Chapter 86 Penglai Fairy Island (Part 1)

  The sea breeze was blowing gently, and the dark blue waves were surging up onto the beach one after another. Shen Baiying stood on a rock half-submerged in the seawater, looking back, far away, the dark sea was like a wall of waves stretching to the horizon. Suddenly, the wind picked up, blowing his wet clothes, and he couldn't help but shiver.

  She glanced sideways at the not-too-distant coastline, where the dark tide rolled in with foam to the end of the soft yellow sand on the shore, and then reluctantly receded. On the shore, however, was a lush greenery, with deep and shallow shades of greenery that could be seen clearly near the trees, but became a blurred pale outline as it went further away. Clusters of unknown white flowers dotted the treetops and between the leaves, occupying this land without leaving any marks. The dense greenery with scattered white spots was also lovely to look at. From somewhere unseen came the distant chirping of skylarks, and the salty sea breeze seemed to carry a hint of floral scent that was almost imperceptible. Such a beautiful scene made one feel especially carefree and relaxed.

  "Who would have thought that in the depths of the underworld, there was still such an island hidden." Shen Baiying exclaimed with delight.

  The green-clothed girl beside him smiled upon hearing this: "This island is called Penglai, I heard Grandfather say it's a rare and precious place, with four seasons like spring, beautiful scenery, and abundant spiritual energy, making it an extremely rare place for cultivation."

  Shen Bailian's mouth slightly curved, and she smiled faintly: "So that's how it is. I suppose Miss Zhen often comes here to practice, which is why Master Kun ordered you to lead the way and bring me to this seaside."

  Qin Hai's face turned slightly red, and she said with some shyness: "Brother Shen is overpraising me. I don't like practicing those magical techniques every day. The reason I'm familiar with the roads here is that the rouge and accessories sold on Penglai Island are more likable than what Grandfather brought back, so I often sneak ashore..." She suddenly came to her senses halfway through her words and quickly covered her mouth, her face burning even more intensely.

  Shen Bailian had long been suppressing her smile, but on the surface, she was calm and soothing: "When I was young, my mother also forbade me from leaving the country to play, but I often sneaked out of the house. It seems that children all over the world are the same, the more they are not allowed to do something, the more interesting it becomes." As she spoke, she exchanged a knowing glance with Kun Hai Zhen and smiled together.

  Kun Hai Zhen bit her lip and smiled softly: "I didn't expect Brother Shen to look so steady, but when he was young...". She trailed off halfway through the sentence and lowered her head, a pink flush rising to her neck.

  Shen Bailian had never seen such a shy woman in the demon tribe, and thought to herself: "That Kun predecessor was so free-spirited and reckless, and his grandson Bao'er was also very bold. But this granddaughter of his is even more timid than the ladies of the human tribe, it's really rare." Although she thought this, she couldn't bear to see a girl embarrassed, so she quickly changed the subject: "Just now I heard you say that they sell rouge and jewelry on this island, could it be that there are humans living here?"

  Kun Hai Zhen's pink complexion faded slightly as she nodded and said, "Not bad. On the island of Penglai, there is a small country where the people are all descendants of the ancient tribe. I don't know when they drifted here, but although the country is not big, it has experienced several changes in power over the years. Several decades ago, there was even a war... My grandfather personally went to take a look and said that many people in the royal city were killed. He also said that the demon tribe should not intervene in human conflicts, so my brother and I had no choice but to follow him and stay confined... In recent years, Grandfather's control has loosened a bit, and my brother and I can occasionally come out for some fresh air."

  Shen Bailian heard it in his ears but didn't think much of it. He had read many ancient books of the human race and knew about the rise and fall of great dynasties, so he naturally didn't care about the internal strife of a small island nation. He simply said casually: "I didn't expect that even such a secluded place would be hard to escape from disputes, it's a pity for this precious land."

  "Alas, humans are fond of fighting and competing. If they didn't know magic, it would be fine, but once they learn magic, they want to fight with the demon tribe and even defy Heaven. Grandfather said that humans trying to become immortals is going against the Heavenly Way; rather than going against nature, it's better to follow its course."

  "It's better to follow the natural order of things... Senior Kun said it well." Shen Bailian's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly recalled an old matter from years ago, her expression inevitably turning gloomy. She sighed and said, "One person becoming immortal is already defying heaven, let alone hoping for the entire sect to ascend... What a ridiculous dream this is?" But that person still didn't understand...

  Qin Hai Zhen didn't know what he meant, and she looked at him with a puzzled expression in her beautiful eyes. Shen Bai Ling shook his head, smiled again, and said: "Miss Qin, it's getting late, I'm really sorry to have troubled you for so long. If there's nothing else, let's just say goodbye." As he spoke, he lowered his head to look at the cold-faced young man lying beside him with closed eyes, and added, "When my friend wakes up and sees you, it won't be good."

  Kun Hai Zhen could only lightly respond with a sound, suddenly remembering something, and quickly took out a small jade bottle from her sleeve and handed it over: "The spell that Grandfather Shi cast on him has long been lifted, the reason he slept until now is just because he took some anesthetic drugs, you can feed him a few of these Clear Spirit pills and he will be fine."

  Shen Bailian accepted it and bowed her hands saying: "Thank you, miss."

  Qunhai Zhen looked at him with a lingering gaze, then said: "Sending you a thousand miles away will eventually lead to separation, I just hope that Brother Shen can come back to the North Ming Palace when he has time... Zhen'er, Zhen'er is leaving now." As she spoke, she squatted down, turned around and slowly walked towards the sea.

  Shen Bailian watched as her slender figure gradually disappeared into the dark blue sea, before turning back to look at Murong Ziyin. The cold-faced young man was still lying on the reef, his eyes tightly closed and unresponsive. His originally tied-up hair had probably come undone when he fell into the sea, and now his black locks were scattered freely behind him, with a few strands blown by the sea breeze to brush against his face. Despite being in deep sleep, his pale and handsome face still maintained its usual serious and aloof expression, with furrowed brows and tightly pursed lips, looking very stern and self-controlled.

  It's unknown what made him frown in his sleep, perhaps he dreamed of a great battle with Kun? Shen Bailian couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. She knelt down and gently lifted Mu Rongziying's head onto her lap, then took out the jade bottle from North Ming Palace, which was extraordinary, its entire body a bright green crystal, carved from a single piece of high-quality jade. When she opened the bottle stopper, wisps of pale-colored smoke floated out, with an enduring fragrance that didn't disperse. Shen Bailian tilted the bottle mouth in her palm and poured out several white medicine pills the size of fingertips, then pinched the young man's chin to help him swallow them, afterwards putting the jade bottle back into her bosom, quietly waiting for the person in front of her to wake up.

  "Hmm..."

  Not long after, a low hum was heard, and Mu Rong Ziying's straight eyebrows slightly furrowed and then relaxed. He opened his eyes, and at first, his narrow phoenix eyes were still slightly dazed. However, when his gaze swept over, he had already regained his clarity. Realizing that he was leaning on Shen Baiyun's knees, a hint of embarrassment flashed in his eyes, but the expression vanished instantly, transforming into a calm and clear light. He sat up, coughed lightly, and asked in a low voice: "…Where is this place?"

  Shen Bailian's heart skipped a beat, and her face also showed a puzzled expression: "I don't know either... I woke up to find myself here, but the demon we were fighting earlier has disappeared without a trace."

  Murong Ziyin believed it to be true, and his eyebrows knitted together again. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke up once more: "Could it be that we were struck down into the sea by the demon and managed to escape with our lives?" Despite saying so, his face still wore a hint of doubt, clearly this reason was not even convincing to himself.

  Shen Bailian looked at him tentatively: "Maybe the demon didn't want to hurt us, but just wanted to save its own... junior, and used magic to make us fall asleep and bring us here?"

  "Ridiculous!" Murong Ziyin's sword-like eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he coldly said, "How can a demon have good virtues?"

  When she heard him say this, Shen Bailian could only smile wryly and shake her head lightly, saying nothing more.

  Murong Ziyin did not continue to argue with him, sat on the ground and rested for a while. When his numb hands and feet recovered, he stood up and said: "Since I've come, I'll make do, although I don't know where this place is, being cautious will never go wrong."

  "We seem to have passed through that wave and arrived at the center of the Underworld. I observe that the wind is warm and the waves are calm here, which is completely different from the outside world. Especially that island, the spiritual energy is very strong. It's said that there are many fairy mountains and blessed lands on the sea, often hidden in places where people rarely set foot. Isn't this place exactly what we've heard? We might as well go up and take a look, Ziyin, what do you think?"

  Murong Ziyin thought for a moment and responded bluntly: "Alright then. Let's go."

  As the two of them stepped onto the shore and reached the top of the embankment, they suddenly felt a lush greenness before their eyes. Now that they had walked closer to take a look, the forest along the shore seemed even more vast, with layer upon layer of tree trunks stretching out far and near, and it was impossible to see where they ended. As the warm breeze passed by, the treetops undulated in waves, and the delicate white flowers fluttered down like rain or snow, so much so that the two of them almost lost their way as soon as they entered the forest.

  "...The scenery here is quiet and beautiful, why don't we put down our swords and walk for a while? It's enjoyable for ourselves and also makes the most of this beautiful view. Ziying, what do you think?" Shen Bailing looked up to appreciate the scenery while asking the person behind him, but after a long time, he didn't hear any response. He then turned his head back to look at the person behind him, "...Ziying?"

  Who would have thought that he accidentally collided with the person's quiet and contemplative gaze. For some reason, Shen Bailian suddenly held her breath.

  Petals of flowers fell from the sky, and a pair of eyes as clear as black jade quietly gazed at him. Unknowingly, they had been staring for so long that Shen Baiying's slender figure seemed to be deeply engraved in their pupils. However, his face remained expressionless, with only his eyes, deep and unfathomable, devoid of joy or anger, looking at him intensely, as if trying to see into his soul.

  It seemed like something was violently jumping inside her chest, Shen Bailian couldn't help but reach out to touch her chest, then came back to herself, only feeling a surge of indescribable emotions, her face slightly flushed, hastily looking away, she called out: "Ziying, what's going on with you?"

  All that could be heard was the soft rustling of the grass leaves on the ground, but a cold breath drew near. Shen Baiying's eyes suddenly widened as he turned back to see Murong Ziyin already standing in front of him, his profound gaze having vanished without a trace, as if it were just an illusion. He looked at Shen Baiying with a detached expression, and after a long while, said: "Flower petals."

  "Ah?" Shen Bailian was stunned for a moment.

  Murong Ziyin's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and in the next moment, her wide sleeves had already swept across Shen Bailian's face.

  A chilly aura suddenly enveloped her, and Shen Baiyun's heart skipped a few beats. She hastily retreated a step back, only to see that Murong Ziyin had already withdrawn his hand. Upon closer inspection, she saw that between his fingers was a delicate, snow-white petal... apparently it had fallen onto her hair just now.

  So that's how it is.

  Shen Bailian stood still, his heart filled with a mix of frustration and shame, unable to calm down. Meanwhile, Murong Ziyin had already taken steps forward, brushing past him as she walked ahead, not forgetting to toss back a sentence: "You wanted to enjoy the view? Let's go." Her tone was rather flat, as if the act of removing the fallen flower from his head earlier had been just an illusion.

  The rustling of the leaves grew louder from near to far, and the snow-white petals fell on his shoulders and sleeves. Shen Bailian slowly turned around and followed him as he walked forward, still with a dull and bewildered expression on his face. It was precisely because he was in a daze that he didn't notice another thing - the person in front of him had left only a superficially calm and composed figure, but no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like he was fleeing in disarray, and the two ears exposed between his hair were already bright red.