Chapter 10: Fiancée’s Divine Abilities

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Fiancée’s Divine Abilities

In today’s world, beyond the many Dynasties in the lands below the mountains, the world of martial practitioners is also divided into numerous factions.

Among these, the most oft-repeated distinction is the so-called division between good and evil: the Black and White Paths.

Simply put, in the Martial Arts world, the Righteous Path consists of those who supposedly guide the world toward harmony and fight against evil.

Conversely, the Black Path consists of those who supposedly disrupt this harmony and oppose justice.

Although this explanation is broad and simplistic, it is not entirely groundless.

The Righteous Path Martial Arts may not always be as just, compassionate, or noble as they claim.

But those who tread the Black Martial Arts path are, without exception, utterly depraved beasts and scoundrels.

The Dao Yi Sect and the Queen Mother Sect are two of the "Four Great Daoist Sects" within the Righteous Path.

These four Sects are:

Dao Yi

Jade Emperor

True Martial

Queen Mother

All are Daoist Sects.

Because Chen Canxuan had previously suppressed the world with his uncrowned, invincible power, Dao Yi Mountain has been known as the head of the four Sects for the past several decades.

Within the Righteous Path Martial Arts, besides the Four Great Daoist Sects, there are other Major Sects from different traditions.

For example, the two Zen Temples of the Buddhist Sect:

Pure Land Zen Monastery

Water Moon Temple

And some of the renowned Martial Arts Families and Clans from the Imperial Dynasties below:

Wang

Zhao

Gu

Xue

...

And so on.

...

As the Sect of female cultivators among the Four Great Daoist Sects, the Queen Mother Sect worships the Queen Mother of the West from Daoism as their Divine Spirit.

The worship of this Ancient Divine Spirit can be traced back to the Ancient Era of the Divine Land, or even earlier.

The Queen Mother Sect, a Sect composed primarily of female Daoist cultivators, is located in the far north at North Sea Fuyao Mountain, opposite the southern Dao Yi Sect.

This magnificent mountain, rarely seen in the Mortal Realm, stands by the sea, its presence looming over the vast ocean. From a distance, one can see crimson cliffs, grotesque rock formations, sheer precipices, and strange peaks.

Within the mountain, there are tall bamboo groves and ancient cypresses, cascading waterfalls and gushing springs, remaining green throughout all four seasons.

After Xue Xiuxin returned to the Sect with her disciple, Zhou Baizhi, she said:

"I must report the results of this trip to Dao Yi to the Sect Leader. You are to return to Little Bamboo Peak. Do not spread rumors about what happened, lest you damage the relationship between our two Sects."

Seeing her master’s serious expression, Zhou Baizhi lowered her head and mumbled meekly:

"But I can’t just not tell Senior Sister Wangg, can I? It is her marriage, after all."

"It’s fine to tell Wangg Shu. She understands the bigger picture, and..."

Xue Xiuxin fell silent for a moment before uttering a few cryptic words:

"...she knows destiny."

"I’m telling you not to run your mouth around the Sect."

Zhou Baizhi stuck out her tongue. "I know."

After watching her master glide away toward the Sect Leader’s main hall on Fuyao’s primary peak,

Zhou Baizhi immediately went to find her dearest Senior Sister Wangg.

Little Bamboo Peak was a mountain in the Queen Mother Sect, second only to the main peak.

Upon returning to the Sect, Zhou Baizhi ran into many familiar senior and junior sisters who greeted her. In just a few words, she found out where Wangg Shu was.

「A few cups of tea later.」

Zhou Baizhi arrived at a bamboo forest on Little Bamboo Peak. There, she saw a bamboo house surrounded by a fence.

Standing in the forest was a barefoot woman wearing a pale yellow Daoist Robe.

From the back alone, the woman’s figure was absolutely superb.

Her legs were long and slender, her ankles fair.

A simple sash was tied around her waist, revealing a delicate waistline so slender it could be encircled by a single hand.

"Senior Sister!"

Zhou Baizhi cried out happily upon seeing the woman in the pale yellow Daoist Robe.

Hearing her, the female Daoist turned around.

Unexpectedly, the turn completely ruined the perfection of her figure from behind. The face that turned was that of a very plain-looking woman—one might even say she was somewhat ugly, so much so that it was impossible to tell her age.

The moment Zhou Baizhi saw her, she exclaimed in dissatisfaction:

"Senior Sister Wangg Shu, why are you wearing a fake mask again?"

Wangg Shu replied, "For peace and quiet."

Zhou Baizhi’s eyes widened in realization. "Don’t tell me some young master from a Clan down the mountain came to propose marriage again."

Wangg Shu didn’t deny it.

Instead, she asked:

"You followed Martial Uncle Xue to the Dao Yi Sect this time. Did you get to see that Junior Brother Chen Sha?"

Seeing her senior sister immediately ask about that little Daoist punk, Zhou Baizhi stammered, "I saw him, yes. It’s just... that guy Chen doesn’t know what’s good for him."

Wangg Shu paused. "What do you mean?"

Zhou Baizhi lowered her head. "I’m afraid you’ll be upset, Senior Sister."

Wangg Shu shook her head. "Just say it. Why would I be angry at you?"

Only then did Zhou Baizhi lift her head, saying indignantly, "He... he actually refused the marriage! He said something about how you’ve never met, so the marriage should be called off."

Wangg Shu was stunned. "He said that?"

Zhou Baizhi nodded emphatically. "Yes! If Master and those senior brothers and Elders from Dao Yi Mountain hadn’t been there to smooth things over, that brat would have torn up the marriage agreement on the spot."

"It was Master who said that if he wanted to break the engagement, he had to at least come down the mountain to our Queen Mother Sect in person to follow proper etiquette. But..."

At this, Zhou Baizhi burst out laughing:

"It turns out that the greatest expert in the world, Elder Chen, the Sect Leader, actually set a rule for him. He said Chen Sha had to become number one in the world before he was allowed to leave the mountain. So, no matter how much he opposes the marriage and wants to call it off, he can’t even get down the mountain to do it."

Hearing this, Wangg Shu also let out a soft laugh, revealing a row of pearly white teeth that didn’t match her ugly mask at all.

"Become number one in the world..."

As she said this, she suddenly froze, as if she had thought of something.

’So that’s how it is.’

Then, Wangg Shu asked again:

"You stayed at Dao Yi Mountain for a few days. What’s your impression of him?"

Zhou Baizhi’s floodgates opened:

"Senior Sister, you know, if it weren’t for him trying to back out of the marriage at the end, that little Daoist punk is actually quite impressive. You wouldn’t believe it, but on the very day of Elder Chen, the Sect Leader’s burial, his own sect brother, Li Jianzhou, returned to challenge his right to be Sect Leader..."

Wangg Shu said, "Li Jianzhou? The most talented genius among Dao Yi’s Six Disciples? I heard he’s already become a Grandmaster."

Zhou Baizhi said, "That’s him! He tried to snatch the Sect Leader position from Chen Sha in front of so many people. But guess what happened?"

Wangg Shu smiled faintly. "I guess Junior Brother Chen subdued him on the spot."

Zhou Baizhi was dumbfounded. "Senior Sister, you... how did you know?"

Wangg Shu said slowly, "I can guess a few things."

Zhou Baizhi jumped up, incredulous. "You could guess that? Everyone there thought Chen Sha was going to lose his position! Who would have thought he was hiding his true strength and was also a young Grandmaster of the Upper Three Grades!"

Wangg Shu glanced at Zhou Baizhi but said nothing.

But Zhou Baizhi was brimming with curiosity:

"Senior Sister, you don’t seem angry at all. Even though that detestable Chen Sha wants to break the engagement, you act as if you expected it all along. No, no, it’s more like you’d forgive him no matter what he does."

"Why? What’s so attractive about that little Daoist punk? You two have never even met!"

Upon hearing this,

After a long pause, she smiled faintly and said:

"Do you believe in destiny?"

Zhou Baizhi was stunned. "Destiny?"

Wangg Shu said, "For the past few years, many people from the various Sects on the mountains, the Clans below, and even from many Imperial Dynasties have come to propose marriage, but I never felt anything. However, a year ago, after Elder Chen, the Sect Leader, arranged the engagement with our Sect Leader, I began to have strange dreams."

Zhou Baizhi was even more bewildered. "Dreams?"

Wangg Shu smiled. "That’s right. For the past year, I’ve often dreamed of things that might happen—things both big and small within the Queen Mother Sect, as well as changes throughout the Jianghu."

Zhou Baizhi’s mouth fell open. "And those dreams?"

Wangg Shu said, "Almost all of them have come true. For example, Martial Uncle Zhao Qingyuan dying in battle against a Demon from the Celestial Demon Sect at Fishing Flood Dragon Rock, the Sect Leader taking Junior Sister Jing as a disciple, and the change of the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch of the Celestial River Dao down the mountain..."

Zhou Baizhi’s eyes went wide. "They all came true? Isn’t that Future Inference...?"

Wangg Shu continued, "Actually, I only dream of those things occasionally. The dream I have most often is always the same one. I’m standing in this bamboo house, watching the gates of the Queen Mother Sect Mountain shatter. Countless Martial Artists I don’t recognize storm into the Queen Mother Sect, and our Sect is almost completely wiped out. And then..."

"A young Daoist in a simple robe descends from the sky like a falling star and lands in front of me. I can’t see his face, only his back."

"He says just one sentence, a sentence that has haunted me day and night."

"He says..."

Wangg Shu’s eyes grew deep, as if she were recalling every last detail.

Zhou Baizhi said in terror, "What? Senior Sister, you’re saying our Sect will be...? Have you told the Sect Leader about this dream...?"

Wangg Shu said, "I told her long ago. The Sect Leader was the first to know."

Zhou Baizhi was full of shock and doubt. "But Senior Sister, your dreams can predict the future. That’s not Martial Arts anymore, is it?"

Wangg Shu said, "Indeed, it isn’t Martial Arts. But as for what it is, I’m not sure myself."