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The Legend of the Immortals Prequel: Wilderness Journey
On Azure Cloud Mountain, at Tongfeng.
With a crisp sound, a noise echoed from the Quiet Room behind Yuqing Palace, which was particularly jarring in the tranquil courtyard. Dao Child Azure Maple, who was cleaning outside, was startled and hurried to the door of the Quiet Room. The door was ajar, and inside, at the table, sat Dao Xuan.
On the floor in front of Dao Xuan, a teacup lay shattered, with a puddle of water around it, suggesting it had been accidentally dropped and broken. However, Dao Xuan appeared somewhat strange; given his level of cultivation, such an incident seemed unlikely. At this moment, he looked dazed, as if lost in thought.
Azure Maple hesitated for a moment, knocked on the door, and then spoke up, " Daoxuan Shixiong, what's wrong?"
Dao Xuan jolted slightly, as if just now coming back to his senses. He turned to look and replied with an "oh," saying, "It's nothing."
Not daring to ask further, Azure Maple said, "Then may I come in to clean?"
Looking at the broken teacup on the floor, a bitter smile crossed Dao Xuan's lips. He sighed and nodded, saying, "Alright, please come over and clean up. Thank you."
Azure Maple replied with "Of course," took a broom and dustpan, and stepped inside to carefully clean the floor next to Dao Xuan. After watching Azure Maple for a while, Dao Xuan suddenly spoke up, " Azure Maple, are you close with Baishi?"
Azure Maple nodded and said, "Yes. Baishi and I entered Azure Cloud Sect together and have been working here at Yuqing Palace for quite a few years now."
Then he glanced at Dao Xuan cautiously and asked, "Shixiong, have you not found Baishi yet?"
Dao Xuan slowly nodded and said, "Not yet; I don't know where he could have gone."
Azure Maple felt a bit nervous but still mustered the courage to say, "Senior Brother, I think Baishi is definitely still on this Tongfeng."
Dao Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "How do you know?"
Azure Maple lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Senior Brother, he is an orphan with nowhere to go. When he was with me before, he often told me that Azure Cloud Sect is his home. The luckiest thing in his life is being able to come to Azure Cloud Immortal Mountain. In the future, he should stay in Qingyun for life."
Dao Xuan was silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "Hmm, I understand." He paused for a moment and then added, "You and Baishi are both good kids."
At this point, Azure Maple had already cleaned up the debris on the ground and was packing his things to leave the Quiet Room. However, when he reached the door, he couldn't help but turn back to Dao Xuan and say, "Senior Brother, can I ask you for one thing?"
Dao Xuan looked at him in surprise and replied, "What is it?"
Azure Maple gritted his teeth and said, "Senior Brother, Baishi may be timid, but he is absolutely devoted to us at Azure Cloud Sect. I don't know why he hasn't come out; maybe he did something wrong and is hiding out of fear. But no matter what mistake he made, if you find him, it doesn't matter how you punish him—just please… please don't drive him away from Qingyun. He really can't handle that; he won't be able to survive."
Dao Xuan's expression changed slightly. He straightened up a bit and looked at Azure Maple, his face showing a hint of seriousness for the first time as he said earnestly, "Don't worry; I understand." After thinking for a moment, he continued, "And don't overthink it. We still don't know whether Baishi has made any mistakes or done anything wrong. Let's find him first; it might turn out that there’s nothing at all."
Azure Maple, who still seemed quite young, immediately showed signs of joy upon hearing this. He nodded repeatedly and thanked Dao Xuan several times before finally leaving.
※※※
After Azure Maple left, the Quiet Room fell silent again. Dao Xuan sat alone, his expression gradually returning to indifference. His gaze swept across the room, taking in all the furnishings: the table, chairs, bed, and cabinet—all appeared lifeless and devoid of vitality.
Not long ago, this Quiet Room had a master. The injured Master Chengzi of Azure Cloud Sect had been recuperating here. After some time, he suddenly moved to the more secluded Qiu Wangyu in the back mountain.
Dao Xuan sat in the Quiet Room for a while, his gaze deep as if lost in thought. After some time, he suddenly stood up, walked out of the Quiet Room, and headed towards the back mountain of Tongfeng.
The path to the back mountain of Tongfeng was carved between the woods, with lush greenery on both sides. Ancient trees stood tall, and old vines hung down occasionally. The soft sound of birdsong could be heard, and the thin mist drifting through the mountains created an otherworldly atmosphere.
Dao Xuan walked along the mountain path, slowly making his way towards Qiu Wangyu's direction. However, compared to usual, he walked at a very slow pace this time, his expression serious as he constantly scanned the trees and bushes on both sides of the path, seemingly searching for something.
The forest was tranquil and verdant, with a gentle mountain breeze blowing from afar, lightly stirring his Dao robe. Dao Xuan walked for about half an hour along the path, appearing to find nothing, which made his expression even more somber. However, when he caught sight of the stone tablet marking the intersection ahead that read "Illusory Moon Cave," he inexplicably let out a gentle sigh of relief, as if finally putting down a heavy burden in his heart, feeling somewhat lighter.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something. In that instant, Dao Xuan's gaze suddenly sharpened, and his expression tensed up. He stood still, neither advancing nor retreating. It seemed that in that fleeting moment, he hesitated slightly and felt an impulse to turn back.
After a moment, Dao Xuan slowly turned around to face a patch of grass beneath some trees on one side of the path and walked over.
It was a cluster of wild grass between two large trees, vibrant green and almost indistinguishable from other patches on the mountain. When the mountain breeze blew by, the grass swayed gently, revealing a wildflower among them.
The flower was neither large nor small, with four petals that bloomed beautifully in pure white. It was a common flower but indeed strikingly beautiful in its pristine color. Three of the petals were entirely white while one petal had a hint of another color.
That color was a deep brownish hue that appeared slightly blackened due to drying out, creating an odd contrast with the other three petals. Dao Xuan slowly crouched down, his eyes fixed on this petal as the muscles at the corners of his eyes seemed to twitch slightly. After a while, he reached out and plucked the petal, bringing it close to his nose to take a gentle sniff.
A faint metallic scent wafted from the petal.
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