Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 954: Jing’er

Ever since arriving at Canglang Sea, Qin Sang had been working through countless scenarios in his mind, wondering how he could earn Qingzhu’s trust should they truly meet. Being from the same sect and cultivating the same Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment would hardly be enough.

Qingzhu had once avenged a beauty, severed ties with Shaohua Mountain, and stormed Yuanshen Sect. Just how much sentiment remained between him and Shaohua Mountain was uncertain. Qin Sang did not wish to be caught in his wrath.

Granny Jing, however, was clearly deeply connected to Qingzhu. Though Qin Sang could not guess what bonds of love and resentment lay between them, approaching Qingzhu through Granny Jing seemed far safer.

He was at least somewhat acquainted with Granny Jing, and using that familiarity was not unreasonable. He carried two things connected to her. One was the Star Spirit Net, the other a peachwood sword.

The peachwood sword was nothing more than an ordinary wooden blade from the mortal realm. Back then, when he had only just reached the Foundation Building Realm, Qin Sang had sought objects linked to spiritual springs. Granny Jing had helped him, and after his dealings with the Le Sisters, he had purchased the sword from her with spirit stones as compensation.

When he later discovered Granny Jing’s true cultivation, he had suspected the sword contained some hidden secret. In the end, he found it was nothing more than a plain peachwood sword.

The Star Spirit Net might not have been personally refined by Granny Jing, but the peachwood sword definitely was. Its unique carving technique would be instantly recognized by anyone familiar with her. He never expected that showing this sword would have such an extraordinary effect.

Is Granny Jing’s true name Qingjun? Or perhaps... What relationship did she have with Senior Qingzhu? That thought flashed across Qin Sang’s mind as he looked at Qingzhu with tense anticipation.

From the moment the wooden sword appeared, Qingzhu had gasped and fallen silent. His body trembled violently, as though two raging currents within him were clashing.

"Ah..." Qingzhu threw back his head and howled. His features twisted grotesquely, his eyes bloodshot, his expression so warped with pain it was terrifying to behold.

Startled, Qin Sang kept the lightning suppressed and quietly retreated. In the next instant, Qingzhu let out a furious roar. "You dare—"

The words cut off abruptly. The blood-red haze drained from his eyes like a receding tide, his face quickly returning to normal, though the aura within him still seethed in chaos.

It was the same person, yet the feeling he gave Qin Sang was utterly different. Before, Qingzhu had seemed mad, sinister, and bloodthirsty. Now, his gaze was profound, his stance firm in the void like a peerless divine sword towering between heaven and earth. It was as if his presence itself, enough to make one’s heart quiver in awe, was saying, "No matter how many grievances and entanglements, my sword severs them all."

"Give me the sword." Qingzhu’s eyes shifted to Qin Sang, his voice low, edged with urgency.

Qin Sang’s mind stirred. He halted far away, wrapped the peachwood sword with true essence, and tossed it toward Qingzhu. His thoughts raced. He faintly guessed Qingzhu’s condition, though he could not be certain. Reason warned him it would be best to distance himself immediately, before Qingzhu’s body was seized again by that other aura.

"Am I speaking to the real Senior Qingzhu now?" Qin Sang asked cautiously.

Qingzhu slowly stroked the peachwood sword. His gaze was gentle, tinged with longing, and in its depths flickered faint guilt. He stared at the blade in a trance. Qin Sang dared not disturb him.

After a while, Qingzhu looked away and nodded slightly at Qin Sang. Just then, movement came from behind. Qin Sang’s external incarnation arrived on its sword, battered but not severely harmed.

As though sensing Qin Sang’s doubts, Qingzhu glanced at the incarnation and said lightly, "It seems like you obtained the secret art I left in the jade slip. Do you realize you are in great danger? Never let your incarnation’s cultivation surpass your true body’s. The higher the cultivation, the greater the danger. I am an example of that."

Qin Sang immediately understood and hurriedly bowed. "I have learned a lot. Thank you, Senior, for the warning. To pass through the trial of the path of swords, I had no choice but to take that step. Senior, you—"

He was about to ask more, but Qingzhu raised a hand, cutting him off. "Tell me. What is your relationship with Qingjun?"

Qingzhu’s gaze held scrutiny as he studied Qin Sang, his expression somewhat strange.

"I do not know Qingjun," Qin Sang answered honestly.

Seeing Qingzhu frown, he quickly explained, "Senior, if you refer to the person who carved the sword, then yes, I know her. But I only knew her as Granny Jing. She once helped me..."

Qingzhu froze, his expression distant. "Granny Jing... Jing’er... She has become a granny already? H-How is she now?"

Seeing Qin Sang’s bewilderment, Qingzhu gave a bitter smile. "Jing’er was the nickname her mother gave her. I named her Qingjun. It seems she still dislikes that name."

Qin Sang was stunned. "Granny Jing is your daughter..."

"Indeed, though not in the way you think. Jing’er’s mother was my junior sister before I entered Shaohua Mountain. It was my senior sister who was slain by Yuanshen Sect..." Qingzhu let out a long sigh. "I have wronged many in my life."

Sensing the heaviness in his tone, Qin Sang grew curious about his past, but Qingzhu clearly wished not to dwell on it, and Qin Sang dared not pry further.

"Tell me only of Qingjun. Leave all else unsaid," Qingzhu instructed.

Qin Sang quickly nodded. "Be rest assured, Senior. Before I came, Granny Jing was doing well. Her cultivation is peculiar. Thinking back, she seemed close to matching a Spiritual Infant cultivator, though perhaps a little short. At the very least, not weaker than this incarnation of mine. I first met her at Wenyue Market... Later, we reunited outside Zhitian Peak, where I learned her earlier appearance was but a disguise to wander the mortal world. Her true self was peerlessly graceful. At Zhitian Peak, she killed only two Yuanshen Sect elders, but plotted against Yuanshen Sect’s sect leader Leng Yuntian. She meant to use my Blood Defilement Divine Light to corrupt the Fivefold Tower and then—"

Qin Sang was just about to mention Ziwei Palace when Qingzhu again raised a hand, halting him. Throughout Qin Sang’s recounting, Qingzhu listened with rapt attention, questioning every detail, even asking about the subtlest expressions on Granny Jing’s face. Fortunately, as a cultivator, Qin Sang’s memory was sharp enough to recall such things.

Qingzhu listened in a daze, a gentle smile spreading across his face, like that of any mortal father. When Qin Sang briefly mentioned Leng Yuntian losing the Fivefold Tower, he stopped.

Silence stretched for a long while before Qingzhu’s smile faded, his tone suddenly heavy. "You have never seen her mother?"

"Our encounters were few. Granny Jing never spoke of her," Qin Sang replied cautiously.

"Then she must have reunited with Senior Sister... All is well! All is well!" Qingzhu’s voice was laced with boundless sorrow.

He lifted his head and gazed at the dark clouds above for a long time before murmuring, "So Leng Qian is already dead. Leng Yuntian, though I wounded his foundation, forced his way to the Spiritual Infant Realm and must have left hidden injuries. Without the Fivefold Tower, he is no match for Jing’er. She concealed her name because of me. But if she is well and her cultivation is thriving, then I can be at ease."