Chapter 119

"Please move aside."

A cold female voice spoke up.

"Fair immortal, you've already purified this spot three times," another female voice retorted just as bluntly.

That day, the sun was just right, and a gentle breeze blew.

Yun Shuchen sat in her favorite spot in the front courtyard, propping up half her face with her hand, watching the two youngsters with helplessness.

Every time Qing Zhouxue saw Fan Yin, she felt as if the woman was radiating black miasma. Wherever she passed, traces remained, polluting her master's entire fresh courtyard.

Qing Zhouxue was fastidious and couldn't tolerate it. Whenever she had free time, she would follow Fan Yin at a distance, casting small cleansing spells behind her to try to dispel the demonic energy.

Fan Yin naturally detested the aura of immortal cultivation, and this woman insisted on following her while continuously casting spells, unsettling her restless heart.

Besides, she felt that these cleansing spells were an insult, implying she was dirty.

Seeing the two on the verge of confrontation, the atmosphere grew tense again. Fortunately, Yun Shuchen had already sealed Fan Yin's cultivation, or a fight might have broken out.

Yun Shuchen glanced at Qing Zhouxue, then lowered her eyes in thought. Her disciple was usually quite indifferent; this was the first time she'd been so uneasy about someone's closeness.

Yesterday, she had already clearly stated she didn't like her.

In truth, Fan Yin and Qing Zhouxue were strangers, and there was no reason for them to have such conflict.

Indeed, it was because, in the unseen, immortal and demonic paths were naturally opposed, like fire and water, especially when she was quite perceptive.

Sometimes Yun Shuchen wondered how her own two mothers had ever gotten together back then.

The outside world wasn't like the Nüxi tribe, where female-female marriage was custom. They had to overcome not only the instinctual repulsion in their blood but also the cold stares of the secular world just to hold each other briefly.

"Master."

"...Aunt."

Yun Shuchen rubbed her brow. "Stop fighting. If you keep it up, I'll throw both of you off Yimeng Cliff."

She stood up, passed between the two who were staring at each other, and separated them. Then Yun Shuchen turned around and said to Qing Zhouxue, "The Sect Leader wants you to go to the main hall once you return."

Qing Zhouxue nodded slightly. "Mm."

She turned and left, finally letting out a breath of relief—at least she could go out and breathe the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Fan Yin stood still, not moving.

Yun Shuchen led her to the pavilion, poured a cup of tea, and held it in her hand, giving it a slight swirl. She looked up and asked, "Have you thought it over these past days?"

"My mother and sisters are dead. I'm alone now, with no ties."

After slowly finishing this sentence, Fan Yin suddenly rose and knelt down, looking up. "As long as I can take her life, I'll do anything. Please, Aunt... help me."

"Mm," Yun Shuchen said. "Have you truly thought it through? If I send you back, you can still go to General Yu and live a hidden life. But once you set foot on this path, if you want to back out, I'm afraid it won't be possible."

"I won't regret it."

"Good."

A bottle of pills landed in Fan Yin's hand. She opened the cap, and inside was a round pill that emitted a strange, fragrant scent.

Fan Yin met Yun Shuchen's smiling eyes, the meaning clear without words. With trembling hands, she picked up the pill, paused for a moment, then asked nothing and swallowed it while looking up.

"Come to me for the antidote in the middle of each month. Don't forget the time—it can kill."

Yun Shuchen said, "Staying in the Taichu Sect for long isn't good. Go back to the Demon Realm for now."

"...What should I do?"

"First, find a way to enter the Jialuo Hall. You need to get close to her."

She looked at the striking patterns at the corners of Fan Yin's eyes, frowned slightly, and waved her sleeve to cast a more intricate concealing spell over them. "As for the method, that's for you to figure out."

Fan Yin nodded, and at that very moment, the restraints on her cultivation were all released.

"Good child. I trust you remember the way back."

Yun Shuchen said gently, "Be careful. There are many immortal sects in that area; better to go around the eastern route."

*

When Qing Zhouxue returned, she had an ancient sword manual in her hands. The Sect Leader said that while cleaning out the storehouse left by the previous Sect Leader a few days ago, he found a long-neglected sword manual—which turned out to be the handwritten notes of a cultivator with an Ice Spiritual Root.

However, the writing was rather messy, and with the passage of time, many characters were blurred and indistinct, with faint traces of water stains visible.

"Perhaps the founding master thought Ice Spiritual Roots were rare, so he didn't value this book much. It was of no use, so it just sat there."

Yun Shuchen took a look and found the book truly appalling. She didn't want to add it to her orderly bookshelf at all, so she let her disciple keep it.

As soon as Qing Zhouxue came in, she felt that the lingering demonic aura had completely vanished. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, feeling refreshed. "Has she left?"

"She's gone," Yun Shuchen teased. "I had to send her off quickly, or you'd never be able to train in peace or sleep well."

"Indeed, I feel much more at ease," Qing Zhouxue sighed.

"What are your plans next?"

When her master asked this, the first thing that came to Qing Zhouxue's mind was the Immortal Ascension Assembly.

For safety, the minimum cultivation level to participate was Nascent Soul.

Today, the Sect Leader had also asked about her realm, and upon hearing this unusual situation, he too was stunned for a long while.

But although Qing Zhouxue currently had no set realm, her actual strength could be estimated at mid-Nascent Soul. Throughout the entire sect, that was considered outstanding.

"If you aim for first place in the Immortal Ascension Assembly, you can't measure by the minimum Nascent Soul standard."

Yun Shuchen said, "Cultivation is crucial. If opponents are at the same realm, then you'd rely on daily techniques or consider the mutual generation and overcoming of Spirit Roots. But if the opponent's cultivation is much higher, all techniques are in vain."

"So, for the next few years, stay on the peak and don't wander off. Train well. You can look at this sword manual, then organize your own techniques. After that... cross another major realm—mid-Transformation should be sufficient."

Qing Zhouxue pondered for a moment. "Mid-Transformation?"

She recalled the six years from age eighteen to twenty-four, during which she managed to go from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, though with difficulty. The higher she went, the harder it certainly became.

"Master, when you were at Nascent Soul, how many years did it take to reach Transformation?"

Qing Zhouxue always liked this, especially in cultivation. She would often ask how her master had done it back then and then strive toward that goal.

Yun Shuchen was stunned for a moment. The memory was so distant that it took her a long while to recall.

"That year I was twenty-nine. It took... around six or seven years." Yun Shuchen shook her head, though. "You don't need to be that fast. Don't imitate me."

"Why not?"

Back then, Yun Shuchen had trained day and night, cutting off all contact with senior fellow apprentices and teachers.

Time slipped through her fingers, and she hadn't noticed.

Recalling those years of her life, whether because it was too monotonous or the memory was too distant, she suddenly realized—she couldn't remember anything at all.

Those six or seven years were nothing but darkness behind closed eyes. Each day, spiritual energy flowed through her meridians, and prolonged cultivation took a toll on her body. She remembered leaning over the bed and vomiting blood in a sorry state, then continuing after she finished, almost like she was possessed.

Undoubtedly, it was painful.

Back then, she had been grief-stricken, eager to avenge her master mother, which was why she was so aggressive. The dangers involved were not something to speak of lightly.

Therefore, Yun Shuchen didn't think Qing Zhouxue needed to do the same.

Or rather, her disciple always cultivated leisurely and calmly, like an eight-hundred-year-old ancestor nurturing her temperament—even if she sat in a pit, she couldn't achieve such intensity.

"Twelve years."

Yun Shuchen didn't explain further, just said, "If you build a solid foundation, you'll suffer fewer hardships later."

"...Okay."

Before long, Qing'er seemed to remember something and pointed out a flaw in her master's plan with precision. "Master, Dual Cultivation should be faster. Maybe about ten years."

Yun Shuchen was taken aback for a moment, then after a long while, she smiled. "Qingqing wants to Dual Cultivate with me for ten years?"

Spoken from Yun Shuchen's lips, the meaning seemed the same yet different, becoming strangely suggestive.

Qing Zhouxue shook her head. "Senior Liu said a Dual Cultivation session shouldn't last too long, as it may harm the body. For example, last time when we expelled the cold poison for you..."

Seeing her about to launch into a lengthy explanation with no sign of shyness, Yun Shuchen realized her slip and felt secretly annoyed. She reached out and pinched Qing Zhouxue's cheek, cutting her words short.

She pinched hard, leaving a red mark on her disciple's face.

"...I see that you and Senior Liu are of like mind. Perhaps I should just give you to her as a disciple."

*

In reality, if there were a disciple as diligent, meticulous, quiet, and reserved as Qing Zhouxue, Liu Xunqin would be thoroughly satisfied.

At the very least, it could be someone other than Yue Changge.

The woman before her listened to her for a while, then laughed and nodded. After a moment, her charming phoenix eyes wandered off somewhere again. Suddenly, she exclaimed in surprise, "Liuliu, when did you get this new hair ribbon?"

Nonsense. The elder Liu snorted inwardly. The old one got snatched by you.

Finally unable to bear Yue Changge's overly cheerful smile, Liu Xunqin closed the book. "Are you even listening?"

"I'm listening."

She sat up straight. "Didn't you say my storybooks were full of nonsense? To avoid misleading those young disciples, I must study earnestly."

"If you really want to listen, then stop smiling at me like that..." Liu Xunqin said expressionlessly.

"Heh, I'm getting old. A smile takes ten years off. Don't you understand that?"

Yue Changge sat up a bit straighter, also putting on an expressionless face like her, but within a second, her eyes curved again.

From outside the door, where they were peeking, the senior disciple covered the second disciple's eyes, and then the second sighed and pressed down on the third's head. The third, displeased, poked the fourth and whispered, "Hey, you're blocking me."

These were Yue Changge's accomplices in crime—her disciples. The senior, unable to bear the sight, averted her eyes. "Master's smile is so flirtatious."

"...So embarrassing."

Several disciples with nowhere to hide huddled together and whispered, "The way she looks at Senior Liu, her eyes are practically shining. Is that really appropriate?"

Little did they know, their whispers fell on the ears of the two elders as if they were shouting in a crowded hall, every word clear.

Inside the room, Yue Changge's smile stiffened for a moment. She coughed lightly. "Hmm, the room is a bit stuffy."

Liu Xunqin frowned. "Hmm?"

"I'll step out for some air." Yue Changge stood and walked toward the door. After a thunderous commotion, she quickly came back.

"Not stuffy anymore?" Liu Xunqin glanced outside, noticing those girls had disappeared.

"Less chatter." Yue Changge sat down again, leaned forward, and almost pressed her whole body onto the low table. Her fingertip tapped the page, and she looked up. "Speak. I'm listening."

Liu Xunqin had intended to look into her eyes, but when Yue Changge bent down with such grand vigor, a deep line of cleavage was far too eye-catching, and two soft, snowy mounds subtly pressed, crumpling her medical book.

Liu Xunqin stared at the book and fell into an awkward silence.