She's beautiful, graceful and kind, its how her fellow disciples described her.

Her name is Qing Shi, and she's a disciple of Baoshan Sanren, formerly. She left the Sacred Mountain seeking for mortal life, having a peaceful life with a husband and give birth to children. Yet Qing Shi failed to find her happiness; she did find a man she thought that could be her husband, but that man only uses her to gain money by using her abilities in cultivation. The man would accept a job then he would make Qing Shi to do the deed.

It's alright, they will marry soon anyway.

It's alright, it's for their future anyway.

It's alright, it's for them.

Until the "It's alright" has turned into "It's not alright", her man has used all of their profits and cheated on her, bringing different woman in their house while she's out doing a job.

Feeling broken hearted, and despite her master's rule of "No Longer Could Come Back", Qing Shi went back to Sacred Mountain, begged Baoshan Sanren to accept her again, even not as disciple anymore, as long as she could spend her remaining lives in the mountain, away from mortals.

Baoshan Sanren sees that despite her wish to be mortal, Qing Shi's spiritual energy and cultivation has improved, but rule is a rule, she won't break it, she won't make exception. Thus, she said:

"You want to live in seclusion? In a peaceful place where no mortal live? But what's made you think I would accept you again here? Didn't I clearly told you, "You could never come back here"?"

"I understand the rule Shizun, but there's no place for me in the mortal!"

"I did clearly tell you that too. That there's no place for us immortal in mortal realm."

"Please, I am begging you Shizun! Give me a place! This time I won't fail you!"

Thru Baoshan Sanren's order Qing Shi traveled through lands to find a place.

No sooner, Qing Shi has arrived finally to her destination. It's an oasis in the middle of desert, but this oasis couldn't be found by naked eyes, it was sealed and only cultivators like Qing Shi could see it.

Indeed, it is a heaven in earth, no mortal could be able to get near the place, much more seeing it. Qing Shi was delighted and she able to live peacefully in the place while she continues her cultivation through gathering spiritual energy from this abundant place.

But as human's number increases, so was decreasing of untouched places, unfortunately her oasis doesn't safe for this. Soon, people begun gathering next to her oasis, begun building houses, government establishments, businesses, and soon the human increases much to her dismay. Worst part of it was this people are too merry, always having feast, and celebrations. Qing Shi tries to ignore them, after all she cannot leave this place because of the thing sealed within the lake. She even added the layer of the barrier once those people begun to get lost to her oasis.

The former campsite becomes village, soon turns into town, a tourist spots which increases the volume of noises and people's presence.

Qing Shi always denied that she is getting lure by their merry noises that she often to take a peek on their celebrations. Watching them in envy and jealousy, yet soon she would come back to her senses and ran back to her spot, denying her feelings towards them.

Years have past, decade gone through, a young man gotten lost on her forest on the day she gotten weaken for some reason.

The young man is none other than Xu Xuan, the fifth Lord of Xu Xuan Town.

Young Master Xu Xuan has found Immortal Qing Shi leaning on a tree and weak, he got her water from the lake and have her drink it. In worry, Xu Xuan Young Master carried her from forest to the manor, take care of her until she got back her strength.

His kindness reaches her heart and soon she fell to him, but she was scared that same thing would happen to her and so she did her best to ignore her feelings. But even after coming back to her oasis, the lingering feelings has not stop bothering her, added to her dismay was the frequent visit of the young master to her.

She couldn't help but to let him in the oasis.

Qing Shi enjoyed his companied without doubt, until eventually fell hard to him.

She confessed.

He accepted her feelings.

She never ask for anything in return.

He promised her a good quiet life, promising a total happiness.

He asked for her hand in marriage.

But they never marry.

One week, one month, a year have passed, the streets of Xu Xuan Town have reddened upon the decorations of the establishments and houses, cheers from all kinds of people; from the residents to visitors. A parade has begun, this lures the immortal's curiosity. She went to the town to see whose marriage that people celebrating.

Her heart has broken.

The young master's face is painted with full bliss and happiness, a blush of red on his cheeks and Qing Shi's heart split into many pieces as she saw the vibrant red color of his robes.

The young master who swore a marriage to her, the second man she gave herself up has betrayed her love.

In rage, Qing Shi releases all the spiritual energy she gathered, burning herself, until only her will has left, not even the town was spare.

Yet...

In the midst of ashes stood a crisp burned corpse...

While in oasis, slithering silently on the quiet lake is a enormous snake with skin that is same color as Qing Shi's white hair and eyes that red as Qing Shi's crimson eyes.

"This disciple of yours has weak self-control and low determination." Hua Cheng commented, while playing on the red pearl on his hair.

"She's the weakest, I must say." Baoshan Sanren's eyes narrows, "That's why she fell on wrong path."

"More like, falling on wrong men." Hua Cheng inserted. "But what about that current Xu Xuan town?"

"It was someone else's doing. During the young master's frequent visits at the lake, it turned out that he isn't alone. Someone has been with him."

"Someone is tailing him?"

"No... more like, he only visits Qing Shi as excuse to let that person in, since Qing Shi strengthen the barrier, no one really could enter her oasis, but..."

"She's weak towards the young master, so she lets him in, not even able to sense that someone would enter together with him."

"Yes..."

"Any idea who is it?"

"The housekeeper who dreams to be a cultivator."

"That guy, huh."

"He learned basics from Qing Shi during her stay at the manor, as a thanks for his care."

"Another failed decision."

"My disciples are truly failures." Baoshan Sanren couldn't help but sighed in disappointment not just on her disciples but also to herself. "Truly failures..." she whispered to herself...

Red Strings of Connections

ARC 3 Chapter 50

The Secret Hidden in the Sleeves

As a disciple of House of Zhang, sneaking on a manor is an easy cake. Without breaking a sweat Li Yang, the youngest among the siblings has learn lots of things within, listening carefully and absorbing all information whether it is relevant or considered to be irrelevant. By gathering this smallest to biggest information thus he could make a conclusion of what's going.

Meeting someone, like Xiao Xingchen could be count as blessing, someone who could give him information directly. Xiao Xingchen, from Li Yang's view, doesn't look like a despicable person; in truth Li Yang could say that Xiao Xingchen might be popular among his peers and ladies before ended in such poor state. Xiao Xingchen seems to be righteous cultivator too, thus Li Yang trusted every word he said.

Xiao Xingchen gave him hints what to find first in the manor, possibilities of what's true. Despite not being able to control his body, Xiao Xingchen works with Li Yang perfectly.

So, despite there are other four cultivators in the room, Li Yang only approached to Xiao Xingchen.

What's amazing is, Li Yang's instinct didn't fail him by choosing people he would trust, as he learns that Xiao Xingchen might be Wei Wuxian's shixiong from Baoshan Sanren's mountain.

Tonight, Li Yang once again sneaks at the manor and gone to specific chamber.

The youngest head disciple of Zhuque Sect landed swiftly and soundlessly at the quiet chamber in Xu Xuan Manor, next to him is a young man wearing white robe with golden laces, with details of royalty.

"Daozhang I came back!"

The person sitting alone at the middle of dark chamber have surely aware of the young cultivator's presence next to him even before he could inform him, even still the person didn't move, but Li Yang is not bother by the lack of manner, as he knows why.

Quietly, he sits and forms a sigil on his hand and mutter a quiet chant. The older cultivator doesn't recognize the spell, even still, he knew that whatever this young cultivator's is chanting is actually working as with his eyes open could see the black smoky-like creature getting out from himself.

'Resentful spirits!' At least Cultivator Xiao Xingchen could discern those things.

With a swift flick of his wrist, Li Yang has made the spirits dispersed into nothingness.

Xiao Xingchen gasps and hold his chest, collecting air for his lungs. While restrained, Xiao Xingchen always felt out of breaths, making him feel weak in every part of his body, so when he was finally free the first thing he did is to catch his breath.

"How's your feeling Daozhang?"

"Better. Many thanks fellow cultivator."

Li Yang grins in return.

A moment pass, when Xiao Xingchen's breathing has become way stable, Li Yang has asked him if he could stand. "Yes, I can." He answered, still Li Yang give him a support while they are both standing up. "Many thanks." Li Yang only nodded in recognition.

"Oh my, oh my, one shouldn't steal from someone else's house, especially stealing a "Young Master"."

Li Yang and Xiao Xingchen halted their steps upon the presence of the person in the door who soon open it calmly. The man doesn't seem to be angry, like they are expecting, rather he has smile on his face, with his eyes closed which both are Li Yang find creepy.

"Young Master, shouldn't you be meditating alone? What are you doing standing there with that younger one?"

"Liu Qinghua..."

Liu Qinghua is the head of housekeeper of the manor's Lord, and from Li Yang's conclusion is the very person that controlling the "Young Masters".

"The Lord will be very dishearten if he sees you breaking your promise."

"I promise nothing."

"The Young Master is already on the age of adulthood; thus, he shouldn't throw tantrum now, more than ever."

One of his eyes has open, showing fierceness towards the intruder.

"And may I ask who this young thief is? And where do you think you will bring our Young Master?"

Steal instead of kidnap; bring instead of taking; thief instead of kidnapper.

From this way of using words, Li Yang could tell that Liu Qinghua were actually not thinking the others as humans, rather just an object for something.

Li Yang steps upfront of the older weaken cultivator, as if he is ready to block anything to protect him, his eyes are narrows for a moment but changes into playful smiles a second later.

"What about the Housekeeper Liu?" The playful smile changes yet again, this time menace could be seen on those eyes, "Should you be using resentful spirits to restrain your Young Master?"

"The Xu Xuan Manor has different ways of things, such meditating. To let him concentrate in circling his spiritual energy, resentful spirits is must."

"Oh interesting." Smirks appears this time in Li Yang, eyes are glinting. "Care to elaborate it?"

The smile that creepily staying at the older man has dispersed replacing frowns and upside-down lips, clearly stating he wasn't amused by the attitude and behavior that Li Yang is showing.

"What a disrespectful thief! Shouldn't you'll be now excusing yourself, or ask for mercy?"

Shrugging his shoulder, Li Yang response, "Not that you'll give it."

"Exactly." The tone, and presence of the man changes into sinister sending wave of power towards the two to scare them. Xiao Xingchen who was weaken by the resentful spirits although had been freed, still falter on it, but Li Yang has remained unmoving, as if waiting for something.

"Aye, you are still weak Daozhang, just sit still here."

"But this man..."

"Daozhang has nothing to worry. He has no power that could go against a phantom."

"Phantom?"

It couldn't be consider a fight.

It's nothing near that.

With few swift movements, sigils and chants, Liu Qinghua is now an unmoving one with his body slowly decomposing, and the only part that moving on him is his mouth that continuously cursing the young cultivator.

A sigh escape from Li Yang, decided to spare the defeated foe a last attention.

"Liu Qinghua, it was you right? The one who is responsible for the cultivators who lost their way here, losing their memories, making them part of this town. In truth, there's no young master to begin with. Since, offsprings are impossible."

Liu Qinghua weren't stopping, still Li Yang continues, "With the town that was trap inside a curse, no life will be created. Thus, you are manipulating the memories of the cultivators so they could become part of the town. You are maybe the mastermind, but you are not the very reason for all of this mess right."

With those words, finally Liu Qinghua quieted and menacingly glares at Li Yang.

"Yes, you were nothing but a servant. The real stupid here, who started everything from losing the town to sacrificing the cultivators, is none other than that coward—

"—Lord of Xu Xuan Town, Lord Xu Xuan."

Li Yang seriously didn't think this possibility, that the well-known fifth lord of Xu Xuan Town is actually within the manor, although it crosses his mind it didn't stay. If weren't for Xiao Xingchen that told him to look for the for lord, they wouldn't end here in the garden full of wisteria trees at the manor, standing in front of the lord.

Upon investigating the manor, Li Yang found many portraits of the lords, but it confuses why there's only five Lords, but he immediately brushes it, remembering that the town is sealed for hundreds of years, so maybe the last lord is the fifth one, named Xu Xuan.

Because of these portraits Li Yang has mastered his face.

Cong Zhuliu told him how difficult to investigate, the people here only has memories before the disaster that was recorded into House of Zhang, so no one could gave him answers he was seeking. What's more, the "intruders" like them were losing their memories thus another dead end.

When Cong Zhuliu tried his luck on the kids that playing that certain familiar chant, they couldn't answer where they heard it, all they knew is if a cultivator chants it, a flame will immerse from a paper fan; exactly like to their uncle's Rekka Shinnen.

The oldest on the siblings could only sigh in disappointment.

At the very least Cong Zhuliu able to learn about the flag's symbol, and legend that is connected to an Immortal Snake which the towns' people also called "Demon of Forest".

According to the oldest man in the town, years past, during the younger days of their current Lord, the Demon of the Forest has lured their Young Master to its territory, it tricked the Young Master into loving it, tricked him to give promises, especially marriage, but thanks to the fourth lord, the Demon's tricks has stopped.

Their Young Master Xu Xuan has been saved and woke up from nightmare. Only a year later after the fierce battle against the Demon, Xu Xuan has wed the most beautiful maiden in town.

But the Demon didn't stop, it continuously lured the Young Master to her forest, so up until now, all the Young Masters were killed by the Demon.

"How old is the lord currently?"

"Thirty. It just thanks to the blessing of Qinglong that the Lord Xu's wife has able to conceive five children."

What is she? A pig?

It turned out that the "Young Masters" are actually the captive cultivators.

Still...

To think that the Lord is really existing up this time.

"You two are cultivators?" the lips stretch into a smile, "What are my guests doing here in this boring part of the manor?"

"What about you? Why are you hiding here for?"

"What's Daozhang talking about?"

"I'm asking why you aren't facing the consequences of your betrayal on the Demon of the Forest, or should I say Immortal Cultivator?"

The smile on the Lord's face has reversed upon these strings of words.