Bon Voyage

On Bamboo Peak, in the Sky Cloud Nation.

Before dawn, Luochen was already awake.

As was her custom, she retrieved the tea leaves from the cabinet.

‘Master has already entered seclusion.’

As the scalding hot water spread through the tea leaves, Luochen suddenly remembered that the one who usually drank with her was no longer there.

The sky remained dim, with hazy clouds drifting lazily overhead.

She sighed softly, then settled into a seat, gazing blankly out the window.

Outside, the evergreen bamboo swayed gently with the breeze, a few leaves detaching themselves to float upon the lake’s surface. Ripples on the water danced with the morning light, painting the scene in shades of gold, where a golden fishing rod lay silently by the shore.

Wait, a fishing rod?

Luochen sensed that something was amiss.

Strolling leisurely to the lakeside, she discovered Yuxi amidst a gap in the bamboo grove, looking utterly devoid of life.

“Sect Master, still no luck with the fishing?”

“Not yet,” Yuxi replied, his voice utterly listless.

“When do you leave?” He shook off the bamboo leaves clinging to his robes and stood up.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“The outside world hasn’t been peaceful lately; the Demonic Cult seems to be stirring.”

As if struck by a sudden thought, Yuxi produced a token.

“Take this. Years ago, I established the Righteous Alliance, led by the Flying White Sect, to combat demonic cultivators, and this is my Alliance Leader’s token.”

“Though the Alliance has since fallen into disuse, it was never officially disbanded. Should you encounter trouble outside, present this token to those sects; most will still grant me this favor.”

“This token is far too precious; I am deeply honored.” ‘To think the Sect Master would entrust this to me,’ Luochen thought, offering a sincere bow of gratitude.

At that moment, the fishing rod was suddenly yanked violently, flying towards the lake.

“What the—!”

Yuxi cried out, leaping forward to save the rod.

He didn’t rush to reel in the catch, instead engaging in a tug-of-war with whatever had taken the bait.

‘This man, he’s enjoying the fight!’

Finally, a small, three-inch fish was cradled in Yuxi’s hands.

Its body was covered in blue scales, yet its eyes were ringed with gold, shimmering with a unique brilliance under the sunlight.

‘It’s rather pretty.’

Yet, Luochen felt a shiver of unease.

Under normal circumstances, no fish would be foolish enough to bite such a bare hook.

‘Surely, there isn’t a silk scroll hidden in its belly, proclaiming “The Great Chu will rise, Chen Sheng is King”?’

“I did it, I finally did it!”

Yuxi’s excited voice jolted Luochen from her past life memories. After a brief pause, she inquired, “Sect Master, how do you plan to prepare this fish?”

“Steamed or braised, I’m quite skilled at both, you know.”

Whether it was her imagination or not, Luochen couldn’t shake the feeling that the fish’s eye was glaring fiercely at her.

****

..My name is Little Blue, and as you can see, I am currently experiencing the most perilous moment of my fishy life.

From a young age, I knew the inevitable fate of our kind: to be caught and cooked by this terrifying woman beside me.

As the smartest fish in our family, I refuse to simply await my demise.

The man holding me often comes here to feed us, and to avoid scaring us, he even uses a rod to dangle those heavenly treasures down.

We are all grateful to him.

Just a few days ago, my good friend Little Green was also snatched away by that terrifying woman.

When I smelled it again, it was already cooked, and quite fragrant too.

Ah, but I digress.

In short, to avoid such a pathetic end, I decided to take a gamble.

To bet that this man would protect me.

Yes, that’s precisely it.

Now, I can already feel the woman’s undisguised malice.

Little Blue held their breath, concentrating, awaiting the final moment.

“This is the first fish I’ve ever caught, and it holds profound significance for me.”

Yuxi quickly retracted his hand, eyeing Luochen warily.

“Therefore, I intend to keep it as a pet, right in my office.”

‘This way, anyone who visits will see this fish, and I can casually let slip the fact that I caught it myself.’

As he thought this, Yuxi’s lips couldn’t help but curve into a wild grin.

Though Luochen didn’t know precisely what Yuxi was thinking, the irrepressible grin on his face already told her most of the story.

‘Hmm, nothing good can come of this.’

“I’ll be going now, to prepare a place for it to live.”

Yuxi gestured to the fish in his hand.

“Luochen, bon voyage.”

He put away his fishing rod, his expression turning serious.

“We’ll all be waiting for you to come home.”

****

…This must be the last time I’ll bask in the sun on this chair.

With spring returning to the land, the sunlight felt much warmer on her skin.

Luochen quietly savored the time that was hers alone.

Well, not entirely alone.

Opening her eyes, she saw Yun Qing sprawled lazily atop the Qiankun Cauldron, basking in the sun.

‘Hmm, if you’re wondering how one could possibly sprawl on a cauldron?’

‘That would be because Yun Qing had somehow unearthed the lid of the Qiankun Cauldron from some obscure corner.’

As if having sunbathed sufficiently on one side, two tentacles extended from the cauldron’s handles, flipping Yun Qing over.

‘Is she being pan-fried like an egg, seriously?!’

Luochen felt her sanity plummeting; such bizarre phenomena really shouldn’t exist in a cultivation world, should they?

“When do you leave?”

As if sensing Luochen’s gaze, Yun Qing spoke up of her own accord.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“So soon?” Yun Qing raised an eyebrow. “Fortunately, I made it in time.”

She flipped herself upright and retrieved a pile of bottles and jars from within the Qiankun Cauldron.

“These are some elixirs I usually refine. While they may not be as potent as your Master’s Azure Bamboo Pills, they can still offer a small measure of assistance.”

“Thank you, Martial Aunt.”

Luochen did not decline, accepting them readily.

“Your Master has entered seclusion, and now both you and Su Yue are descending the mountain. The Flying White Sect is bound to become quite dull.”

Yun Qing shook her head, a hint of regret in her expression.

“With Master’s talent, she will surely break through to the Ninth Revolution soon. Martial Aunt, you might want to spend this time planning how you’ll escape when Master inevitably comes chasing after you.”

Luochen offered a playful remark.

“There’s merit in that…” Yun Qing’s previously languid eyes immediately sparkled.

“There’s no time to lose; I shall return now to plan thoroughly.”

‘Wait, you’re actually taking that seriously?’

“Oh, right.” As if recalling something, Yun Qing, who was flying on her cauldron in mid-air, suddenly turned back.

“Before you leave, would you care for a bath in the Qiankun Cauldron? I guarantee it’s incredibly comfortable.”

“No, really, it’s quite alright!” Luochen firmly refused.

Yun Qing’s laughter echoed through the sky, and the Peak Master, departing on her Qiankun Cauldron, left behind a final blessing.

“Luochen, bon voyage.”

****

“Let’s end our conversation here for today.”

Luochen said, concluding their dialogue training for the day.

“Mhm.”

Shuanghua nodded.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes, so today might be the last time I get to talk with you.”

Luochen’s expression softened with regret.

“You can now speak at length, which is excellent. It’s just a pity you haven’t had a chance to test it in a real situation.”

“I will practice diligently… When you return… I will certainly… succeed.”

“Then I’ll look forward to seeing a completely different… Ice-Faced Sword Immortal when I return, won’t I?”

Luochen teased Shuanghua playfully.

“You’re bringing up… that nickname again.” A faint blush crept across Shuanghua’s cheeks.

“I can’t help it! You’re one of the Flying White Sect’s most, most, most renowned experts, after all!”

“Who in both the Righteous and Demonic paths doesn’t know of such a figure in the Flying White Sect?”

Luochen suddenly felt like a villainous noblewoman from a game, gleefully tormenting the pure-hearted young lady after discovering her weakness.

‘No, no, what am I thinking?’

Dispelling the slightly perverse thoughts from her mind, Luochen spoke earnestly:

“In any case, taking that brave first step is paramount. You must interact more with others, Martial Aunt.”

“I will.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, dusk had fallen. Picking up the sword art manual Shuanghua had given her, Luochen rose to take her leave.

“Wait… wait a moment.”

Watching the retreating figure of the green-robed immortal, Shuanghua quickly spoke up.

“What is it?”

“Turn around.”

Luochen obediently complied, tilting her head to look at the Sword Immortal before her.

“Luochen, bon voyage.” Shuanghua looked into Luochen’s eyes, her tone sincere.

Her pace and coherence were impeccable, so fluid it hardly sounded like it came from Shuanghua’s lips.

“Thank you, Martial Aunt, but how did you manage to say that so well?”

Luochen’s lips curved into a smile.

“Because I… I practiced for a long time, ever since… ever since I knew you were going down the mountain.”

“At least this… this one sentence, I wanted to say it properly.”