WBICDPH Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Peach and Plum Trees of the Old Garden

Fang Yunzi’s words were like a small hammer, tapping lightly against Jiang Xianrou’s heart.

From childhood until now, no one had ever spoken to her like that.

What she had always been told was, “How others are,” “What you should be,” “What is right and what is wrong.” Everything she learned was that a proper young lady should be well-read, gentle, and composed—she should become a good wife and mother, bring no shame to her husband’s family, and assist her husband in his success.

But Jiang Xianrou had never been like her name suggested. What she desired had never been confined to the courtyard beneath her feet.

“Well…”

Jiang’s parents clearly did not agree with Fang Yunzi’s words, yet they were wary of her status and abilities and did not dare to be disrespectful.

In the end, Jiang’s father let out a dry laugh and said, “These matters aren’t really for us adults to decide. It still depends on the child herself…”

“I’m willing!”

At that point, Jiang Xianrou couldn’t wait any longer. She ran out from the corner where she had been hiding and stood beside Fang Yunzi.

“Father, Mother, I’m willing to follow the Daoist master and cultivate. No matter how difficult the road ahead is, I will never regret it!”

Her parents’ expressions immediately darkened.

Her father frowned and snapped sharply, “Nonsense! Didn’t I tell you to kneel in the ancestral hall? Who told you to come out here?!”

“Please forgive your daughter’s disrespect,” she said. “I’m only afraid that if I miss this chance today, I’ll never have freedom in the future.”

“You—”

Hearing her say such things, her mother’s eyes reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Xianrou, how can you say that? Aren’t you free enough already? Your father and I provide you with food, clothing, and luxury. In the future, we can find you the best possible husband. This is a blessing many girls could never have even in several lifetimes—why do you still want to leave?”

Parents could never understand Jiang Xianrou’s thoughts, just as she could never truly understand theirs.

“Because I don’t want fine clothes or jewelry, and I don’t want a husband. I just want to see the world outside. You gave me life and raised me, and I can never repay that—but since this is my life, I want to choose how I live it.”

To her parents, those words made her sound like an ungrateful child. With no other option, they brought in her older brother.

Her mother sat crying, her father stood sighing with his hands behind his back, and when her brother arrived and heard the whole story, he didn’t scold her. Instead, he knelt halfway in front of her and asked:

“Xianrou, cultivating is very hard. If you choose this path, it will be difficult and exhausting. You won’t live as comfortably as you do at home.”

“I know.”

“You might bleed, get hurt. It’ll be painful—and lonely.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“And if you go with this immortal today… you won’t have a family anymore. No father, no mother, no brother. You’ll be completely on your own. When you’re tired, there’ll be no one to cry to or talk to. Even so… are you still willing?”

At that question, Jiang Xianrou hesitated.

But when she thought about it, having a family meant living her whole life bound by rules, never truly happy. Compared to that, the cost didn’t seem so great.

So she nodded, very lightly.

A trace of sadness flickered in her brother’s eyes.

He pressed his lips together, then, just as he used to, gently patted the top of her head. Turning to their parents, he said, “Let her go.”

Her mother cried and protested, her father argued sternly with her brother, but he stood firmly in front of Jiang Xianrou, speaking up for her the entire time.

In the end, he convinced their parents. Still, they were furious. Without another word to Jiang Xianrou, they turned and left. Only her brother remained as gentle as ever. He even prepared a small bundle for her, filled with her favorite snacks and little trinkets.

He wanted to ride out and see Fang Yunzi and Jiang Xianrou off at the city gates, but Fang Yunzi had a flying artifact—they didn’t need him to escort them.

Jiang Xianrou said a proper goodbye to her brother. Following Fang Yunzi, she was about to leave home, yet her heart felt strangely calm.

She watched as the artifact lifted into the air, as her brother on the ground grew smaller and smaller. She waved to him, and only when she could no longer see him did she lift her gaze toward the distance.

So this was what the world outside the courtyard looked like—vast mountains and seas, clouds rolling endlessly.

So this was what it felt like to be a bird in flight—so free, so unrestrained.

Jiang Xianrou took a deep breath of the cool air. After a moment, she tugged lightly at Fang Yunzi’s sleeve.

“Big sister, are the rules of the outside world different from those inside the courtyard? Are all the people out there free from constraints, able to live as they please?”

Hearing the girl’s question, Fang Yunzi’s smile carried a faint chill, almost a hint of helplessness.

After a brief silence, she said, “If you are unbound, then you are free.”

The vague answer left Jiang Xianrou puzzled, but she didn’t press further.

She followed Fang Yunzi back to Piaomiao Pavilion.

It was a beautiful place—peach blossoms stretched across the mountains in soft pink hues. The buildings were perched halfway up the slopes, connected by long wooden bridges, like something out of a dream.

Fang Yunzi showed her around, then later took her to meet several elders.

But those elders were nothing like Fang Yunzi. The way they looked at Jiang Xianrou was sharp and critical, reminding her of the visiting ladies back home who had appraised her like merchandise.

“Junior sister, why did you bring back a girl? She looks seven or eight—hasn’t she already missed the best age to start cultivating?”

“Our junior sister really does things differently. So many promising disciples in the sect, yet she insists on bringing back a little girl from the mortal world.”

“Exactly. What’s so special about her? Even if she cultivates, she should study alchemy or medicine. How could she ever become a sword cultivator?”

“My disciple is my decision,” Fang Yunzi said coldly. “I brought her here for you to recognize her—not for you to pick her apart like produce.”

She gave them no courtesy at all.

Afterward, she led Jiang Xianrou away and brought her to her own pavilion, speaking gently:

“There’s no need for formal ceremonies. From today on, you are my disciple—Fang Yunzi’s direct disciple, the fifty-ninth generation of Piaomiao Pavilion, Jiang Xianrou.”

Jiang Xianrou looked at her and nodded seriously.

And just like that, she became part of Piaomiao Pavilion—Fang Yunzi’s disciple.

In truth, she didn’t like this place. Aside from her master, she didn’t like the people here. But since her master said Piaomiao Pavilion was her home and wanted to protect it, Jiang Xianrou was willing to protect it alongside her.

The elders who had criticized her on her first day remained harsh. They judged her constantly—one day saying she was inferior to their own disciples, the next claiming she wasn’t worthy of being an inner disciple.

Jiang Xianrou never took their words to heart. She endured it all and trained in silence. Eventually, she surpassed many of her peers—forming her foundation at thirteen—and secured a strong position among the inner disciples through sheer ability.

She thought that once she proved herself, the criticism would stop.

But when her talent and strength could no longer be faulted, they turned their attention to her gender and appearance.

They said female cultivators had no future—that no matter how brilliant they were now, they would eventually be overshadowed by men.

They said her swordsmanship was too fierce, a waste of her beauty, and that few would want her as a cultivation partner.

The crueler ones said that with a face like hers, she shouldn’t be a sword cultivator at all—she should join a demonic sect or become some kind of enchantress.

The first time she heard such things, Jiang Xianrou beat those gossiping tongues until they were left crawling on the ground. In the end, they faced no punishment—but she was accused of fighting fellow disciples and sent to Reflection Cliff for ten days.

After she returned, Fang Yunzi spoke with her and guided her at length.

Fang Yunzi was a good master. As a woman herself, she had experienced everything Jiang Xianrou was now going through, and she handled it with far more composure.

But Jiang Xianrou was still young. Understanding was one thing—putting it into practice was another.

She grew discouraged, and her cultivation slowed noticeably. That same year, her master Fang Yunzi was excluded by her fellow disciples. Using her gender as an excuse, they barred her from entering the Sword Pavilion for the inheritance trial.

They feared that as a female cultivator, she might surpass them, so they joined forces to suppress her. Ironically, even without her participation, none of them gained the recognition of the Dengwen Sword, and all lost their chance to inherit the position of pavilion master.

The sect descended into chaos, with everyone fighting over the position. After months of struggle, the elders stubbornly upheld the rule that “women cannot enter the Sword Pavilion,” skipping Fang Yunzi’s trial and directly appointing her as pavilion master.

Jiang Xianrou believed they were simply afraid that if Fang Yunzi obtained the sword, others would say they were inferior to a woman.

What a ridiculous insistence.

Even then, they refused to hold a proper succession ceremony, claiming she lacked legitimacy. Instead, they conducted a low-key internal ritual.

Seeing her master treated so unfairly filled Jiang Xianrou with anger.

She said, “For generations, the pavilion master must pass the trial, gain the sword’s recognition, and guard the mountain. The previous fifty-seven masters all obtained the Dengwen Sword—why shouldn’t you? This is something that belongs to you. Why give in to them?”

Fang Yunzi sat calmly, one hand resting against her temple. “It doesn’t matter. Let them fight over it. It’s just a sword. As long as I am the pavilion master, I can protect Mount Penglai—with or without it.”

Then she seemed to recall something and let out a cold laugh.

“Xianrou, this is how the world is. It has always been harsher on women. Whether inside a household or in the wider world, it’s the same.

“When you move forward, you don’t need to pay attention to their nonsense or their words. If they have the time to fix their gaze on you, it only proves they will never reach your level.

“A swan in the sky has no need to argue with sparrows on a branch. They may try to trip you today, but one day you’ll leave them far behind, and they’ll fall to pieces.

“But I do feel for you. Today it’s me who cannot enter the Sword Pavilion. Tomorrow, it will be you. And when that time comes, it won’t be easy.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xianrou wanted to say more, but in the end, she only pressed her lips together and said, “I understand, Master.”

Fang Yunzi nodded. “Your cultivation… hasn’t progressed in a while, has it?”

“Yes…” Jiang Xianrou bowed. “It’s my failing.”

“It’s not your fault. Your mind is too cluttered, your Dao heart unsteady. If you don’t resolve this, every step forward will become harder.”

Jiang Xianrou froze for a moment, then quickly said, “Please guide me, Master.”

Fang Yunzi thought for a while before saying, “You’re different from us. You still have family in the mortal world—that is your attachment, your karma. Your heart is not free of ties, so you cannot fully devote yourself to your path, nor are you clear on what you truly want. Why don’t I grant you a few days’ leave… and you go home for a visit?”