Jade Terrance
Yan Jue opened her eyes again in the dead of night.
She was still lying in a warm embrace.
Qi Xianqing was still holding her from behind, her breathing even and steady. The arm resting at her side was porcelain-white, and faint blue veins showed through the skin on the back of her hand.
Qi Xianqing’s most vulnerable neck was exposed right in front of her; the sweet fragrance of the Immortal Spirit Physique drifted through the air.
Yan Jue only needed to lean in and bite lightly to sever her vein.
She was dazed for a few seconds, then, as she usually did, stretched out one dark little paw and gently rested it on Qi Xianqing’s shoulder.
Yan Jue tried to wriggle free from the girl’s overly soft embrace, but Qi Xianqing kept her eyes closed, seemingly unaware. Instead, her arm tightened around her.
This had never happened before! In the past, whenever she woke up at night, Qi Xianqing had never held her this tightly!
The little fox bared her teeth and twisted wildly in Qi Xianqing’s arms before finally breaking free.
Qi Xianqing was lying on her side, her body slightly curled, her hands empty.
Yan Jue stared at her for a long moment and suddenly felt reluctant again.
She bit the pillow beside her, shoved it into Qi Xianqing’s arms, then hopped away on all fours.
The sound of her footsteps faded into the distance. In the darkness, Qi Xianqing slowly opened her eyes and frowned slightly.
-
Because too many people were taking part in this year’s Five-Dragon Summit, the second round of matches still had not finished by the end of yesterday.
So by the time Yan Jue woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky, and she did not need to go to Five Dragons Square to compete.
In the morning light, Yan Jue opened her eyes and watched the warm sunlight spill in through the doorway.
Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed something on the desk.
A short note; it must have been delivered by the Immortal Crane early this morning.
Yan Jue squinted, picked up the note, and unfolded it.
Duan Luxi: Senior Sister Yan, the pairings for the next round just came out. I can’t believe I’m up against you this round!
They were out?
Yan Jue stared at those words for a long moment, then gave a bitter smile.
Duan Luxi was very strong; more importantly, she was broadly read.
If she went up against Duan Luxi, she really might not be a match.
Yan Jue’s gaze continued downward.
Duan Luxi:
Last night, when I was meditating, I sensed an unusual surge of spiritual power in my body.
When I woke up this morning, I discovered I’d actually broken through to the early Fusion Realm.
Yan Jue: “……”
Duan Luxi: Sorry; I just broke through and ended up drawing you.
To celebrate my breakthrough, I’m planning to go to Jade Terrance in a bit and place a bet on myself to win. I should be able to make a hefty profit.
Sorry, Senior Sister Yan!
We know each other so well.
Yan Jue: “……”
Fine; you really are something.
Yan Jue worried for a while, then closed her eyes again, about to go back to sleep.
Just then, she heard light footsteps outside the window, heading toward the mountains.
The white fox jumped in through the window. “Master, something’s happened!”
Unlike its usual gentle manner, it was baring its teeth, its expression urgent.
Yan Jue was slightly startled and sat up on the bed. “What is it?”
Bai Ying: “The little wild boar has been caught!”
This was the drawback of forming a master-servant soul contract: if the demon beast caused trouble outside, the master had to pay the price. Yan Jue’s expression immediately turned grave. “Caught by who? Explain clearly.”
Bai Ying: “That wild boar somehow went to Muyin Sect and ran to the Spirit Beast Hall to steal a few pills and eat them. After the Spirit Beast Hall caught it, they originally wanted to kill it on the spot, but when they saw the mark on its body, they kept it for now and said to wait for its master to come claim it.”
Yan Jue could not help but feel embarrassed. They had only formed the master-servant soul contract not long ago, and the little wild boar was already excellent at causing her trouble.
-
When Yan Jue arrived at Muyin Sect’s Spirit Beast Hall, Zhu He was already locked in a cage.
The little girl sat inside the iron cage, wearing a water-blue long robe and still draped in that cloak woven from dead thatch. Her arms were bound with sleeve garters, revealing a section of lotus-white skin covered in whip marks.
The Spirit Beast Hall was responsible for managing the feed of Five Dragons Mountain’s spirit beasts.
Of course, it mainly took care of the rare divine beasts on Five Dragons Mountain, such as qilin and horned tigers.
Disciples who passed the Spirit Beast Hall’s entrance exams were considered set for food and clothing; they received a fixed stipend every month and lived quite comfortably.
There was a clamor all around; some people were playing mahjong, others were playing chess.
The moment Yan Jue stepped into the Spirit Beast Hall, she saw a gorgeously beautiful woman sitting at a mahjong table, slapping down a tile.
“Sister Bai, let’s go to Jade Terrance again at noon and place another round of bets.”
The woman: “Bet, bet, bet; all you ever think about is betting. You lost all your money a few days ago.”
The moment Zhu He saw Yan Jue, she immediately stood up and made a series of grunting sounds.
When everyone heard Zhu He calling like that, they suddenly burst into laughter.
“I’m dying of laughter. Is she a pig or a person, anyway? She can’t even talk.”
“No clue where this stupid little demon came from. She can’t even take human form.”
“The demon is stupid; the master is even stupider. She actually dared to covet the Spirit Beast Hall’s feed.”
Yan Jue forced herself to be patient and walked over. “Fellow daoists, this is my demon beast. I’m here to take her back.”
“Take her back? Not that easy.” A silver-bell laugh suddenly rang out from over there.
Yan Jue turned.
The woman she had first noticed when she entered had suddenly stood up from the mahjong table.
She wore a chest-high dress in pea-green brocade, her hair arranged in a single coiled bun, her figure slim and graceful.
Laughter rang around her. “Sister Bai.”
Bai Chuli looked at Yan Jue. “If you want to take her away, fine. First compensate our Spirit Beast Hall for the pills.”
Yan Jue said coolly, “May I ask what kind of pills she ate?”
Bai Chuli: “A total of a few Profound Beast Bloodline Pills; one thousand top-grade Spirit Stones.”
Before she had even finished speaking, Yan Jue was already shocked.
That was outright robbery. Last time, when she had obtained so many natural treasures in Suyang Immortal Residence, she had sold all of them through Myriad Demons Pavilion and only gotten five thousand top-grade Spirit Stones.
Yan Jue: “A few Profound Beast Bloodline Pills cost that much?”
Bai Chuli: “You don’t know? Profound Beast Bloodline Pills are made from the most precious Profound Blood Grass and the essence of spirit beast bloodlines. They’re specially used to feed the qilin on our Five Dragons Mountain. Even one pill costs a huge amount. What right does your pig demon have to eat such precious spirit beast feed?”
Yan Jue did not want trouble, especially since the little wild boar was at fault first.
So she took out a thousand top-grade Spirit Stones from her Qiankun bag and handed them to Bai Chuli.
Bai Chuli snorted. As she passed Zhu He’s cage, she lifted her jade foot and kicked it hard. The iron cage shook violently; Zhu He bumped her head and let out a few grunts, and then the cage door opened.
……
Yan Jue brought Zhu He back to Watercloud Sect. All the way, Zhu He kept looking at Yan Jue fearfully, worried that Yan Jue would scold her.
Yan Jue took her back to the Watercloud Sect courtyard and examined the wounds on her arms.
Fortunately, the whip marks were only flesh wounds.
Yan Jue: “You can’t go steal other people’s things again in the future; understand?”
Zhu He let out aggrieved little grunts. “Walk, fragrant.”
Only then did Yan Jue understand what she meant.
When Zhu He had gone out for a walk, she had happened to pass by Muyin Sect’s Spirit Beast Hall.
Today the sun was out, and the Spirit Beast Hall had been drying pills in the courtyard.
Zhu He had smelled how fragrant the pills were and couldn’t resist climbing into the courtyard to eat a few.
That was also why it was very necessary to form a master-servant contract with a little wild boar just after it took human form.
Newly transformed demons had an innate closeness toward people, but they had never experienced how dark human hearts could be.
It was very easy for them to get into trouble like this.
Luckily, she had once formed a master-servant contract with Zhu He; otherwise, after the little wild boar ate such expensive pills, she might already have been beaten to death in the Spirit Beast Hall.
Yan Jue: “If you get hungry in the future, go find Lord Meng Heng, understand?”
Zhu He: “Now.”
Yan Jue: “Huh? You’re hungry right now?”
Zhu He nodded, looking very wronged.
Yan Jue waved a hand. “Anyway, don’t go anywhere near the Spirit Beast Hall again, not even half a step. If you’re hungry now, go find Lord Meng Heng. She should still be at the Cold Pool. Don’t say I told you.”
Zhu He obediently nodded and ran off quickly.
Only then did Yan Jue let out a breath of relief.
Yan Jue did not go straight back to her room; instead, she made a trip to the Library Pavilion.
The Library Pavilion was still the same as before, ancient and imposing.
Several threads of sunlight filtered in through the windows; rows upon rows of tall bookshelves stood all around.
The shelves were filled with old books bound in thread, their pages slightly yellowed, while purple incense smoke curled up from the burner.
During the Five-Dragon Summit, there was no one in the Library Pavilion, and the silence was so complete she could only hear her own footsteps.
Yan Jue strolled in and came to the bookshelf recording pills, then pulled out a book.
An incense stick later.
Yan Jue closed the book, her expression darkening.
Earlier at the Spirit Beast Hall, because she had no specific knowledge of that kind of “spirit beast bloodline pill,” she had not said much.
Spirit Beast Bloodline Pills were Profound-rank pills. Though precious, even a few of them would never cost a thousand top-grade Spirit Stones.
She had to get those lost Spirit Stones back somehow.
……
But how was she supposed to get them back……
Yan Jue frowned and pondered for a long while; then her pupils suddenly contracted.
This morning, when she received Duan Luxi’s note, what had it said?
Duan Luxi said she had broken through to the Fusion Realm and would definitely win, so she was going to Jade Terrance and place a small bet on who would win between “Duan Luxi and Yan Jue.”
Earlier at the Spirit Beast Hall, when she heard Bai Chuli talking about mahjong with the others, she had also said she was going to Jade Terrance……
Yan Jue had already thought of a way to deal with this.
-
On the day of the Five-Dragon Summit, the liveliest place after Five Dragons Square was Jade Terrance on Five Dragons Mountain.
That was because betting activities were held here whenever the summit took place.
The rules were simple; they amounted to nothing more than guessing the outcomes of matches.
At noon, the makeshift gambling stand under the small awnings was packed with noise and people.
“Afternoon’s the third round of matches, everyone. Come take a look and see who’s going to win.”
Bai Chuli had one leg propped up casually as she sat in a chair, staring at the glittering Spirit Stones on the terrace, the corners of her lips lifting unconsciously.
These Spirit Stones had all been swindled out of that fool from Watercloud Sect just now.
Bai Chuli was the second young lady of the Dinghai Bai family.
She had been sent to Five Dragons Mountain at a very young age, and had worked in Muyin Sect’s Spirit Beast Hall for over ten years. Recently, she had run into a problem.
She did not have enough Spirit Stones to spend.
Although the Bai family was also one of the four great families, and the Spirit Stones they gave her every month were not insignificant……
On the first match two days ago, she had placed all her bets on Yan Jue losing.
Then she lost everything.
At first Bai Chuli had been in unbearable pain over it; how could a second young lady of her status have no money to spend?
Until this morning, when she caught that wild boar sneaking into the Spirit Beast Hall to steal pills.
Hehehe.
Maybe this really was fate. That useless Yan Jue from Watercloud Sect had caused her to lose everything. Then that same useless Yan Jue had sent all the Spirit Stones back to her.
“Place your bets. Will Yan Jue lose in the third round?”
A fair, refined-looking young man stood up. “Sister Bai, we’ve analyzed it carefully.”
Bai Chuli lifted her eyelids and gave him a cool look. “Go on.”
The young man: “That Yan Jue only managed to win the first two matches because she practiced Concealing Breath Art and made everyone think she was just a useless Foundation Establishment Realm early-stage cultivator.
In the first two matches, Ke Shuang and Qin Yingwei were all fooled by her scheme and underestimated her.
Yan Jue’s true level is probably only at the peak of the Enlightenment Realm!”
Bai Chuli: “Why can’t she be in the Fusion Realm?”
The young man: “At present, the only two Fusion Realm disciples in our sect are Thunderflame Sect’s Senior Sister Qi Xianqing and Mystic Escape Sect’s Senior Sister Yun Jie. Both of them have been cultivation prodigies since childhood.
Do you think Yan Jue, that useless cultivator who’s been stuck in Foundation Establishment Realm for years since entering the mountain, can catch up to their level in just one year no matter how hard she works?”
Bai Chuli thought about it. “Fair enough.”
The young man then pulled a roster from his sleeve. “Sister Bai, this is the match list for this afternoon’s sect competition.”
Bai Chuli froze slightly.
The young man: “The lineup for this afternoon’s matches has already been released.”
“Yan Jue is up against Muyin Sect’s Duan Luxi this afternoon!”
“As far as I know, Senior Sister Duan is a rare genius in cultivation; she just broke through to the Fusion Realm yesterday!”
Bai Chuli slammed the table and stood up. “The difference between major realms is enormous; in other words, in this afternoon’s match, Senior Sister Duan is very likely to win!”
In this world, the major realms were Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Enlightenment, Fusion, and so on……
As for minor realms, they were the early, middle, late, and peak stages within each major realm.
Bai Chuli was not wrong. On the surface, the gap between major realms was only one realm; in reality, it was enormous.
Apart from a few geniuses like Qi Xianqing who could kill across realms, almost no one else could do it.
In an instant, Bai Chuli’s eyes lit up; everything around her seemed to suddenly clear.
Yan Jue was in the Enlightenment Realm, while Senior Sister Duan had already broken through to the Fusion Realm.
That difference was self-evident.
Those several thousand taels of top-grade Spirit Stones seemed to be waving at her slowly……
“Bet! Put it all here!” Bai Chuli placed all one thousand top-grade Spirit Stones on the betting table.
Everyone was stunned.
“I heard Sister Bai lost a lot of money in the first round…… This should be her last savings, right?”
“If Sister Bai dares to put out her only savings, that must mean it’s rock solid. I’ll follow her and bet too.”
Although Yan Jue had narrowly won the first two rounds, it was only by relying on martial arts techniques that everyone looked down on; she had simply won by surprise.
Those who had lost to Yan Jue had only done so because they knew nothing at all about martial arts techniques……
But this afternoon’s match, her opponent was Senior Sister Duan Luxi……
Senior Sister Duan Luxi was already at the Fusion Realm; no matter how you looked at it, she could crush Yan Jue.
And Senior Sister Duan’s studies were all top marks; she was also broadly read and knew everything.
There was no way she could lose to Yan Jue!
On the betting table at Jade Terrance, the side marked with the character for “Duan” was instantly piled high with glittering Spirit Stones.