Title: Xiaoyao Sect- Xiaoyao (Freedom) and Kindness
After Zong Lin left the Sect, Tantai Jin never saw him again.
Nie Shui’s death was like the snow in the mortal world’s winter, after the snow melted at the beginning of spring, no one mentions it.
Zhaoyou called Tantai Jin over and said, “Go to the Punishment Cliff to be punished.”
Tantai Jin asked, “Master, why are you punishing me?”
“What did you do in the mortal realm a few days ago?”
Tantai Jin replied calmly, “Buying clothes, I had registered with Senior Brother Zhihui.”
Zhaoyou shook his head, and hit him on the back with his horsetail whisk, “The sect has its own sect rules. Karma and retribution are important to Xiaoyao Sect. Nie Shui and the demon had an affair so her immortal essence had to be pulled out and she had to climb the Spirit Slaying Ladder. Zang Lin suffered her karma for her. Zang Lin sacrificed everything so she could live but what did you do?”
Tantai Jin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingers, curved his lips coldly, and remained silent.
Zhaoyou could see that the young man did not see the wrong in what he had done.
“Go to the Punishment Cliff.”
Tantai Jin spent three months at the Punishment Cliff, during that time his three senior brothers took turns to visit him.
Zang Hai said, “Little Junior Brother, what did you do to make Master angry? I have followed Master for eight hundred years and have never seen him this angry.”
“Nothing.’
“The Punishment Cliff is cold, I will bring you a protective robe tomorrow.”
“Thank you, senior brother.”
He wasn’t willing to say, so Zang Hai couldn’t press him for more answers.
The Punishment Cliff’s cold continuously attacked the body, even as an immortal, it was uncomfortable to stay there for long.
Zhaoyou came and asked him, “Do you know your mistake now?”
Tantai Jin opened his eyes, his lips were black and blue from the cold. He nodded and said in a low voice, “This disciple knows his mistake.”
Zhaoyou looked into the young man’s dark eyes and sighed, “If you know your mistake, then go back.”
Tantai Jin stood up, a sneer flashed across his face.
The second year Tantai Jin was at Xiaoyao Sect, his whole body was covered with vicious thorns. (Figuratively)
All the senior brothers from the Zang generation were very kind to him (each “group” of disciples all have the same first letter, so that’s why you have Zang Lin, Zang Hai etc.) After a long while, Tantai Jin was used to putting on a gentle and shy facade in Xiaoyao Sect.
The people of Xiaoyao Sect are all very simple or in other words, dumb, but such personality meant the senior brothers and sisters were willing to bend backward for him.
Among the disciples, there was an outstanding student named Shao Ji.
- Coming from an influential background, Shao Ji thought he was better than anyone else, was the first to get anything good from the Sect, and avoided any of the work the disciples were supposed to do.
- Shao Ji became nervous that Tantai Jin would steal his “rightful” spot as the future Sect leader so he pretended to be friendly and gave Tantai Jin a herb that our hero had been searching for.
Tantai Jin raised an eyebrow and was quite surprised.
He took the herb, wondering in his heart what this person is up to, “Thank you, senior brother.”
There is a faint fragrance on the herb that can’t be smelled if one doesn’t sniff it carefully. Tantai Jin tightened his hand, and the smile on his face grew wider.
“If senior brother doesn’t have anything else, then Jiumin will go back now.”
“Go ahead.”
Once Tantai Jin had left, Shao Jin spat and said with a sneer, “You dare to compete with me?”
Tantai Jin touched the colorless powder on the herb and smiled, “Ah, energy disbursement powder.”
Who knew where Shao Jin obtained such powder and how many people he has used it on?
The energy disbursement powder would melt into a person’s bones silently, causing the person’s cultivation progression to stall, without any way of knowing the reason.
Perhaps…Zang Hai and the others weren’t this useless at first?
At the end of spring, something happened in Xiaoyao Sect again.
Shao Ji, the disciple with the highest cultivation level in the sect, had all his four limbs broken, his eyes gouged out, his tongue cut off, and was thrown under the gate of Xiaoyao Sect. (Not to justify what happened to Shao Ji, but I do want to make it clear what he did with the powder was pretty cruel as well. I use the word immortals to describe these cultivators but most of them are not born immortals so cultivation would only extend their life to a certain point. By poisoning people’s body so they can’t progress in their cultivation, Shao Ji was essentially killing people (slowly) and destroying their hard earned dream at the same time especially since very very few mortals would have what it takes to become cultivators.)
Shao Ji’s condition was shocking, even the law enforcement elder couldn’t help but turned his head away, his brows tightly knitted in a frown.
Who would be so cruel?
The matter was very serious, Xiaoyao Sect immediately tried to find the perpetrator but could find nothing.
There was a trace of demonic energy hidden in Shao Ji’s body. Several of the elders looked at each other and could only conclude that it was the result of a sneak attack by a demon cultivator.
Zang Hai and the others followed behind Zhaoyou and said to one another, “Senior brother Shao was injured too severely, can he continue to cultivate in the future?”
“It’s such a pity, his cultivation was so high but it is all gone now.”
“Master Zhaoqing looked so sad.”
Zhaoyou stopped and suddenly said, “Jiu Min, come with me.”
Tantai Jin stepped forward and raised his hand in salute, “Master.”
Shaoyou closed his eyes and said, “Go to the Cliff of Punishment to be punished.”
Tantai Jin gave him a cold look, “This disciple will do so.”
The others were all stunned and immediately started the plead on Tantai Jin’s behalf, “Master, what did Little Junior Brother do? He not in good health, he can’t keep being sent to the Cliff of Punishment, how about if I go instead?”
“Master, I can go for Little Junior Brother as well.”
“No need, I will go myself.” Tantai Jin went to the Cliff of Punishment.
At that time, he didn’t know Zhaoyou’s well intentions, he just thought the old man was unreasonable. By mid-summer, the usually good-tempered Zhaoyou still didn’t let him out.
Tantai Jin walked out of the Cliff of Punishment and when he reached the old man’s door, Zhaoyou was not there. He sensed a strange aura, hesitated for a moment, and entered Zhaoyou’s secret cultivation room.
Tantai Jin thought at first that be it immortals or demons, there were bound to be some unsavory secrets that needed to be hidden.
Until he saw the forbidden spell in Zhaoyou’s secret room.
Back when Tantai Jin was unruly during his first year, he had secretly entered this place.
It was a formation spell to transfer karma.
There were two person’s birth dates written on yellow talisman paper.
Realizing something, Tantai Jin picked up the two talismans.
On one, “Nei Shui” was written on it. On the other, with the still bright red ink, was written “Shao Ji.”
That day, he was silent for a long time. He returned to the Cliff of Punishment and let the waterfall fall on his body.
He remembered once the old man had stroked his white beard and asked him, “Do you know, out of my five disciples, which one I am most worried about?”
Tantai Jin didn’t know and Zhaoyao didn’t say anymore.
He had once thought Zang Lin had fallen into the mortal world, but it wasn’t until that day, Tantai Jin realized, from the beginning to the end, it was always him. (Fallen into the mortal world- another way to describe when immortals become carnal or fallen)
Zhaoyou was not opposed to him seeking revenge against Nie Shui and Shao Ji but he regretted his cruelty and felt helpless that his little disciple had caused karma.
Zhaoyou had picked up the world’s worst young man.
The youth was born evil, without sympathy, ruthless, and never knowing how to repent.
Zhaoyou tirelessly took him to experience the world’s feelings, patiently taught him good and evil, read the children’s enlightenment with this “bad child”, and when the youth still has not lost his cruel heart, Zhaoyou took all the effect of his karma from his killings.
Many years later, Tantai Jin plunged the God Killer Sword into the old man’s heart.
Zhaoyou closed his eyes, his immortal soul slowly dissipating.
The white-robed young man was covered with blood, leaned against the tree, he picked up the old man, his hand brushing over Zhaoyou’s still open eyes. A drop of tear suddenly fell on Zhaoyou’s face.
“Master.”
The fire flared up and burned the old man’s corpse.
Tantai Ji looked up and saw countless faces that were staring at him with hatred, but no one saw the tear in his eyes that had evaporated.
Title: Xiaoyao Sect- Sword Against Sword
That year, before going on a crusade against Tantai Jin, the entire sect stood before the mountain gate.
Zang Hai tried his best to not let his voice choke up.
“The demon is evil, the thief of the six realms, everyone is bound by duty to kill him. He betrayed his master, betrayed his sect. Today, Zang Hai vows to either kill Cang Jiumin or Zang Hai will die.”
Before he even finished, tears filled Zang Shu’s eyes.
Zang Feng said, “Are we really going to kill Little Junior Brother?”
Someone shoved him, “Zang Feng, wake up! Is he still your little junior brother? He has never been some Cang Jiumin. He is a demon! The Demon God of the demon realm.”
“Did you all forget how your master died?”
Zang Feng opened his mouth, but he couldn’t get any words to come out.
There were many many things he wanted to say but when he turned his head he saw Zang Hai had pulled out his sword, the hand holding the sword was trembling.
Don’t they know was their Little Senior Brother? They watched as Master brought him back.
Zang Feng remembered that it was autumn in the mortal world. The young man was covered with blood. They watched him as he slowly recovered, carefully preparing clothes for him, and brewing medicine for him.
They taught him spells, practiced with him in front of the mountain gate at sunrise, and took him drinking in the mortal world.
They watched as Tantai Jin went from cold and distant to smilingly calling them senior brothers.
Zang Hai turned his head, to look at the dilapidated mortal world behind them, his lips trembling slightly.
These years, Zang Lin is gone, and Master is also dead. And now, either Little Junior Brother dies, or they die.
The setting sun was like blood when Tantai Jin’s Heaven-slaying sword pierced through their chests-
Zang Hai’s pupils slowly dilated. The Demon God in front seemed to regress back to the youth in black clothes who was sitting on the ridge of Xiaoyao Sect and blowing a tree leaf. (Rolling up a tree leaf and blowing it like a musical instrument.)
At that time, the sun was good and the wind was free.
Even though Zang Hai knew the whole time, the young man’s melody maliciously startled a nest of rabbits and sent them fleeing.
But all of them brothers were together, not missing a single one, how lovely that year was.
Zang Hai smiled and closed his eyes.
Not sure why, but I totally cried through that translation.
Title: Xiaoyao Sect- At Last
Zang Hai, Zang Shu and Zang Feng, none of them thought that they would still wake up one day.
It was only a long time later that they found out the truth about what happened back then.
It turned out that Zhaoyou had broken into the nine formations and was so badly hurt that his soul was almost dissipated after he forcefully retrieved the divine pearl. Wanting to create more puppets, Siying wanted to turn Zhaoyou into a zombie after he died so he could be controlled by her.
Zhaoyou had lived his whole life righteously. To him, to have his body turned into a demon after his death, to kill innocent mortals and his own disciples, that is a fate worse than his soul being destroyed. That was why he had his young disciple Tantai Jin kill him and burn his body.
He left this world clean and untainted.
The white clouds dotted the sky of Xiaoyao Sect and welcomed another new batch of disciples this year.
The herbs under the mountain gate were lush and green, a disciple came rushing in “Sect leader! Sect leader! Someone is looking…for you…”
Zang Hai fumbled around to hide his wine-gourd bottle, wiped away the tears in the corner of his eyes, and chided, “It’s not becoming to rush around in a panic.”
The disciple grinned, “Master, you are secretly drinking again. If Master Zang Shu knows…ha ha…”
“W-when did I, brat, if you dare to talk nonsense, see if I don’t deal with you.”
Zang Feng walked in, and shook his head, “Senior Brother, how is it you still have not changed after you have been the Sect Leader for so many years.”
Zang Hai ignored him and asked his little disciple, “You said someone is looking for me, who is it?”
“Sect Leader, come with me.”
Xiaoyao Sect’s path is dotted with trees full of fruits, looking peaceful, with fish patterns engraved on the stone tablet by the mountain gate.
Zang Hai in a green robe followed his disciple to the mountain gate and saw him immediately.
The disciple said, “There, it’s them.”
In front of green mountains and waters, a woman in white clothes stood next to a man in black and there was also a short little cuteness that was curiously examining everything around her.
Tantai Jin looked up, his brows and eyes were just like the youth back then. He clasped his hands together and bowed, “Cang Jiumin, greets Senior Brother.”
Zang Hai’s eyes were suddenly wet.
The mountains are high and the water is long, the seclusion of a thousand years, all is well as long as Little Junior Brother is back.
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
So sad 😭😭😭😭 and so much happiness too.
Poor Master Zhaoyou, He has such a problem child!
Also, I love “short little cuteness”, The wording of this is absolutely perfect !
Thank you again for translating
This is so touching. Thank you Ninja
I don’t know why, it took me a long time to walk out of Phoenixes, and now I suspect it’s going to take me an even longer time to walk out of TTEOTM. Anyone feeling the same?