Chapter 623 - 507: Jing Ci’s Death, Jun Meng’s Demise
Chapter 623: Chapter 507: Jing Ci’s Death, Jun Meng’s Demise
"..."
As he listened to Daoist Yun Xi’s words, Xiao Mo’s gaze shifted to Gui Junmeng. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and the confusion in his heart, far from lessening, grew even deeper.
Gui Junmeng was Senior Gui’s granddaughter.
That meant she and Jing Ci were sisters.
No wonder they looked so much alike, as if they were carved from the same mold.
But that raised some questions.
If Jing Ci and Gui Junmeng were sisters, why were they separated?
And why had Gui Junmeng been taken in by Yun Xi as a disciple, becoming a member of the Daoist Sect?
What bothered Xiao Mo even more was that if Gui Junmeng and Jing Ci were sisters, her bloodline should also be that of a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox.
Yet he couldn’t sense the slightest demonic aura from her. It was as if the person standing before him was just an ordinary Cultivator.
"As I thought, Senior Gui didn’t tell you anything, fellow Daoist."
Seeing the utter confusion on Xiao Mo’s face, Yun Xi knew what he was thinking. She smiled faintly, her tone gentle.
"Jun Meng, there are some things I’d like to discuss with fellow Daoist Xiao Mo alone. Is that alright?"
"Yes, Master." Gui Junmeng nodded, rose gracefully, and bowed to Yun Xi before turning to leave the courtyard.
After Gui Junmeng left, Daoist Yun Xi raised a hand and, with a gentle wave, set up an Array within the bamboo courtyard to block any probing Divine Sense.
Once that was done, she picked up her teacup and tilted it slightly.
A little tea trickled out, spreading into a faint, wet mark on the tabletop.
Dipping her finger in the tea, Daoist Yun Xi slowly wrote the character for "one"—a single, slender stroke.
"A long, long time ago, there was a woman in the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan." Her voice was soft and tranquil. "She was Tushan Jing Ci’s mother—Tushan Xinhua. You should know a little about her."
Xiao Mo nodded respectfully. "Lady Tushan treated me very well."
Daoist Yun Xi smiled slightly and continued, "Tushan Xinhua had a fiery personality and exceptional talent. Everyone believed she was destined to become the matriarch of the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan, but fate is fickle, and things rarely go as planned."
"Xinhua had a rather unrestrained spirit. She wasn’t content with just seeing the sights of the Demon Race’s World; she also wanted to go beyond the Great Wall of China to see what the World of Ten Thousand Laws was truly like. So, she set off to the World of Ten Thousand Laws to gain experience."
"And it was during those years of travel that she fell in love with a man from the Human Race."
Daoist Yun Xi’s voice faltered slightly, her gaze falling upon the wet mark on the table.
"Tushan Xinhua became pregnant."
"It’s not that the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox and the Human Race cannot have children together."
"It’s just that ever since the Ancient Times, whenever an ancient Exotic Beast with a dominant bloodline unites with a human, there is a chance they will give birth to an offspring with a special constitution."
"And the child Tushan Xinhua was carrying, unexpectedly, possessed the Innate Dao Seed Body."
"The Innate Dao Seed Body is a Sacred Body seen only once in ten thousand years, with a natural affinity for Daoist Skills. However, it was incompatible with the bloodline of the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox. This conflict caused the child to develop ’dual souls.’"
Daoist Yun Xi extended a finger and gently swiped through the middle of the "one" she had drawn with tea, splitting it in two.
"These so-called ’dual souls’ meant the bloodline of the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox and the bloodline of the Human Race failed to merge completely."
"They are one person, but also two different people."
Her voice flowed slowly through the night, like a calm, deep river.
"To ensure his child could be born safely, the human man traveled alone to the Desolate Land. According to legend, ruins left behind from the Divine War of the Ancient Times could be found in that land."
Daoist Yun Xi sighed softly, her gaze passing through the bamboo fence to the area beyond the courtyard.
Outside, a small cat that had snuck in from somewhere poked out its furry head, tilting it as it curiously observed Gui Junmeng, who stood there.
The young woman lowered her gaze, quietly watching the little cat. The two of them stood there, regarding each other in silence as the moonlight bathed their figures in a soft, silvery-white glow.
"In the end, when the man emerged from the Desolate Land, he brought back a Magical Treasure."
"That Magical Treasure could ensure his child’s safe birth." Daoist Yun Xi retracted her gaze, and her voice grew heavy. "But because of it, Jun Meng and Jing Ci’s father was gravely injured and did not have long to live."
"After the man died, Tushan Xinhua, who was nearing her due date and extremely weak, voluntarily returned to her clan."
"Although the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan was still furious about Tushan Xinhua marrying a human man, it was at that moment that Senior Gui arrived at Tushan."
"Only then did everyone learn that Tushan Xinhua’s husband was actually an adopted son Senior Gui had taken in while in the World of Ten Thousand Laws."
"Against everyone’s objections, Senior Gui protected Tushan Xinhua and allowed her to give birth to her child."
"After the child was born, Tushan Xinhua used the treasure her husband had obtained to separate the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox bloodline and the Human Race bloodline within the child’s body."
"Thus, the one who inherited the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox bloodline was Jing Ci."
"And the one who inherited the Human Race bloodline was Jun Meng."
"You could say they are sisters, but... you could also say they are the same person."
"Tushan Jing Ci, who inherited the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox bloodline, remained in Tushan."
"As for Jun Meng, she was taken away by Senior Gui, entrusted to my care, and became my disciple."
As she spoke, Daoist Yun Xi paused, turning to look at Xiao Mo with a faint smile on her lips.
"And that... is the story of the two sisters."
Xiao Mo listened in silence, his fingers rubbing together restlessly.
He had never imagined Jing Ci’s origin story would be like this.
After a long while, Xiao Mo looked up at Daoist Yun Xi, his gaze steady and serious.
"Daoist Yun Xi, by telling me all this today, is there something you need me to do?"
In Xiao Mo’s mind, this had to be one of the most guarded secrets of the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox clan, one that even Jing Ci herself probably knew nothing about. For Daoist Yun Xi to reveal it to him now, there had to be a reason.
Daoist Yun Xi turned her head, her gaze passing over the bamboo fence to the vast, starry sky beyond as she began to speak slowly.
"Although Jing Ci and Jun Meng were split into two and are now living peacefully on their own, they are, in the end, one and the same person. Their Great Dao was split in two, and their fates have been damaged."
"They must prove their Dao and achieve Ascension within a thousand years. Otherwise, the Great Dao will not tolerate them, and they will perish utterly."
"And even though they were split, their lives are, in fact, still inextricably linked."
"To put it simply."
Daoist Yun Xi looked directly into Xiao Mo’s eyes.
"If the two of them do not achieve Ascension within a thousand years..."
"If Jing Ci dies, Jun Meng will perish."
"If Jun Meng perishes, Jing Ci will die."