Drunken Spring Pavilion (3)

Yan Jue wandered the market for a long time before she finally found what she wanted again.

A medicine stall.

The one running the stall was a Pheasant Spirit, who asked blankly, “What medicine are you buying?”

Yan Jue: “Do you have any medicine for injuries? Like, say someone got stabbed in the stomach and has a wound that long.”

They always said demons could do anything; maybe something like that really existed.

The Pheasant Spirit: “Yes.”

Yan Jue: !!!

It said something to the spirit beast beside it. The spirit beast turned around, munched on something with puffing breaths, then braced its hind legs as if straining. After that, it pooped out a pale blue pill.

Yan Jue was astonished. She had read many cultivation novels and knew that in a cultivation world, any pill had to be refined from raw materials.

What the spirit beast had just eaten should have been the ingredients; in an instant, they had been transformed into a pill.

This spirit beast must be extremely rare.

The Pheasant Spirit: “It’s very good at healing wounds and stopping bleeding; it even has the effect of bringing the dead back to life.”

Yan Jue no longer had a hairpin, so she took off the pouch at her waist and asked, “Can I trade this?”

The Pheasant Spirit: “Not enough. Little miss, I’m not exaggerating when I say my spirit beast is a rare medicinal beast from the Northern Frontier; the medicine it produces is never ordinary!”

Yan Jue had no choice but to take out her Qiankun bag, all her belongings, ten lower-grade Spirit Stones, plus the pouch at her waist and her handkerchief. Only then did she manage to exchange for one pill.

All in all, it was still very cheap.

Though she had her doubts, it was already this late, and she didn’t know where else to find medicine.

…

On the way back to Drunken Spring Pavilion, Yan Jue took out her token.

This murderer moved with tremendous agility and had exceptional qinggong.

Her cultivation was only at the early Foundation Establishment Realm; even with her fox-demon bloodline giving her an advantage, she still couldn’t catch up to the other party’s footsteps. That meant the other person’s cultivation was probably no lower than the middle Foundation Establishment Realm.

That meant the information was wrong.

The task’s difficulty had far exceeded what an initial mission should have been. This was no longer something she could handle on her own.

Yan Jue tried to slowly infuse her Divine Sense into the token. She wrote at length about the current situation and requested reinforcement from the Administrative Hall.

Yan Jue also knew this was hopelessly optimistic. If it had been an A-rank mission, that would be one thing; who would take a D-rank mission seriously?

But she still held on to a faint sliver of hope.

When Yan Jue returned to Drunken Spring Pavilion, she went straight to Morning Glow Hall, where Rou Yi lived.

The murderer had previously killed without a sound, and the madam had barely managed to suppress the news. But tonight, Rou Yi’s screams were so loud that even the few customers downstairs had been startled.

A crowd had gathered outside Morning Glow Hall.

“No way, another life? Wasn’t there just the case of the famous courtesan Li falling victim half a year ago…”

“Drunken Spring Pavilion is so dangerous; I’m never coming here again. Excuse me, is there anywhere else in Qingye Town to have fun?”

“The newly opened Verdant Mist Residence across the street seems pretty good!”

The madam’s face was livid as she shouted to the crowd, “Everyone, don’t panic! This old servant has already invited an immortal master from Five Dragons Mountain to handle this matter; I will certainly give everyone an explanation!”

The words had barely fallen when the door over there suddenly opened.

A young maiden of about sixteen or seventeen walked in from outside. She wore a light red skirt, and around her neck was a gold collar with three bells tied to it, ringing softly with each step.

Her lips were red, her teeth white, and her wrists were pale as frost.

The madam’s face wrinkled into a mess. Seeing Yan Jue, she hurried over to grab her arm and asked in a lowered voice, “Immortal, did you catch that murderer?”

Yan Jue: “…No.”

Disappointment flashed across the madam’s face. Then she asked miserably, “What happened tonight? Why didn’t that murderer go to Verdant Mist Pavilion and instead went to Morning Glow Hall to find Rou Yi?”

“Oh dear, today just happened to be Rou Yi’s night with a customer, and that customer was a young master from the capital,” the madam practically shouted, then started crying. “We absolutely should not have taken a guest from the capital tonight! If his family comes looking for trouble, what are we supposed to do!”

That murderer had been killing people continuously since half a year ago. Every victim was a woman whose heart had been cruelly cut out.

When Yan Jue had entered the room just now, she had indeed seen a man lying in a pool of blood.

It was probably because that man had taken the blade for Rou Yi, allowing Rou Yi to stand there unharmed.

Yan Jue: “Is he still alive?”

The madam looked as though she had turned to ash. “He’s still alive. He’ll probably die soon enough.”

Yan Jue followed the madam into the room.

It was a complete mess.

Rou Yi was still disheveled, her hair in a mess, standing by the doorway and crying softly.

A man lay on the bed, his breathing extremely faint. He had a ferocious wound across his abdomen, already bandaged with cloth, but the wound was too large; blood was still flowing without stopping.

Yan Jue closed the door, cutting everyone off outside, then took out the pill she had just bought at the Myriad Demons Market.

Back in the market, the Pheasant Spirit had said this medicine could treat every external wound in the world, which was probably an exaggeration. But…

…she might as well treat a dead horse as if it were alive.

She fed the pill to the man, and he let out a faint groan.

Yan Jue froze.

The gruesome, horrifying wound from moments ago was actually healing slowly.

In the end, it turned into a nearly invisible line.

Yan Jue closed the door and walked out.

The madam immediately came over. “Immortal, can you save him!”

Yan Jue met her eyes and, for a moment, was speechless.

She wasn’t some immortal at all; she was merely a Five Dragons disciple who had come down the mountain to carry out a task.

At first, Yan Jue had only intended to muddle through.

But now, seeing these people looking at her with such trusting eyes, her thoughts shifted a little.

Even if this mission had already failed, she still had to resolve this matter.

This was not just a task; it was also a responsibility.

For no reason at all, Yan Jue couldn’t help thinking of that lofty, aloof, spotless Lord Meng Heng.

She wondered whether Qi Xianqing had ever thought the same way when she came down the mountain to temper herself.

Yan Jue: “I gave him some medicine. The wound is no longer a problem. Madam, rest assured.”

The madam looked delighted. “Oh! If he can be saved, that would be wonderful… Thank you, immortal.”

Yan Jue stood in the corridor, frowning in thought.

A few days ago, while flipping through a book, she had read a description.

Some demonic cult evil arts required the right time, place, and people.

That is, they needed a specific time and specific materials; if the time was missed, one had to wait until the next opportunity.

Since the black-clad man had failed this time and had been injured by her, he was very likely to hide and wait for the next chance to strike again.

…

Over the next month, that unlucky man who had taken the blade, after swallowing the pill Yan Jue had given him, actually began to recover little by little.

Meanwhile, Yan Jue waited anxiously for news from Five Dragons Sect.

Just as she had expected.

Five Dragons Sect had not taken her plea for help as a foundation establishment outer disciple seriously.

There had still been no reply to her request for reinforcements.

-

The world was dim and yellow.

Qi Xianqing wore a set of white fitted martial clothes. Her jet-black hair was tied up with a single hairpin, and her normally cold, transcendent bearing was now edged with a sharp, valiant air.

The same pitch-black longsword remained behind her back; the blade was icy and shone faintly in the sunset.

She slowly walked onto the bridge, a trembling old man following beside her.

“Immortal…” the old man said. “Our whole village was wiped out by the Demonic Cult. I thought there was no hope left… I really am grateful to you this time.”

Qi Xianqing smiled faintly. “No need. It’s my duty.”

In the blink of an eye, the two had reached the Shanhai Pass; once they crossed it, they would be in the Central Plains.

Qi Xianqing turned back to look at him and said gently, “Please go back. I’ve already escorted you far enough.”

The old man looked at the girl’s refined face, tears welling in his eyes. “I’d be willing to see you all the way to the foot of Five Dragons Mountain, Immortal.”

Qi Xianqing lifted a hand and rested it on the old man’s shoulder. “Close your eyes. You must not open them halfway. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you’ll be home.”

The old man froze, then obediently closed his eyes. He heard Qi Xianqing quietly recite some incantation.

The sound of wind rose. Fierce gusts battered his face; the old man was terrified and kept his eyes tightly shut. After a long while, the wind finally died down, and he heard a clear voice call out, “Grandpa! Grandpa!”

He opened his eyes and, as expected, found himself in a small fishing village dozens of li away.

His little grandson came over and took his hand, asking, “Grandpa, was that older sister yesterday really a fairy?”

“She’s a cultivator.”

“A cultivator… but she doesn’t seem any different from us ordinary people.” The little grandson hesitated. “She even patted my head yesterday. It was kind of like an elder sister.”

“Your elder sister is only… barely twenty this year.”

The old man sighed and looked out the window at the green mountains in the distance. “Cultivators… are people too. She may be a little steadier than most, but she’s still just a young girl.”

-

After entering the Shanhai Pass, Qi Xianqing flew onward with her sword.

Her token suddenly vibrated. Qi Xianqing sent in her Divine Sense, and an aged voice came from the other side:

“Xianqing, will you pass through Qingye Town on your way back?”

Qi Xianqing said flatly, “Yes.”

“A Five Dragons Sect outer disciple in Qingye Town sent in a request for help. She ran into trouble while carrying out a mission. Because it was sent through the outer sect channel, we didn’t see it in time. Now that we’ve noticed it, a full month has already passed.

She hasn’t contacted the sect for a month. Go to Qingye Town and see what the situation is. Whether she’s dead or alive.”

After all, even the most basic cultivation missions concealed danger. If a request for help wasn’t seen in time and there was no further contact, then she was probably already dead.

And the one who had lost contact was an outer disciple.

The outer sect of Five Dragons Mountain had always been looked down on. It was also the easiest place for problems to arise and the easiest place for trouble to breed.

What kind of people gathered in the outer sect? Usually those with no real talent but who still wanted to seek immortality and ask the Dao, or second-generation cultivators who got in through connections.

They usually couldn’t access any true sect inheritance; at most, they listened to large lectures with more than a hundred people in one class, and the lecturers were mostly part-time inner sect disciples.

Otherwise, they just ran errands and did menial work for the inner sect disciples.

However, Five Dragons Mountain had been declining among the six great immortal sects lately. Outer disciples might not have high aptitude, but because the teaching fees were generous, they had no choice but to take them in.

Five Dragons Mountain already had too many outer disciples like that.

Losing one was hardly worth mentioning.

“If she’s already dead, then help collect her body.”

The Divine Sense on the other side fluctuated.

When Qi Xianqing saw that name, she slightly narrowed her eyes: Yan Jue.

-

Yan Jue felt like she was about to despair.

Time was slipping away bit by bit; the token was about to expire, but there was still no response from the Administrative Hall on Five Dragons Mountain.

Every day, Yan Jue silently recited the Heart-Calming Mantra several times, and she was already able to control the demonic aura within her very well.

Besides that, every day she practiced sword techniques with the iron sword issued uniformly to Five Dragons disciples.

Yan Jue had completely blended into this world.

Her study of The True Codex: Foundation Basics was also progressing.

But the original body was built to be cannon fodder, and her aptitude was too poor.

No matter how Yan Jue practiced “controlling objects,” she couldn’t move that iron sword even a fraction.

Naturally, she also couldn’t advance to the middle Foundation Establishment Realm.

Yan Jue took this pretty calmly. For a cannon fodder who wouldn’t live past ten chapters, maybe the sword technique that looked the coolest in cultivation novels just wasn’t meant for her.

Could it be that she really could only improve her cultivation by absorbing men’s yang energy? No! There had to be some other way!

In the blink of an eye, another month passed, and it was the second day of the month again.

It was time for the murderer to strike again.

Yan Jue changed into a seductive outfit and waited for her customer.

The madam said that today she would arrange a man for her to pretend to entertain.

But as for how to fool the murderer and lure the fish to the hook, that was up to Yan Jue herself.

Yan Jue lay on the bed and clenched her fists.

Since no one from Five Dragons Mountain was coming, everything could only depend on her.

Bang… bang… bang…

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

The madam: “This young lady, please come this way. Warm Fragrance~ this is your guest for tonight.”

Yan Jue looked up and froze.

What came into view was a pair of soft satin embroidered shoes.

Then a hem of ice-blue silk.

A cold-faced woman walked in. Her skirt swayed faintly with each step; her bearing was excellent, every movement graceful as if stepping on lotus blossoms.

The woman sat down by the table and looked over unhurriedly, her gaze carrying a hint of inquiry.

When Yan Jue met those clear, spotless black eyes, her mind went with a buzz.

How could it be her? How could it be her!

What guest was this? This was clearly their Five Dragons Mountain Senior Sister!

Qi Xianqing’s arm rested loosely on the table edge; the skin exposed outside was as white as snow.

She turned her head to look out the window, a strand of blue-black hair falling from beside her ear.

Even after changing out of that white dress and into the skirt of an ordinary woman, her appearance and temperament were still breathtakingly beautiful.

Yan Jue stood up and smiled. “Mm-hm, yes, of course~ Please wait a moment, madam; I’ll be right back.”

She followed the madam out, and the smile on her face instantly collapsed. “No, Madam, this girl came to the wrong room, didn’t she?”

The madam: “She specifically asked for you, Warm Fragrance! A lot of women like this sort of thing these days. You’re as delicate and lovely as a flower; there are definitely plenty of little ladies who want to share a bed with you. Immortal, just bear with it. I’m leaving tonight’s matter to you.”

After all, the madam was from a small town and had never seen much of the world, but she still trusted Yan Jue a great deal.

Everyone had thought that the capital young master was doomed before, yet Yan Jue had turned the situation around and saved him.

The immortal master sent down by Five Dragons Mountain only needed one word: capable.

Only Yan Jue herself knew what was really going on.

“…"

Yan Jue returned to the room and looked at Qi Xianqing.

Meeting again in such a place, she belatedly realized that her legs had already started shaking.

Qi Xianqing lifted a hand, took a sip of tea, and said in a faint, somewhat impatient tone, “Junior Sister Yan, there’s no need to be nervous. Please tell me what is written on your token.”

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Yan Jue.

Right—before, she had sent a request for support to Five Dragons Mountain, but they had never responded. She had already despaired.

Who would have thought the Administrative Hall would actually send Qi Xianqing out!

Yan Jue’s legs were already shaking badly, so she simply dropped to her knees with a thud. Fortunately, the floor of Verdant Mist Pavilion was covered with a thick carpet; she took the chance to crawl down at Qi Xianqing’s feet. “Senior Sister, I ran into trouble while carrying out my mission. You have to help me.”

Qi Xianqing paused, then narrowed her eyes.

Yan Jue had never thought this iceberg heroine could seem so reliable!

She told Qi Xianqing everything, in full detail.

Qi Xianqing was used to carrying out missions.

For inner sect disciples like Qi Xianqing, missions were different from those taken by people like them.

Generally speaking, Qi Xianqing didn’t even have the right to choose her own tasks; the ones she could take were all heavyweight missions assigned by the Administrative Hall.

Handling such matters was naturally not as unfamiliar to her as it was to Yan Jue.

Yan Jue knelt on the ground, cold sweat beading and sliding down her cheeks. Qi Xianqing’s body had a deadly attraction to her; that scent of blood made her entire body tremble instinctively, and her legs went weak.

Even her fair cheeks had flushed with a warm peachy red, like fine mutton-fat jade washed in rouge.

From Qi Xianqing’s angle, she could just make out the girl’s throat bobbing up and down.

A golden collar hung at her neck, its bells swaying left and right.

Exceptionally lovely.

Yan Jue: “Senior Sister, I know that person’s movement technique is extremely fast and agile, and ordinary people simply can’t catch them. In a moment, I’ll have Madam bring a man upstairs. I’ll drug him, pretend to sleep with him, and lure the murderer over. You only need to hide behind the screen and strike by surprise before the murderer can get away.”

This was the plan she had come up with in advance. Since Qi Xianqing had come to help her, even if she had any objections, she still had to explain the matter to Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing was a little surprised. She had thought this person was an unstudious disciple, but she hadn’t expected her to think so carefully. She said coolly, “There’s no need to go to such trouble.”

Suddenly, she stood up, grabbed Yan Jue by the collar, and slammed her down onto the bed.