LFTMPH Chapter 95-Boundless Scenery

Translated by Snowfall77

Changshu Pavilion-

“Ai, this isn’t reasonable.”

Xia Ge flipped the pages of a book: “Why can’t I find any clues?”

She’d been rummaging through the library’s old books, yet except for some lurid, unofficial ‘histories,’ she’d found nothing of any particular use.

System: [Just Keep Looking.]

“Did it have to be this difficult?”

The ‘unofficial’ history book in her hands had a grandly gilded cover, yet was full of nothing but old, trivial details about Lingxi Sect.  The flashy book’s complete lack of substance thwarting Xia Ge’s original intention of finding information about Lingxi Sect’s ancestor.

Putting the book back on the shelf, Xia Ge got the sudden, vague sense that something was off.

Under one corner of the book’s cover there seemed to a little bulge.  Xia Ge pulled the book back and fumbled around with it: “I think there might be something here……”

System: [What Do You Mean?]

Xia Ge simply answered: “I’m trying find out……”

Carefully peeling back the cover, Xia Ge found that, sure enough, underneath the soft paper was a neatly folded square of paper about the size of a fingernail.

System: [What Is It……?]

“I don’t know……let me take a look first.”

Xia Ge held onto the little square as she smoothed the cover back down and returned the book to the shelf.  But just as she was about to examine what she’d found, someone tapped her on the shoulder, whispering in her ear: “Xia Wuyin!”

Having been completely focused on her discovery, Xia Ge about jumped out of her skin.  That little square of paper almost fell from her fingertips, yet thankfully Xia Ge managed to clench her fist around it before it dropped.  Turning her head, Xia Ge beheld Mao Qing’s inquisitive face.

“What are you looking at that’s got you so entranced?”

Xia Ge’s heart was still pounding like a drum in her chest: “You……when did you get here?”

“Why can’t I be here……you’ve been studying so hard these past days, spending all your time here at the library.  I got bored and decided to come and find you.”  Mao Qing explained, before adding: “What’s that in your hand?  Why does it have you acting so jumpy?”

Xia Ge feigned calmness: “……a love letter.”

Mao Qing’s eyes popped like she’d just seen a fuckin ghost in broad daylight: “Ha?”

“Someone gave you a love letter?”

Xia Ge: “……I guess there really is no way around it, I truly am that outstanding.”

Mao Qing: “……”

System: [……]

The corner of Mao Qing’s mouth was twitching: “Right, such upstanding moral integrity.  You came to the library simply to read your love letter?”

“Of course……not,” Xia Ge felt rather awkward discussing the embarrassing subject of love letters, “Why were you looking for me?”

Mao Qing: “Do I have to have a reason to talk to you?”

Waving her hands back and forth, Xia Ge appeared trepidatious: “Mao Qing, you’re not going to give me a love letter too, are you?  C’mon buddy, shouldn’t we simply stay good friends……?”

System: [……]

Rendered speechless for a long moment, Mao Qing finally managed to sputter: “Alright, alright, enough with your acting, it’s making my eyes bleed.  But I really do have something to tell you.”

“Huo Bai is leaving.”

Xia Ge’s heart skipped a beat: “What do you mean, he’s leaving?”

Mao Qing continued: “When I was leaving class, I overheard him telling the master that he had to hurry home to take care of some family business.”

Xia Ge: “Oh……but what does that have to do with me?”

“Isn’t he your friend?  I just thought you’d care, so I’m letting  you know.”  Mao Qing sighed, then couldn’t help asking: “Who’s your love letter from?”

Xia Ge was no shrinking violet: “Oh……Huo Bai.”

Mao Qing figured she really was seeing ghosts: “……huh?!”

System: [……Huh?!]

Xia Ge smiled brightly: “Fooled you.”

Mao Qing: “Piss off.”

After that Mao Qing left Xia Wuyin alone, neither caring to read histories or give Xia Wuyin love letters.

Xia Ge didn’t particularly enjoy reading history books either.  However, for the sake of clues, she had to reluctantly get on with it.

Sometimes life was hell.

Although, once Mao Qing was a safe distance away, Xia Ge could painstakingly open the little square of paper.

The paper was yellow and brittle with age, so Xia Ge was very careful.  Dust motes floating in the air, warm sunshine filtered through the pavilion’s papered windows and fell upon the piece of paper.  Small words had been beautifully written upon it, like low, gentle whispers traveling through the ages until falling into the hands of their fated person.

“Countless corpses have fallen, evil spirits roar and weep.  Zhen is at Mount Wuyi.  The requiem has been playing for more than fifty years.  The sinful karma is difficult to diminish——Nameless”

“……nameless?”

Frowning, Xia Ge stared down at the small line of words, her chest tight as if unknowingly reacting to something.  Next she started quickly searching the bookshelf.

System: [What Are You Looking For?]

“Handwriting, handwriting……”  Xia Ge had already flipped through most of the books on the shelf, therefore it didn’t take her long to find what she was searching for——

Lingxi Ancestral Teachings·Lingxi Ancestor’s Writings·Inscription Rubbings.

Opening the book, Xia Ge compared the inscription rubbings within against the handwriting on the paper.  Shortly after, she closed the book, breathing a sigh of relief.

“……found it.”

The system saw the same rubbings that Xia Ge did: [You Believe The Writer Of This Note Was Lingxi’s Ancestor?]

Xia Ge eyed the note again, thinking: “Possibly.  It also somewhat matches the scene painted on the ceiling of the ancestor’s tomb……”

There’d been depicted a woman holding a flute and crying, a mountain filled with evil spirits, and clothes suppressing said evil spirits.

System: [But Why Write The Note And Hide It Here, In The Cover Of That Book?]

“Why are you asking me……how the hell should I know?”  Xia Ge, still staring at the little piece of paper, then speculated: “Maybe……at the time, it wasn’t something that could be spoken about in the open.”

Perhaps all the person could do was write a tiny note, seal it away silently in a book cover, and let it be buried in the dust of history.

A nominal proof of existence.

System: [Mmm?  What Do You Mean?]

Xia Ge: “Who even knows? I’m just speculating.”

“But if things happened like what the note says……why are there no traces of it?”  Xia Ge felt confused.  “If there really was such a major event, involving so many evil spirits, no matter who it involved, it should been documented in the history books.”

Yet the history books had no recording of it.

Instead, it seemed the only thing the Lingxi ancestor had passed down was Lingxi’s boundless scenery.

Only in that neglected tomb were a few quiet words engraved about the matter.

Now it was the system’s turn to guess: [Could It Be The Ancestor Was Afraid Of Being Criticized By Lingxi’s Future Generations?  The Ancestor Hid It All From The World, But Had An Uneasy Conscience, And So Left A Record Of It In The Tomb?]

Xia Ge: “Ah?  That sounds incredibly hypocritical.”

System: [……]

Xia Ge: “If you did it, you did it.  Don’t tell lies about it.”

System: [You, Shut The Fuck Up.]  You, of all people, are the least qualified to spout such a thing.

 Xia Ge: “Ai, I think the ancestor was boring.  So what if she was famous?  I don’t know her good deeds.  No earthshaking good deeds, no notorious bad deeds that incurred the wrath of the gods and the resentment of men.  The only thing I know about her is that she liked osmanthus cake.  Don’t you think that’s unreasonable?”

System: [She Was Able To Found Lingxi Sect And Was Therefore Someone Stronger Than You.]

Xia Ge pulled an ‘official’ history book off the shelves, her tone righteous: “Plenty of people are better and stronger than me.  But why don’t I know whether the founder of the Thousand Souls Sect liked osmanthus cake or not?  Why don’t I know how much they liked to frequent brothels?”

System: [……]

Having no answer for Xia Ge’s question, the system changed the subject: [Huo Bai Is Going To Withdraw……]

“That’s to be expected.”  Xia Ge didn’t want to think about Lingxi’s ancestor anymore either, and lazily put the history book back.  “The assassination attempt didn’t succeed.  Why would he stay?  Unlike me, he isn’t planning for his retirement in Danfeng.”

System: [……You’re Really Just Going To Let Him Leave?  You’re Not Going To Do Anything?  Like ‘Accidently’ Exposing His Identity?]

Xia Ge stroked her chin: “I don’t want to push too hard, and get embroiled in some life or death situation.  Cause what if my identity as a puppet master got revealed?

Tucking the small note into her sleeve, Xia Ge shook her head: “It’s too risky a gamble.”

System: [Really?  You Don’t Care?]

Xia Ge left Changshu Pavilion.  “When did I say I don’t care?  Let’s just wait and see what happens.”

System: [Where Are You Going Now?]

Xia Ge: “Take a guess.”

The sun was shining brightly, the landscape was splendid, and the oleanders outside Gu Peijiu’s study were blooming brilliantly.

Sitting in front of the window, a young lady in red and white was quietly reading files, her elegant hands like pale jade when contrasted against her vermilion brush and ink.

Xia Ge, nonchalantly hiding a swig of pink oleander blossoms behind her back, stood in front of the windowsill with a beaming face and said: “Good afternoon, Senior Sister.”

The brush in Gu Peijiu’s hand paused, yet she didn’t look up, setting aside an approved file : “Mmm, so it is.”

The faint fragrance of sandalwood mingled pleasingly with the scent of oleander blossoms.

“Senior Sister, don’t keep your head lowered.  Please look up at me,” Xia Ge requested, “Can’t I have your approval?”

Paying Xia Ge no attention, Gu Peijiu said lightly: “Go on, go make trouble somewhere else.”

“Ai!”  Xia Ge ran over to the door, pushed it open, and entered the study, spreading sunshine across the floor.  Once by Gu Peijiu’s side, Xia Ge held out the oleander branch with a flourish: “Senior Sister, look at these flowers!”

Yet Xia Ge had swished the branch about too fast, and pink petals fluttered tragically down to the ground.  A few petals also fell unhurriedly onto Gu Peijiu’s papers, one landing directly on the word ‘allow,’ next to Gu Peijiu’s mark of approval.  Red ink seeped into the pink petal, like a dream it was impossible to wake from.

Glancing quickly at the red-dyed petal, Gu Peijiu then looked at Xia Ge.

The green branch in Xia Ge’s hands was already miserably bare.  Having suffered a crushing defeat, an embarrassed Xia Ge once again hid the branch behind her back, ignoring the many petals that’d fallen around her.

“Um……never mind.”

Then suddenly happy, Xia Ge said: “Senior Sister, you looked at me.”

With a casual wave of Gu Peijiu’s hand, a gentle breeze blew the flowers petals off Xia Ge’s body.  “Why have you come here?”

Xia Ge blinked: “Just saying hello?!”

Gu Peijiu’s head was bent over her files again: “Tell the truth.”

“I’m not lying, I really did just come to say hello.”  Xia Ge fidgeted with her branch, eyes darting here and there.  “Mmm, and to be honest, I did have something small to ask you about.”

Gu Peijiu: “Before you ask, I have something to ask you first.”

Xia Ge had misgivings: “Yes?”

Flipping through papers at will, Gu Peijiu inquired calmly: “Have you ever heard of the Demon Tide?”

It was if something had aimed directly for the heart, closely tormented it, and then fiercely clenched the weakest, deadliest point.

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Pupils shrinking, Xia Ge’s whole body trembled like it’d just received an electrical shock.  Images flashed through her head, yet a second later her mind was blank.

The green branch in her hand slipped softly from her grasp, joining the pitiful petals on the floor.

Then Xia Ge heard herself stiffly asking: “You said……what……Demon Tide?”

——She’d clearly never heard the term before.

——So why the horrible sense of déjà vu?  What fear was holding her heart so tightly?