Chapter 48

Lingxu Mountain was vast, renowned for its sea of clouds and cascading waterfalls.
Many scholars and poets loved to visit in groups, leaving behind timeless verses for future generations to admire.
Jiandi Yue had long withdrawn from the martial world, and aside from close friends, no one knew he had secluded himself here.
Yun Pianpian and Xiao Changyuan walked deeper into the bamboo forest, with Buling Buling following behind.
The mountain path was rugged, strewn with loose stones that crunched underfoot. Yun Pianpian wanted to carry Buling Buling, but Xiao Changyuan’s possessiveness was extreme, he never allowed her to hold the dog. She could only hold him. Resigned, she gave up the idea.
Holding Xiao Changyuan’s hand, she let him dictate her freedom.
Xiao Changyuan heard the roar of the waterfall.
Following the sound, they traversed the dense bamboo grove and found the legendary Sea of Clouds Waterfall.
The waterfall cascaded from the summit of Lingxu Mountain, a hundred zhang high, its waters plunging through the clouds like the Milky Way descending from the heavens. It crashed into the lake below, sending up a mist of shimmering white spray that surged upward like rolling clouds, spreading outward in all directions.
From a distance, it looked as if the celestial sea had poured down, transforming into a silver river connecting the heavens and the mortal realm.
Yun Pianpian’s clear, bright eyes widened slightly, filled with awe.
“It’s absolutely breathtaking!”
Xiao Changyuan lifted his gaze to glance at the waterfall.
Just a stupid waterfall.
Boring.
So he turned back to continue staring at Yun Pianpian.
At the foot of the waterfall, a group of scholars and poets were composing verses and painting, drawing applause from onlookers.
Not far away, a small wine stall stood. Yun Pianpian bought two jars of plum wine, and she and Xiao Changyuan sat on the ground. She took out some pastries from her bag, enjoying the waterfall while sipping wine and nibbling on the treats. She even poured some wine onto a leaf for Buling Buling to drink.
Her little dog would eat anything, would it drink alcohol?
Buling Buling lowered its head to lap at the wine on the leaf, its eyes squinting from the strong aroma, but it seemed to enjoy it, wagging its fluffy tail as it eagerly licked the leaf clean.
Once finished, it lifted its head, gazing pleadingly at Yun Pianpian.
She shook her head. “No more. You’ll get drunk.”
Buling Buling let out a mournful whine.
It turned its head pitifully toward Xiao Changyuan.
Xiao Changyuan glanced down at it disdainfully.
“Looking at me won’t help.”
Utterly heartbroken, Buling Buling felt its dog life had lost all meaning. It stiffened its legs, drooped its tail, and flopped onto the ground, playing dead.
“This little dog is quite amusing.”
A pleasant male voice suddenly sounded behind them.
Yun Pianpian turned to see a young man dressed like a foppish noble, clad in fine silks and a jade crown, around seventeen or eighteen years old, exuding an air of effortless charm.
The fop smiled at Yun Pianpian, a fan tucked at his waist, and clasped his hands in greeting. “I am Wang Ce. Today, I’ve come with friends to enjoy the scenery. Seeing the distinguished air of you two, I wished to make your acquaintance. We’re playing a drinking game, would you care to join us?”
Xiao Changyuan replied expressionlessly, “No.”
Wang Ce hadn’t expected such a blunt refusal. Glancing at Yun Pianpian, who was watching him curiously, his face darkened with humiliation. Sarcasm laced his voice as he said, “Could it be the young master is afraid of losing and dares not play?”
Wang Ce was the son of the local prefect, raised like a prince and accustomed to deference. He fancied himself a refined gentleman, often gathering scholars and martial artists for outings. Today, in high spirits, his eyes had fallen upon Yun Pianpian.
Though he had encountered countless women, he had never seen one as delicate, lovely, and exquisitely pure as her.
Her soft beauty was neither overly seductive nor too plain, perfectly natural, radiating the most enchanting allure a woman could possess.
At that moment, she had been feeding wine to the little dog, a faint smile on her lips, the sunlight caught her hair, making her glow like a celestial maiden descended to earth.
Compared to her, the concubines by his side instantly seemed like cheap imitations.
He wanted her.
There was nothing in this world he couldn’t obtain, yet this man had the audacity to humiliate him.
Wang Ce’s voice turned icy. “For a man to fear defeat so much, I suppose you-“
Before he could finish, a leaf shot past like a dart, grazing his cheek with lightning speed, the gust of wind from the leaf brushed past his hair.
Wang Ce’s pupils contracted violently, freezing in place.
A thin line of blood appeared on his cheek and warm blood trickled down.
Wang Ce stared blankly as he raised his hand to touch the warmth on his face, his expression one of disbelief.
“You dare strike me? Do you know who my father is?”
Xiao Changyuan remained seated, coldly lifting his eyelids. His gaze was icy, his expression indifferent, looking down on Wang Ce with the contempt one might show a pitiful ant.
“I don't care who you are. Get lost.”
Wang Ce’s face turned pale with rage, his entire body trembling. Having been coddled and admired since childhood, he had never suffered such a profound humiliation. “Just you wait,” he spat out hatefully.
Before long, Wang Ce returned with his friends.
The group surrounded Xiao Changyuan and Yun Pianpian, clearly intending to settle the score.
Wang Ce pointed at Xiao Changyuan. “It was him. He slashed my face.”
Among Wang Ce’s friends was a martial artist holding a sword.
The martial artist stepped forward and said, “Brother, if you apologize now, we can let bygones be bygones.”
Buling Buling, who had been feigning death, stirred at the commotion. It scrambled up from the ground and positioned itself in front of Yun Pianpian, glaring fiercely with its dog eyes and barking at them.
“Woof! Woof!”
The martial artist was armed with a sword, and Yun Pianpian feared they might harm Buling Buling. She reached out, grabbed its tail, and pulled it toward her, cradling it in her arms. Buling Buling was rarely held by Yun Pianpian, and whenever it was, it would become unusually docile.
It retracted its claws and nestled obediently in Yun Pianpian’s embrace, savoring the warmth and softness of its owner’s arms.
Xiao Changyuan turned his handsome face slightly, his expression suddenly turning cold. His dark, piercing eyes glared ominously at Buling Buling.
“Buling, get down.”
His voice was icy and sinister, as chilling as a blizzard in the dead of winter.
“Don’t make me angry.”
Buling Buling, perhaps drunk, was not as obedient as usual and stubbornly remained in Yun Pianpian’s arms, refusing to get down.
Xiao Changyuan’s face darkened as if it could drip blood.
The martial artist, seeing that Xiao Changyuan had completely ignored him, treating him as if he were air, grew furious. He raised his sword and charged at Xiao Changyuan, his sword intent filled with a murderous aura, as formidable as an army of thousands.
But Xiao Changyuan didn’t even glance at the martial artist. He casually raised his hand and delivered a palm strike.
The martial artist was sent flying through the air by the fierce palm force, landing three zhang away, vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground, unable to get up.
The rest of the ragtag group exchanged glances. Relying on their numbers and unwilling to back down, they swarmed forward together.
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly, annoyed, and swept his palm outward.
One by one, they fell to the ground, coughing up blood, their faces contorted in pain.
Xiao Changyuan shifted his posture slightly, slowly straightening up.
The group turned pale with terror, their expressions filled with fear, terrified that Xiao Changyuan would end their lives.
They thought they wouldn’t survive the day.
But Xiao Changyuan paid them no attention.
He reached out, grabbed Buling Buling by the tail, and yanked it out of Yun Pianpian’s arms, hurling it far away. Buling Buling flew seven zhang before landing, rolling twice on the ground. Unhurt, it nimbly stood up.
Its movements were fluid, as if it were used to being thrown like this.
Xiao Changyuan’s face remained cold as he picked up a fallen leaf beside him, infused it with inner strength, and shot it toward Buling Buling.
Yun Pianpian cried out in panic, “Buling Buling, run!”
Buling Buling sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Xiao Changyuan's movements grew faster and faster, his strikes more forceful. Buling Buling retreated further and further, until it had no choice but to hide in the lake at the foot of the waterfall. Xiao Changyuan raised his palm and swung it fiercely, sending a sharp gust of wind slicing toward the dog.
In the distance, a towering water column, ten zhang high, erupted from the lake.
Water splashed everywhere, and a white mist enveloped the surface.
The vast, surging mist rushed outward in all directions.
The martial artist stared at Xiao Changyuan in disbelief.
Such profound inner strength! Such a fierce palm strike! It had already reached the pinnacle of mastery!
Everyone assumed the little dog had likely met its demise.
Yet, as the mist dispersed and the haze cleared, the small, frail figure of the dog was revealed.
The dog shook its wet head, quickly shaking off the water droplets all over its body, and then lifted its paw, staggering unsteadily toward them.
Everyone was utterly shocked: What kind of dog is this?! It could actually evade such a terrifying attack!
Yun Pianpian clung to Xiao Changyuan's arm, her almond, shaped eyes filled with unease.
“Husband, let it go. Buling Buling already knows it was wrong.”
Hearing Yun Pianpian's words, the anger in Xiao Changyuan's heart gradually subsided.
He withdrew his hand and looked toward the group of people lying on the ground, spitting blood.
Xiao Changyuan slightly furrowed his brow, his voice icy cold.
“Why haven't you all left yet?”
The group had long been drenched in cold sweat from fear. Upon hearing his words, they scrambled away in a panic.
Wang Ce, his face ashen, was helped away by his friends. After leaving Yunhai Waterfall, Wang Ce headed straight for the nearby county office to request soldiers to capture Xiao Changyuan. He refused to believe that so many soldiers couldn't apprehend one man. However, when Wang Ce returned to Yunhai Waterfall with the county troops, Xiao Changyuan had long since vanished without a trace.
Wang Ce gritted his teeth in hatred.
If he didn't avenge this, he wouldn't be called Wang Ce.
Meanwhile, after Xiao Changyuan drove those people away, Yun Pianpian's mood for appreciating the scenery had been ruined by these uninvited guests. She led Xiao Changyuan away from Yunhai Waterfall and headed deeper into Lingxu Mountain.
Buling Buling, having made a mistake, could only follow them from afar, looking pitiful.
The original text only mentioned that the reclusive master lived at the foot of Lingxu Mountain but didn't specify his exact location. Yun Pianpian only remembered that there was a bamboo grove and a lake nearby, where the reclusive master had saved the severely injured Chu Yi.
Yun Pianpian and Xiao Changyuan followed the river deeper into the mountains. They walked until the sun set but still hadn't found any sign of a secluded residence.
That night, they stayed in the mountains. Xiao Changyuan found a cave, and Yun Pianpian gathered plenty of dry firewood to build a campfire inside. Suddenly, Yun Pianpian realized that since Jiandi Yue lived in seclusion here, there must be firelight visible at night. She turned to Xiao Changyuan and said, “Husband, why don’t we climb to the peak of Lingxu Mountain? If we look for firelight, we might find Elder Jiandi Yue.”
Xiao Changyuan nodded. “Alright.”
He wrapped his arm around Yun Pianpian’s slender waist, left Buling Buling in the cave, and with a surge of energy, used his inner strength to carry her to the summit of Lingxu Mountain.
Scanning the surroundings, they soon spotted a faint flicker of firelight somewhere in the mountains.
“Wife, I found it.”