63. A Startling Discovery
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A swarm of cranes flew by a large round window, and within, the bird calls made Immortal Yin Xing open his eyes.
His irises travelled hazily about, taking in a spacious ornate bedchamber.
Hanging from the windows were tinkling bells, filling the air with soothing sounds.
Beneath him was the softest bed he had ever lain on, making it feel more like a nest of hay, and around him was an elegant and beautiful space.
The bedchamber was decorated with delicate paintings of birds, bamboo, flowers, and other natural scenery, with elegant silvery embroideries, shimmering in the rays of early sunlight.
There were intricate carvings lined with tiny jewels which gave off a soft, luminescent glow, and hanging right above the bed was a cascading lamp decorated with swallowtails and plum blossom twigs.
But the primary things that jumped out at him were,
'Feathers...' He sat bolt upright. 'Ei?!' Beneath him was not hay, as he had sleepily assumed, but a large bed of soft feathers!
And not just the bed... Around the entire room were lots and lots of feathers!
From Swallowtail feathers, to peacock, pheasant, and kingfisher feathers, they were woven into the bed curtains and regular curtains, they hung as ornaments, and they were even painted or carved into the walls!
"Where is this place?!"
"You're in my room." An annoyed voice roused from sleep, and Yin Xing's eyes darted to one corner.
There, a couch lined in feather motifs was nested in the perfect spot to catch morning sun rays from a small round window, and atop the couch, a pretty lady stretched in careless abandon.
She turned to Yin Xing, who had frozen and still stared at her.
"Are you going to keep staring at me?" She rose, and her robe of silken feathers settled about her.
"It's not a dream...?" Yin Xing slowly shook his head in disbelief.
After she saved him from the qi deviation, he only saw her face briefly before he fainted, so he now stared at her in open disbelief.
"Yan Linfeng ... You're alive?!"
She swivelled to him with a scowl. "Are you cursing me to an early death?! Why would I die?!"
"Ah, no! It's just-!" He suddenly turned serious. "Are you pretending? Or do you really not know? Everyone in Sky Realm believes the Swallow Clan was wiped out after Liwei's de-..." He paused. "No single Swallow has been seen for the past thirty-thousand years."
He suddenly appeared before her, causing her to stagger back, nearly tripping, but he caught her easily. "I spent thousands of years looking for you, and you simply appear from nowhere?!"
Yan Linfeng's expression briefly softened, but she pushed him away. "Ahem. My dear Night Immortal, 'unfamiliar waters could be shallow or deep'... After such an impossibly long time, I don't know on which side you've built your fortress."
The two held each other's gaze, hers challenging, his still a bit dazed, but he eventually sighed.
"If you don't trust me, say nothing." He simply said, and then held up three fingers.
"However, I trust you enough to swear here today... I have never been on the Sky Emperor's side, nor on the side of anything that would harm you or your family. Besides, I would die before betraying my third brother! Whose side do you think I'm on!"
She stared up into his face for a spell, but then hers split into a joyous grin. "Ha! I knew my Xingxing wouldn't change!" She said, placing her hands on her waist.
His face showed a mild horror.
Yan Linfeng was his senior by only a few years... Even before they became in-laws, she had worked at the Starry Pavillion for a while, and she had given him the nickname, 'Xingxing'!
"Elder Sister! You can't call me that again!" Yin Xing protested, but she suddenly pulled him down into a headlock.
"Your scales have hardened in thirty thousand years! How dare you refuse my nickname?!"
"Elder Sister! I thought you were refined by now!" He broke away and the two chased themselves around the room amidst giggles and laughter.
But she soon caught him, and with a trip and tumble, he was suddenly on the floor, with her atop him.
Once again, the two stared at each other, the tinkling bells softly surrounding them.
"Er... Ehehe, sorry, sorry!" Red faced, she hastily pushed herself off him, and firmly looked away.
Yin Xing sat up, hiding a pleased smile. "Ahem! H- How have you been these years?" He softly asked. "Where is this place? Where have the Swallows been hiding?"
She sighed. "The Yan Clan was exiled out of Sky Realm. Or more accurately, we banished ourselves in exchange for my Sister's life... We're hidden in the Mortal Realm right now."
It took Yin Xing a second to process her words. "Your sister's li-. Wait!" He shot to his feet.
"Yan Liwei is alive?!"
'Not good!' He thought, as Yan Linfeng nodded.
It was certainly good news that Yan Liwei was alive, but what did it mean for his brother, who was now mortal and already confused by a new love?!
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Meanwhile, over several thousand miles of land, sea, and mountains, Xu Min sat in the Yan house, at the same pagoda Luoyin and Weiyan had spent the New Year.
It was nightfall, and before Xu Min on the table, were four round pills in a straight line.
"Zhang Yin, what are these?" He curiously asked Luoyin who sat across him.
Two of the pills were plain white, one was red with yellow streaks, and one was black with gold flecks. He found the white ones familiar, as they resembled one of the most basic cultivation pills in the mortal realm. A pill beginners took to improve stamina when they first began qi absorption.
"Just eat one of the white ones for now... Don't ask too many questions!" Luoyin waved him away.
It was another matter of trust, and with a resigned sigh, Xu Min lifted the white pill and swallowed it.
As someone already at Profound Tier Four, he didn't really expect it to have any effect on him.
But it did!
Rather than the mild tingle he expected to feel, a force of aura shot through him, propelling him to spit out a spray of blood. "Wha-- What is this?!"
"A test. I wanted to know how bad your qi deviation was..."
Xu Min struggled to sit upright, his breath ragged. "Is it this bad?! I can't even absorb such a basic pill?!"
"Don't underestimate these basic pills. This one is powerful enough to help a regular person absorb qi, so of course, if your foundation is damaged, it would affect you in the wrong way."
"My foundation is damaged?!"
"Calm yourself. It's not all bad." Luoyin reached over, placing two fingers on Xu Min's wrist. "That Qi deviation indeed harmed your foundation, but surprisingly, your level remained within the Profound Tier. I wasn't joking when I said you have the body of a genius!"
He rubbed his chin. "Unfortunately, this confused the Physicians, and they never looked beyond your meridians, or any bodily harm.
"They can't be blamed... You see, anything that affects your foundation to this extent, would either send you back to the Foundation Tier, or turn you into a 'trash' that can't cultivate, like I was. In fact, I think one or two might have guessed what was wrong,
but the skill to undo it must be rare."
"Zhang Yin, are you saying I can be cured?" A light of hope flared within Xu Min's eyes...
Since the tragic incident, he had slowly come to accept his fate, as every year, more and more of his peers steadily approached his level, and a few already surpassed him.
He could only be happy for them. They were growing normally, so he had no business hoping they would never surpass him.
But it did nothing to help him swallow the bitterness... The constant knowledge that his dreams or aspirations would be cut short.
Through Luoyin's eyes, Bailong could understand how Xu Min felt, as Luoyin had lost everything in the worst way, so he simply held up two fingers, and a qi needle appeared between them.
"I only have one question right now... How much do you trust me?"
Xu Min scoffed. "Zhang Yin, if I didn't already trust you with my life, I wouldn't have accompanied you during the first stage of the tournament." He shook his head. "Nor would I have just swallowed a random pill at your instruction."
Luoyin drew in a breath. "Hao! Then let's begin!"
He suddenly flung his arm towards Xu Min, and the qi needle shot at him, going right through his head...
Xu Min fell backwards, expecting to fall to the ground, but instead, it felt like he had fallen right into an icy lake, and frost-like bites spread all across his skin.
He vaguely heard Luoyin's voice telling him something intelligible - something to do with living for a ridiculously long time and vowing not to make anymore close friends, only to run into him!
At times, Xu Min could feel more of the qi needles hitting his accupoints, and twice, he felt another pill go into his mouth, but mostly, he was in a suspended state, like he was floating right beneath the surface of extremely still waters.
'...in...'
'...Min...'
'...Xu Min...'
"X- Xu Min... Xu Min!" Luoyin's voice finally reached him loud and clear.
There was a ripple on the surface of the water, and with a sudden deep breath, Xu Min opened his eyes.
"Phew!" Luoyin sighed in relief. "It's been a while since I did that! You were supposed to awaken a minute ago! I thought I had sent you to accompany the Xu ancestors!"
Xu Min hazily looked around. They were still at the Pagoda, but Xu Min now sat on the floor in lotus position.
"Wha- What happened?" He asked in confusion.
"Ah, that was my 'Celestial Threading' technique." Luoyin said, while he checked Xu Min's wrist again. "All done! You should be completely healed now!" He observed, then held out his palm, offering Xu Min the last white pill.
"Here! Try cultivating now!"
'Surely, it's impossible!' Xu Min thought, not daring to hope.
Only about ten minutes had passed since he fell unconscious.
Surely Zhang Luoyin wasn't that powerful...?
Yet as he doubted, his hand reached out on its own to take the pill, and he swallowed.
This time, he felt the rush of the mild tingle the pill was supposed to provide, and as his own qi responded, he shut his eyes and began to cultivate.
It wasn't long before he felt his meridians unlock, and a wave of bright blue light wove around him and shot skyward.
'Breakthrough!' He realized.
But before he could open his eyes, another swirl of qi erupted within, and he continued cultivating. In about five minutes, a second, more powerful breakthrough was achieved, as another magnificent wave of light surrounded him and exploded skyward, causing a mild tremble around them.
Xu Min opened his eyes and floated up to his feet.
"I'm indeed healed?" He wondered in disbelief. "I - I can't believe it! I'm indeed healed!"
"Not bad, not bad!" Luoyin was nodding. "You've already stepped into Profound Tier five, and reached the sixth stage?! The original 'Xu genius' is back!"
Tears threatened to run down Xu Min's face, and he instantly fell to his knees and cupped his hands.
"Zhang Yin! This is an immeasurable favor! Just say the word! Even if it's a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I will accompany you to the bitter end!"
"Aiya! Stop it, stop it!" Luoyin helped him up. "What is a small favour between us?! And besides, if you 'accompany me to the bitter end', then where do we place your cousin?! I'm married to your cousin!"
Xu Min laughed hale and heartily, wondering how Luoyin could say such a thing with a straight face!
But mostly wondering how he could consider such a monumental thing, a 'small favour'!
Meanwhile, Luoyin looked up into the night sky, unable to help a bit of worry.
This was mostly because he knew Zhang Furen would target him in some way or the other.
Luoyin wasn't necessarily worried about himself, but he could only hope those around him wouldn't be caught in the crossfire...
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