Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 576: A Big Show (part 2)

Xu Qing looked down, his face completely expressionless. “Stop fooling around, Eldest Brother.”

“I’m not fooling around,” the Captain’s half-head said urgently. “You have to run! This is no joke. Master Darkfate is on the way. He planned this whole thing to target me!”

Xu Qing looked at Nethersprite and sighed. “You should have shaved your legs. That’s the same mistake you made with that Seazombie princess. It’s... a big hole in your story.”

Nethersprite stopped walking and looked down at the shapely legs beneath her garment. Sure enough, they were as hairy as if she were wearing fur leggings. Even with the clothes atop them, it was very obvious.

Nethersprite cleared ‘her’ throat, then looked venomously at Xu Qing. That look was enough to cause Xu Qing to take a few steps back. Meanwhile, Ling’er poked her head out of his sleeve and looked in amazement at Nethersprite.

“Hahaha! I was just joking around!” It was the Captain’s voice that came out of Nethersprite’s mouth. Meanwhile, the half-head at Xu Qing’s feet melted, turning into a handful of blue bugs that jumped back into the water and returned to the Captain.

“How’s Nethersprite?” Xu Qing said calmly.

“Her?” the Captain said, plopping down and starting to shave his legs. “Oh, she’s fine. After I explained the whole situation to her, she had very mixed feelings. And then we engaged in some very friendly discussion and negotiation.”

The image of the Captain casually shaving his legs while speaking so complacently was very jarring.

“Long story short, I resolved any potential misunderstandings. She was very grateful to know the truth, and agreed to cooperate. In fact, she took the initiative to seal herself. See? I always said I’m a very reasonable person.”

The Captain finished with one leg and moved on to the next, allowing the hair he shaved off to dissipate in the wind.

Xu Qing said nothing. He just rolled his eyes and sat down cross-legged.

In response to Xu Qing ignoring him, the Captain chuckled, produced an apple, and took a bite. Then he took out a second apple and tossed it to Xu Qing. Xu Qing caught it, looked closely at the apple, then shifted his gaze to the Captain.

The Captain smiled.

Xu Qing closed his eyes and focused on keeping the concealment magics working.

Days passed, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. When the handmaidens regained consciousness, they were confused and suspicious. But seeing that Nethersprite seemed fine, they didn’t dare to ask any questions.

The Captain’s disguise was perfect. Apparently, he really did manage to get a lot of details out of Nethersprite, because whenever he talked, there was no hint that he was an imposter.

Eventually, even Xu Qing wasn’t sure how to tell if he was really dealing with the Captain.

And thus, the month passed. Soon, it was time for Nethersprite to complete her session of baptism. Brightly colored fabric and dazzling lights appeared in the sky as the bridal procession arrived to receive her. Yet again, the sedan chair was made from a huge skull. Thirty-two Lionfolk cultivators in red robes carried the sedan, and there were countless servants in the procession, playing rousing music. The group of hundreds of people came to a stop outside the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect. They were there to pick up Nethersprite and escort her to the Darkfate Sect. The wedding day had arrived! [1]

Mistress Rosyclouds hadn’t made any appearances for a while, but she waited outside the spirit spring with a smile when Nethersprite emerged.

After the month-long baptism, Nethersprite’s skin looked healthier than before. She had also changed into a new outfit that made her look even more alluring than usual. She wore a long red gown and had her hair bound in a phoenix crown, which somehow made her seem unusually flirtatious. In fact, she drew the attention of countless eyes in the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect.

After bidding farewell to Mistress Rosyclouds, she let the handmaidens and guards cluster around her as she left the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect and stepped into the skull sedan. The burly sedan-bearers let loose loud growls as they hoisted up the sedan and strode up into the air. Music surrounded the procession, and flower petals rained down. As they disappeared over the horizon, countless cultivators in the Unfinished Mountains looked up in surprise.

All of the major sects in the Unfinished Mountains had been given invitations to come to the Darkfate Sect to bear witness to the ceremony.

***

Neither the departing bridal procession nor the disciples in the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect noticed that a very meaningful chuckle echoed out from the twin peaks on the mountain.

Specifically, that chuckle came from a cave temple near the twin peaks.

The temple was large enough that it essentially occupied the entire interior of the mountain. Inside was an old man with disheveled hair and a five-colored robe, hovering in a cross-legged position near the entrance. He was so emaciated he almost looked skeletal. However, he did not emanate any aura of death, but instead, a profound life force. He was also surrounded by Void Returning fluctuations, although it wasn’t possible to glean any details of his cultivation beyond that.

Directly beneath him was something profoundly shocking and simultaneously horrid. It was a three-dimensional map. Most people wouldn’t know what it depicted, but any locals who saw it would know it instantly. It depicted the Unfinished Mountains. Other than the difference in size, it was exactly the same as the real mountains. Every single plant, tree, ridge, and rock was extremely realistic. There were birds flying in the sky, cities at the bases of the mountains, and sects here and there. Even the living beings who occupied the Unfinished Mountains were in the projection.

It contained all living things in the area! That included both mortals and cultivators. Everything was in motion, making it seem like this protection was a real-time depiction of the Unfinished Mountains.

Xu Qing and the others were present, and the bridal procession leaving the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect was plainly visible.

Even more spectacular was that every living being in the projection had something like a thread attached to it. They were like threads of fate or destiny that swirled within the cave temple. The countless threads were gruish enough. But what was even more gruish was the old man in the five-colored robe, who had thrown out his arms and was gesticulating wildly. His movements caused the threads from the countless living beings to sway back and forth and occasionally touch each other.

Because of that, situations where predestined affinities shouldn’t exist... were created. Emotions that shouldn’t have been displayed... were displayed. Interconnected relationships which should not have been... inexplicably formed. The fates of countless living beings, and their path in life, were being changed. And it was all happening in accordance with the thoughts of that old man. It was as if everything happening in the Unfinished Mountains were part of a big show.

And this old man was in charge of that show. Everything that happened in that show was because of him. Although they retained their memories and personalities, everything they did was according to the old man’s script.

Sparks of life were generated in that way, like the light of fireworks, and they transformed into dancing butterflies which flew this way and that. Some flew within the cave temple in that mountain, others flew out of the mountain and into the outside world. The dancing butterflies emanated strange powers wherever they went, and the powder that drifted off of them as they flew spread to fill the mountains.

Occasionally, outsiders would appear. However, once they stepped into the Unfinished Mountains, they would appear in the projection, and threads would form, connecting them to the old man’s show. Their fates would then be transformed, and they would be given a new mission.

Sometimes the old man would stand up and move around bizarrely. When he flailed his arms and limbs, the threads connecting to the people in the projection would vibrate. As his facial expression flitted between various emotions, the people in the projection would become embroiled in various instances of love, hatred, passion, and revenge. He had created this show, and yet he was also part of it, as he had inserted himself into it, and used his own life force to carry out a performative dance. On the one hand, it was incredibly gruish, but at the same time, imparted a sense of holy piety.

That was because this was the sacrificial dance of the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect! The sacrificial dance wasn’t for the benefit of the members of the church. It was a dance of offering to a god, and was for the benefit of a god. Many regions that had gods in them had similar arrangements. One reason was that many gods had the custom of sleeping. Crimson Mother was no exception. That said, while shē would normally be able to awaken at any time, right now, shē was in a state in which awakening couldn’t be accomplished quickly.

Regardless, when gods slept, it resulted in the power of dreams seeping out. The dreams of gods were the real reason why sacrificial dances had become common. The dancers could use the god’s dream to influence an entire region.

Everything within that region would be affected. Fate. Life. People’s minds could be made blank and then their thoughts could be rewoven by means of the sacrificial dance. And then it would turn into a dazzling, five-colored dream reality. The god in question wouldn’t be able to sense that dream when sleeping, only upon awakening. If the god was happy, īt would give out blessings.

That was one reason why there were so many subsidiary branches of the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect. Every single branch had one of their sacrificial dancers. The blessings they could bring varied based on their cultivation bases, as did the range of their power. As for the dream playing out in the Unfinished Mountains, the creator, that old man, was convinced that the god would definitely like this particular sacrificial dance.

Then the old man spoke, all while hovering in the air cross-legged, his eyes gleaming profoundly.

“Those outsiders make this dream... a lot more interesting!”

***

Strangely, the exact same words were coming out of the Captain’s mouth in the sedan chair. He also had a very profound look in his eyes. Stretching, he looked around until his gaze came to rest on one particular guard. That guard was none other than Xu Qing in disguise.

Xu Qing’s mind was in a fair amount of chaos, as he was still convinced that something unusual was going on. Everything was playing out too smoothly.

For example, he had just looked up into the sky and noticed a bird. The bird had been flying, but then it stopped in place for several breaths of time. It just remained in place, unmoving. Xu Qing was suddenly overwhelmed with a sensation of vertigo, and his vision swam. When everything returned to normal, the bird was flying along as if it had never stopped.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, reached out, and made a grasping gesture. His goal was to see if the bird was real or not. The bird shivered, then started tumbling through the air toward him.

As soon as the bird landed in his hand, his vision swam even more dramatically, and he felt extremely dizzy. This time, the sensation was even more intense and shocking than before. Everyone in the bridal procession stopped in place, and then all of them turned to look mutely at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing shivered. Considering how he was gripping the bird, it seemed real. He could even feel its heart beat and body warmth. As everyone turned to look at him, his scalp went numb. He stood in place quietly for two breaths of time, then opened his hand and let the bird fly up into the air. It flew right back to where it had originally been flying, and started moving along the same path. It was almost as if its fate had already been determined.

Everyone in the bridal possession looked away. It was almost as if nothing had just happened. Expressions the same as before, they continued joyfully on their way. The music continued. Flower petals drifted through the air.

Fear lingered in Xu Qing’s heart as he turned to look at the Captain. The Captain looked back with a profound gleam in his eyes.

That look caused Xu Qing to think back to what the Captain had told him multiple times already.

“Just trust me, little Ah Qing.”

1. Traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies are different from the typical Western version. There are many variations regionally and historically, but the general idea is that the bride travels in some sort of procession to the groom’s house. Upon arrival there are usually some formalities such as serving tea, bowing, etc. Of course, there are also things like wedding receptions/banquets. ☜