The current world of cultivation was a garden of a hundred flowers, with every sect possessing its own unique methods. When it came to cultivation realms, the terminology varied wildly depending on the specific manual one followed. The common classification system was merely a way to measure the volume of spiritual energy within the body, named after the "qi halos" that formed during a breakthrough. Entering the Qi Refining stage merely produced a wisp of green qi above the head. The Rising Smoke realm involved cultivating the five elements, manifesting as various colored mists that would not dissipate for three days. As for the Cloud Swallowing and Cloud-glow Feasting realms, they could trigger natural phenomena. The true titans of the Star Plucking, Moon Embracing, and Sun Shrouding levels produced halos during their breakthroughs that possessed the power to literally blot out the sky.
The quantity of spiritual energy was one thing, but the progress of one’s primary and auxiliary techniques was quite another. For instance, though I didn't know what manual Wei Qingming practiced, even though we were both in the Cloud Swallowing realm, she could undoubtedly beat ten of me with one hand tied behind her back. I estimated that even if she faced my Eldest Senior Brother, Lu Kaifeng—who had recently ascended to the Cloud-glow Feasting realm—she would still hold her own in a test of pure martial skill, provided illusions were taken out of the equation.
Of course, one shouldn't underestimate the capabilities of our Gomeng Mountain. If we were in the same realm, an opponent would find it nearly impossible to land a hit on us while under the influence of our illusions. If there was a realm disparity—say, if Eldest Senior Brother truly wanted to strike Wei Qingming—he could render her deaf and blind at the very least. In more severe cases, he could turn her into an idiot on the spot. However, casting illusions required a massive amount of spiritual energy. That was why Master had "bled" her resources to give each of us a piece of Purple Spirit Crystal and forbade us from taking missions until we reached the Cloud Swallowing realm. Before that stage, illusions were so weak they were practically useless; going out into the world was like being a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Primary techniques usually consisted of two parts: a Heart Mantra for cultivating spiritual energy to advance one's realm, and a Combat Technique for fighting enemies. Ideally, the two should complement each other. For example, Gomeng Mountain’s Heart Mantra was the *Heart Mantra of the Illusory Mind*, while our Combat Technique was the *Sutra of the Four Great Illuminations*. In terms of technique, I had already reached the second stage, "Illumination of the Great Elements," which allowed me to perform spells like invisibility, illusory doubles, and clones—enough to keep me safe in the outside world. Several of my junior brothers and sisters were still stuck at the first stage, "Illumination of Awakening," while everyone from Lu Kaifeng down to me had mastered the Great Elements. The third stage was the hardest to enter; Master said those without spiritual roots would never reach it in their lives, wasting away in the second stage forever. Even she, with all her extraordinary talent, had spent over thirty years before achieving the "Illumination of the Master." As for the final stage, "Illumination of the Luminous Point," it was said that only a handful of ancestral founders had ever attained it.
I once suspected this was just her way of saving face. After all, I’d never met any other practitioners of illusion, so I only had her word to go on...
The most common auxiliary techniques were footwork, followed by methods to temper the body for strength, speed, or defense—there was something for everything. Disciples of great sects or prestigious families usually had a complete set of matching Heart Mantras and Combat Techniques, with auxiliary techniques assigned by their elders or tailored to their personal needs. A ruthless person like Wei Qingming had surely calculated everything perfectly, learning as many auxiliary techniques as possible. Rogue cultivators had it rough; they had to rely on luck for everything from their Heart Mantras to their auxiliary skills, picking up whatever they could find. Compared to the well-trained, deep-rooted disciples of major sects, they were at a natural disadvantage.
As for us at Gomeng Mountain, we just learned an auxiliary technique or two whenever we felt like it. Lazy people like me were lucky if we finished the tasks Master assigned under the threat of her whip; who had the energy to ponder such things?
Once Duan Jianbai and his lackeys left, I popped out and said gleefully, "Finally, I don't have to worry about being seen!"
Wei Qingming gave a soft laugh. "A beauty like Miss Su truly suffered a grievance by dressing up as that ugly old crone."
I waved my hand with professional dedication. "It was nothing!" Seeing Wei Qingming looking at the pile of treasures with a thoughtful expression, I asked in confusion, "Didn't you say we'd be done once we cleared this path? What are you looking for?"
Wei Qingming picked up a fragment of an artifact, turning it over as she spoke. "Since Senior Brother Bai said there was something strange here, we might as well take another look."
While Wei Qingming went about her investigation, I climbed to a high point and repeatedly dove into the piles of treasure as if swimming. I laughed, "So this is what it feels like to roll in money! Hehe, even Master hasn't had this kind of luck!"
I made the treasures clatter and crash so loudly that Wei Qingming, unable to bear the noise, finally beckoned to me. "Miss Su, come look at the contents of this spatial bag. Any thoughts?"
I obediently took the bag and reached inside. The interior was about three feet square—not large, but the seals were sophisticated. Inside, stacked one upon another, were Feather-flight Stones. I remarked with a sigh, "I have to say, Duan Jianbai and those people from the Prince's manor really have a 'thief's honor.' I bet there are plenty of other restricted items here as precious as Feather-flight Stones, yet they didn't touch them. They only wanted this one type."
Wei Qingming said heartlessly, "How do you know Duan Jianbai didn't hide some for himself?"
I was momentarily stumped. I puffed out my cheeks, thought for a moment, and then said, "I noticed the spiritual energy here is dissipating very quickly. These Feather-flight Stones are much duller in color than the ones I usually see. Compared to the outside, the energy I consume to cast spells has also increased. There must be some kind of formation here that absorbs spiritual energy."
Wei Qingming finally nodded in approval. "Exactly." She looked around and whispered, "Perhaps it isn't a formation, but an object, or some kind of spirit creature..."
As she spoke, she drew her blade and condensed a mass of golden spiritual power. With a strike that seemed capable of splitting mountains, she lashed out at the ground. The spiritual energy shot forth and burst like fireworks, but the points of light did not vanish. Instead, they traced brilliant arcs through the air. Then, as if a vortex had formed in still water or wind was swirling through smoke, the points of light clearly outlined a moving trajectory, all of them sinking into a specific pile of treasure.
I gasped in shock. "How magical!"
Wei Qingming smiled faintly. "It’s a special method one of my elders taught me during training. It allows me to visually track my blade qi. If it veers off or fails to hit the enemy with maximum efficiency, I get punished."
I closed my mouth so sharply I bit my tongue. I jumped back and forth, crying out, "That's terrifying! No wonder you're so powerful..."
Wei Qingming smiled and said no more, pulling me along as she flew to the spot where the blade qi had vanished. The two of us carefully rummaged through the pile for a long time before discovering that the tiny golden specks of light were all clinging to a jade tube less than three inches long. It flickered like a small flying insect fluttering its wings. Wei Qingming stopped me as I reached out to touch it with my bare hand. She pulled out a specially made handkerchief bearing the insignia of the Yingzhao Temple and used it to gently wrap and lift the object. After observing it for a while, she flicked the jade tube with her finger. It emitted a crisp, melodic chime, like the flirtatious laugh of a young girl or the song of a skylark taking flight. The golden specks of light were startled into the air, finally dissipating.
One end of the jade tube was jagged, while the other was rounded and slightly curved, resembling the end of a jade flute or the shaft of a carriage. Even Wei Qingming couldn't say what it was; there were too many artifacts here, and it could be anything.
Seeing my curiosity, she handed the object to me, still wrapped in the handkerchief. "It should be safe, but be careful regardless."
the moment my hand touched it, a surge of warmth rushed from the jade tube directly into my body. The tube floated into the air, vibrating violently and emitting a continuous hum as it burst with strange light. I instinctively felt that it didn't want to harm me; on the contrary, it felt quite close to me.
Wei Qingming smiled. "It seems you are the destined one. Keep it, Miss Su."
Overjoyed, I wrapped the jade tube in the handkerchief and tucked it into the storage necklace at my chest, then carefully tucked the necklace inside my clothes against my skin. We searched the area thoroughly once more but found nothing that could connect to the jade tube. Wei Qingming unleashed her blade qi again, but no other objects showed the ability to absorb it. It was truly time to withdraw.
Wei Qingming said, "It is already the third quarter of the Hour of the Rat. Red Cotinus Villa must be in an uproar searching for you."
Only then did I remember the Wen family. I slapped my forehead in dismay. "Oh no! How am I going to explain this? Will Wen Shu be captured by Cao Chengshuo? I left her the Golden Silk of the Mysterious Lady, so that guy shouldn't be able to touch her for a while. If she went back to the villa, she’ll definitely have people looking for me." Then I remembered the unlucky fellow I’d left behind. "That errand-runner who fell in with me—will he be eaten by the Yin-Erosion Beasts?"
"Hard to say," Wei Qingming said coldly. "He brought this upon you; he deserves to die."
I heard a hint of protectiveness in her words, and my heart felt sweet. I hugged her arm and acted spoiled. "But if I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have seen you! This is so much more exciting; if I’d stayed at the villa, I’d just be sleeping! If we see him on the way back and he’s not dead yet, let’s be the bigger people and give him a hand, okay?"
Wei Qingming’s expression remained cold and indifferent, but she seemed to enjoy the attention. The corners of her eyes curved slightly as she said, "Let’s go."
I was about to happily pull her out when a woman’s cold laugh echoed from outside the door. "Haven't you said enough? For thieves, you certainly are romantic—flirting in someone else's ancestral tomb!"
My temper flared instantly. I was about to shout back, "You're the thief!" but Wei Qingming was quick to pull me behind her, silencing me.
A woman walked in. She was short with a curvaceous figure and a face that was hauntingly beautiful and exotic, yet her voice and stature were those of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child. Behind her followed two male servants. The woman was beautiful, but the servants were each more hideous than the last; together, they made for a truly striking sight.
Ignoring Wei Qingming’s hand holding me back, I poked my head out to mock her. "Oh, just a little sister! You shouldn't stay up so late, or you won't grow tall!"
The woman raised her hand in a rage, and three daggers trailing purple mist shot from her sleeve. Wei Qingming drew her blade and slashed; a wave of blade qi, as powerful as a thunderclap, swept out. It struck first, shattering the daggers mid-air.
The woman said, "You have some skill. No wonder the people here fell. I knew that fatty Wang was unreliable. As expected, the Prince's manor is full of trash!"
Wei Qingming turned back to whisper a warning to me, "This person uses poison. Do not go near her." She then turned back and said calmly, "You aren't one of Prince Xuan's people?"
"What kind of thing is Prince Xuan?" the woman said contemptuously. "Hey, your senior brothers are all dead. I just killed them, and now I’m going to finish you off."
Wei Qingming smiled. "I can kill you just as easily as I could kill them. Why mention my senior brothers?"
The woman threw her head back and laughed. "The pretty boy has a big mouth. If we were outside, I might have given you a good 'tending to,' but that little girl behind you is too pretty. I don't like her!"
The ugly man behind her rubbed his hands together obsequiously. "Mistress, let me catch that girl and vent your anger for you!"
The woman turned and snapped, "What are you worth? Could you even survive one strike from that pretty boy? I’ll chop the man into pieces first, then give the girl to you two." She fixed her gaze on Wei Qingming, smiling wickedly as she shed her cloak to reveal a set of semi-transparent gauze robes. Her snowy-white, alluring body was faintly visible beneath. "I love slowly torturing handsome little things the most!"
The scene was too scandalous. I instinctively covered my own eyes with one hand and stood on my tiptoes to cover Wei Qingming’s with the other. Wei Qingming didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she brushed my hand aside. "It’s fine..."
Only then did I remember she wasn't a man. Theoretically, she had everything this woman had, just in a different shape and size. "Oh," I muttered, letting my hand drop.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 炼气期 | Qi Refining Stage | The basic level of cultivation. |
| 生烟 | Rising Smoke | A cultivation realm where qi manifests as mist. |
| 吞云 | Cloud Swallowing | A mid-level cultivation realm. |
| 餐霞 | Cloud-glow Feasting | A high-level cultivation realm (lit. "eating the rosy clouds"). |
| 摘星 | Star Plucking | A very high cultivation realm. |
| 抱月 | Moon Embracing | A near-peak cultivation realm. |
| 蔽日 | Sun Shrouding | The highest mentioned cultivation realm. |
| 梦幻中有心诀 | Heart Mantra of the Illusory Mind | Gomeng Mountain's internal cultivation method. |
| 四大光明经 | Sutra of the Four Great Illuminations | Gomeng Mountain's combat technique. |
| 解悟光明 | Illumination of Awakening | The first stage of the Sutra. |
| 大种光明 | Illumination of the Great Elements | The second stage of the Sutra. |
| 上师光明 | Illumination of the Master | The third stage of the Sutra. |
| 明点光明 | Illumination of the Luminous Point | The final stage of the Sutra. |
| 紫灵晶 | Purple Spirit Crystal | A rare resource used to power illusions. |
| 飞羽石 | Feather-flight Stone | A regulated precious material. |
| 宣王 | Prince Xuan | A royal figure mentioned in the text. |
| 铜官巷 | Copper Official Lane | A location in the city. |
| 槐乡客栈 | Locust Village Inn | The meeting point for Duan Jianbai. |
| 红栌山庄 | Red Cotinus Villa | The estate where Su was staying (Cotinus is the smoke tree). |
| 玄女金绸 | Golden Silk of the Mysterious Lady | A protective artifact Su gave to Wen Shu. |
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