I Ruined the Long Ao Tian Script-Chapter 82

The Phoenix Perches on the Phoenix Tree

Xu Shulou turned and walked away, leaving the crowd staring at her retreating figure, unable to calm their emotions for a long time.

Bai Roushuang held a stick of frozen milk curd between her teeth—something her senior sister had handed her to placate her when she tried to stop her earlier. The other disciples from Bright Moon Peak each had one too, chewing on them without a care for the occasional complicated glances thrown their way by the other students.

Someone ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‍was applying medicine to their injured arm, grumbling, "Had I known this would happen, I’d have left the secret realm earlier to join the excitement in Qingcheng. The love story of Immortal Venerable Jiuyou and the Phoenix Tree Goddess—I’ve grown up hearing about it."

Bai Roushuang took a bite of her frozen milk curd. She, too, had long heard of the legendary love between these two. Even the mortal realm had a play titled The Phoenix Perches on the Phoenix Tree, adapted from their romance.

Immortal Venerable Jiuyou was the last known descendant of the ancient Phoenix Clan. It was said that the phoenixes were heaven’s favored, born with a golden core without needing cultivation, and this heritage added a layer of mystique to his legend.

His dao companion was a phoenix tree spirit named Qi Wutong. As for the title "Phoenix Tree Goddess," it didn’t actually exist in the cultivation world—it was a moniker bestowed upon her at Feng Jiuyou’s insistence.

The tale of The Phoenix Perches on the Phoenix Tree had moved many. Their tumultuous love story, filled with separations and reunions, was still recounted in detail by many in the cultivation world.

The students, temporarily confined to the cave out of boredom, seized the opportunity to chatter about the couple.

Stories flew—how the goddess was in danger, and the immortal rushed to save her; how she was injured, and he fought for rare medicine to heal her; how he shot down stars to make her smile when she was unhappy; how he offered great riches to bring noble mortal maidens to serve her when she lacked suitable attendants…

Bai Roushuang listened to these age-old tales with an impassive face, continuing to chew her frozen milk curd. She felt nothing for their story. It was said that once, Qi Wutong had disguised herself as a man to visit a brothel in the mortal realm. Feng Jiuyou chased after her but, unwilling to reprimand his beloved, instead humiliated the women there, calling them vulgar and using his influence to shut down the establishment. He closed four or five brothels before Qi Wutong, amused, gave up her mischief.

When Bai Roushuang was twelve and heard this story, she had asked Sister Lan, who had taken her to the storyteller, "Where do the women from the brothels go after they’re shut down? Do they have homes to return to?" Sister Lan had smiled mockingly and told her no one cared about that.

So… even back then, she hadn’t found their story romantic. And now, even less so.

What was there to admire about lofty figures indulging in a lofty romance? What did it have to do with someone as insignificant as her?

———

At the foot of Mount Taihua, two female cultivators were flying back to the mountain on their swords. Both were of mortal origin, and after spending so long in the cultivation world, they often missed the sights of the mortal realm. Today, with no classes scheduled, they had taken the chance to visit and were now exchanging a beautiful beaded hairpin they had just bought.

But their laughter was cut short when a group of masked men blocked their path.

The two had never expected danger so close to the Xuan Cang Academy. Caught off guard, they were quickly surrounded by the five men.

"Who are you?!" The two had never provoked trouble since entering the cultivation world, had no grudges with anyone, and carried no valuables. For a moment, they thought the men had mistaken them for someone else.

But the assailants wasted no words. At their leader’s command, all five raised their weapons and attacked.

The women drew their swords in defense, but their foundations were still weak. In moments, their blades were knocked away.

Back to back, they stood trembling. "What do you want? This is Xuan Cang Academy, established under the leadership of the Qingcheng Sect! Many sects are involved here. If you cause trouble, aren’t you afraid of being hunted down by them all?"

"Qingcheng? Pfah!" The leader sneered. "We’re here because of those hypocrites from Qingcheng, shielding their own!"

Before they could retort, they were shoved roughly.

"Then why not take your grievances to Qingcheng Sect?" A calm female voice sounded behind them. "Why target these innocent students instead?"

The group startled—none had sensed anyone approaching. "Who’s there?!"

A figure appeared behind them, hovering mid-air with hands clasped behind her back. Tall and poised, she wore the plain white robes of a Xuan Cang Academy disciple, yet her presence alone made the men pale.

"Ah Yi?" one of the trapped women cried. "Run! These are dangerous men!"

The girl called "Ah Yi" smiled reassuringly. The expression was gentle, and with her lovely face, it should have been comforting—yet the five men took a frightened step back.

The leader gasped. "It’s you?!"

"So you recognize me?" Xu Shulou studied their masked faces but found no clues.

She floated closer, landing gracefully with her hands still behind her back, not even reaching for a weapon. Yet the five tensed as if she might strike at any moment, hastily retreating.

The two women stared in shock. One was still replaying Xu Shulou’s gentle smile in her mind. Ah Yi had always been such a kind, approachable girl—why did these men act like they’d seen a demon?

Surely… they had the wrong person?

Xu Shulou took two leisurely steps forward. The five scrambled back again, hearts sinking. They had checked—today, all Xuan Cang Academy’s teachers were in Qingcheng delivering gifts. Only Teacher Li remained on the mountain. It should have been the perfect opportunity—subdue him, and they’d have free rein.

But then Xu Shulou appeared out of nowhere.

The leader’s mind raced. "Lady Xu!" he called loudly. "Since you’re here, we’ll give you face. These two are yours! We’ll leave now."

The women gaped at Ah Yi. Moments ago, these men had ignored their pleas. Now, after just a few words from her, they were surrendering? Just who was Ah Yi? Were they seriously afraid to fight her, even five against one?

Xu Shulou raised a brow. "Let you go, so you can regroup and come for me later?"

The leader paled, clasping his hands. "We’ll hand over all our spirit stones. Please, let us go."

Xu Shulou blinked. "You’re awfully practiced at this. Have I robbed you before?"

"Lady Xu, we have our reasons for today," the man pleaded.

"What reason justifies harming innocent students?"

"..."

"Won’t say?" Her right hand rested on her sword hilt. "Then you’ll come with me."

"Wait!" the leader burst out. "It’s—it’s Feng Jiuyou and his dao companion Qi Wutong from Qingcheng Sect! They’ve gone too far! We had no choice!"

"Feng Jiuyou and Qi Wutong?" Xu Shulou tapped lightly on the hilt of her sword with a finger. She had briefly crossed paths with the two before and could hardly say she held a favorable impression of these cultivators who seemed to care for nothing but love. Yet in her dreams, they too made an appearance—Lu Beichen had somehow caught Feng Jiuyou's favor, and later, Immortal Venerable Jiuyou, the Phoenix Clan's descendant, became one of the key figures aiding Lu Beichen on his path to invincibility.

"Yes."

"If you have a grudge against them, why not attack Qingcheng Sect instead of besieging Taihua Mountain?"

The man gave a bitter smile. "If we had the strength to storm Qingcheng directly, why resort to such underhanded tactics? The Xuan Cang Academy is spearheaded by Qingcheng Sect. If they turn a blind eye when trouble arises, their reputation will be ruined. If we don’t make a scene, who would ever listen to our grievances?"

"So, in short, you’re using the students as hostages to negotiate with Qingcheng?" Xu Shulou chuckled.

"..."

Xu Shulou tightened her grip on the sword. "Seems we’ve reached an impasse. Let’s settle this with action."

The five men clenched their teeth and immediately formed a sword formation, lunging at Xu Shulou. The formation, known as the Chain of Death Sword Array, was adapted from an exquisite mortal sword technique, amplified by spiritual energy to multiply its lethality in an instant.

But there was a reason they had wanted to flee at the mere sight of Xu Shulou. No matter how hard they tried, they simply couldn’t match her. Raw power could dismantle even the most intricate techniques—under absolute strength, all flashy skills were rendered useless.

The two female cultivators watched in stunned silence as Xu Shulou suppressed all five men with a single sweep of her sword aura. Moments ago, these five had cut through them like slicing melons, yet now, Xu Shulou was handling them with the same effortless ease.

After knocking all five unconscious, Xu Shulou spared them a final remark before they blacked out: "For the sake of your dubious grievances, I’ll spare your lives—for now."

When she turned back, the two fellow female students were staring at her with wide eyes, their gazes brimming with awe, excitement, and exhilaration.

Xu Shulou cleared her throat. "...There are still other troublemakers nearby. I’ll take you somewhere safe first."

The two women’s eyes sparkled. "A-Yi, just... who are you?"

Seeing no point in hiding it any longer, Xu Shulou replied plainly, "My surname is Xu, given name Shulou—the 'Shulou' from 'a quiet market, a light rain, and drifting gulls.'"

"Shulou... what a lovely name. Wait—Xu Shulou? The Xu Shulou from Dustless Island?!"

Xu Shulou nodded.

The two women’s first reaction was to reflexively touch their own necks. "We’ve been around the legendary Xu Shulou for so long... and we’re still alive?"

Xu Shulou’s gaze sharpened. "And why wouldn’t you be?"