As the name implied, The Sword Mound was a graveyard of swords. It was a sacred place as well as a restricted area of the Merak Palace where the swords of the Merak Palace’s disciples who reached the Heaven Realm were consecrated.
For someone to trespass on the Sword Mound was naturally a big deal for the Merak Palace. Therefore, without saying a word, Qi Qiqi rushed toward the Sword Mound at once after receiving the news.
After about a quarter of an hour, Qi Qiqi taking the lead reached the gate of the Sword Mound, with the rest of the elders following suit.
“Elder Zhang, what’s the situation?” As soon as she arrived, Qi Qiqi asked Mound Guardian Elder Zhang Ming, who was pacing back and forth in front of the Sword Mound’s gate.
“It’s like this…” Zhang Ming narrated the situation and their conjectures in one breath.
The more Qi Qiqi listened, the more she frowned. At the same time, the more doubtful she was whether someone really has trespassed on the Sword Mound.
“So, your guess is that it’s Senior Bei Ming…?”
After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Ming went on to say: “It’s just a guess. However, to trespass on the Sword Mound under our watch might only be possible with a Heaven Realm cultivation base. Besides, of the current Heaven Realm masters and above, only Senior Bei Ming has a child’s voice.”
Liu Chengzong snorted at Zhang Ming’s theory: “That’s ridiculous. Senior Bei Ming is the only Grandmaster of the Hua Dynasty, what reason would he have to trespass on our Sword Mound?”
“Elder Liu, are you suspecting that Elder Zhang’s eyes have gone bad, that he can’t recognize when a little girl walks past before his eyes?” Xia Xue chimed in, fanning the flames.
“Is that what you meant, Elder Liu?”
“I didn’t.”
Like this, Liu Chengzong and Zhang Ming clashed while Xia Xue fanned the flames.
Ignoring the two people at each other’s throats, Ye Zhen stepped forward and said: “Palace Master, would you please open the Sword Mound.”
Qi Qiqi responded decisively: “Great-grandpa said that the Sword Mound must not be opened.”
Li Wanting, who had her red hair tied into a ponytail, whispered in Qi Qiqi’s ear: “That fellow Ye Zhen has a point, the issue with the Sword Mound is of great importance.”
Even Elder Sister Ting is saying this? Frowning, Qi Qiqi raised her hand to signal the others to let her talk: “Do you all think that someone trespassed onto the Sword Mound?”
When they heard her question, everyone present was stunned for a moment, then looked at each other, presumably thinking – why is she asking such an obvious questions.
How could they have forgotten what great-grandpa had said less than a year ago? Qi Qiqi sighed. She looked at the people around her and went on to say: “Have you considered that it might be the Young Ancestor?”
All of a sudden, everyone present was dumbstruck. As if they had woken up from a dream, their expressions said – that’s right, why didn’t I think of it?
Perhaps it’s because of the way the disciple worded their report that led to a misconception on everyone’s part. Qi Qiqi consoled herself like this.
She didn’t want to think that the Elders of her sect were fools who lost their reasoning at a critical moment.
Ye Zhen was the first to come back to his senses. He coughed awkwardly before saying sternly: “It would be nice if it was the Young Ancestor, but what if it isn’t? We can’t figure things out by staying here! Therefore, we need to send someone into the Sword Mound…”
“Hmm? Vice-palace Master, why haven’t you finished your thought?” Qi Qiqi looked at the other party in astonishment. From his expression and mannerism, it looked like he’d seen a ghost – eyes opened wide, pointing at the Sword Mound’s gate with his finger, with the finger trembling to boot.
It looked like he’d seen a dragon flying in the sky.
What’s going on? Qi Qiqi looked in the direction he was pointing at. Then… her expression became identical to Ye Zhen’s.
God knows when, a person appeared at the Sword Mound’s gate.
It was a little girl, cute like a doll. Clearly, she had a childish face, yet she exuded a distinct natural and refined aura. Her big amber eyes seemed to shine with limpid and bright light the whole time.
Surrounded by aggressive spiritual qi, she didn’t seem human. But what was even more astonishing…
What is she wearing?
She was barefoot, and the collar of her clothing was wide, revealing one of her shoulders. The whole garment looked like a dress with the hem only covering half of the thigh. The writing on the garment said “Even if it is for the sake of the group. Nevertheless, you’ll be on the losing end if you work earnestly.” Although the flamboyant calligraphy was very beautiful, but Qi Qiqi had no clue what it meant.
The writing added to the mystery that was the little girl. Just that, all that went up in smoke in the next moment.
“Ah!” With a plop, she fell flat on her face.
All of a sudden, everyone focused on Qi Qiqi, as if to signal her to go help the little girl.
Now they work together? Qi Qiqi felt like giving them the stink eye.
As she hesitated, the little girl suddenly got up, and then shouted obscenities: “Fuck, flat on the nose! Which bastard put a banana peel here?”
Silence… An incredible silence pervaded, and even the air seemed to freeze.
Qi Qiqi didn’t know how to react. The only thing she knew was that the previous image of the little girl before her eyes was shattered and erased from her mind, and the same was definitely true for everyone else from the Merak Palace.
“Hey, why are there so many people here?” The little girl blinked her big beautiful eyes and glanced around, as if only now realizing that Qi Qiqi and the others were here.
Everyone looked at the little girl, and then looked at Qi Qiqi again. Go on! Their eyes conveyed a strong message.
Why don’t you go! Qi Qiqi wanted to shout. Unfortunately, she could only play this scenario out in her head. As the sect master, there were times when she had to take one for the team.
Under everyone’s gazes, Qi Qiqi walked up to the little girl: ” Excuse me, little frien…”
Seeing the expression of the little girl abruptly turn strange, Qi Qiqi suddenly noticed that the way she addressed her was a bit inappropriate, and promptly shut up. She wanted to call her “little friend” at first, but after thinking that the other party might be the Young Ancestor, or some senior who recovered their youth, she stopped.
Qi Qiqi coughed, and then tried again: “Excuse me, young lady, who…?”
“Are you talking to me?” The little girl asked, pointing to herself.
Who else if not you? Qi Qiqi nearly slipped and fell: “Well, I am certainly talking to you, young lady.”
“What young lady, I’m a…” The little girl coughed, “Hmm, my name is Xue Qilin.”
Then the little girl went on to say angrily: “Speaking of which, why are you talking in such a convoluted way? It’s so strange.”
“Strange?”
“Yes, strange.”
Qi Qiqi turned toward the people of the Merak Palace: “Am I talking strangely?”
As if they had rehearsed, they shook their heads in unison.
“You’re all so strange. Why do you wear antique clothes? Are you shooting a movie? Where are the cameras?” The big sparkling eyes of the little girl who called herself Xue Qilin looked around.
She ying chicken [1]…? Is that a new breed of chicken? Or perhaps a famous local dish of some place? Qi Qiqi was at a loss.
Let’s get back on track! She decided not to delve further into this, which was clearly the right choice: “Young lady Xue, how did you wound up in the Sword Mound?”
“Sword Mound?” Xue Qilin muttered, and then suddenly clapped her hands and said: “Are you talking about the sword mountain?”
“Yes, where the swords are inserted.”
“Oh, you asked me how I wound up there…” Xue Qilin crossed her arms and tilted her head, thinking. After a while, she spread her arms, saying: “It’s really hard to explain. In short, when I came back to my senses, I was there.”
Qi Qiqi wanted to continue questioning, but her counterpart was a step ahead.
“Right, do you know of the Merak Palace?”
Is she asking while knowing the answer? That must be it! Qi Qiqi’s eyebrows twitched. If she didn’t have to maintain her image in front of everyone else from the sect, she would have flown off the handle by now. It was really hard to keep her cool.
“This is the Merak Palace.”
“It is? So it’s here.” The little girl widened her eyes, then nodded her head, her expression saying – I see.
Next, she crossed her arms and asked probingly: “Then, you are people of the Merak Palace, aren’t you?”
Qi Qiqi wanted to answer, but Xue Qilin didn’t gave her the chance to. However, Qi Qiqi also had no time to be bothered by it, because what the other party said next left her thinking.
“Is there someone called Seven Seven-seven?”
Seven Seven-seven? Is there such a person in the sect? Qi Qiqi asked herself, trying to recall all the people in the sect. But when she searched through her memory, she could not find anyone called Seven Seven-seven. Is it a nickname?
Qi Qiqi had no time to ponder over the issue because the little girl was staring at her. As she wondered, she found out that it wasn’t only Xue Qilin. The people from the sect were also looking at her. What is the meaning of this?
“Are you Seven Seven-seven?” The little girl looked Qi Qiqi up and down, rather curious.
“No, I’m not. My name is Qi Qiqi.”
“Oh, sure enough, you’re Seven Seven-seven [2].”
Doesn’t this lass understand what others are saying? Qi Qiqi frowned.
“I said, my name isn’t…” Hold on. If read a little bit faster, doesn’t Qi Qiqi sound like “Seven Seven-seven?” So when she says Seven Seven-seven, she’s referring to me! Qi Qiqi’s face darkened instantly.
“Hey, Seven Seven-seven, why are you making such an ugly face? Is it that time of the month?”
“Listen to me, you little brat! My name is Qi, Qi, qi! Nobody here is called Seven Seven-seven!” The bellow of the Merak Palace’s Palace Master reverberated in the Merak Mountain, which was a first.
“Seven Seven-seven, what are you being so loud for? Geez, I’m not deaf.” After voicing her complaint, Xue Qilin picked her ears.
“You must be deaf! Otherwise, that head of yours must be hollow!” As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Qiqi regretted it. She turned and looked at the people behind her, who had expressions of amazement plastered on their faces.
Ah, the image that I’ve built with great difficulty! Qi Qiqi felt like crying at this moment.
“Hey, Seven Seven-seven, why are you looking so forlorn?”
“Isn’t it because of you?” Qi Qiqi gave the other party a fierce look.
“Seven Seven-seven, that’s not right, how can you blame me for this?” Xue Qilin suddenly seemed to have thought of something, and patted her forehead: “Right, since you’re Seven Seven-seven, you should recognize this thing, right?”
Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care! Qi Qiqi silently recited a self-created charm three times and looked at the object the other party showed her.
It was a jade pendant with which Qi Qiqi was familiar with: “This is great-grandpa’s jade pendant!”
This exclamation attracted everyone’s attention. They hurried over, and their gazes fell on the jade pendant in the little girl’s hand.
“It is indeed the Great Ancestor’s jade pendant!” Ye Zhen, who had been silent, echoed the sentiment.
“The old fellow Seven Guiyuan said…”
“It’s Qi! Not Seven!”
“I know. Child, is there something wrong with your head?” Xue Qilin looked at Qi Qiqi with pity.
“There’s something wrong with your head! The same goes for your whole family!”
“Why are you cursing at people? Don’t you know that it’s wrong, specially if its unwarranted?” Xue Qilin spoke earnestly.
Alas, it doesn’t matter.
“Let’s get down to business.”
“Oh, so you finally ready to let me go down to business?
“Yes, please.” Qi Qiqi forced a smile, feeling inexplicably tired.
“Really, so much time has been wasted.” Xue Qilin muttered, then stuck out her chest: “Hello, everyone! I am your Young Ancestor, pleased to meet you.”
There was gust of wind, and everyone looked like petrified, not knowing how to react.
Is she the Young Ancestor who is supposed to give us a helping hand at a critical juncture? Qi Qiqi looked at the Sky Glass Sword in her hand and wondered if she should kill her and pretend that the brat had never appeared.
[1] – 鸡 (ji) = chicken and 机 (ji), the last character in 摄影机 = camera, sound the same
[2] – Seven Seven-seven = 七七七 (qiqiqi) sounds similar to Qi Qiqi = 齐绮琪
