The Wheel-Turning Master.

Chapter 158: The Moon Reflects the Heart
The next morning, Xiuxiu went to bid farewell to Po Yunzi again.

"Master said that you can go into the mountains on your own and it won't be too late to see you when you come back." Meng Yuan said with a smile.

Xiuxiu knelt outside the tent, bowed to Meng Yuan, and then went into the mountain.

Following the map, Xiuxiu only went to remote places.

The last time I went on a long trip was to Qiaoshan with my elders. I didn’t encounter any danger and instead got to know several sisters.

This time I was going on a long journey alone, and it was a very dangerous place. It would be a lie to say that I was not afraid. But now that I had said it, I could only learn from my good sister's indomitable spirit.

Chasing that elusive opportunity, I became more cautious.

"Is this the old crow's territory?"

Xiuxiu entered the crow forest, enduring the stench of bird droppings, muttering to herself.

She had heard about this from Meng Yuan, and knew that the old crow who was building the foundation was killed by a female swordsman from Yiqiaoshan Sect. Her swordsmanship was so outstanding that she was the best among the foundation-building cultivators.

Of course, the cultivators from Jiuyin Mountain and Yunxia Sect were all scolding her for causing trouble. Even the people from Qiaoshan secretly blamed Gu Feixue.

"Senior Sister Gu from the Qiaoshan Sect is so amazing!" Xiuxiu walked through the forest of old crows and couldn't help but imagine the gracefulness of a sword practitioner.

They walked and stopped, hesitated, and occasionally one or two birds or animals jumped out, which made Xiuxiu stop for a long time, thinking about the old crow in her mind.

Fortunately, there was no danger. Although there was a bloody smell from time to time, it was always peaceful.

"Jackdaw, jackdaw, stop pecking me." After hesitating for a few days, they arrived at the Chuan Valley, but when they saw broken trees and rocks, Xiuxiu immediately tensed up.

After feeding the loyal minister the little mole first, Xiuxiu walked inside holding a bronze mirror.

Not long after walking, I smelled a faint smell of blood again.

Going further, I saw a crack on the side of the valley, just wide enough for one person to get in. There was a thick smell of blood inside, as if there had been a massacre.

"According to Master's map, this is a fruit forest with a group of monkeys living in it. It's not dangerous. Those monkeys are good at making fruit wine, but I don't know which greedy person took all the wine away."

Xiuxiu muttered to herself for a while, but in the end did not dare to go in and take a look, and just continued walking into the valley.

After another two days of arduous journey, Xiuxiu stopped when she saw that they were about to leave the valley.

"It's impossible to fly here. If we set up a formation at the exit, we can guard the gate by ourselves."

Xiuxiu didn't move forward either, but just stuck to the valley wall, trying to hide as much as possible and observe carefully.

After waiting for a long while, there was no movement.

"Good Mole, Senior Sister praises you as a descendant of a loyal and righteous man, and I hope you can help me." Xiuxiu invited the Mole out, "Help Sister to check ahead."

The mole did not move.

Xiuxiu took out the dried fruits and the Mole ate them for a long time. He only set off after his stomach was full.

After an hour, the mole came back staggering.

"You scared yourself." Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief. "Everyone who enters the mountain comes for Fairy Chen Yu, so they must be scrambling to get in. No one would be so bored as to set up a formation here to stop people." Xiuxiu wiped the sweat from her forehead and muttered, "I should have thought of it earlier!"

She stroked the mole, took out the dried fruits, praised the mole for a long time, and then went out of the valley to the south.

After walking three or four miles, they heard the roar of beasts ahead.

After passing the valley, the map lost its details. It only said there was a foundation-building peacock ahead, but didn't mention its magical powers.

Xiuxiu observed from a distance, and after a while, she saw two sika deer circling in circles. They were both foundation-building monsters, and one was nudging the other's butt.

"This……"

Xiuxiu had helped Qu Ruyi take care of the mole fox many times, and knew that it was a mate. Monsters are still wild beasts, and their temperaments are the most violent when they are in love.

Sure enough, after a while, the tallest one of them raised its front hooves, and the trees shook and the rocks trembled.

Xiuxiu knew very well that she must not disturb other people's happiness, and she could not afford to offend them at all, so she quickly retreated half a mile.

Tianqi was in the south, but was blocked by a sika deer. Xiuxiu had no choice but to go southwest.

"I hate breaking up other people's marriages the most. Let me give you some space." Xiuxiu muttered to herself, clearly imitating Qu Ruyi's tone.

There was no road in the mountains, and Xiuxiu was not very brave, so she just walked slowly towards the southwest.

After walking for two days, we saw many withered trees ahead. The withered yellow branches and leaves stood out among the green leaves of the forest.

Xiuxiu observed carefully for a while and then went around it again.

After walking for a while, they saw a man leaning against a dead tree. He was about fifty years old, with a scraggly beard, a purple face, a broken arm, and a very weak breath.

The Taoist robe is dirty and torn, and its shape cannot be seen, so it is unknown what sect it belongs to.

Xiuxiu turned around and ran. After running for more than a hundred steps, she dared to look back, but saw that the man didn't move at all, with only his dull eyes open.

Somehow, Xiuxiu suddenly remembered the snowy day when her grandfather was dying.

"I am a doctor..."

Xiuxiu stopped and didn't dare to go forward, so she asked, "Senior, are you from Jiuyin Mountain?"

The man's head shook slightly.

"Senior, are you from the Qiaoshan School?" Xiuxiu asked again.

The man still shook his head and said, "I am Zhu Jianyang from the Zhu family of Qiaoshan." His voice was extremely weak, as if he was exhausted.

Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and said, "I'm from Yunxia Sect."

She bowed and said, "My senior sister Qu Ruyi is acquainted with Zhu Jianshui and Zhu Yushu of Qiaoshan Zhu Clan, and they are quite friendly. Senior, do you know my senior sister?"

Qu Ruyi never told Xiuxiu about her relationship with Zhu Jianshui and Zhu Yushu. She only said that they were friends. She also boasted that she had such wide connections that she could throw a stone and hit her old friends.

Zhu Jianyang had never heard Zhu Jianshui and Zhu Yushu mention Qu Ruyi, but he thought about it and realized that since Qu Ruyi knew both Zhu Jianshui and Zhu Yushu, she must have met him when the two of them were looking for Zhu Yuyan's body, and there was another person there at that time.

"I know Yun Zhonghe. Do you know him?" Zhu Jianyang's face became increasingly ugly, and he spoke while enduring the pain.

When Xiuxiu heard the name Yun Zhonghe, she was immediately delighted and said, "That's my sister... Senior Yun Zhonghe and my sister know each other very well."

Although she often heard Qu Ruyi despise Yun Zhonghe, the intimacy and familiarity in their words could not be deceived. Moreover, they often sent letters to each other, which clearly showed that their friendship was very deep.

Zhu Jianyang felt relieved, knowing that he was a friend and not an enemy.

"This place is dangerous, don't stay here for long." Zhu Jianyang wanted to raise his hand, but he was too weak.

"Thank you for the reminder, senior." Xiuxiu walked forward again, ten steps away, "I have many pills on me that can remove poison and heal injuries. Please use them yourself, senior." As she spoke, she took out several bottles of pills, gently pushed them out, and the bottles fell to the side of Zhu Jianyang.

"Thank you, my friend. I am exhausted. I have used up all my talismans and pills, and even lost my spiritual weapon. Your help is like a blessing." Zhu Jianyang coughed twice and managed a smile. He then asked, "Where are you going?"

Xiuxiu carefully felt the vague opportunity, which was still clear and had nothing to do with the person in front of her.

"South." Xiuxiu pointed to the south.

"Then we have to go deeper." Zhu Jianyang's face turned purple, as if in unbearable pain. He said, "Jiuyin Mountain has set up an ambush ahead. There are at least five foundation building soldiers. You must be very careful."

"Thank you for your advice, Senior." Xiuxiu bowed and said, "Senior is injured, I..."

Zhu Jianyang shook his head slightly, "My friend... My friend's gift of elixirs is already a great favor, I dare not ask for anything else." He took a deep breath and said, "My friend and I were separated by the Green Feather Peacock, and our essence was damaged. You don't need to worry about me, just go and find your own opportunity."

Xiuxiu bowed and took out a few bottles of pills and gave them out.

Zhu Jianyang looked at Xiuxiu, forcing a smile on his face that was twisted by pain, and said, "Your senior sister's surname is Qu, so she is most likely a junior of Qu Chengjia. Could it be that your master is a senior of Yunxia Sect?"

"That's right." Xiuxiu replied.

"Senior Qu is a scholar with a deep understanding of numerology and yin and yang. I believe that you have learned the true skills." Zhu Jianyang said.

Xiuxiu waved her hands quickly, "I'm far behind, I haven't even learned the basics." "No problem." Zhu Jianyang coughed a few more times, "I'm seriously injured and dying, but I still want to live. Can you please tell me where I should go?"

“This…” Xiuxiu was stunned for a moment, and said, “The senior is at a higher level than me, and this place involves three major sects, I…”

"Let's try." Zhu Jianyang's face was covered with bruises. He tried his best to endure the pain, but he still looked kind.

Xiuxiu nodded, holding a bronze mirror with ripples on it.

"I'm sorry." Xiuxiu stretched out her finger, took a drop of blood from Zhu Jianyang's body and placed it on the bronze mirror.

Soon, the waves dissipated and returned to calm.

Xiuxiu's face darkened, "It seems..."

"It doesn't seem very good?" Zhu Jianyang smiled.

Xiuxiu nodded.

"There is no way out, there is no chance of turning around?" Zhu Jianyang asked again.

"It seems that there may be a chance of survival if we go further southwest." Xiuxiu said in a low voice. She was not confident in her abilities.

Going further southwest, we continued into the deep mountains.

Not to mention that there will be people from Jiuyin Mountain in the depths, there will also be more monsters and beasts, and they will be more ferocious.

Xiuxiu whispered, "Senior, I have only been learning martial arts for a short time, so I may have made some mistakes."

Zhu Jianyang shook his head slightly, "You have a kind heart, how can you be wrong?" He forced a smile on his old face that was tinged with purple, "The road ahead is difficult and long, take care."

"Take care, senior." Xiuxiu bowed.

After taking a detour last time, we should now head southeast.

After walking five or six miles, I corrected my direction and followed the guidance in my heart.

Along the way, we could hear the roars of animals and the occasional smell of blood. We walked for two days, but there were no roads in the mountains and forests, and there were many dangers. We only walked about twenty miles.

"Senior Zhu said that there were people from Jiuyin Mountain ambushing us, so I must be extremely careful!" Xiuxiu held a bronze mirror in her hand, with a vigilant look on her face.

Suppressing her fear, Xiuxiu took ten steps forward and five steps back, carefully observing the entire journey. Whenever she heard any sound, she would stop for a long time.

This went on for five days and they advanced another twenty miles.

"Why didn't I see the people from Jiuyin Mountain ambushing us?" Xiuxiu frowned slightly, "Could it be that they have already left?"

"Yes! It has been almost ten days since I met Senior Zhu. Maybe the people from Jiuyin Mountain got lucky and all left at once."

Xiuxiu thought about it for a long time and felt that her inference was reasonable.

We continued walking forward, and found that the mountains were covered with lush forests and many birds and animals. We did not see any people, but we did come across a few places where there were fights, and there were many broken trees and rocks.

There were still many places where the flames were burning, but they did not cause forest fires. They must have been left by predecessors who were proficient in fire-related skills.

"I have to be more careful! It's better to be careful!" Xiuxiu became more cautious.

I dare not walk in a straight line, I walk to the left, then to the right. After walking for a while, I have to stop and look ahead and back at the way I came. I am really cautious.

After another two days of hard work, her fair and smooth face showed signs of fatigue.

But fortunately, I didn't encounter any danger, I just scared myself.

"Why is there no one here? Am I lost?"

If you feel the ethereal opportunity carefully, it is indeed in front. Looking at the sparse trees and the change of the sun and moon, the direction is correct.

Xiuxiu scared herself for half a day, then walked forward again, and a peach blossom forest appeared before her.

There were several corpses outside the peach forest, and several wild beasts were tearing them apart.

"This must be a trap, maybe there is a formation." Xiuxiu didn't dare to go near and just watched from a distance.

The ethereal feeling in my heart points to the peach blossom forest.

After waiting for two hours, there was nothing unusual, but the remains of the corpses were almost eaten up by wild beasts.

Holding the bronze mirror, she tapped it with her finger. The water rippled slightly, and Xiuxiu closed her eyes and remained motionless.

"I really didn't expect this." Xiuxiu tilted her head and frowned slightly, "I don't know whether it will be good or bad."

She thought for a while, took out a small wooden hairpin, and pointed to the bronze mirror again.

"It's still the same. I can't see anything. Where did he go?" Xiuxiu sat there in a daze for a while.

Half a day later, it was already dark. The corpses outside the peach forest were gone, and the wild animals were nowhere to be seen.

The roars of tigers and the chirping of birds in the distance were extremely piercing.

Xiuxiu was frightened and quickly released the mole.

"...Good Mole, help your sister to have another look." She took out some dried fruits and fed it first, then the Mole moved forward.

Half an hour later, the mole came back with two peach petals in its mouth. "Chirp, chirp," the mole climbed up Xiuxiu's sleeve and presented her with the petals.

"She is indeed a descendant of a loyal and good person, but I will be bankrupted by you sooner or later." After feeding the mole and knowing that there was peace ahead, Xiuxiu waited for a moment before stepping forward.

He bypassed the place where the corpses were found and stepped into the peach forest.

There was light green grass on the ground, soft and fluffy. Deer and cranes, dancing butterflies and chirping birds were everywhere. Peach blossoms were falling in the wind.

Continuing forward, you will see a small round pool of water, about three meters square.

There is a round stone island on the top, about three feet in size, but it is very flat, not natural, and looks like a millstone.

“The apocalypse should be here.”

Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief and patted the purse on her waist, as if talking to the loyal mole, "I wandered all the way from Bagua Mountain, and then to Mianlong Mountain. I walked crookedly for a long time, experienced countless hardships... and countless scenery, and finally arrived."

Looking around, I saw the breeze blowing the peach blossoms, bringing bursts of fragrance.

In the dead of night, the sad howling of monkeys could be heard in the distance, and the singing of birds and the chirping of insects could be heard nearby, making the place even more quiet.

The water in the pond is slightly cooler when I gently stir it. Looking down carefully, it is bottomless and I don't know where it leads to.

Xiuxiu pinched her fingers and walked on the water. She came to the center and sat cross-legged on the stone plate.

"My natal name is the Moon Shadow in the Deep Pool. There is a deep pool here, reflecting the shadow of the full moon. When I sit here, I will..."

Before he could finish his words, the stone slab lost its support and fell into the deep pool.

Xiuxiu wanted to get up, but she felt an undercurrent in the water beneath her, and in an instant she was sucked into the pool.

He stretched out his hands and tried to move upwards, but his body refused to obey him.

The undercurrent was not urgent, but no matter how hard you struggled, it was useless and it just slowly fell into the deep pool.

The bronze mirror in her hand had slipped out of her hand, her hair was disheveled, and her red hairpin had fallen off.

For a moment, Xiuxiu felt as if she was in another world, as if she was going to a very far place.

"Are you going home?"

Her body fell deeper and deeper. Xiuxiu no longer resisted and just looked up.

The dark eyes looked through the deep pool of water and saw a bright moon hanging in the sky, as if it was on the edge of the sky, and as if it was reflected between the eyebrows.

(End of this chapter)