he wouldn’t let his son act like that right now.

Others may think that immortals that flew around on flying swords didn’t exist, but Yu Qingshan had seen an old man kill someone with a flying sword while he was young. That moment had stuck in his heart even until now. Although Zhao Jiuge looked young, he didn’t dare to look down upon Zhao Jiuge.

He respectfully stepped forward and slightly lowered his body to show respect. Yu Qingshan smiled and said, “Elder Immortal, my son was disrespectful, I hope you don’t blame him. Also, it is very late. I wonder, why did Elder Immortal come all the way here?”

The situation before Zhao Jiuge startled him. The dozens of gazes bearing down on him left him a bit overwhelmed. This was the first time he had been put on a pedestal like this. There were gazes of admiration, surprise, and even doubt. In particular, the beautiful girl seemed to want to see right through him.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Jiuge decided that there was no need to act politely, since he wasn’t good with words. His expression was slightly cold while he shook his head and said, “No harm.”

The more Zhao Jiuge acted like this, the more at ease Yu Qingshan felt, instead of feeling unhappy. He was certain that while this immortal was a bit young, he had some skills, or else the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect wouldn’t have sent him out.

Yu Qianshan took a step to the side and turned. He pointed into the yard and smiled. “Elder Immortal, please come into the hall to speak.”

Then everyone behind Yu Qingshan scattered, making a path in the middle. Zhao Jiuge and Yu Qingshan took the lead.

On the way, Zhao Jiuge said to Yu Qingshan, who was on his right side, “My name is Zhao Jiuge, you can just call me by my name. Tell me what exactly is happening here.”

Yu Qingshan didn’t think this young man would be eager to learn about the situation even this late at night. How could he know that Zhao Jiuge was anxious to finish the task early so he could receive his sect contributions.

Yu family grand hall.

There was a landscape painting hanging on the wall. It depicted green mountains and flowing rivers. There was nothing special about this painting, just something ordinary people would have to embellish their homes. At the front of the hall were two chairs carved from pear wood with flower patterns on the back. Zhao Jiuge and Yu Qingshan were sitting on them.

Lady Yu, who normally sat up there, was sitting to the left instead. She was wearing a flower dress and had a hollow shawl around her shoulder. She looked to be around 30 years old, and she smiled while she watched her husband talk to this young immortal.

Below Lady Yu sat an 18 or 19-year-old girl. She had delicate skin and was very similar to Lady Yu. She wore a yarn skirt and was filled with a youthful aura, making her very attractive. This was Yu Qingshan’s second daughter, Yu Xiasheng.

The young girl excitedly listened to her father talk to the young man who was younger than her but supposedly stronger than her. Her eyes were filled with curiosity. 

On the opposite side sat the calm-looking youth who hadn’t said a word since the beginning. He just listened carefully and seemed extremely mature. He was Yu Qingshan’s eldest son, Yu Chunsheng.

The last person was Yu Qingshan’s youngest son, who was about 15 or 16 years old, around the same age as Zhao Jiuge. However, he wasn’t listening to what Zhao Jiuge and his father were saying. The word “doubt” was almost written on his face, and he was muttering something.

The other people were not qualified to come in, so the housekeeper, Yu Fu, had ordered everyone to prepare a banquet.

“This is a rather long story. My Yu family is not some big family, but in this area, we are second to none. My family’s ancestors originally didn’t live in the town, they lived in the countryside not far from the town. Later, my Yu family became wealthy and moved into the town. Year after year, our wealth builds up more and more, but we go back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors every year. Before, everything was fine, but when we went back this year, a series of strange things happened. I tried everything but was unable to find the issue. This made me very worried. I, Yu Qingshan, haven’t done much in my life. Now I’m old, and when such a thing has happened, how will I be able to face my ancestors once I meet them? I really didn’t know what to do, so I went to the honorable sects. I originally didn’t think anyone would care, but you came after a few months.” Yu Qingshan spoke slowly at first, but he soon turned to panic and sorrow. 

Zhao Jiuge was very curious about what these strange things happening in the ancestral hall were. He looked at the people in the hall. They were all listening to Yu Qingshan’s words and looking at his reactions. They all looked a little frightened, and Zhao Jiuge asked, “What kinds of strange things?”

Yu Qingshan stared at Zhao Jiuge and abruptly said, “To be honest, it’s haunted.” 

In the silent night, those words were particularly harsh. The youngest son, Yu Qiusheng, shivered.

“Elder Immortal, you must solve this problem. Everyone is saying that my family is haunted because we did evil things. Now I can’t even sleep well at night, wondering what is really going on.” Yu Qingshan wept and confided in Zhao Jiuge.

Zhao Jiuge calmly said “Don’t worry, since I'm here, I’ll naturally help you solve this problem. It shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Seeing Zhao Jiuge’s brave appearance, Lady Yu and Yu Xiasheng's pale expressions turn for the better.

But Yu Qiusheng shouted, “Can you really do it? You’re about the same age as me.”

Just when Yu Qingshan was about to shout at his youngest son, Zhao Jiuge laughed and said to Yu Qiusheng, “I’m 16 this year, should be similar to you. Also, Little Brother, let me tell you something. As a man, you can’t say no.”

After he finished speaking, he stood up and seemed to suddenly remember something. He smiled gently and added, “Oh, that’s right, you are still a boy and not a man yet.”

After Zhao Jiuge finished speaking, he left, leaving only his back to the crowd in the hall. He said he was hungry and then left the hall. Everyone stared at the little elder immortal who they originally thought was pretty mature.

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