The next day, the celestial mountain is already buzzing long before Yun Qian Yu even wakes up.
Even the ones who are usually too lazy to wake up early are already up before the sun rises. After breakfast, instead of going to the training ground, they head to the peak of the slope, waiting for the challenge to begin.
Yun Qian Yu, on the other hand, wakes up like she usually does. After bathing, she comfortably eats breakfast with Gong Sang Mo.
Although a lot of people are getting impatient with waiting, none of them dares to go to Gong Sang Moโs residence. Not because they fear Yun Qian Yu, but because they are scared of Gong Sang Mo. It is pretty much general knowledge amongst the disciples of the mountain that their Senior Uncle dotes on Princess Hu Guo like she is the pearl within his palm, who would dare to seek trouble with her?
Whilst the disciples are perceptive, a certain prince is not. When Long Jin reaches the peak and finds that Yun Qian Yu has not arrived, he turns around and heads towards Gong Sang Moโs palace.
โDonโt tell me Princess Hu Guo does not dare to do the challenge now?โ Long Jin seems to be in a really good mood this morning. Who knows what he and Bei Tang Gu Qiu had been chatting about, yesterday.
(TN: Okay, seriously. The ship is sailing :D)
Gong Sang Mo looks at Yun Qian Yu who is still calmly eating. He sneers, โThrow him out.โ
San Qiu and Yi Ri moves together and in the blink of an eye, Long Jin finds himself standing outside.
Gong Sang Moโs door is shut loudly in front of his face.
Long Jin points at the door angrily, โYouโ- Youโฆ..โ
He, then looks around, pretending to be casual. He is lucky everyone is now at the peak of the slope, so no one had witnessed his plight.
He flings his sleeves and storms away.
At the same time, Yun Qian Yu is eating her breakfast without even lifting her head.
After she is done, she looks at Gong Sang Mo, โSang Mo.โ
โWhatโs wrong?โ Gong Sang Mo can tell that Yun Qian Yu wants to say something but has been refraining herself from doing so.
โIf I want to ask from something from your shifu, do you think he will get angry?โ asks Yun Qian Yu hesitantly. After all, she herself, did not prepare any gift for Sheng Xue Tian Zun prior to coming here.
โNo, he wonโt. I already gave him gifts under your name. If there is anything you want, feel free to say it,โ replies Gong Sang Mo confidently.
Her eyes light up. โDo you have more of this jade bed?โ asks Yun Qian Yu quietly.
Gong Sang Mo raises an eyebrow, โOnly shifu and his four disciples have these warm jade beds. The other disciples only have regular stone bed, but they are also warm. You want a jade bed?โ
If Yun Qian Yu want a jade bed, he really needs to begin planning how to transport it back to the capital.
โNo. I want a piece of warm jade that I can turn into a hair ornament,โ Yun Qian Yu begins estimating the size of the jade that she will need.
โThat will be easy. Warm jade is this mountainโs specialty. It can only be found in the southern side of the mountain, there are not many in number, but thereโd be no problem if thatโs the size that you want,โ reassures Gong Sang Mo. To tell the truth, the size does not matter. If Yun Qian Yu wants one the size of a bed, he would gladly give her his. He would do anything to make sure she gets what she wants.
Yun Qian Yu smiles, โLetโs go and visit your shifu to bid him farewell!โ
Gong Sang Mo laughs, โAre you sure thatโs why you want to see him?โ
Both of them head towards Sheng Xue Tian Zunโs residence while holding hands. Just like Gong Sang Mo promised, Sheng Xue Tian Zun agreed easily. He even instructs Qing Ling Xian to escort Yun Qian Yu to where they store the jade so that she can personally choose the one that she wants.
He told her to take two pieces, but Yun Qian Yu is not greedy and only takes one.
Yun Qian Yu wants one because Wen Ling Shanโs body is cold. She will be in pain every month during that time of the month. If she marries, it will not be easy for her to bear children. In this society, if a woman cannot give birth, she will have no place in her husbandโs household.
Yun Qian Yu picks up the piece that she wants and returns to Gong Sang Moโs residence. She, then changes into the outfit that she instructed the girls to make the day before. She stuffs the lower half of her pants into a pair of long boots and ties her hair high in a ponytail. She covers her head with a fluffy white hat and ties it tight to make sure it wonโt fall.
She also fastens a fur collar around her neck.
After getting ready, Yun Qian Yu orders the servants to prepare to leave the mountain.
They does not want to leave first, they want to see how Yun Qian Yu will perform the challenge.
โYou will leave now. Even if you leave at the very moment, I will still have to wait for you for a long time, at the base of the mountain,โ says Yun Qian Yu.
The corner of their lips twitch. In the end, they follow her order and leave first with the luggages.
Yun Qian Yu and Gong Sang Mo make their way to the peak of the slope while holding hands.
Yun Qian Yu shrugs when she sees the amount of people miling about.
The three celestials order their disciples to make way to let Yun Qian Yu through.
She walks past them calmly, ignoring the curious looks the disciples are sending her and the wooden board that San Qiu is holding as he walks behind her.
Su Huai Feng is waiting for her with a smile, โHave you prepared everything, Your Highness?โ
Yun Qian Yu nods, โWe can begin now.โ
โWait a minute,โ the annoying Long Jin speaks up.
โWhat is it, Crown Prince Jin?โ asks Su Huai Feng.
โWe canโt know for sure if she will be using her inner power once she started the challenge. Itโs not like we can go along with her. How can Princess Hu Guo guarantee us that she will be taking this challenge honestly?โ Long Jin smiles at Yun Qian Yu calculatively.
Su Huai Feng frowns. To tell the truth, he believes that Yun Qian Yu is righteous. However, just because he does, does not mean that others will.
Without waiting for Su Huai Fengโs reply, Yun Qian Yu speaks first, โYou can seal my inner power first, to let those petty peopleโs hearts be at ease.โ
Long Jin blushes; isnโt she basically singling him out and called him petty?
โWhoever that has to seal your inner power cannot be your own people, Your Highness,โ adds Long Jin maliciously.
โWill it be alright if I trouble the 6th wangye?โ asks Yun Qian Yu as she turns towards Bei Tang Gu Qiu.
He looks at her in surprise, he did not expect her to select him. One must know that his power is very different from the rest.
โSince Your Highness said so, it is not right for this king to say no,โ replies Bei Tang Gu Qiu.
โPlease go on, wangye,โ says Yun Qian Yu.
Gong Sang Mo, Su Huai Feng and Ji Shu Liu know why Yun Qian Yu picked Bei Tang Gu Qiu.
Both Bei Tang Gu Qiu and Long Jin are outsiders. Long Jin cannot be trusted to seal her inner power; and whilst Bei Tang Gu Qiu is full of intrigue, he is also a righteous person. Besides, Bei Tang Gu Qiuโs inner power is one of a kind. Only he can unlock his own moves. If he seals Yun Qian Yuโs inner power, no one will ever suspect Yun Qian Yu of secretly unlocking it midway. All in all, no one will put up a dispute over anything if he is the one to seal Yun Qian Yuโs acupuncture points.
Bei Tang Gu Qiu steps forward and lifts his right hand. With his index and middle finger combined, he quickly seals all of Yun Qian Yuโs acupuncture points.
โWould you like to check if bengongโs inner power is sealed, Crown Prince Jin?โ Yun Qian Yu offers Long Jin her wrist.
Long Jin is stunned, โThis Crown Prince naturally believes in the 6th Wangyeโs moral.โ
โTurns out, there is someone over here whom Crown Prince Jin actually trusts,โ states Yun Qian Yu blandly. She takes the snowboard from San Qiu and ties them tightly around her feet with ropes. Then, she takes out the long pole.
She was so excited when she saw the slope last night, this is the perfect landscape for snowboarding. Even if she can use her inner power, she wouldnโt. Snowboarding had been her favourite past time in her past life. Who would have thought she would get another chance to do this in this lifetime?
Yun Qian Yu walks to the edge of the slope before turning around to face Gong Sang Mo, โSang Mo, you should go down there and wait for me.โ
โAlright,โ replies Sang Mo.
Then, she turns towards Su Huai Feng, โAre you ready, Young Master Su? The journey back to Nan Louโs capital will take half a month!โ
โFret not, Your Highness, I will not take back my own words.โ
โAlright, then, letโs meet down there.โ After saying that, she fixes her fur scarf, concealing her face and revealing only her eyes. Then, with a push of the long pole, she slides down the edge.
She gracefully travels down the slope, like a butterfly. The speed in which she is going could only be catch up to if the others use their inner power.
The crowd from the top watches her in awe; turns out, it is possible after all.
Not long later, they can only hear her voice, โWow!โ The only thing they can see is the two eagles following her from above.
Gong Sang Mo chuckles to himself before turning around and heading towards the stone steps. He should start moving now. Otherwise, with Yu Erโs speed, she might have to wait for them for a long time.
Su Huai Feng stares after her departing silhouette as she disappears like the wind. Turns out, she was right. There are only things one does not want to do, not things that one cannot do.
He kowtows in front of Qing Yun Xian, โShifu, this disciple will leave the mountain now.โ
โYou can go, but donโt neglect Xue Lian Han Gong. It is a privilege bestowed to only the disciples of our mountain.โ
โThis disciple will obey shifuโs teaching,โ Su Huai Feng pays his respect to Qing Yuan Xian and Qing Ling Xian before following Gong Sang Moโs footsteps.
Long Jin looks at the slope of the mountain in disbelief. With the speed she has been going, she would reach the base of the mountain in less than half an incense stick time. The look in his eyes darken as he turns around to leave.
Bei Tang Gu Qiu looks at everything in shock. No wonder Gong Sang Mo likes her so much. An unrivalled beauty, a prodigious doctor, a genius mind, no men wouldnโt like this kind of women.
Since Yun Qian Yuโs silhouette has disappeared, the people are starting to disperse as well.
Bei Tang Gu Qiu turns around before speaking to the people behind him, โLeave now!โ
And so, the celestial mountain is calm once again.
At the base of the mountain, Feng Ran and Yi Ri have been waiting since morning.
They are accompanied by Long Jin and Bei Tang Gu Qiuโs people, as well as the two disciples who gave Gong Sang Mo and Yun Qian Yu noodles.
When Yun Qian Yu appears like the wind, they all stare at her in disbelief. Just how fast is she going, exactly?
Is she really not using her inner power?
When Yun Qian Yu sees the crowd, she naturally knows their motives. She circles around them for good measure before finally stopping right in front of them.
Feng Ran and Yi Ri step forward.
Yun Qian Yu opens the rope that has been bounding her feet to the board. Her feet finally feel better.
One of the men steps forward, asking, โDid you really not use inner power, Princess Hu Guo?โ
Yun Qian Yu replies them, โMy acupuncture point has been sealed by the 6th wangye prior to the challenge. Bengong hope the 6th wangye will be here soon. Bengong still needs him to unlock it before returning to Nan Lou Kingdom.โ
When the crowd hears that Bei Tang Gu Qiu personally sealed her inner power, they acknowledges that it would have been impossible for her to cheat.
Yun Qian Yu, Feng Ran and Yi Ri then made their way to the inn to rest and wait.
The two disciples in charge of keeping the inn thought they were really fortunate to meet the future Xian Wangfei and personally witness this historical sight.
Both of them follow Yun Qian Yu from behind, making small talks.
Yun Qian Yu changes her outfit first, before heading to the hall to drink tea.
Around an hour later, Chen Xiang and the rest arrive.
When they see her leisurely drinking tea, they thought they were hallucinating. They rub their eyes, and when the vision of Yun Qian Yu persists, they decide that this must be true.
Feng Ran looks at Chen Xiang and the girls in disdain, โMistress has been drinking tea for close to an hour.โ
They exchange a look before quietly putting all the baggages inside their carriages. They clean the carriages as well, to prepare for the journey home.
Not long later, the people who are to leave the mountain arrives.
Gong Sang Mo and Su Huai Feng arrives first. As for Ji Shu Liu, he leaves immediately the moment he reaches the base of the mountain. He appears anxious. He did not even board his carriage and instead chooses to ride his horse.
Following them closely are the people from Mo Dai Kingdom.
Gong Sang Mo and Yun Qian Yu wait for the people from Jiu Xiao Kingdom, Bei Tang Gu Qiu in particular.
The two disciples from the inn look at Yun Qian Yuโs snowboard with sparkling eyes.
โIt is not easy for use that, if you are not careful, you might get hurt,โ states Yun Qian Yu.
โWe are not afraid,โ replies the two disciples.
Yun Qian Yu studies their earnest expressions before saying, โLetโs go. Since I still have time, I will teach you two how to use this.โ
The two of them look at her in gratitude.
When the crowd hears what Yun Qian Yu says, they follow her out, including the people from Mo Dai Kingdom.
Yun Qin Yu returns to the direction she skidded down from and chooses a mild slope. She tells them the general idea of snowboarding before giving them a demonstration.
They are indeed worthy of being disciples of the mountain. They completely exceed her expectation.
It does not take them long to start snowboarding properly on the small slope.
โThis slope is not that steep, so the speed is still manageable. However, just because you can ski from this slope does not mean that you will be able to ski from the very peak. The terrain is much steeper from up there, so the speed will be really high as well. When you are snowboarding, you need to be able to make decisions instantly if anything arises. It will make a difference between life and death,โ reminds Yun Qian Yu when she sees the smug looks on their faces.
The two disciples immediately look at the peak of the slope in the distance.
They originally thought they could slide down the mountain by the end of the month.
Yun Qian Yu sighs in relief when she sees that they have given up their wishful thinking.
โBoth of you can slowly increase the level of difficulty. Wait until you fully master everything before you give it a try. It will be a one of a kind experience, it will be different than using inner power to go down,โ says Yun Qian Yu as she looks at the mountain peak.
The two nod in unison.
Because there is only one snowboard, they have to share for now. But they have decided to make another copy so that they wouldnโt have to use it in rotation.
Since San Qiu is the one who made this, the two of them pretty much make San Qiu their shifu with the way they hassle him for details.
When Yun Qian Yu returns to the inn, Gong Sang Mo is playing chess with Su Huai Feng.
Instead of interrupting them, Yun Qian Yu returns to her room to change. Yu Nuo finally has the chance to comb Yun Qian Yuโs hair. For the past half a month, Gong Sang Mo had been hijacking her job.
Once she finishes combing Yun Qian Yuโs hair, Feng Ran walks in, โMistress, what does the 6th wangye mean by this?โ
Man Er walks in after him, dissatisfied as well, โWhat on earth does he plan to do? Even if he has to manually climb down, he should be here by now.โ
Yun Qian Yu looks at them, โWhat is there to be hasty for?โ
โYour acupuncture points are still sealed,โ replies Man Er as though she cannot believe Yun Qian Yu is still so calm.
When Feng Ran sees Yun Qian Yuโs calm demeanor, his heart calms down a little. Gong Sang Mo is leisurely playing with Su Huai Feng outside; if neither of them is panicking, it means that the situation is still under control.
In the meantime, an unlikeable person decides to watch the fanfare.
Long Jinโs carriage is all ready, waiting for him right outside.
He walks in and immediately spots the two leisure men, โBoth of you seem so carefree.โ
Both Gong Sang Mo and Su Huai Feng tacitly agree to not pay him any attention, their gazes never wavering from the chessboard.
Long Jin rubs his nose at being ignored and walks closer to them.
โThe poor people of Mo Dai Kingdomโฆโ Yun Qian Yu walks out of the hall the moment she hears Long Jinโs voice.
Long Jin frowns, โWorry about yourself, Your Highness. I heard, Bei Tang Gu Qiuโs art of cultivation is very demonic, it will be impossible to unlock the acupuncture points that he sealed. If it is not unsealed in time, the sufferer will have to pay a heavy price.โ
Yun Qian Yu is completely unruffled as she replies him, โBengong has only realized that Crown Prince Jin is a person who loves to worry.โ
Long Jin chokes on his own breath. He only wanted to see a panicking and grief-stricken Yun Qian Yu, why is it so hard for that to happen?
At that very moment, the game of chess ends, with Gong Sang Mo narrowly winning.
Both of them act as though they have only noticed Long Jin, โYou havenโt left yet, Crown Prince Jin?โ
The corner of Long Jinโs lips twitches, โThis prince is about to. I am only here to bid all of you farewell.โ
โOh. Yu Er, we should go too,โ smiles Gong Sang Mo.
โAlright, everything is ready,โ replies Yun Qian Yu.
At the same time, one of Long Jinโs people rushes in and whispers to his ears, โYour Majesty, Bei Tang Gu Qiu has reached the base of the mountain and has left.โ
A wide smile fills Long Jinโs face.
โThen, I shall bid you farewell,โ he clasps his fists in front of them.
โPlease,โ Gong Sang Mo gestures towards the door.
Yun Qian Yu and Su Huai Feng walk out first, followed by Long Jin. He cannot wait to see them embarrass themselves.