Aside from Wei Qingming, this was my first time meeting disciples of the Wujing Sect, the world’s preeminent cultivation sect. If one ignored the disheveled and unrestrained Feng Baili, the others truly looked like the elite of a prestigious, righteous sect.
Bai Yuyu was an expert in the Dao of Arrays. The moment he immersed himself in drawing talismans, he displayed the obsessive air of a scholar. Solving an array was different from breaking one. Breaking an array only required finding the "eye" and destroying it with brute force—much like kicking down a door. Solving an array, however, was like using a key; one had to be able to release, open, or close it at will without damaging the original structure. For someone so young to be able to solve such a complex grand array, it was clear he was a genius in his field.
Dantai Ye was gentle and refined, possessing a tranquil temperament. He hailed from the Dantai clan, a family of romantic and distinguished reputation since before the Great War of Extinction. He spoke with a slow, mild courtesy, showing no trace of arrogance.
Qiu Zhengshan, on the other hand, was stern and somewhat cold. After finishing his meditation, he opened his eyes, glanced at Wei Qingming and me, and gave a nod as a greeting before returning to his silent contemplation.
After the introductions, Dantai Ye politely asked if I was injured. Once the pleasantries were over, the hall fell silent again. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Feng Baili was already snoring while hugging his saber. Wei Qingming led me to a clean stone platform and pulled a soft cushion from her cosmos bag for me to rest on.
To be honest, after riding a horse all afternoon and enduring a night of perilous excitement, my legs were already weak with exhaustion. I sat down lazily and pulled Wei Qingming down to sit beside me, leaning my head naturally against her shoulder. Wei Qingming frowned slightly and whispered in my ear, "You mustn't. My senior brothers are watching."
I was half-asleep, clutching her arm and feeling quite comfortable. Without even opening my eyes, I mumbled, "What does it matter? Let them watch. It’s not like there’s actually a difference between men and women here." I followed this with another yawn. "Sitting isn't comfortable. Can I lie on your lap?"
I waited for a long while but received no response. Looking up, I saw that she had actually followed Qiu Zhengshan’s example—she had closed her eyes and begun meditating!
Dantai Ye was a man of integrity and naturally kept his gaze away from what was improper. Qiu Zhengshan and Bai Yuyu were busy with their own affairs. Only Feng Baili, despite his snoring, would occasionally crack an eye open to look at us with a meaningful glint...
My face flushed slightly. My desire to lie on someone's lap was a habit formed back when I was a kitten—no, a Pallas's cat. Whenever I was sleepy, I would flop onto my Master's lap; no matter how comfortable a cushion was, it couldn't compare to a human one. My temper flared; I shot a glare at Feng Baili and then adjusted my posture, heavily thumping my head onto Wei Qingming’s lap. Only then did I fall asleep, satisfied and comfortable.
I felt Wei Qingming shift uncomfortably. After a while, I heard her helpless voice: "Miss Su?"
Satisfied, I peeled my eyes open and stared up at her, huffing, "Aren't you supposed to be meditating?" *That’s what you get for ignoring me!*
Wei Qingming remained silent for a few breaths before slowly pulling a small lotus-leaf bundle from her pocket, waving it before my nose. I didn't know what was inside, but it was piping hot and fragrant, with a faint sheen of oil. Only then did I remember I hadn't eaten dinner!
I lunged to take a bite, but Wei Qingming’s slender fingers twitched the string, making the bundle swing away. I bit the air and jumped up in a huff to pounce on the lotus leaf. Seeing that she had successfully lured me up and stopped me from ruining her reputation, Wei Qingming graciously handed the bundle to me.
Salivating, I unwrapped the lotus leaf. Inside was steamed mountain chicken with glutinous rice. The rice consisted of snow-white pearl grains, while the chicken was a brownish-gold, mixed with various beans. With one bite, I realized the oil coating the chicken was rendered from fermented silverbait! I felt as though I had never tasted such delicious meat in my entire life; I was so happy I could have cried.
I devoured half of it in just a few bites, then loyally held the lotus leaf up to Wei Qingming’s face. "I saved some for you!"
Wei Qingming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She tilted her head slightly to avoid it. "I don't eat such things. It’s all yours."
As I swallowed the chicken, I asked in confusion, "If you don't eat it, why did you buy it?"
Wei Qingming didn't answer. She only offered a faint smile and lowered her head to return to her book.
Once the chicken was finished, I was still lingering over the meal, licking the stray grains of rice stuck to the leaf. Over by the door, Bai Yuyu finally straightened his back and said, "It’s done." Even after speaking, he kept his eyes fixed on the runic array he had drawn with cinnabar, looking quite self-satisfied.
Feng Baili, who had been snoring loudly, leaped up instantly. He shouldered his great saber and let out a whistle. Qiu Zhengshan and Dantai Ye also flew down to land near the array. Wei Qingming tucked her book away and said to me, "Just stay close to me."
Bai Yuyu said, "I solved it in a hurry, so the array diagram isn't detailed enough. The spiritual energy consumption will be high. With our cultivation levels, we need at least three people working together to open it."
Dantai Ye immediately smiled. "Brother Yuyu worked hard drawing the array; I happen to have an item that can substitute for one person's strength." As he spoke, he opened his palm, and a pale purple, egg-sized spirit crystal floated above it. Feng Baili laughed at the sight. "As expected of Young Master Dantai! Using a second-grade spirit crystal so casually—how extravagant! With Brother Qiu and Little Wei added, it will be enough."
It was also my first time seeing such a large, perfectly formed purple spirit crystal, and I couldn't help but stare. Spirit crystals were different from spirit stones. Spirit stones had no attributes and became useless once spent. Spirit crystals, however, could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to recover naturally. Furthermore, some spirit crystals possessed elemental attributes, providing even greater benefits to those practicing corresponding techniques. Their quality, from low to high, was ranked as Green, Blue, Purple, and Black. My Master had once struck a massive stroke of luck and obtained a dozen or so purple spirit crystals the size of quail eggs, giving one to each of us. Their quality hadn't been as good as Dantai Ye’s, and the difference in stored spiritual energy was vast. Even so, with the help of those crystals—which effectively doubled our spiritual energy—my senior brothers and sisters could walk tall among those of the same rank. The legendary Dantai family was truly formidable!
No one raised any objections. Dantai Ye, Qiu Zhengshan, and Wei Qingming took their positions at the three corners of the array and began to circulate their power. Standing up, Qiu Zhengshan was slightly taller than the six-foot-tall Feng Baili. He stood with his hands solemnly clasped before his abdomen, drawing out his True Essence. A sharp, metallic spiritual energy radiated from his body. Dantai Ye, meanwhile, gave a light tap with his folding fan, and the large purple egg suspended in the air emitted a thread of pure white spiritual light. It looked thin, but it contained immense energy. Wei Qingming loosely formed a hand seal with one hand, touched her brow with a fingertip, and then extended it toward the array eye. She injected a strand of spiritual power that was neither white nor gold, but a pale, shimmering hue of both. The cold, vast room suddenly felt a touch of warmth.
Seeing my surprised and confused expression, Feng Baili—who had sidled up to me at some point—stroked his chin and commented, "Can't make heads or tails of it, can you? Your 'cousin' doesn't cultivate the five elements; he cultivates the Power of the Sun. This manual was lost in our sect for three generations because we couldn't find a suitable successor. Then your cousin showed up, and—ha!"
I was so shocked I stuck my tongue out. "So impressive? I wouldn't dare offend her then. But if it was lost, who taught her?"
Feng Baili said mysteriously, "Some old ancestor of the sect who lives in seclusion. He taught him for a year and then sent him back to the sect. There was no formal master-disciple ceremony, so in terms of seniority, he still counts as my, Old Feng's, junior brother."
The image of Wei Qingming decisively slaying the Yin-Erosion Beast flashed through my mind. It made sense that the light of the sun would naturally restrain dark, venomous creatures. I inexplicably felt that this "cousin" of mine was even more dashing... As I stood there lost in thought, a faint "hum" reached my ears, like something that had been blocked suddenly bursting open. The spiritual energy between the inside and outside of the room began to flow without obstruction. Wei Qingming finished her casting and flew over. She was about to say something unhurriedly, but upon seeing me, she suddenly flashed to my side, shielding me from Feng Baili.
"The illusion marks," she whispered in my ear, lifting her sleeve as if to adjust the hair at my temples.
I looked down and saw that the illusion was indeed beginning to fail. My hands were slowly shifting back into Wen Qi’s thin, frail form. I quickly circulated my mental technique to stop it, restoring my original appearance.
I let out a breath, trying to calm my panicked heart, when Wei Qingming suddenly touched my face. I jumped back a step in fright. Wei Qingming calmly opened her fingers; on her fingertip were two grains of glutinous rice, glistening with oil, strikingly white in the dim light.
My already flushed face turned even redder...
"Ahem." I decided to strike first to hide my embarrassment, glaring at her. "How come your illusion marks never budge!"
Wei Qingming smiled. "Actually, mine failed just now as well. It’s just that the Senior’s illusion didn't change my appearance; it only tampered with the Yin-Essence signature. My senior brothers have known me for years, and just now they were focused on their own tasks, so they had no reason to check."
*No wonder she came to save me so quickly; she was probably afraid of being exposed too, right?* But then again, could a woman really be this naturally handsome? I looked up with effort at Wei Qingming, who was two heads taller than me, blinking as my mind began to wander again. The Wen family members were truly tall; Wen Qi and Wen Xiang were both more than half a head taller than me... I really wondered how Wei Qingming grew to be this height...
"Hey, are you two putting on a play here?" Feng Baili called out. I snapped back to my senses and saw Wei Qingming’s eyes narrowed slightly with an amused expression. I had no choice but to push her toward her senior brothers. Wei Qingming caught my hand in hers and turned back toward the others at the door.
The others were using instruments to roughly probe the spiritual energy fluctuations inside the tomb, pointing at an internal structural map. Qiu Zhengshan finally spoke; it seemed he was the leader of this excursion. "The gates are open, but they cannot be left unguarded. Junior Brother Bai and Junior Brother Dantai will remain here to prevent any intruders. Junior Brother Feng and Junior Brother Wei will strike through the center toward the main tomb. The right path is empty, so I will take the left path to clear out the remaining lackeys." He glanced at me, his tone polite but cold and brook no argument. "This young lady shall remain here with Junior Brother Bai to rest."
Wei Qingming immediately spoke up. "My cousin is capable of protecting herself. It would be better if she stays with me; we will handle the side path. As for the main tomb, it will be heavily guarded, so it requires Senior Brother Qiu’s presence."
Feng Baili patted Qiu Zhengshan’s shoulder and said with a grin, "They’re a young couple; don't tear them apart." He took a large stride forward, humming a little tune as he entered the gate first. Qiu Zhengshan didn't argue further; he nodded and followed him in.
Dantai Ye smiled gently. "Be careful." Bai Yuyu scratched his head, looking as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he said, "I feel like the spiritual energy distribution on the left path is strange, though I can't put my finger on why. In any case, be careful."
Wei Qingming nodded to show she understood. I involuntarily gripped her sleeve tighter as I followed her through the great stone doors.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 兔狲 | Pallas's cat | Also known as a manul; the MC's original animal form. |
| 日曜之力 | Power of the Sun | A rare, lost cultivation technique used by Wei Qingming. |
| 灵晶 | Spirit Crystal | A higher-grade version of a spirit stone that can recharge its energy. |
| 小银鱼 | Silverbait | Small fish used to make the oil for the chicken dish. |
| 糯米蒸山鸡 | Steamed mountain chicken with glutinous rice | The dish Wei Qingming gave to the MC. |
| 阴元印记 | Yin-Essence signature | The spiritual "scent" or mark that identifies one's gender/nature in this context. |
