Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 467: Ling’er’s Life Essence Thread (part 2)

Lightning also illuminated the mountainous jungle habitat of the Wood Spirits. The wind raced through the trees, causing them to sway back and forth. Then the rain started falling, pattering onto the leaves in the huge basin.

Within that wind and rain, an anguished howl echoed out, piercing through the sky, causing anyone who heard it to feel their scalp tingling. It was a cry of deep anguish and heart-rending grief. As it rose from within the Wood Spirit’s basin, neither the thunder, nor the wind, nor the rain could stifle it.

A bolt of lightning fell, revealing a figure with disheveled hair racing frenziedly out of Wood Spirit territory.

It was an old man. His eyes were bloodshot and tears streamed down his cheeks. A bitter smile twisted his face, and he struggled to stop himself from trembling as he sped toward the county capital with all the speed he could muster.

***

The rain fell in torrents all night. Around dawn, it let up a bit. A haze of water vapor obscured everything. It was almost as if the light of dawn was sick, making it seem more like evening than morning.

Some distance from the Corrections Division was Xu Qing’s sword pavilion. Inside, he opened his eyes and ended his nighttime session of cultivation. Getting to his feet, he walked out of the sword pavilion and into the rain.

I’ll go to the Library Hall first and see if I can find out anything about the golden light. It’s too bad I can’t communicate with that boy from D-132. I bet he could give me some clues. Although, if I can at least get some clues in the Library Hall, maybe I can ask him for confirmation.

Floating up into the air, he headed toward the Swordsage Palace. Before long, he landed on the soaked limestone tiles of the Swordsage Palace. Just as he was about to head into the Library Hall, his expression flickered, and he looked off into the distance.

An anguished old man with bloodshot eyes was currently racing toward the Swordsage Palace. As he flew, he shouted in a mournful voice.

“Xu Qing, Xu Qing, Xu Qing!”

Not only was he shouting as loud as he could manage, he was boosting his voice with his cultivation base.

He was none other than the innkeeper from Plankspring Way. He didn’t know exactly where Xu Qing was, but he did know that Xu Qing was a swordsage. Therefore, as soon as he got close enough, he just started shouting at the top of his lungs. His heart and mind were in such chaos that he had lost control, and was hardly himself. Before he could get very close to the Swordsage Palace, numerous beams of divine will locked onto him and prevented him from moving forward.historical

The disheveled innkeeper hadn’t spotted Xu Qing off in the distance. As he hovered in midair, he looked around at the unfamiliar county capital and screamed in a voice that mixed rage with desperation and sorrow.

“Xu Qing! Get out here, right now!”

His cries echoed out so loudly that quite a few swordsages looked over and frowned. What was more, some of the swordsages on patrol flew in his direction. Arriving in front of the innkeeper, they noticed the crazed look in his eyes, and kept their guard up as they stood in his path.

“Explain this ruckus!” one of them said.

“I’m looking for Xu Qing! Please, I beg of you, help me find him! I have an extremely urgent matter to discuss with Xu Qing!!”

“Calm down. Wait there for a moment and we’ll forward your request.”

Inside the Swordsage Palace, Xu Qing looked at the old man being blocked by the guards. He recognized him immediately. His sudden arrival was unexpected, and beyond that, he and Xu Qing had something of a complicated history.

As Xu Qing tried to decide what to do, the innkeeper shrieked, “There’s no time! We don’t have time for this!” The old man seemed to be losing his mind. “Xu Qing. Xu Qing! Where are you? You have to help! You really have to help!!! That golden thread on you—”

The innkeeper was shaking, and he looked like he might begin to weep tears of blood at any moment. However, before he could rave any further, the sound of a rushing wind emerged from the Swordsage Palace.

A moment later, Xu Qing was there in front of the old innkeeper. He waved his hands to tell the guards to back up.

The surrounding swordsages clasped hands respectfully and made way for him. Xu Qing had no time to return their salutes. Eyeing the innkeeper, he said, “What did you say about a golden thread?”

The innkeeper rushed forward as if to grab Xu Qing. “Xu Qing! Xu Qing, you have to come with me. You have to save Ling’er!”

Xu Qing avoided his grasp and looked at him coldly. “Explain yourself!”

The innkeeper looked haggard and extremely stressed, but he managed to pull himself together. He was aware that Xu Qing had no idea what was going on with Ling’er. What was more, given how cautious Xu Qing was, there was no way he was just going to run off because the innkeeper asked him to.

“Xu Qing, that golden thread on you is some of Ling’er’s life essence! She’s almost dead now, just because she wanted to save your life! There’s no time to spare. You have to come with me. I’ll explain along the way!”

The innkeeper turned and started racing away.

Xu Qing just stood there, stunned.

The golden thread on his wrist was a secret that only he knew about. It was an incredible gift that he had never explained to anyone. All of a sudden, he was having trouble breathing steadily. He wasn’t sure how the innkeeper knew about the golden thread, or what other elements to the story there were. But right now, Xu Qing just couldn’t keep calm.

He took a step forward and then shot after the innkeeper. As he sped along, he asked, “Ling’er’s life essence? Ling’er? The girl from the Merfolk Isles?”

The name Ling’er was vaguely familiar to Xu Qing. He remembered that incident in the Merfolk Isles in which a young woman had given him some living mutagen. However, after that one chance meeting, he’d never seen her again. [1]

“You don’t even know who Ling’er is...” the innkeeper said bitterly. Sorrow filled his eyes, and incredulity in his heart. “You foolish girl. Silly, foolish girl. How could a girl as foolish as you exist in this world…?”

Xu Qing wasn’t sure why, but the innkeeper’s words caused his own heart to sting. He was about to ask more questions when the innkeeper turned and glared at him. His eyes were so bloodshot that they glowed red.

Gritting his teeth, he said, “Ling’er is my daughter! She’s that white snake you saw with me. You met her when she took human form the first time in the Merfolk Isles! That golden thread on you is some of her life essence. She blessed you with destiny aura, to help you forestall calamity. If you die, she dies! But if she dies... nothing happens to you!!”

Xu Qing’s mind spun.

“Ling’er already suffered injuries three times because of you! Three times! If you don’t believe me, search your memories. The first time was over two years ago! The second time wasn’t very long after the first time!”

Xu Qing’s mind reeled under a barrage of astonishment, and he found himself breathing heavily. He remembered all of it. The first time that golden light appeared was two years ago when he was in the Seazombie ancestral land, and used Seven Blood Eyes’ taboo treasure to find a spot between life and death. That was when he’d found his 121st dharma aperture. During that moment of life-or-death crisis, he’d noticed a flash of golden light. [2]

Not long after that, after he and the Captain went to the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain, he’d inserted the taboo poison pill into his third heavenly palace. During that near-death experience, golden light had again flashed on his wrist, giving him a new lease on life. These were all seemingly random destined opportunities that had resolved dangerous situations. [3]

“And there was a third time!” the innkeeper shouted, his eyes shining with grief. “It was only a few days ago. I don’t know what happened to you, but you must have been in some sort of deadly crisis. How do you think you survived all those things? Well? It was Ling’er! And now, in the middle of trying to accept her legacy, she gave her life for you!! Last night... she failed at her legacy!”

The innkeeper started sobbing.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing was trembling from head to toe, and was reeling mentally. It felt like he was being hit by hundreds of thousands of lightning bolts. No, millions or possibly even billions.

As a youth, his life had been one of bitterness, and he had struggled to survive in a brutal world. That was why he never felt safe until his enemies were dead, and it was also why he sought revenge over the smallest grievance.

But at the same time, he never forgot the kindness shown to him. That was why he cared so deeply about Sergeant Thunder, Grandmaster Bai, Master Seventh, and also Master Sixth. And now, out of nowhere, he was suddenly coming to realize that he owed a massive debt.

“She... gave her life for me...?” Xu Qing’s heart pounded harder than he ever remembered as he turned and looked at the innkeeper. Grabbing the weeping old man, he said, “What happened to her?”

Xu Qing’s grip was so forceful the innkeeper’s arm emitted cracking sounds. However, the old man didn’t seem to notice the pain. In fact, it seemed to give him a bit of hope that Xu Qing might agree to help. After all, it seemed to show... that Xu Qing cared.

“Her legacy failed, so her soul fell into the abyss....”

Umbrellas suddenly appeared above Xu Qing’s head. The hellspirit bloodwing lamp manifested on his back. His heavenly dao bluegreen dragon roared beneath his feet. His shadow spread out to cover him, causing him to pulse with fleshly body power that surpassed the ten-palace level.

“Point the way!” Xu Qing said in a hoarse voice. Keeping a firm grip on the innkeeper, he shot off at top speed.

He moved so quickly it was almost like a teleportation. An ear-piercing boom filled the air as Xu Qing moved as fast as he possibly could. As he passed, the sky trembled, the ground quaked, and shockwaves rolled out.

Because the Wood Spirits isolated themselves from the rest of the world, they did not build teleportation portals. That said, they didn’t live very far from the county capital. That was why it only took the innkeeper about half a night of travel to reach the capital.

But Xu Qing was capable of much greater speed than the innkeeper. Less than an hour later, the Wood Spirit’s basin... was just ahead!

1. Ling’er introduced herself to Xu Qing during the Grand Competition on the Merfolk Isles in chapter 127. Prior to and subsequent to that event, he only saw her in snake form, and didn’t connect the two identities. ☜

2. The taboo treasure and spot between life and death was in chapter 319. ☜

3. The third heavenly palace situation was in chapter 340. ☜