Chapter 230: Chapter 22 Cleaning Graves, Offering Sacrifices
After seeing off Guan Shanyue and Guan Zhan, the two of them returned to their room at the inn.
Ling Yunpo soon entered meditative concentration, but An Zhisu felt somewhat perturbed and couldn’t calm down.
She sensed something was amiss about herself.
In the past, if Ling Yunpo were to leave Qingluo Peak, she would be heartbroken and pained, but she wouldn’t try to make him stay.
Because the reason was clear: the lineage of Qingluo Peak had no masters.
Without a master and not valued by the sect, what difference would there be from a loose cultivator?
Moreover, since Junior Brother Ling had the “Innate Sword Bone” aptitude, there was naturally no need for him to be confined to Qingluo Peak.
Not to mention anything else, just the recruitment offers that came to him were twice.
Once was from Ziyun Peak, and the other was from the Guan family ancestor; although she felt anguished at the time, she was still willing to let Junior Brother make his own choice.
If the Junior Brother wanted to soar into the world, she would let him go despite how reluctant she might be.
However, just now, when she heard Guan Shanyue mention Guan Zhan joining Kunlun, the first thought that sprang to her mind when she subconsciously put herself in that situation, if Junior Brother were to leave, was to teach him a lesson like Guan Shanyue did and forcefully make him change his mind and stay at Qingluo Peak.
After all, Guan Zhan had the noble blood of the Guan Family, which made Guan Shanyue barely tolerant of his betrayal.
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But Junior Brother Ling… what kind of position did she claim to have to harbor such aggressive thoughts that insisted he should not leave?
Thinking about this made An Zhisu feel deeply terrified.
It was as if she suddenly discovered that she was no longer the person she used to be.
Her heart was in turmoil throughout the night. When she got up the next day, she naturally had dark circles under her eyes.
“Eh, Senior Sister,” Ling Yunpo encountered her in the hallway and asked with concern, “Why do you look so haggard? Didn’t you meditate last night?”
“It’s nothing.” An Zhisu smiled helplessly, avoiding an answer and diverting the conversation, “From here to my hometown, it’s less than half an hour’s journey. Let’s go.”
The two left Jiankang City, found a secluded area with no one around, and took to the sky on their swords.
After crossing the Yangtze River, they turned northeast and quickly arrived at an old village deep in the mountains.
The village was nestled among the mountains. Although it was inconvenient for travel, it was spared from wartime calamities, so it remained a peaceful and tranquil place, hardly changing over hundreds of years.
“Let’s enter the village quietly later; we don’t want the villagers to see us,” An Zhisu whispered, looking toward the houses in the distant valley.
“Why?” Ling Yunpo asked curiously, “Would they still recognize Senior Sister after all these years?”
“I come back once every ten years, there are always people who recognize me,” An Zhisu sighed. “It’s better to avoid trouble.”
Ling Yunpo uttered an “Oh,” and immediately understood.
Cultivators often choose to keep a low profile when moving through the mortal world to avoid revealing their identities.
This was mostly because being seen by mortals meant dealing with a horde of people seeking immortality and elixirs, which can be quite troublesome.
An Zhisu’s situation was even more special. Her mother was buried here, and it was impractical to relocate the grave, so they had to rely on the villagers for care.
Thus, it was actually not feasible to keep her distance from the villagers, especially since Senior Sister was not the heartless type.
The two quietly went around to the back of the village and saw big and small grave mounds dotting the hillside.
The grave of An Zhisu’s mother was situated at the highest point of the mountain peak.
Descending before the grave, Ling Yunpo took a close look and noticed that the area around the grave was covered with dust and fallen leaves, although the weeds were not overgrown—someone must have cleaned it a few months ago.
With a flick of his fingers, he activated the spell on his Green Duckweed Sword, and a cascade of Water System Sword Qi swept like rain, brushing away the dust, fallen leaves, and weeds in front of the grave.
An Zhisu took out offerings: chicken, duck, fish, goose, and an eight treasure hot pot, meticulously placing each before her mother’s grave, then she brought out an incense burner and lit some sandalwood incense.
Those born into cultivation should not actually believe in such things.
After all, it’s common knowledge that when a person dies, their soul falls into the Netherworld, and then they are reborn.
Senior Sister An has come here to offer sacrifices now; it is more of a ceremonial act than one with actual significance. Thus, Ling Yunpo also helped by taking out a cushion and placing it in front of the tombstone.
However, An Zhisu waved her hand and didn’t go for the cushion, but knelt directly on the stone slabs. After bowing deeply in homage, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, holding her hands to her chest, and began to pray for her late mother.
Ling Yunpo saw her lips moving slightly, just like when she prayed to Master at Qingluo Peak. He thought to himself that he was unsure if Master could hear him, but he was certain that her mother definitely couldn’t.
Anyway, it’s just for comfort…
His gaze fell upon the tombstone and his mind suddenly drifted away.
This An Susu, the late matriarch, I wonder how gentle and beautiful she was in life, that she was able to make someone as arrogant and ungrateful as Su Jian change his ways from the Forgetting Love path to the Sentiment Inquiry Path, shocking nearly the entire Shushan.
Looking carefully at Senior Sister An’s profile, with such a delicate and exquisite face, combined with the image of Su Jian that appeared in the Pavilion Secret Realm, who was a completely handsome middle-aged man, it’s likely that the matriarch’s beauty was not far off.
An Zhisu finished her prayers and opened her eyes to stand up, and somehow her cheeks were slightly flushed; it was unknown what she had said to her mother.
“Junior Brother,” she said gently, “It’s done. Let’s go back.”
“Senior Sister, someone entrusted me with a task, and when I have free time, I’m supposed to visit Kuaiji County.” Ling Yunpo spoke tentatively. “Since I’m already here in Yangzhou, I thought I’d finish the task first before returning to Shushan.”
“Sure,” An Zhisu nodded. “I’ll accompany you.”
There it is, this is my Senior Sister! Ling Yunpo was deeply moved.
If it were Junior Sister Xu, Miss Shi, or Jiang the Witch, who would agree so easily without even asking what it’s about?
Only Senior Sister, with her complete trust in me, would so readily agree to accompany me.
“There’s one more thing I need to do before we leave,” An Zhisu suddenly said.
She and Ling Yunpo turned into Sword Light and flew towards the village, promptly landing in the backyard of a certain house.
In the backyard, there was a woman dressed like a peasant feeding chickens. She was almost frightened into screaming when she saw someone descending from the sky.
On the other hand, the elderly lady next to her reacted quickly, pulling the younger woman into her arms and covering her mouth.
“Gui Niang, I hope you are well,” An Zhisu greeted with a nod.
“Well indeed, well indeed,” the elderly lady responded with a chuckle. “Old An has gone out. Would the Immortal like to stay here for a meal and rest for a while?”
“Who might this be?” An Zhisu asked, turning her attention to the unfamiliar-looking woman instead of answering.
“My daughter-in-law, she’s been part of the family for around five or six years now,” the elderly lady hastened to explain. “The Immortal visits once every ten years, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to meet you before, so she was almost disrespectful just now, my apologies, my apologies…”
“No harm done,” An Zhisu retrieved an Elixir Bottle from her sleeve, which contained the “Detoxification Elixir” commonly used in Daoist Sects to regulate one’s constitution, and placed it on the ground. “These past years, I must also thank the village chief for looking after my mother’s grave.”
“No thanks necessary,” the elderly lady waved her hand, her eyes fixed on the Elixir Bottle on the ground. “After all, we’re from the same village and share the same surname; it’s only right to look out for one another.”
“Since the village chief isn’t here, I’ll be leaving,” An Zhisu said, turning to Ling Yunpo. “Junior Brother?”
“Yes, let’s go,” Ling Yunpo nodded.
The two once again rose into the sky on their swords, disappearing from sight.
It was only then that the younger woman managed to break free from her mother-in-law’s embrace and picked up the Elixir Bottle on the ground, hesitantly saying:
“Mother-in-law, this…”
“Give it to me!” The elderly lady snatched the Elixir Bottle, first verifying that it indeed contained elixirs, then seriously warned, “Apart from your father-in-law and me, no one else must know about this! That includes your husband and those reckless nephews!”
“Understood,” the woman realized the significance and excitedly said, “Are these Immortal Pills inside?”
“No matter the ailment, just one pill will do!” the elderly lady said quivering. “They are undoubtedly Immortal Pills…”