Chapter 414: Golden Crow Descends Into Heavenly Palace
In the county capital, osmanthus cakes weren’t cheap. One package with five cakes cost a whole spirit note. The reason was that the osmanthus cakes contained various spirit plants. And according to the proprietor, the osmanthus flowers used to make the cakes were imported from Tidefall Prefecture.
Xu Qing bought three packages.
As he walked back toward the subsidiary sect, he opened one of the packages to see how they tasted. It went without saying that, given the cakes were for sale here in the county capital, they were absolutely delicious. By the time he got to the subsidiary sect, he had already finished the entire package. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the subsidiary sect.
He encountered a few coalition disciples, all of whom offered respectful greetings. Even Huang Yikun had no choice but to clasp hands and bow in greeting.
As Xu Qing neared the A Wing, he started getting nervous. Every time he thought about Arch-Immortal Plumdark, he felt strange. Whether it was because of her cultivation base or her moodiness, he just didn’t know how to deal with her. But he had no choice but to see her.
Taking another breath, he entered the A Wing, walked past a few courtyards, and eventually stopped at the large courtyard in front of Suite A-1. It was filled with decorative rocks, verdant plants, and numerous handmaidens. Even in the county capital, Arch-Immortal Plumdark maintained the same living standards as before.
When the handmaidens spotted Xu Qing, their eyes glittered curiously. They offered curtseying bows as Xu Qing walked past, and after he was gone, they whispered and giggled furtively amongst themselves. Neither the handmaidens nor Xu Qing noticed that, as he entered the courtyard, he was being followed by the boy. Curious, the boy stopped by the handmaidens to listen to their chatter.
As for Xu Qing, he was now right in front of Suite A-1. Looking very somber, he clasped hands and said,
“Disciple Xu Qing here to seek an audience with Arch-Immortal Plumdark.”
The door slowly opened, and Arch-Immortal Plumdark stepped out. She wore plum-colored court attire, with her long hair cascading past her shoulders. She seemed noble, refined, and elegant, like an immortal from heaven descended into the mortal world. However, there was a touch of irritation in her phoenix-like eyes, a bit of emotion that made her beautiful face even more full of expression. Because of her presence, the evening seemed a bit brighter.
She walked right up to Xu Qing and stopped in front of him. When she noticed the packages he was carrying, the irritation in her eyes transformed into pleasure. “I was wondering why you came so late to see me, child. As it turns out, you remembered what I told you before.”
“Senior, I would never dare to forget anything you said to me.” Trying very hard not to be so nervous, Xu Qing handed her the osmanthus cakes.
She took them and opened her mouth to continue speaking. Before she could say anything, Xu Qing brought out more gifts. He gave her mung bean cakes, immortal dew biscuits, pineapple tarts, sweet pea pudding, almond biscuits, nine layered cakes, and more.... Altogether, he had over fifty different kinds of desserts, and at least two of each kind.
A nearby handmaiden hurried over with trays to put the desserts onto, until they were piled up like small mountains.
Arch-Immortal Plumdark was visibly surprised, as was the handmaiden.
After handing over all the desserts, Xu Qing looked at Arch-Immortal Plumdark and said, “Senior, I wasn’t sure if you liked things other than osmanthus cakes, so I decided to just buy everything.”
Xu Qing was being very sincere. For one thing, he had always valued knowledge. Also, he knew that Arch-Immortal Plumdark was about to tell him how to use his imperial-class technique to form a heavenly palace, and was also going to stand as dharma protector for him. It was a kindness that he would engrave deep in his heart. Therefore, he had spent a bit of time buying a large collection of desserts. That was another reason why he came so late in the evening.
Arch-Immortal Plumdark could see the sincerity in Xu Qing’s eyes. A moment passed, and all the displeasure she had been feeling lately vanished. Turning to the handmaiden, she said, “Put the desserts in my room. Be careful. I want them all in perfect condition.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the handmaiden said. Looking at Xu Qing and Arch-Immortal Plumdark, she blinked a few times and then hurried away to handle the desserts. She knew that it wasn’t appropriate for her to stay.
Ignoring the handmaiden, Arch-Immortal Plumdark smiled warmly and waved her hand. The limestone tiles then transformed into a grassy field. The decorative rocks turned into mountains. The flowers became a forest. And an open-air stone pavilion appeared next to them. [1]
“Come, Xu Qing.” She stepped into the pavilion and sat down on one of the stone benches. As she did, the wind stirred her hair, and her garments tugged against her body, making her curves even more prominent. She was truly beautiful.
Xu Qing hesitated briefly, then stepped into the pavilion and sat down at a stone bench across from her. From this position, he could see her even more clearly, and also could smell her familiar perfume. It smelled wonderful.
Resting her elbow on the stone railing, she put her chin into her hand, looked at Xu Qing, and said, “Tell me how things have been going in the Corrections Division over the past month.”
All of a sudden, she didn’t seem refined and elegant like she had when she walked out of her room. Nor did she seem gentle and tender like when she saw the osmanthus cakes. She was acting more like a teenage girl. Meanwhile, her facial features were so beautiful that it was impossible to tell how old she was.
It wasn’t the first time Xu Qing had seen her suddenly change in that way, yet this time she seemed unusually hard to resist. He had to admit... that Arch-Immortal Plumdark really was spectacularly attractive. In fact, she was so attractive that not even the tiniest scrap of negative emotion was able to rise up in him. Everything she did just seemed good.
Forcing himself to remain calm, he quietly explained everything about the Corrections Division, including his friendship with Kong Xianglong and the unreasonable palace lord. It wasn’t anything very complicated.
Neither Xu Qing nor Arch-Immortal Plumdark noticed that, a short distance away from the pavilion, a young boy stood there looking curiously at them. His head was tilted slightly and he looked a bit confused. But after sizing up Arch-Immortal Plumdark, he came to the conclusion that she bore no ill will. That said, he also got the impression she was somewhat possessive, so he decided not to get any closer. Feeling a bit anxious, he sat down and looked in a different direction.
Arch-Immortal Plumdark listened to every word he said. Eventually, when the moon hung high above them, Xu Qing finished his story about his post.
“I can tell,” she said, her voice soft and warm, “that you’re... not quite sure what to make of the swordsages.”
He looked up at her.
“It’s hard for you to accept that a group like this really exists. After all, you’ve never encountered anything like them before. Therefore, you’re suspicious. You doubt. Your instincts are telling you to run. Because you don’t want to be tied down.” She laughed softly. “Follow your heart. But at the same time, don’t overthink things. Keep calm-headed and just observe things. Maybe when you develop a bit of admiration for the organization and the people in it, you’ll eventually turn that admiration into respect. And when that happens, you’ll have figured things out.”
Feeling a bit shaken, Xu Qing stood, clasped hands, and bowed.
“Now, close your eyes, child.”
Xu Qing hesitated briefly, then sat back down and closed his eyes.
As soon as he did, Arch-Immortal Plumdark slid closer to him.
He struggled to breathe steadily as he realized that her perfume was much stronger than before. He could almost feel her breath on his face. Just when he was about to open his eyes, she reached out and gently touched his forehead.
Her voice, seemingly full of insight and also enticement, echoed in his ears. “Calm your heart, child. Then, imagine your fifth heavenly palace, complete. Perhaps you’ve done so before, but I have the feeling you might not have truly seen it clearly....”
Along with her words, an image appeared in Xu Qing’s mind. It was a dragon chariot! Deep in the sea, a dragon chariot was being pulled along by a giant. Seated in the chariot was a sun.
“This is how you can use your imperial-class technique to make a heavenly palace. The method to do so is different for each technique. For Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits... you need that dragon chariot.”
Xu Qing’s mind reeled as he suddenly understood. Within his mind, he could clearly see the dragon chariot. That said, when all was said and done, it was lacking.
And that was because Xu Qing had actually been on that dragon chariot. What was more, he had stayed on the chariot longer than was common. That was how he had acquired the full legacy of Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits. The image in his mind was still effective, though, as it neatly overlapped with the image of the dragon chariot from his memories. And because of that, his memories became clearer, and the dragon chariot became clearer.
A moment later, Xu Qing shivered. The stone bench he was sitting on turned into a rush cushion, and the open-air pavilion around him became a towering walled pagoda, surrounding him and protecting him. The grassy plain became a crowd of tiny people, their expressions somber as they stood protectively with their backs to Xu Qing, eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. The mountains became giants that rose high above the landscape, emanating majestic might. The trees transformed similarly. [2]
Everything transformed according to Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s design, becoming the perfect safe location for Xu Qing. However, though it was highly unlikely anything unusual would happen, she still wasn’t ready to rest at ease.
Therefore, she sat down cross-legged next to him to guard over him.
And thus, Xu Qing’s breakthrough began.
It started with his fifth heavenly palace changing appearance, gradually coming to look like the dragon chariot. Then, the image in his mind that combined his memories with the dragon chariot that Arch-Immortal Plumdark had meticulously created... started to become useful. When the fifth heavenly palace looked even more realistic than the representational image, it began to emit an astonishing aura.
Sensing his fifth heavenly palace, Xu Qing softly said, “As the golden crow returns to the chariot, let the moonfall begin!”
The golden crow tattoo on his back flared with light, and the golden crow emerged above him. Spreading its wings, it let loose a cry of joy as it circled around a few times, then dove toward Xu Qing. It pierced into the top of his head, flying into his sea of consciousness and the dragon chariot that was his fifth heavenly palace. Once inside, it shimmered with dazzling light and then transformed into the blurry image of a young man.
Astonishingly, that young man looked exactly like Xu Qing. He wore an emperor’s robe of black gold, had an imperial crown of the same color, and seemed like the epitome of noble grandeur as he sat mightily in the dragon chariot that was the fifth heavenly palace.
Xu Qing’s fifth heavenly palace then erupted with multi-colored fire which transformed into a projection of the golden crow. Rumbling sounds rolled out in all directions as the power of Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits erupted. Now, instead of nineteen tails, the crow had a total of twenty-two.
Looking at those tails, Xu Qing was suddenly struck with understanding. Once he passed a hundred, Golden Crow Assimilates Myriad Spirits would reach the third stage!
Xu Qing’s eyes snapped open and everything around him vanished. The pagoda, the people, the giants, everything went away.
He was in the courtyard outside Suite A-1, seated cross-legged on the ground. Just ahead of him, standing at the door of the suite, was Arch-Immortal Plumdark.
Turning, she smiled and said, “It’s daytime already. Don’t you have to go to work?”
The dome of heaven was indeed starting to turn bright. An entire night had passed.
Eyes filling with gratitude, Xu Qing scrambled to his feet, clasped hands, and bowed deeply. “Many thanks—”
“Don’t call me Senior,” she said softly. “Use my name.”
Xu Qing hesitated. “Many thanks, Plumdark.”
“That does sound strange, doesn’t it?” she murmured, shaking her head. “Alright, let me teach you how to do it. Repeat after me. ‘Thank you, Plumdark.’ Keep your voice soft.” She looked at him in anticipation.
After a moment of silence, Xu Qing softly said, “Thank you, Plumdark.”
Her eyes lit up and she smiled radiantly. Nodding, she said, “You’re welcome, Xu Qing.”
All of a sudden, the atmosphere outside of Suite A-1 seemed different from before.
A moment passed, then Xu Qing took a deep breath and bowed again. “I’ll take my leave now.”
With that he turned to leave. Just when he was about to walk out of the courtyard, Arch-Immortal Plumdark spoke in a languid, enticing voice.
“I want you to come with me to visit my best friends here in the county capital. That’s the second thing you promised me.” Her voice was delicate but enchanting, soft but enticing. It was like the cry of a hawk or phoenix, but at the same time was incomparably sweet and gentle. Its mysterious power could seep into the heart and turn it warm.
1. The “pavilion” here could also be translated as “pagoda.” The one described here probably looks something like this. ☜
2. The “pagoda” here would probably look something like this. ☜