My Shijie Seems Intent on Destroying the World – Chapter 9
by Little PandaWhen the Spirit Flowers Bloom
Absolutely No Peeking!
When Qi Zhi left Suihan Hall, her footsteps seemed lighter than a bird’s.
Her mood was like a cloud—weightless, ready to drift far away at the slightest breeze.
Because Mu-shijie had told her she liked her, and personally promised that on the day she came of age, she would leave Suihan Hall and come to her with a unique gift.
Actually, Qi Zhi could have gone to Suihan Hall herself—the mountain path was not all that far, and she had long grown accustomed to running it.
But Mu-shijie coming to find her was, more or less, a little different from her going to find Mu-shijie.
At least this way, others would not say she could not even find someone to accompany her to her coming-of-age ceremony and had to throw herself at Second Senior Sister at Suihan Hall.
Please, let time pass a little faster!
For that approaching day, she could hardly wait!
…
“Look how light her steps are. So easy to coax,” Ah Yun remarked, fluttering down gently onto Mu Qingshi’s shoulder.
Mu Qingshi said nothing, only gazing quietly in the direction Qi Zhi had left.
It was not until that graceful retreating figure merged completely into the mountain’s wind and snow that she slowly withdrew her gaze, turned, crossed the corridor, and returned inside to sit down.
Spiritual light flashed as Mu Qingshi placed the Facing Mirrors onto the table.
A thin layer of spiritual power for one-way sound dampening shrouded the mirror’s surface.
The other end of the mirror was tied at Qi Zhi’s waist, swaying with her brisk steps—showing nothing but mountain wind and snow, and the occasional flutter of a clothing hem.
Ah Yun hopped to the edge of the mirror, tilting its head and watching for a while.
It could not help but grumble, “With all this shaking, does it not make you dizzy watching?”
Mu Qingshi turned the mirror face-down and silently closed her eyes.
Qi Zhi hummed something along the way, the melody broken intermittently by the wind, yet unable to conceal the joy in the young woman’s voice.
After some time, the wind gradually quieted. With a creak of a door, the young woman’s singing grew clear.
Mu Qingshi hesitated a moment, then traced a finger along the mirror’s handle and severed the audiovisual link.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent. The little bird curled up dozing by the mirror snapped its eyes open.
It looked up at Mu Qingshi, saw nothing unusual in her expression, and curled itself back into a ball.
Heaven knew how sleep-inducing the wind and snow had been along that entire journey. It truly admired those who could listen without growing the least bit drowsy—it was practically dying of sleepiness!
The little bird thought as much, let out a massive yawn, shut its eyes, and buried its head to sleep.
When it next awoke, the sky had already darkened. Mu Qingshi was sitting sideways by the window, gazing absently at a jade hairpin between her fingertips.
The hairpin’s head was unadorned, bearing only an unbloomed flower bud—exquisitely small and lifelike.
Its slender body curved ever so slightly, moon-white, carved with jade vines wrapping around a tree.
Ah Yun stood up, shook its wings, and flew to the windowsill. With one thrust of its head forward, it caught sight of a faint trace of crimson at the tip of the jade hairpin.
“Mm.”
Ah Yun shook its head and sighed. “Why give something like this of all things? Honestly, I do not even want to say it—you love courting grief for yourself, do you not…”
Mu Qingshi extended an index finger and gently pressed down on its little head.
“Ah Yun.”
“What?” Ah Yun struggled and flapped its wings.
Mu Qingshi smiled and released its little head. “Go check on the Daoist Venerable.”
“Right!” Ah Yun responded, glancing up one last time at the jade hairpin before leaping out the window and soaring toward the sky.
Suihan Hall was left in silence.
After a long while, Mu Qingshi submerged the jade hairpin into the spiritual light at her fingertips, rose, and transformed into a wisp of green smoke, silently melting into the night toward the place where the mountain’s spiritual energy was most chaotic.
Qi Zhi did not know why, but lately she had not been sleeping well.
Her dreams were a jumbled mess—always fragmented—and from time to time she would be startled awake by inexplicable heart palpitations. Even the bamboo wind chime that Mu Qingshi had given her to calm her mind had lost its effect.
Qi Zhi suspected she had fallen ill again, but when she was awake, she did not feel anything wrong with her body.
After thinking it over, she attributed everything to anticipating a certain event too much, which led to excessive nervousness and unease.
Fortunately, though Qi Zhi’s sleep quality was poor of late, the amount of time she spent sleeping had increased considerably.
Those who always loved dumping odd jobs on her seemed to have had a collective awakening of conscience lately—they had not come to order her around much.
But if these people could truly develop a conscience, they would not have spent centuries making work for her even when there was nothing to be done.
Qi Zhi thought this was probably Master’s intention.
Her spiritual root would soon be repaired by Master. Even Ninth Senior Sister, who had always been proud and aloof, had come to speak with her pleasantly after learning of this—let alone the others.
Freed from being ordered about, her days were quite leisurely. Qi Zhi either ran to Suihan Hall or burrowed under her blankets, sleeping soundly.
Occasionally, when she did not feel like running or sleeping, she would leisurely tidy up her shabby little courtyard.
She wanted to clean the place until it was spotless and orderly, so that when Mu-shijie came, she could stay more comfortably!
But once everything was tidied, Qi Zhi began to feel that her shabby little courtyard had nothing—empty and dull.
After a brief contemplation, she had a sudden inspiration and ran toward the distant mountains.
Winter was bitterly cold, and the mountains inevitably lacked color.
Qi Zhi spent a great deal of time digging many dormant flowers out from beneath the thick mountain snow, carrying them back one by one to her little courtyard with great care. Using her meager spiritual power, she awakened each one and earnestly filled the room with the colors of spring.
Finally, she ran into the courtyard, activated the Facing Mirrors, and called out sweetly, “Shijie” a few times.
The other end of the mirror was pitch black. Qi Zhi waited a moment, and the image lit up with a flash of spiritual light.
“Shijie, there are only five days left until I come of age!”
“I remember.”
“I am not worried you would forget, Shijie!” Qi Zhi frowned, feigning worry, but her eyes brimmed with irrepressible laughter. “I wanted to say—I have prepared a little surprise for Shijie!”
“What surprise?”
“You will know when you come, Shijie!” Qi Zhi said, then added with a smile, “No peeking these next few days!”
“Alright!” Mu Qingshi nodded.
“Absolutely no peeking!”
“Mm!” Mu Qingshi answered indulgently.
Although Mu Qingshi had promised not to peek, Qi Zhi had no way of predicting or controlling when the image on the other end of the mirror would appear.
To ensure this surprise could be preserved until the day Mu Qingshi was meant to see it, Qi Zhi simply untied the cord at her waist and pressed the mirror face-down under her pillow.
That way, it would be foolproof!
Qi Zhi jumped up from the bed, gazing at the room full of blossoms, and could not help wondering—aside from white plum blossoms, what other flowers did Mu-shijie like?
On the day she came of age, she would ask Shijie in person.
Qi Zhi thought she should pluck a branch of Shijie’s favorite flower and personally pin it into that ink-black, pristine hair.
She wondered whether, when the time came, the feelings she harbored in her heart…
…would receive a response.
The author has something to say:
Qi Zhi: I have prepared a little surprise for Shijie.
Mu Qingshi: I have prepared a big surprise for Shimei.
Happy New Year, little angels!!!
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