“Mingyu! Are you alright?”
“Ugh...” Duan Mingyu let out a mournful cry, clutching Rong Lü’s sleeve. Both of their storage rings had been snatched away by Xu Yehua, and now that Xu Yehua’s corpse had fallen into the water, they had likely sunk to the bottom of the sea. Both were heavily injured and had no choice but to abandon those possessions.
Rong Lü gritted his teeth and summoned his life-bound spirit sword. Straining to his limit, he pulled Duan Mingyu onto it and flew unsteadily toward the shore.
At the same time, Nie Shiyun and the others landed on the ground.
Rong Lü looked at the group, warily extending an arm to shield Duan Mingyu.
Duan Mingyu could not stop trembling. He had yet to recover from the recent shock. “Is Senior Brother really here to take me back to the Yingyue Sect...?” he asked fearfully.
Zhai Bairong did not care to say much, simply stating, “If I wanted to take action, I wouldn't have let you leave the island earlier.”
Duan Mingyu calmed down and realized this was true. Moreover, it was Zhai Bairong who had urged him to leave the Yingyue Sect in the first place; his Senior Brother likely harbored no ill will.
Rong Lü glanced at the people before him. Seeing that they had no intention of helping but also seemed unlikely to attack Duan Mingyu, he felt much more at ease.
Nie Shiyun swept the area with his divine sense and whispered, “Cultivators are heading this way. The commotion from the fight just now was a bit too loud.”
A Nascent Soul cultivator’s divine sense covered a vast range. It would still be a while before the newcomers were within visual range, but regardless of who they were, they certainly wouldn't be there to help Duan Mingyu. He only had Rong Lü by his side now.
“They must be coming to catch me! What should I do? What am I going to do?” Duan Mingyu sobbed.
Rong Lü bit his lip and said to Zhai Bairong, “Please, sell me a few Disguise Pills. I will definitely pay you back in spirit stones when I have the chance.”
When that "chance" might be was anyone's guess; whether the two could even keep their lives was another matter entirely. However, Zhai Bairong didn't care about a couple of pills and tossed them over.
Feeling he had done all that was required by benevolence, Zhai Bairong turned away. “After this, I will tell the Yingyue Sect that you two killed Xu Yehua during the struggle and fled toward the deserted islands. You should head in the opposite direction.”
“Senior Brother...” Duan Mingyu still looked quite desperate. Both he and Rong Lü were injured; how could they possibly escape the Yingyue Sect’s pursuit?
Seeing Duan Mingyu’s eyes fixed entirely on Zhai Bairong, hoping his Senior Brother would help him hide, Rong Lü felt a faint, indescribable chill in his heart, even though he knew he was injured and might not be able to protect him. After a moment, he pulled at Duan Mingyu and urged him urgently, “We must go, quickly.”
Despite his immense anxiety, Duan Mingyu stumbled after Rong Lü under his repeated urging, and the two hurried away.
Not long after they left, other cultivators riding flying treasures entered their field of vision. Zhai Bairong let out a soft “Hm?” and whispered, “It doesn't seem to be people from the Yingyue Sect.”
Nie Shiyun focused his gaze; indeed, they weren't. The newcomers appeared to be cultivators from the Soul-Summoning Valley. He turned his head quickly, only to find that the spot where Shen Yan had been standing was now empty. The man had vanished without a trace at some unknown point.
“He certainly makes a quick exit,” Nie Shiyun murmured, quite surprised.
The cultivators from the Soul-Summoning Valley saw two cultivators standing in the distance and, upon careful inspection, discovered one was a Nascent Soul senior. However, demonic cultivators had no reason to greet righteous ones. Not daring to provoke them, the group didn't even approach, instead tucking their tails and making a wide detour.
Meiqiu had been intimidated by Shen Yan’s ruthlessness earlier and had acted cowardly. Now that the man was gone, he grumbled, “How rude, leaving without even saying hello. He’s a junior, after all.”
Zhai Bairong found it amusing. “Do you still think he’s not a good person? He did save you earlier.”
“He was clearly just there to cause me trouble!” Meiqiu said indignantly.
Nie Shiyun nodded. “In this cultivation world, he might be the only 'righteous' cultivator who can be paid to repair a Soul-Summoning Banner. He’ll come to visit sooner or later. You can tell him yourself then.”
“...We'll see about that.” Meiqiu paused, shutting his beak with lingering fear.
If he offended that guy, would he one day be turned into a lonely ghost bird as revenge?
“By the way, do you have any Water-Repelling Pills?” Nie Shiyun asked Zhai Bairong, noticing Meiqiu had suddenly gone quiet.
Zhai Bairong nodded. These were considered basic pills. Hearing they were coming to the seaside, he had refined some beforehand.
He took out a bottle and handed it to Nie Shiyun, asking, “Are you going underwater to retrieve the storage rings and bracelets of those three?”
“Exactly. Xu Yehua should have some things on him. As for Duan Mingyu and Rong Lü’s... even a mosquito’s leg is meat.” Nie Shiyun swallowed a Water-Repelling Pill and asked Zhai Bairong to wait alone on the shore for the Yingyue Sect disciples.
Meiqiu and the Vermilion Bird Strange Fire both disliked water. Hearing that Nie Shiyun was going into the sea, they fled back into the spatial dimension as if escaping for their lives.
Fortunately, the area where the fight occurred was shallow water not far from the shore. Nie Shiyun dived down alone without any worries. There were only a few scattered Earth-rank sea beasts, equivalent to the Qi Condensation stage, which fled upon sensing his cultivation level. Nie Shiyun quickly found the corpse that had sunk to the seabed and removed the storage rings and spirit beast bags from it.
Rong Lü and Duan Mingyu’s reserves of pills and spirit herbs were just as Nie Shiyun expected—mostly exhausted during their journey. A sword cultivator didn't need extra treasures, and Nie Shiyun didn't think much of Duan Mingyu’s magical tools. After a search, only the spirit stones were somewhat decent.
Xu Yehua’s storage bracelet was a different story entirely. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, there was an ample supply of various high-grade pills and spirit herbs beneficial to those with a Fire Spirit Root. These had all been prepared by Xu Yehua for his previous attempt to enter closed-door cultivation to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Now, they all benefited Nie Shiyun.
He tidied up, crushing the emptied storage rings and bracelets into powder with a light squeeze. He glanced at Xu Yehua’s corpse, which was no longer recognizable as human, and destroyed it as well before surfacing.
After drying himself with spiritual energy, Nie Shiyun heard the Strange Fire and Meiqiu clamoring one after another in his space, demanding to eat the good things he had just pocketed. Nie Shiyun recalled the original novel's description of the Vermilion Bird Strange Fire—though powerful, it required a massive amount of spiritual treasures to feed. He belatedly realized he had added another "rice bucket" to his care. Helplessly, he tossed many of the newly acquired treasures into the space.
Inside the space, Meiqiu and the little bird fire joyfully absorbed the offerings of heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Nie Shiyun sighed, temporarily blocking the market-like noise in his head, and rode his spirit sword back to the shore.
When Nie Shiyun returned, several Yingyue Sect disciples had already joined Zhai Bairong and were speaking with him. Nie Shiyun thought to himself that Duan Mingyu and the other had quite good luck, having just missed the Yingyue Sect people.
As he landed, the people present all looked over. The Yingyue Sect disciples bowed politely. “Greetings, Senior Nie.”
Nie Shiyun nodded, telling them not to stand on ceremony. Although he was now accustomed to living in the cultivation world, he was still a modern person at heart and didn't care much for these status-based formalities.
“Did you tell them?” Nie Shiyun looked at Zhai Bairong and inquired.
Zhai Bairong said, “I’ve already explained. It was truly unexpected that Xu Yehua would attack Rong Lü and Duan Mingyu, only to be killed by them in return. This matter is of great importance; I must report it to my Master.”
Nie Shiyun understood and followed Zhai Bairong’s lead. “This involves the relationship between two sects. Go quickly; I will wait for you here.”
“You all go look for them first. By the time we arrived, the battle was decided, and they fled toward the deserted islands,” Zhai Bairong commanded the juniors solemnly.
The Yingyue Sect disciples immediately and diligently complied. Everyone knew the relationship between Chiyan Cliff and the Yingyue Sect was tense. If the people over there found out that Xu Yehua had been killed by Duan Mingyu, it would surely invite trouble.
However, these weren't things they needed to worry about. Regarding Xu Yehua’s death, they only needed to pretend they didn't know and leave it to their Senior Brother, Zhai Bairong, to handle.
The group left to search carefully in the direction Zhai Bairong had indicated. This area was full of deserted islands; even with teamwork, it would take some time to investigate. By the time everyone realized Duan Mingyu and the other were no longer in the area, it would likely be at least the next day.
Zhai Bairong and Nie Shiyun’s eyes met. Without needing to exchange words, they stayed where they were and briefly reported the situation to Qu Zhanmeng.
Qu Zhanmeng, back at the Yingyue Sect, was truly shocked by the news. Although he didn't know how the information had leaked, Chiyan Cliff must have found out about Duan Mingyu. He felt he had been very careful in his actions.
However, hearing that Xu Yehua and Duan Mingyu had turned against each other and that Xu had been killed by the duo, Qu Zhanmeng breathed a sigh of relief. The old ancestor above him was becoming increasingly temperamental; if Duan Mingyu had been snatched away by Chiyan Cliff, his own position in the Yingyue Sect might have been at risk.
“How is it?” Nie Shiyun asked after Zhai Bairong had waited a moment and received a reply.
“He didn't say anything special, but the Yingyue Sect will certainly increase the intensity of the search. If necessary, it’s possible he might even come out personally,” Zhai Bairong said. “Let’s pretend to assist those juniors for a bit and then leave this place. I don't want to be involved in this any further. Afterward, I’ll say I’m returning to the Yingyue Sect for closed-door cultivation to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. At that time, you can return to Yunqing Pavilion to rest.”
“Is it time?”
Zhai Bairong smiled and nodded. “I’ve delayed it for a long time. Even if I were to advance now, it’s a sure thing. But this business with the Yingyue Sect is truly annoying; perhaps I’ll use this opportunity to hide away for a while longer.”
“That’s for the best. To be safe, you should consolidate your foundation a bit more.” Nie Shiyun stuffed everything he had just looted from Xu Yehua—except for the fire-attribute pills and herbs—into Zhai Bairong’s space.
“Enough, enough.” Zhai Bairong helplessly turned aside, not letting Nie Shiyun continue stuffing things into his storage bracelet. He was a single-attribute spirit root cultivator; increasing his cultivation was already twice as efficient as Nie Shiyun’s, and his advancement would be supported by the sect’s resources and formations. He didn't need so many heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Nie Shiyun was still somewhat uneasy, frowning. “You know that I was previously seen as a thorn in the side of the Heavenly Dao. The lightning tribulations for my two advancements were incredibly exaggerated. I’m just worried that because you’re close to me, you might be affected as well...”
Zhai Bairong pondered for a moment. When he had advanced to the Golden Core stage for the second time, it had been as smooth as could be. Only three bolts of lightning had fallen, and none were very powerful. As his cultivation was about to break through the ceiling of the Golden Core stage, he also had a premonition that everything would pass easily. He had never experienced the suppression of the Heavenly Dao or the heavy discomfort in the chest that Nie Shiyun described. However, since it was Nie Shiyun’s good intention, he wouldn't argue. He simply said, “That’s true,” and accepted the items to put the other at ease.
If he didn't use them, he could just bring them back when he visited Yunqing Pavilion in the future. Whether it was the space, Meiqiu, or now the added Strange Fire, they all relied on Nie Shiyun to earn spirit stones and treasures to feed them. The expenses were enormous.
Zhai Bairong estimated that not long after he went into seclusion, Nie Shiyun might have to start taking commissions at Yunqing Pavilion to make ends meet, "forced by the struggle for survival."
After idling for some time, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong rode their flying swords to catch up with the Yingyue Sect disciples and joined them in their mock search. The group actually found the bloodstains left by Rong Lü earlier and deduced that Duan Mingyu and Rong Lü must have been injured in the fight with Xu Yehua and likely hadn't fled far.
Zhai Bairong and Nie Shiyun remained silent, letting them speculate. The group spent two days carefully wandering around the islands without finding a single trace. Just as they were deciding which direction to search next, Zhai Bairong "timely" expressed that he felt his cultivation was overflowing and his advancement could no longer be delayed; he had to return to the Yingyue Sect first.
Even a fool knew that Nie Shiyun didn't work for the Yingyue Sect; he was only there to accompany Zhai Bairong. Now that Zhai Bairong was leaving, he naturally wouldn't stay. The juniors were dumbfounded. Earlier, they had been secretly rejoicing at having such "big trees" to lean on for shade. Now, after only two days, both seniors were heading home.
The group could only continue their search diligently. Otherwise, if Qu Zhanmeng held a grudge against them, their future in the sect would be difficult.
Although it was a time when manpower was needed, Qu Zhanmeng immediately permitted Zhai Bairong to return upon hearing he was about to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.
More people could be sent out to find the missing pair, but it was more important for the Yingyue Sect to gain another young Nascent Soul cultivator.
His disciple was far ahead of his peers in the other sects, trailing only behind that Nie Shiyun in advancing to Nascent Soul. Qu Zhanmeng felt it gave him quite a bit of face. He guessed that Zhai Bairong had finally "seen the light," understanding that cultivation was paramount, and had likely gained many benefits from Nie Shiyun this time.
If he knew that Zhai Bairong, who had just accepted a bag of benefits from Nie Shiyun, was constantly thinking about how to return the items later, he might have been fuming with rage.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 招魂谷 | Soul-Summoning Valley | A sect of demonic cultivators, likely the one Shen Yan belongs to. |
| 避水丹 | Water-Repelling Pill | A pill that allows a cultivator to move or breathe underwater. |
| 地阶 | Earth-rank | A classification for spirit beasts. |
| 练气 | Qi Condensation | The initial stage of cultivation. |
| 灵宠袋 | Spirit Beast Bag | A spatial tool used to house spirit beasts. |
| 天花板 | Ceiling | Used metaphorically here to mean the absolute limit of a cultivation stage. |
| 菜市场 | Wet market / Market | Used metaphorically to describe a noisy, chaotic environment. |
