Chapter 420 - 200: Finally Here
"This matter… it's a long story."
"Give me the short version. We're setting off as soon as we're done eating."
Just then, the server brought their food. Fang Shuwen casually picked up a steamed bun, glanced at it to make sure it was fine, and took a bite.
Ye Feihua rolled her eyes at Fang Shuwen but began her story anyway:
"That day, Xiao Ruofeng shattered the ground with a single strike, and I fell into the chasm.
"But I knew I had a lot of trouble on my hands, so I wasn't in any hurry to get out.
"After wandering around down there for a long time, I ran into Dong Wangyou."
'The Wine Immortal, Dong Wangyou…'
Fang Shuwen remembered. After they had emerged from underground, he'd assumed that since Ye Feihua had left the Seven-String Ancient Chapter with Fang Lingxin, she would return to claim it before long.
But as it turned out, she and Dong Wangyou seemed to vanish completely.
"When I found Dong Wangyou, he was already dead."
Her voice grew somber as she said this.
"Dead?"
Fang Shuwen's fingers froze for a moment. 'Dong Wangyou was one of the top masters in the Eastern Domain, yet he died so quietly?'
He sighed softly.
"Was it related to that old crone?"
"At the time, I didn't know who they were. Only later did I learn they weren't from the Eastern Domain, but were supreme masters from the Southern Domain—the Celestial Lord and Earthly Lady.
"The one you just decapitated was the Earth Mother."
Ye Feihua nodded.
"The Celestial Lord killed Dong Wangyou.
"And their goal was the Seven-String Ancient Chapter… You know what I did back then.
"So I told them I had already returned the Seven-String Ancient Chapter to the Jianghu.
"But they didn't believe me.
"I clashed with the Earth Mother but was no match for her. Once captured, I couldn't use my Inner Strength and had no choice but to revert to my true appearance.
"After that, I was dragged all over the world by that old hag to look for the Seven-String Ancient Chapter.
"I had no choice but to feign compliance, telling her it was in one place, then another. I was actually trying to find you, hoping you could rescue me. But after traveling to several places searching for you, I discovered you'd somehow ended up here in the Northern Domain."
She really did make the long story as short as possible.
If she were to recount her experiences in detail, it would probably take three days and three nights.
Fang Shuwen asked:
"If you were looking for me, why didn't you say anything when you saw me just now?"
Ye Feihua laughed.
"I know what you're like, and I know what the Earth Mother is like.
"So I didn't have to say a word. I knew she would inevitably get on your bad side. Once you got angry enough to kill her, wouldn't I be free?"
Fang Shuwen snorted.
"Pavilion Master Ye, don't you dare slander my good name. As if I would kill someone without reason."
Miao Feichan was so tired of hearing this line her ears might as well have grown calluses. She couldn't be bothered to comment.
Ye Feihua burst into a fit of laughter, her whole body shaking. Seeing the growing displeasure in Fang Shuwen's eyes, she quickly added:
"You're right, you're right! Young Hero Fang is a perfect gentleman, the very soul of reason. How could he possibly kill someone without a good cause?"
Fang Shuwen snorted, took a bite of his steamed bun, and then asked:
"Celestial Lord and Earthly Lady… it sounds like they're a pair. The Earth Mother came to the Northern Domain, so where's the Celestial Lord? How come I haven't seen him around…?"
"Have you ever seen heaven and earth come together?"
Ye Feihua said with a smile:
"Let me tell you, their backstory is quite amusing. I got it out of the Earth Mother herself.
"They were once a deeply devoted couple.
"Later, they came across a supreme technique called the [Heaven and Earth Treasure Scripture].
"This scripture is divided into two paths, Heaven and Earth. Heaven is yang, Earth is yin. It just so happened that one cultivated the Heaven path and the other cultivated the Earth path. By all accounts, its mysteries were profound.
"As soon as they found it, they eagerly began cultivating their respective paths.
"But once they had mastered their respective arts, they discovered they could no longer approach one another.
"The closest they could get was eight zhang and four chi. If they dared to get any closer, the True Qi in their bodies would reverse its flow.
"Two people who had once been inseparable could suddenly no longer even touch. They could cry to the heavens and beat the earth, but it was no use.
"So, despite being in love, they never had any children their entire lives.
"That old hag had always had a difficult personality, but this affair made her even more grim and sinister."
"…Some [Heaven and Earth Treasure Scripture] that turned out to be."
'It sounded like one of those cursed techniques from the stories,' Fang Shuwen thought. 'If only they'd read the fine print, they might not have ended up like this.'
No wonder the two of them always acted separately.
Miao Feichan said:
"The distance between heaven and earth is eighty-four thousand li.
"And the minimum distance between those two is eight zhang and four chi… It certainly fits a cosmic pattern."
"It wouldn't be called the [Heaven and Earth Treasure Scripture] otherwise."
At this, Ye Feihua couldn't help but laugh again.
Fang Shuwen took her by the wrist. Ye Feihua merely glanced at him but let him.
He sent his Inner Breath into her meridians. As he circulated the [Muscle Strengthening Scripture] Divine Technique, a series of pops—POP, POP, POP—resounded from within Ye Feihua's body.
Her Inner Strength began to flow freely again.
Ye Feihua let out a long sigh of relief.
"I finally feel alive again. Thank you, Young Hero Fang."
"It was nothing. What are your plans now?"
Fang Shuwen asked.
Ye Feihua was silent for a moment, then said with a smile:
"I'm the type to hold a grudge. It may have been my bad luck and weak Martial Arts that led me to fall into the hands of the Celestial Lord and Earthly Lady…
"But that doesn't mean I won't get my revenge…
"What if I take the Earth Mother's corpse with me?"
"Be my guest."
"Good."
Ye Feihua stood up.
"Don't think I'm grateful for what happened today. I don't owe you anything."
Fang Shuwen gave her a wry smile and nodded.