Chapter 99: Lamenting that Firefly is Not the Moon

Chapter 99: Lamenting that Firefly is Not the Moon

Chapter 99: Lamenting that Firefly is Not the Moon (Long Chapter)

A bright moon hangs in the sky above the Jade Maiden Peak, and the stars retreat.

West courtyard.

The girl was wearing a light blue dress and a goose yellow belt.

She put the gauze cover on the candlestick, opened the round window, and sat down at the desk next to the windowsill.

This way you can see the bright moon in the sky, and take out the book hidden in the box under the moonlight.

Different from the "Instructions for Women", "Biographies of Remarkable Women" and "The Analects of Women" that Yue Buqun usually assigned her to read, these were all strange stories and legends brought by her senior brother from the mountain. They were much more interesting than the dry "Instructions for Women".

"Detective Dee" and "Taiping Guangji" are still normal.

There are also stories such as "The Battle of Shaolin Fangzheng and Hengshan Sanding", "A Few Things the Five Mountains Leader and My Mother Have to Say", and "The Demon Cult Leader Turns Out to Be a Girl".

These privately printed books are of very poor quality, with many errors and omissions in the text and blurred handwriting in many places. However, they have the best sales, and their prices are two to three times higher than those of regular books, and they are often hard to come by.

"What kind of books are you reading, Senior Brother?"

"No wonder I always talk nonsense. I deserve to be punished by my father!"

As she said this, she seemed to become more and more excited.

The content of the book does not really contain any obscene lyrics or songs, it just has a scary title, and uses the names of current figures to attribute to the characters in the original book, and then deletes, subtracts, adds and supplements, to form a completely new story.

I don’t know which genius came up with this idea, but it creates such a weird sense of identity dislocation that it’s hard not to laugh out loud when reading it.

"Quack!"

Suddenly, there were some frog calls outside the window.

Yue Lingshan looked up. The Jade Maiden Peak was high and there were no frogs on the mountain. However, one could occasionally see toads jumping out from the cracks in the rocks in search of food on cool nights.

She didn't pay much attention to it and continued reading the book "The Demon Cult's Leader Was Originally a Girl".

All the righteous martial artists hated the evil cult leader Dongfang Bubai, but no one could defeat him in martial arts, so they thought of all kinds of ways to slander him. They called him a woman, which was still considered the lightest punishment.

What's more, some people believe that Dongfang Bubai is not a human being at all, has no father or mother, and was born from a stone on the Black Wood Cliff, which is why he is immortal, invincible and invincible.

This book is not entirely false. It contains a lot of original content. However, the author is obviously afraid and only claims to be the 'evil cult leader' hundreds of years later. He dares not mention the East at all, which makes the sense of immersion much worse.

"Quack!"

"Quack!"

…………

The two toads croaked at the same time, which seemed very noisy in such a quiet night.

Yue Lingshan frowned slightly. Have the toads on the Jade Maiden Peak agreed to have a party tonight?

At this moment, she suddenly heard someone laugh briefly. The person quickly stopped laughing and continued to chatter in an attempt to get away with it.

"Who's making trouble outside?"

Yue Lingshan took the sword from the shelf and was about to rush out the door when she suddenly heard a hoarse voice coming from outside the window.

"Ahem, I am the Great Toad Immortal of Mount Hua, in charge of the dreams of mortals. The moon is high in the sky, why are you still awake? If you delay my work, it will be a great sin."

As soon as Yue Lingshan heard the voice, she knew who it was. She walked to the desk, looked out the window, and chuckled, "You are a great immortal, what magical powers do you have?"

The hoarse voice continued, "The Great Toad Immortal is naturally extremely powerful, with boundless magical powers. He can pluck the stars from above and move the mountains from below."

Yue Lingshan said with a smile: "Then please, Great Toad Immortal, show me your skills!"

"Well, let you mortals see the magical power of this great immortal."

Two clapping sounds came from outside the window, like a secret signal.

Suddenly, in the darkness, there were dots of firefly light.

The light was orange-yellow and extremely subtle, and seemed to carry a warm, peaceful feeling.

At first, there were only five or six points, but soon the beam of light surged out like a tide.

Yue Lingshan stood in front of the round window, looking a little dazed for a moment.

Thousands of fireflies flickered like stars, flying around in the sky.

Like elves holding lanterns, they were a little flustered at first, but soon recovered their usual composure, slowly dispersing and going away. Countless points of fireflies gradually formed a picture, full of dreamy and beautiful colors.

The painting scroll was still expanding and flying towards the entire group of Jade Peaks.

Linghu Chong walked out of the darkness and went to the window. Seeing the smile on his junior sister's face, he felt happy, thinking that his and Liu Hou'er's hard work over the past few nights was worth it.

Yue Lingshan smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother. It must be very hard to catch so many fireflies."

"I wasn't the only one who caught him. Your sixth senior brother was also there."

Linghu Chong turned around to call Lu Dayou, but found that no one was there. He didn't know when Lu Dayou left.

He shook his head and laughed, "These six monkeys came together, but they left without even saying goodbye. They are always in such a hurry."

Yue Lingshan looked at the fireflies flying away, and suddenly felt a little sad: "I know that you have tried every possible way to make me happy these days."

"Junior sister, if you didn't tell me, I wouldn't have asked. After returning to the mountain last year, you were depressed for a long time."

Linghu Chong leaned against the windowsill, and the two of them looked up at the full moon in the sky. A few fireflies gradually merged into the moonlight, only occasionally flashing yellow-green light.

"Six Monkeys said that you were unhappy because your master wanted to choose a husband for you from among the heroes of Guanzhong on your birthday on July 7th, and that you were leaving Huashan."

Linghu Cong smiled and said, "I don't think this is the reason."

The two grew up together and could be described as childhood sweethearts. Naturally, he understood Yue Lingshan better than Liu Hou'er, but he knew that his junior sister could not keep secrets and would always tell everyone everything.

But this time she was feeling bored alone, and since she didn't want to talk about it, he didn't feel comfortable asking directly.

Yue Lingshan held the Jade Water Sword in her hand and shook her head gently: "It doesn't matter if I'm a 15-year-old or my hair is as white as snow, as long as I don't want to, no one can force me."

Linghu was a little surprised to hear this. It was as if his junior sister had grown up all of a sudden, from a crybaby to someone who could speak such firm words. And it seemed as if he had missed something in the process.

"Don't worry, Junior Sister. On the seventh day of the seventh month, when those Guanzhong heroes come up the mountain, I will challenge them and teach them a lesson, so that they will completely put an end to their extravagant thoughts."

Yue Lingshan raised the sword in her hand and said with a smile: "If my parents really want this, there is no need for my elder brother to take action. I can deal with those handsome boys."

"Okay, then it'll depend on Junior Sister's swordsmanship."

Linghu Chong stood for a long time and sat down in front of the window.

Although Huashan is a martial arts sect, its rules are very strict. Even if the two grew up together, talking through the window is already the limit. The senior brother certainly cannot enter the junior sister's room at night.

"Don't worry, Junior Sister. No matter what happens, Senior Brother is here for you."

Seeing that Yue Lingshan was still unwilling to talk, Linghu Chong stopped asking. The two of them looked at the full moon, waiting for the fireflies to gradually disperse.

Time passed very slowly, and the air was filled with the quiet fragrance of a summer night, just like the many nights before in Huashan, making one feel at ease. I really wish it would go on like this forever, with all the grudges and bloody storms in the martial arts world being kept outside the mountain gate.

As Linghu Chong was thinking this, a voice rang out, scaring him so much that his three souls flew out of the sky.

"Chong'er, what are you doing sitting on the ground?"

"Master!"

"What are these five bags used for?"

"Pretend...pretend to be a firefly."

"Sure enough!"

Yue Buqun walked out from the darkness with a stern face.

"There were so many bugs flying everywhere in the Zhengqi Hall that your mistress thought that the Five Poison Sect's people had attacked the mountain! It almost didn't ring the alarm bell. I knew it was you who did it."

Linghu Chong knelt down skillfully and pleaded guilty: "Master, please forgive me. I am willing to accept the punishment."

Yue Buqun glanced at Yue Lingshan who was standing in front of the windowsill. Seeing that the two of them did not overstep the line, the anger in his heart subsided a little.

He said, "Who else is involved? Lingshan? Or Dayou? You three have always been the best of friends."

Linghu Chong quickly said, "They were not involved. I did it all by myself!"

Yue Buqun snorted coldly: "You don't act like a senior brother at all. Go to the prison hall tomorrow and receive twenty sticks."

"Yes, Master."

Linghu Chong felt relieved. He was not afraid of being beaten with a stick, but he was afraid of having to face the wall on the Cliff of Regret. That would be really boring.

"Shan'er, go to bed early. Go and copy the Women's Training three times tomorrow."

When Yue Buqun saw her begging for mercy, his eyes narrowed and he blocked her request.

He walked to Linghu Chong and looked at his most valued disciple: "Come with me."

Yue Lingshan stood in front of the window for a long time, until all the fireflies flew away.

The bright moon in the sky still shines on the Jade Peaks.

She held a small wooden box in her hand, inside which was an exquisitely crafted Vermillion Bird jade hairpin.

"Is this the antidote to the Three Corpse Brain Gods?"

After returning to Huashan, she felt that she was even more poisoned.

It seemed like a dream, I didn’t know where it started or where it would go.

Fortunately, this dream is finally coming to an end.

"Perhaps mother is right. Some things are like fireflies, destined to be short-lived and cannot be forced."

Yue Lingshan opened her big box of clothes and put the wooden box at the bottom. She breathed a sigh of relief, as if something heavy and oppressive had been let go of in her heart.

On this side, Master Yue Buqun and his apprentice walked to a cliff on the Qun Yu Peak.

"Chong'er, you are twenty years old this year."

"Yes, I went to the mountain when I was eight years old. I have been raised and taught by my master and his wife for twelve years now."

Yue Buqun looked at this spirited young disciple, a smile of satisfaction revealed on his elegant face.

Perhaps the dream that I have failed to realize can be handed over to the young man in front of me.

"Chong'er, you are a talented person. You have lived up to the hard work of your master's wife and I."

"At the age of 20, you have cultivated the Qi Hai Jing internal strength. Apart from you, there has only been one disciple of the 'Qing' generation in Huashan over the past hundred years. To be honest, he is my uncle. At that time, Huashan Sect was full of talents, but no one could surpass his brilliance. What a pity..."

"Master, what a pity?"

Linghu Chong was somewhat puzzled. Such a person, who was of the same generation as his master, should not be an unknown person. He had never heard of him before, nor had he seen any written records in the ancestral hall. If his master had not mentioned him tonight, it would be as if this person did not exist in Huashan.

Yue Buqun shook his head and did not continue the topic.

"If you want to be respected by your peers, you must uphold justice and be chivalrous. Since taking over the Huashan Sect, your mistress and I have gone down the mountain every once in a while to hunt down the evildoers in the martial arts world. This is how we gradually revived the reputation of our Huashan Sect."

"It is all thanks to Master and Madam Wu that Huashan Sect has the prestige it has today in the martial arts world." Linghu Chong sincerely respected what his Master and Madam Wu had done.

Yue Buqun smiled and said, "Your master's wife and I will grow old one day. Sooner or later, the burden of Huashan Sect will be shouldered by you. Chong'er, you have made some progress in martial arts now, and it is time for you to go down the mountain and make a name for yourself."

A martial artist who has cultivated the Qi Hai Jing internal energy can be considered a third-rate master in the world, and can also be considered a mainstay in a large sect. Even if he cannot run rampant, at least he has the ability to protect himself.

Linghu Chong was overjoyed. He was not very interested in becoming famous. He just wanted to be free and easy for a while after coming down the mountain without being bound by so many sect rules.

"Master, please tell me which villain you want me to hunt down?"

Yue Buqun said slowly: "The main force of Yunshuitang was destroyed at the foot of Hengshan Mountain. There are still some remnants of them in Guanzhong. Most of them have been wiped out. Only one incense master nicknamed 'Thousand-Faced Fox' is still being hunted down."

"Two days ago, a sect that we are friendly with sent us news that the Thousand-Faced Fox appeared in Xi'an City."

Linghu Chong smiled and said, "Master, rest assured, I will definitely take off the head of that demon fox."

Yue Buqun nodded gently: "That person may not be very good at martial arts, but he is proficient in the art of disguise. His identity has always been a mystery. People in the martial arts world only know that there is this person, but there are many different opinions about whether he is a man or a woman, tall or short, fat or thin. You must be careful. When you arrive in the city, visit local friends first and get information. Don't act rashly or fall into the evil trap of the demon cult and damage the reputation of our Huashan Sect in vain."

Linghu Chong bowed and said, "Master, I will keep your teachings in mind."

He also remembered that next month was his junior sister's birthday. He didn't know if he could successfully take the head of the Thousand-Faced Fox by then. What would he do if he missed July 7 and couldn't return to the mountain?

"Master, on the seventh day of the seventh month, I heard that..."

"I was just going to tell you about that."

Yue Buqun looked at Linghu Chong and nodded with satisfaction.

"On July 7, all the heroes in Guanzhong will gather at Huashan."

"Nominally, it's to celebrate Lingshan's birthday... but in fact, this is a great opportunity for our Huashan Sect."

"Now that the power of Yunshuitang has vanished, my sect has made the greatest contribution and should be the leader, becoming the true leader of Guanzhong Wulin. This gathering is a great opportunity to enhance our prestige. So Chong'er, you must bring back the head of the Thousand-Faced Fox before July 7th."

Linghu Chong saluted and said, "Master, rest assured. I will definitely fulfill my mission. Those twenty sticks..."

"Remember this first!"

After Linghu Chong left, Yue Buqun stood alone on the cliff, watching the bright moon slowly rising to the zenith. He couldn't help but feel a bit of heroism in his heart, and he talked to himself.

"Amid the blue sea and the sky, it is hard to predict who is the firefly and who is the bright moon."

(End of this chapter)