Leisurely Life (I)

Yan Jue made a trip to the Library Pavilion.

At the bookshelf for light-footwork manuals, she picked out a basic introductory text and planned to take it back and study it properly.

On the way down the mountain, she had seen Qi Xianqing’s movement technique.

It had left a deep impression on her.

Or rather, Qi Xianqing had given her that feeling more than once.

Fast.

There was no doubt that Qi Xianqing’s qinggong was excellent; her movement technique was the most beautiful Yan Jue had ever seen.

That night.

Yan Jue sat at the table and carefully studied the light-footwork manual.

One of the most important things about qinggong was speed; with just a light tap of the toes, one could instantly launch forward.

Before reaching the Opening Light Realm, if she wanted to improve her combat ability, her focus should be on qinggong.

Yan Jue scratched her head until she was almost tearing her hair out. She flipped through the manual until it was nearly worn to pieces, yet still couldn’t make sense of much of it.

In the end, she could only take notes first, then put the book back in the drawer.

She was an outer sect disciple of Watercloud Sect; the sect had a completely laissez-faire attitude toward outer disciples and probably held one large class every seven days or so.

When the time came, she’d ask the senior brother in class properly.

Yan Jue closed the book on light-footwork techniques and opened the Encyclopedia published by Kongqing Prefecture of Five Dragons Mountain to read.

Five Dragons Sect had always been a relaxed, leisurely place.

Not only did it have the Five Dragons Market for trading, it also had the Library Pavilion for reading, the Clean Bath Hall for bathing, and the Valley of a Hundred Flowers in the rear mountains of Five Dragons.

There were also countless Five Dragons peaks she had never explored.

Some disciples with no ambition at all were even happy to spend the rest of their lives here.

Yan Jue couldn’t help thinking that if she hadn’t transmigrated into such an awkward identity, would she also have become one of those people who lived peacefully on Five Dragons Mountain, reading the paper every day?

As always, Yan Jue first opened the noisy gossip rankings; unexpectedly, the top item was not about Lord Meng Heng Qi Xianqing, but rather...

- The demon race has gone on a killing spree in the Northern Frontier; South Tower has sent three great experts to suppress them.

Yan Jue read in silence, her expression gradually turning serious.

In this world, there were three major forces: humans, demons, and the demon race.

The demon race had always been neutral.

If she remembered correctly, the plot of this novel was that the demon race grew dissatisfied with the immortal sects pointing fingers at them and issuing all sorts of rules and restrictions; later on, they severed ties with the human race and decisively threw themselves into the camp of the Demonic Cult.

If the relationship between the demon race and the human race broke down, it would actually be very dangerous.

This was a world biased toward the righteous path. The consequences of betraying orthodoxy were easy enough to imagine.

The final fate of the entire demon race was also extremely tragic.

After the demonic race was encircled and slaughtered by the immortals, the demon race was abducted by the immortal sects; some became slaves, some were raised as spirit pets.

“...”

Leaning against the bed, Yan Jue silently flipped the paper to the next page.

The second item in the Five Dragons Encyclopedia was about Qi Xianqing.

"About Qi Xianqing and Watercloud Sect’s prospective disciple Chu Fu: Things That Had to Be Said About Their Time Descending the Mountain"

Compared with the heaviness of the first piece of news, the second article’s subject matter could be described as explosive:

Lord Meng Heng’s mood on this trip down the mountain was utterly shattered.

She had originally thought it would be a world of flowers and moonlight between her and Chu Fu, but out of nowhere, a delicate and beautiful little junior sister had barged in.

What Lord Meng Heng first considered was how to successfully win Chu Fu’s heart.

Fortunately, fortunately, Junior Brother Chu Fu’s loyalty to Lord Meng Heng was rock-solid.

After a series of twists and turns, Lord Meng Heng finally defeated the delicate little junior sister and became a pair with Chu Fu; a celestial couple.

A bystander asked: Why?

The evidence was that on that day, beneath the mountain of Five Dragons Sect, in bright sunshine, Chu Fu and Immortal Lady Qi sat in the same carriage.

Soft words, gentle speech.

And the delicate little junior sister.

Sat all alone in the back of the carriage, biting a handkerchief and on the verge of tears.

“...”

Yan Jue: "Hahahahaha."

She didn’t know which good soul wrote this gossip piece, but when they did, they hadn’t forgotten to erase their own name.

Chu Fu and Lord Meng Heng’s names appeared over and over again in the article.

That was really satisfying.

Yan Jue folded up the paper and sorted out her things.

Demon-subduing ring, a box of ointment to keep mosquito demons from biting, a bag of healing salve, a box of Sheming Xu, an iron sword for outer disciples, and several repeating crossbows; in her Qiankun bag there were also 108 mid-grade Spirit Stones.

These were all the items Yan Jue had obtained after transmigrating here.

Some were bought, some were picked up.

For a rookie at the Foundation Establishment Realm, this could be called very abundant. Yan Jue was quite satisfied.

There were six repeating crossbow bolts in total; they had all previously been inscribed with different talismans, but because she had used them all up against the ape demon, she would need to have them retempered at the Refining Hall.

That could wait until tomorrow!

Yan Jue sat on the bed and instantly turned into a little fox, her ears twitching back and forth.

Although there were many benefits to being human, only in her original form was her body the most comfortable, and spiritual energy circulated through it more quickly.

Yan Jue padded around on the bed for a while, then suddenly noticed something was wrong.

She raised her head and looked at herself in the mirror.

Had her body gotten bigger???

Compared with the slightly small frame she’d had more than a month ago, she seemed to have grown a little taller; her fiery red fur looked as though a layer of flame had condensed over it, making her even more beautiful.

No way... the original host couldn’t have been a juvenile fox, could she?

Yan Jue flicked her tail, then suddenly discovered that behind her tail there seemed to be something extra.

“?”

Yan Jue stared fixedly at the mirror; every hair on her body stood on end.

Beside her fluffy big tail, at some point... another tail had grown... a tiny red tail, like a little scallion sprout.

“...”

Damn it.

Could the original host have been a monster?

Yan Jue stared blankly into the mirror for a long while. She pressed the little tail down and found that, for the time being, it could be hidden.

“...” Forget it, forget it; she’d ignore it for now.

There was something more important to do.

Yan Jue hooked her claws onto the windowsill and leaped out through the window.

The night was quiet.

Relying on the original host’s memories, Yan Jue made her way to Chu Fu’s residence.

Under a dark sky and a strong wind, Yan Jue hid outside the male lead Chu Fu’s quarters and waited silently.

She hadn’t originally known where the male lead lived, but unfortunately the original host’s memories of all that and more were far too vivid; it would have been hard not to remember.

Yan Jue had not forgotten the matter of stealing the male lead’s opportunities.

Soon, she saw a familiar figure outside the residence.

Chu Fu pushed open the door and came out, still carrying a basket in his hands.

There was no need to say it; Yan Jue could guess this was food for the severely injured demonic cultivator in the mountain cave.

When Chu Fu had gone up the mountain, he had happened to meet a high-ranking demonic cultivator in a cave halfway up the cliff by sheer chance. It was precisely because he delivered food and water to the other party every day that the person had been able to survive.

In return, the high-ranking demonic cultivator bestowed on Chu Fu all sorts of magical treasures and divine abilities.

This was one of Chu Fu’s important early opportunities.

It was also the key to Chu Fu’s later descent into demonic cultivation and destruction of the sect.

Chu Fu cast a cautious glance behind him, then headed straight into the depths of the forest.

Yan Jue followed slowly behind. She saw Chu Fu cross a stream, then begin walking downhill.

Soon, they arrived beside a cliff.

Yan Jue was slightly stunned. There was no road ahead.

The next second, Chu Fu answered her question.

He grabbed the vine hanging from the edge of the cliff and jumped straight down.

Yan Jue immediately followed. She lay down on the outside of the cliff and looked down, seeing Chu Fu gripping the vine tightly with both hands, stepping down one foothold at a time, and very quickly reaching a highly concealed outcropping halfway down the cliff.

Then... he crawled into a mountain cave sealed tight by tangled vines.

Yan Jue definitely couldn’t do anything tonight; the timing just wasn’t right yet.

She did want to seize the male lead’s opportunity, but she still needed to think of a foolproof method.

The demonic cultivator in that cave seemed to have once been a mighty lord of the Demonic Cult.

His cruel and brutal deeds were appalling; wherever he went, a million corpses lay in piles, bones stacked like mountains.

Yan Jue had always been a cautious person. The original text merely mentioned that the male lead went into the cave to feed a demonic expert, and did not describe the details; later, the male lead fell into demonic cultivation... who knew what happened in that cave?

Yan Jue definitely would not rashly enter that cave.

Standing at the edge of the cliff and looking down for a while, Yan Jue headed back.

This place was very close to the Cold Pool at Qiwu Peak; Yan Jue planned to go there first.

She had gone down the mountain to complete a mission and had been on the road the whole time, dusty and travel-worn, without circulating her cultivation once.

Now that she had the chance, of course she should soak in the Cold Pool and circulate her power properly, while also thinking carefully about her light-footwork technique.

Just as Yan Jue arrived at the lakeshore, she suddenly sensed something extremely dangerous.

Someone was standing by the lakeside.

Qi Xianqing had a solemn expression. She held that black longsword, Zhuying, and slowly extended the blade outward.

Wherever it passed, the calm surface of the water stirred up wave after wave.

Moonlight slanted down, scattering over the side of Qi Xianqing’s face, cold and transcendent like an immortal banished from the heavens. She had no unnecessary expression at all, giving off an air of detached indifference, untouched by the mortal world.

Yan Jue’s pupils constricted.

She had... run into Qi Xianqing again!

Qi Xianqing exerted a little force with her wrist, and the surging spray was pushed outward, curving through the air in a silver-white arc.

Of all things in the world, water was undoubtedly the weakest; for Qi Xianqing to strike the water into such a shape, her internal power was clearly already very deep.

Yan Jue stood there, wrinkling her nose.

After learning that she couldn’t interfere with the emotional development of the male and female leads, Yan Jue had to admit she was somewhat disheartened.

During this period of traveling with Qi Xianqing, there was much Yan Jue didn’t know.

The only thing she knew was that Chu Fu simply wasn’t worthy of Qi Xianqing.

Yan Jue stood in the grass, not knowing whether she should go over.

Qi Xianqing put away her sword and slowly bent down, soaking her swollen arm in the icy water.

It was already summer, and mosquito demons were becoming more and more rampant; Qi Xianqing no longer remembered how many times she had been bitten.

Qi Xianqing let out an irritated sigh and turned her head.

After reaching the Opening Light Realm, her Divine Sense had become increasingly sharp; she caught the clear, water-like eyes of the little fox in the grass without warning.

It had its head tilted up, looking at her, apparently lost in thought and a little dazed.

“...”

Qi Xianqing sat down carelessly by the lakeshore and beckoned to her. “Long time no see.”

Yan Jue didn’t know why, but whenever Qi Xianqing gestured to her, she wanted to go over.

So she walked over and stared at Qi Xianqing with an expressionless face.

After so many days of getting along with Qi Xianqing, Yan Jue had grown somewhat used to her scent.

In the past, as long as she got close to Qi Xianqing, all the fur on her body would bristle.

Now, as long as she didn’t get too close, there was no problem.

Moonlight flowed like water.

The little fox stood beside the girl, her fluffy tail hanging down on the ground.

Of course, that strange little tail was firmly pressed against her belly and hidden away.

Qi Xianqing set up a rack and took out a small net from her Qiankun bag, placing it on top.

She merely formed a seal, and flames gushed up from beneath the cauldron with a crackling sound.

Qi Xianqing was actually roasting meat on the rack.

The rich aroma of roasting meat, mixed with a faint hint of char, instantly spread across the entire lakeshore.

This time there was no perfunctory bone to gnaw on.

Qi Xianqing took down a roasted chicken leg, shredded the meat into small pieces, and put it into a bowl before gently pushing it in front of Yan Jue.

“Gulp...” Yan Jue swallowed a mouthful of saliva in disgrace.

The ears of cultivators were all very sharp; Qi Xianqing had clearly heard that unusual sound and smiled. “Eat.”

Yan Jue and Qi Xianqing ate together with great relish, gradually forgetting all about the matter of the male and female leads.

Qi Xianqing took out something from her bag. Yan Jue took one look and realized it was actually the sugar-steamed curd dessert she had eaten at the inn that day!

Qi Xianqing sat on the ground and ate it slowly.

She even remembered to split half of it for the little fox.

That day, after they came out of the illusion, Qi Xianqing had even specially gone to a restaurant in the nearby town to order a portion of sugar-steamed curd.

Yan Jue had thought she was going to give it to the junior brothers and sisters in the mountain, but it turned out she’d kept it for herself.

Yan Jue finished the sugar-steamed curd with relish, ate one chicken leg, and then started on the other.

She still couldn’t quite control a fox’s instincts; just as she was eating intently, she suddenly felt the fur on her back grow heavy.

Qi Xianqing was eating sugar-steamed curd while stroking her.

The girl’s cool hand moved over her back absentmindedly, stopping and starting. Every time she touched her, Yan Jue shivered all over, the skin on her back tightening and loosening in response.

Qi Xianqing : “So annoying.”

Yan Jue froze. She... was annoyed by what?

Qi Xianqing: “Annoying to death.”

Yan Jue looked up at her.

Under the moonlight, the girl’s brows were faintly furrowed, her expression somewhat vexed; it was utterly unlike her usual distant coldness, which made Yan Jue wonder whether this and the usual untainted, chilly Qi Xianqing were really the same person.

Qi Xianqing picked up a stone from the shore. With a slight press of her fingertip, the stone shot out like an arrow and struck the water, splashing up a wave.

“The people from the Five Dragons Encyclopedia keep writing nonsense. I only know him socially through a few nods, and I have no idea why he keeps pestering me.”

Qi Xianqing knew that the animals on Five Dragons Mountain were different from those elsewhere.

Five Dragons Mountain was one of the Six Great Immortal Sects; the mountain was rich in spiritual energy.

Even a tiny squirrel had been nourished by spiritual energy and was different from ordinary beasts.

She disliked socializing in everyday life, so she naturally treated this exceptionally intelligent little fox among beasts and birds as someone to confide in, and told it about what had happened when she went down the mountain on a mission before.

This... sounds like Chu Fu, doesn’t it?!

Yan Jue tilted her head at her, pretending to be a silly little fox who understood nothing, while her black ears stood upright on top of her head, twitching as she listened carefully.

Qi Xianqing rubbed her cheeks and sighed lightly. “Since he wants to seek me out, I should, in principle, fulfill my duty to impart the Dao, teach the profession, and resolve doubts. But the questions he asks are far too stupid; it’s obvious he’s just searching for something to say.”

“In the immortal sect, when the others see my expressionless face, they all lose interest and leave. Only he...”

“Is he truly eager to learn, or simply idiotic enough not to read the room? Or is his skin thicker than city walls?”

Yan Jue: “...”

Oh my god.

Somehow, without realizing it, she had overheard an earth-shattering piece of gossip.

That male lead was really miserable. He probably still thought that by acting humble and eager to learn, he would make Qi Xianqing favor him and look at him differently, when in fact he’d already been disliked for a long time.

Yan Jue didn’t know what expression to make, so she simply nudged Qi Xianqing’s hand lightly with her head. Qi Xianqing turned her palm downward and gently covered the fox’s soft fur.

Qi Xianqing said distractedly, “On this trip down the mountain, I did discover one extremely intelligent person.”

Yan Jue froze.

An intelligent person?

She silently kept pretending to be stupid, but her black ears perked up on top of her head as she listened carefully.

Qi Xianqing smiled and said in a low voice, “Very unexpected.”