Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong traveled together halfway before finally reaching a fork in the road, where they parted ways toward their respective sects.
Meanwhile, Red Rock Cliff was in an absolute uproar.
Earlier that day, when a disciple of Red Rock Cliff went to perform the routine monthly cleaning of the hall where the soul lamps of the sect's cultivators were kept, he discovered to his utter disbelief that Senior Brother Xu Yehua’s soul lamp had gone out.
"Sect Leader...!"
Seeing the young disciple rush in panic-stricken, Fei Moyin looked up with some impatience. "What is all this fuss about?"
"Senior Xu... Xu Yehua’s soul lamp has gone out!"
"Impossible!" Fei Moyin stood up abruptly, sweeping his sleeves aside.
"I—I thought it was impossible too. He was supposed to be in secluded cultivation. I pass by his cave dwelling every day; even if his breakthrough failed, there should have been some kind of commotion, right?"
"You need not ask further."
Fei Moyin felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He took a deep breath and waved his hand to dismiss the disciple.
He had given Xu Yehua clear instructions to stay out of trouble and wait for the elders of Red Rock Cliff to arrive before taking action. How could he have completely ignored the sect's orders!
Red Rock Cliff had spent countless spirit stones and treasures on Xu Yehua to help him reach his current level. Had they known this would happen, they never would have placed all their bets on a single disciple. Who could have predicted that a seed who had been a genius since childhood and had enjoyed smooth sailing all his life would perish here?
Fei Moyin knew Duan Mingyu was nothing more than a pretty face, and that the one from Lingfeng Mountain had always been suppressed by Xu Yehua in terms of cultivation. He could not fathom how Xu Yehua could have been defeated. He summoned the elders for questioning, and his first suspicion fell upon Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong.
"This..." The elders looked at one another. "After Zhai Bairong visited Yunqing Pavilion, he stayed there with Nie Shiyun. They spent every day together and rarely ventured out."
"Are you certain?"
"Well, according to the reports, the Pavilion Master of Yunqing Pavilion and the disciples there all say the same thing. It shouldn't be wrong."
Fei Moyin had a stomach full of rage but nowhere to vent it. After a long silence, he could only let out a heavy sigh. Xu Yehua was gone, and Duan Mingyu had likely fled long ago. He ordered word to be sent down, telling the cultivators who had already set out for the southeast coast to search for Xu Yehua’s remains while they were at it.
This effort was destined to be in vain. Nie Shiyun had long since cleaned up the scene; not a trace of the body, clothing, or storage ring remained. Red Rock Cliff’s expedition was fated to return empty-handed.
***
Nie Shiyun’s solitary return to Yunqing Pavilion made Nie Li happy for quite some time. It wasn't that he disliked Zhai Bairong staying at the pavilion, but whenever his son’s partner arrived, his son stopped working entirely. They would spend every day enjoying themselves, making it very difficult for the father to deal with the cultivators who came seeking audiences.
Many cultivators had come specifically to request Nie Shiyun’s services in artifact refining, including several seniors who were also at the Nascent Soul stage. They weren't in a rush to use the items; they were likely just looking to familiarize themselves with Nie Shiyun.
Nie Li felt awkward turning them away directly, so he politely claimed that Nie Shiyun was in seclusion and offered to handle the work himself. As it turned out, the clients didn't mind the substitution. Consequently, Nie Li’s backlog of unfinished work had skyrocketed. He hadn't been this exhausted since becoming an elder.
"Father, thank you for your hard work. Haven't I returned now?" Nie Shiyun said apologetically.
"Zhai Bairong actually went back just like that?" Nie Li had assumed they would stay glued to each other for a few more years.
Nie Shiyun nodded. "Mhm. He needs to prepare for his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, so he definitely had to return to the Yingyue Sect. I didn't want to follow him there; it’s too restrictive."
Nie Li wasn't surprised at all that Zhai Bairong was about to advance to Nascent Soul; he had known it was only a matter of time. In truth, his own son was progressing faster than those single-spirit-root cultivators, which was what truly amazed him as a father.
"I’ll hand over a few of the orders I have on hand to you. Although I trust you, you must take them seriously. This concerns the reputation of Yunqing Pavilion..." Nie Li couldn't help but worry that Nie Shiyun’s mind might have wandered after traveling abroad, so he reminded him in a low voice.
"Don't worry. I happened to acquire a new treasure on this trip that should be of great help in refining." Nie Shiyun smiled.
Nie Li’s nerves suddenly tightened. The "treasures" Nie Shiyun spoke of were never ordinary items in the eyes of others...
As he spoke, Nie Shiyun held the Vermilion Bird Strange Fire in his palm and presented it to Nie Li.
"My cultivation is still quite shallow, so Father must keep this a secret for me," Nie Shiyun said, scratching the center of the fire spirit with his finger, causing the little bird to spin in a circle. "He has already developed spiritual intelligence and understands some simple human speech."
Nie Li possessed fire and earth dual spirit roots. The little bird had learned from Nie Shiyun that this was his "relative." Although it didn't have a concept of relatives, it understood that this was someone very close. Sensing that Nie Li also had a fire spirit root, it restrained its surrounding flames and began to circle him joyfully.
Nie Li’s mouth hung open. Realizing that such a shocked reaction was unbecoming of a father, he quickly regained his composure. "Spiritual intelligence? This... this is a Strange Fire. Naturally, naturally, it must be kept secret..."
Seeing Nie Li’s expression, Nie Shiyun thought to himself that he seemed to give Nie Li quite a shock every time he came home. Fortunately, cultivators didn't have heart problems; otherwise, his two-hundred-year-old father would eventually be scared to death.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Nie Shiyun hesitated for a moment before deciding to get all the shocks over with in one day. He told Nie Li about Meiqiu as well.
"Oh, a spirit pet with half-phoenix blood..." Nie Li nodded numbly, appearing to understand, yet also appearing as if the information hadn't quite sunk in.
Nie Shiyun planned to enter seclusion for refining and cultivation, and Meiqiu would certainly find it boring to stay in the back mountains all day. He summoned Meiqiu and presented him to Nie Li.
"I’ll take over the refining work. If Father doesn't mind, could you take him in as a disciple? To the outside world, we can say he’s a child you found a few years ago and took a liking to. That way, he can play in the front mountains and learn some human common sense."
Meiqiu, having been summoned from the jade pendant space, looked bewildered. He looked at Nie Li, then at Nie Shiyun. Although he didn't quite understand what being a disciple to Nie Shiyun’s father entailed, the prospect of playing in the front mountains immediately excited him. "Nie Shiyun’s dad... uh, no, greetings, Master!"
Nie Shiyun smacked him on the head. "He hasn't agreed to take you in yet."
"How old is he again?" Nie Li leaned in to look Meiqiu over. It had been decades since he had seen a child in the sect after Nie Shiyun grew up. Although he knew the boy’s true form was a demonic beast, Nie Li found himself extremely fond of this soft, chubby toddler.
"Almost four. However, the mental and physical growth of demonic beasts is slower than that of humans. I’ll have to trouble Father to provide more discipline."
"That goes without saying." Nie Li nodded with the air of a seasoned master.
Nie Li had raised many disciples, so Nie Shiyun didn't think twice about entrusting Meiqiu to him. However, he failed to consider that Nie Li’s strictness was reserved for sect disciples. If he had only looked at how much the original owner of his body had been spoiled by Nie Li, he would have known that his old father was not particularly good at raising children.
"Then today you shall... come back to the front mountains to live with Master?" Nie Li said good-naturedly.
Nie Shiyun felt that Nie Li had hesitated for a moment, nearly letting the word "Grandpa" slip out.
"Uh." Meiqiu froze. He had been full of joy at the thought of playing in the front mountains, but from his birth until now at over four years old, he had never left Nie Shiyun’s side. For some reason, he felt a sudden wave of shyness and instinctively grabbed the corner of Nie Shiyun’s robe.
"Oh? Are you reluctant to leave now?" Nie Shiyun picked Meiqiu up. Though he rubbed the boy's head soothingly, his tone was undeniably mocking.
Meiqiu grew indignant upon hearing this. He reached out to push Nie Shiyun’s face away and snapped, "Don't flatter yourself! I’m going to the front mountains to have fun. You can just stay here and burn your furnace all day!"
"Then I’ll go into seclusion and burn my furnace. Don't worry, I’ll know if anything happens. The contract is still there; I can sense you." Nie Shiyun gestured with his fingers and then tossed Meiqiu down.
"Whoa...!"
Nie Li couldn't help but scramble to catch him, but Meiqiu was a bird after all; there was no way he couldn't land from such a height. He landed steadily in front of Nie Li.
The two men and the bird coordinated their story. Since Meiqiu was still young, they would simply claim he "didn't remember" his past. Nie Li had found him a few years ago and raised him in secret, and Nie Shiyun would occasionally help look after him. To outsiders, Nie Shiyun might seem like the child’s senior brother, but Nie Li felt as though he had gained a grandson and was overjoyed.
After seeing Meiqiu off, Nie Shiyun closed the restrictions on his cave dwelling and entered the jade pendant to dutifully begin refining the list of magical tools his father had given him. The Vermilion Bird Strange Fire required a period of adjustment with its user; as the fire spirit nourished the spirit root, the cultivator would become increasingly proficient. Nie Shiyun was still in the adjustment phase, so there were bound to be some stumbles.
However, after spending over a month inside the jade pendant, he finally achieved perfect coordination with the little bird.
Ultimately, the fire spirit was different from a demonic beast; it didn't need to eat anything else. As long as it was fed spirit stones, it would never tire. While Phoenix Essence Fire was also excellent, Nie Shiyun ultimately couldn't bear to make Meiqiu work for him for a lifetime.
"Done..." Nie Shiyun crossed off another row of names.
He wondered how Meiqiu and his father were getting along. Since no one had come looking for him, everything was likely going smoothly. Not long after returning to Yunqing Pavilion, Nie Shiyun received news that Zhai Bairong had entered seclusion to prepare for his breakthrough. He thought that once Zhai Bairong successfully advanced, he would head out to see how Meiqiu was doing and perhaps plan a celebration for Zhai Bairong.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 赤岩崖 | Red Rock Cliff | A cultivation sect. |
| 费莫寅 | Fei Moyin | The Sect Leader of Red Rock Cliff. |
| 魂灯 | Soul Lamp | A lamp containing a sliver of a cultivator's soul that extinguishes upon their death. |
| 朱雀异火 | Vermilion Bird Strange Fire | A sentient, powerful flame Nie Shiyun acquired. |
| 灵智 | Spiritual Intelligence | Sentience or sapience in objects or beasts. |
| 异火 | Strange Fire | Rare, powerful, and often sentient flames in cultivation world lore. |
