Jade Magnolia Fifty

Qingyin sat in utter dejection, hugging the great head of the xie cat, lost in thought for half an hour. Suddenly, she sprang to her feet and seized Yunye: “Yunye, you must know where Lord She San resides. Quickly, take me to him.”

Yunye had been frightened by her increasingly manic behavior over the past few days, and stammered, “Sister, why do you want to find Lord San?”

Her eyes shone brightly. “Just now, I must have used the wrong method to ignite the Blood Feather. Take me to Lord She San. Let him teach me the proper way.”

Without waiting for Yunye’s reply, she dragged him toward the cave’s exit. As they entered the vast main chamber, a cacophony of wailing and shouting filled the air. The lord of the mountain stood atop his throne, frantically waving his arms to bring order: “Everyone, don’t panic, don’t panic—”

But the rat spirits were in utter disarray, crying out, “Father, we must escape through the back door!”

“That one is terrifying—wherever he strikes, fire breaks out everywhere!”

“We’re no match, let’s run while we still can…”

Qingyin noticed many of the rat spirits had their fur singed. What has happened? She raised her voice to ask, “Mountain Lord, what’s going on?”

The mountain lord, hearing her, looked over and, as if grasping at hope, rushed to her in tears: “Immortal Yin, please save my family of over a thousand! Two beings have appeared outside the cave—one of them is formidable, with extraordinary power. We don’t know how we provoked him, but as soon as he arrived, he began to attack and burn everything in sight. It seems he’ll destroy us all!”

Qingyin was astonished. “How has such calamity befallen you…”

Before she could finish, a deafening boom shook the chamber as the massive stone blocking the cave mouth was shattered to dust. Sand and dust swirled violently. The rat spirits panicked, fleeing deeper into the tunnels. A handful of bold ones rushed forward, weapons in hand, but were instantly struck down, sent flying against the walls, left half-dead.

Qingyin was alarmed. Her first thought was for Motu, unconscious in the inner cave. She was about to retreat and guard him when, from within the storm of dust and sand, a furious voice rang out: “Damn it! Who in the world summoned me? You call me here and don’t show yourself—are you trying to torment me to death?”

Wait—this voice, tinged with irritation and sharpness, sounded oddly familiar. Peering through narrowing eyes as the dust settled, she saw a figure emerge.

Dressed in flaming red, with hair like a waterfall of fire, the form was seductive and strikingly beautiful.

It was none other than Nine Feathers, the Blood Dove. She really had summoned him.

At that moment, Nine Feathers spotted her. Clenching his silver teeth, he strode over and roared, “Touch me! Touch me! Touch me!”

She stared, bewildered. “What? …Touch what?”

He could bear it no longer. Grabbing her hand, he thrust it into the deep neckline of his robe, pressing her palm firmly against his heart. Only then did his tense expression relax; he exhaled, his body suddenly limp as jade about to topple, leaning entirely against her.

Her palm met the smooth skin of his chest, and with his weight pressing against her, her own heart pounded wildly. She didn’t know whether to pull her hand away or push him off first. “What are you doing?” she stammered in panic.

He pressed her hand tightly to his chest and whimpered softly, “Don’t take it away… My heart aches… Let me rest a moment…”

She hesitated, but could only stand rigidly, letting him “rest.”

Throughout this strange scene, the mountain lord stood nearby, staring at them with wide-eyed suspicion, observing their bizarre posture over a hundred times. The rat spirits who had fled earlier, hearing the commotion subside, crept back to observe. Seeing the Immortal Yin and the attacker leaning so intimately, they grew curious and bold, gradually gathering around to watch.

Thus, Qingyin was left in this awkward tableau, hand on Nine Feathers’ chest, legs going numb, unsure what to do. Only when she felt him stifle a laugh did she finally shove him away with all her strength.

Nine Feathers straightened his robe, hiding his mischievous grin under a mask of grievance. “My beauty, do you know that when you use the Feather Summoning Spell, my heart feels as if a thousand steel needles are stabbing it? Only your own hand, pressed to my heart, can break the curse. I ran for my life from hundreds of miles away, and you hid from me—nearly caused me to die from the pain.”

Hearing this, Qingyin’s anger faded, replaced by guilt. “I didn’t know the spell was so powerful,” she apologized.

Nine Feathers smiled slyly. “It’s all right—as long as I know it was you. Even pain is worth it. Did you miss your Nine Brother, my beauty?” He flounced toward her flirtatiously.

Qingyin dodged. “Nine Feathers, I summoned you because I need you to go to the Celestial Realm for me.”

Nine Feathers paused. “Why go to the Celestial Realm?”

“To find someone with silver hair.”

“Silver hair… You mean Motu’s former master, the Lord of the Pivot Star? So you’ve met him. I knew it! It’s you people who got me hunted by the Star Lord!” Anger flashed across Nine Feathers’ face. “But I know it wasn’t your fault—it’s all that black-furred beast’s doing. Where is he? I’ll settle the score with him!”

…

Qingyin led Nine Feathers into the cave where Motu slept. Nine Feathers stood beside the slumbering beast for a moment, then gave him a gentle kick. “Stop pretending to be dead. Get up and fight!”

Qingyin quickly pulled him away. “Don’t touch him! Can’t you see how badly he’s hurt?”

Nine Feathers pouted. “Hmph. If he didn’t look half-dead already, I’d kill him myself.”

Qingyin was puzzled. “How did he anger you again?”

Nine Feathers replied, “Did you use one of my feather arrows when you encountered the Lord of the Pivot Star?”

Qingyin recalled how the silver-haired man had plucked the arrow from the air with ease. She nodded. “That scoundrel struck Motu, so I fought back. But your feather was useless—he just caught it with his fingers.”

Nine Feathers snapped, “So you blame my feather? It was that arrow that made the Star Lord think I was allied with you, and sent me running for my life! I should have known you were the cause. I’ve been searching everywhere for that black beast to settle accounts. Finally tracked down your place in the capital—only to find it burned to the ground, nothing but ruins.”

A wave of sadness surged in Qingyin’s heart, her eyes stinging. Yulan was gone, and now their home was lost too. Her chest tightened, her voice catching. “That magnolia tree… Never mind, I won’t ask.”

But Nine Feathers answered anyway. “That magnolia tree has been burned to a charred stump.”

Qingyin turned away, unable to listen further. Memories of every summer night from the past five years drifted through her mind—sitting with Yulan on a branch, watching the moon and chatting. The cool night breeze would stir Yulan’s white dress, carrying its fragrance.

Now, all those beautiful times were lost, leaving only a charred remnant. If she had time, if she had the chance, she would return to their little courtyard and bury the remains, giving Yulan a peaceful ending. But now, even that was impossible.

Nine Feathers glanced at her, a sly smile glinting in his crimson eyes. He seized her hand and pulled her away. Qingyin asked, bewildered, “What are you doing?”

“I have a friend who came with me. She wouldn’t enter the rat’s den—the place was too filthy—so she waited outside. Come, let’s go meet her.”

Qingyin protested, “I have no time.”

Nine Feathers insisted, “Just a meeting, to get acquainted.” Without allowing refusal, he dragged her outside.

Exiting the cave, they saw no one at first. Qingyin glanced around. “Where is your friend?”

Nine Feathers raised his voice toward the crown of a tall tree. “Look who I found!”

Qingyin looked up. There, seated gracefully on a branch, was a woman in white. She murmured to herself, “Impossible, this must be a hallucination.” She bowed her head and rubbed her eyes hard.

When she looked again, the figure was descending from the branch, sleeves billowing, long hair floating, a sweet fragrance wafting in the air. The beautiful woman landed before her, wearing a serene smile.

“Yulan?” Qingyin ventured.

The woman before her was unmistakably Yulan, though subtly changed from before. But hadn’t Yulan died? In disbelief, Qingyin reached out and gently touched the woman’s arm.

It was solid, warm.

Not an illusion, not a ghost.

The woman smiled. “Yes, it’s me, Yulan.”

Qingyin shrieked with joy, threw her arms around her, jumping and laughing, tears flying. In a frenzy, she pinched and patted Yulan, crying, “What’s going on? How can this be? I saw you burned to ashes, your trunk charred…”

Yulan calmed her at last. “Do you remember what Motu once said? He told me that if a tree-spirit wishes to leave its tree, it must sever its roots and heart, let the tree decay, and only then can it be free. But to do so requires surviving a tribulation. When the trial comes, one cannot know if they will survive. If not, they are utterly destroyed, body and soul. Dong Zhanchu was my tribulation. When my trunk was reduced to ashes, my heart died as well. Yet, at the brink of life and death, I suddenly understood. In that moment, my spirit did not disperse, but gradually reformed. When I awoke, I found I had a physical body once more. I was in the burned courtyard in the capital; my tree was now charcoal. Only then did I realize I had survived the trial, become a tree demon, free to walk the world.”

Qingyin was deeply moved, clutching Yulan’s hand, unable to speak. She studied Yulan’s face—still lovely as ever, but now calm and composed, the light in her eyes serene and deep. Her features bore the tranquility of one who had seen through the world’s sorrows. After such an ordeal, Yulan was indeed reborn, utterly changed from before.

Author’s note: From the beginning, I never intended for Yulan to die. How could I bear to kill such a lovely girl… Σ( ￣д￣；) ”~~~

Banxian Yin 50_ Banxian Yin Full Free Reading_50 Yulan update complete!