If there was some fate between her and that celestial garment, or if she had crafted it herself, then her abnormal behavior would be explained. Nie Shiyun still remembered the previous owner of the garment; the woman in the painting had traveled from the Upper Realm to the lower realm, where she met and fell in love with a male cultivator, only to meet a tragic end. He simply did not know if Madam Shang’s relationship with that woman was one of kinship or enmity.
The safest course of action would have been to leave the area immediately and return in a few months to retrieve the item, avoiding being targeted. However, Nie Shiyun thought of the sorrowful memories he had witnessed in the illusion. He felt that rather than being sold by him, the best destination for this celestial garment would be to return it to someone connected to it.
Hesitating, Nie Shiyun decided to linger near the Guild for a while to observe the situation.
Fortunately, a crowd of cultivators was huddled together at the Guild’s entrance, creating a bustling scene. Without them, Nie Shiyun wandering around alone would have appeared suspicious.
A Grade 4 Celestial Weaver’s skills were evidently more than sufficient for that old garment. In less than half a day, before the sun had even set, Madam Shang reappeared in the Guild’s main hall.
The maids she brought with her seemed to have followed her instructions, temporarily clearing the other cultivators out of the hall. Nie Shiyun could not hear what Madam Shang was saying to the receptionist, but from a distance, he could see her face was clouded with grief. She appeared even more urgent than before, repeatedly pleading with the receptionist and leaving the man at a loss for what to do.
Observing the sorrow on her face, which did not seem feigned, Nie Shiyun felt she likely wasn't an enemy of the garment’s former owner. At this thought, the scales in his heart tipped to the other side. However, it would be too conspicuous to approach her proactively in front of everyone. Nie Shiyun decided to wait until the crowd dispersed.
Despite facing a member of a great family, the Guild’s cultivators were quite principled. The two spoke for a long while, but in the end, Madam Shang turned and left in resignation.
As she emerged, many female cultivators swarmed forward to congratulate her, cautiously asking if she had time to take external commissions for celestial garments.
Madam Shang had been too focused on her own affairs; she was startled to find so many people waiting when she came out. Seeing the enthusiasm of these juniors, who had been waiting outside in the bitter winter, Madam Shang felt apologetic. She thanked them and indicated she could take commissions, though they would still need to submit a formal request to the Shang residence.
Hearing this, some impatient female cultivators immediately took their leave and ran toward the Shang estate. Seeing them like this, Madam Shang gave a knowing smile, called a maid over to whisper a few words, and then set off to return. Once she left, the large, noisy crowd of onlookers quickly vanished, and the street returned to its previous tranquility.
However, Nie Shiyun noticed that a few of the maids who had originally been by her side remained behind. Though called maids, each of their cultivation levels was higher than Nie Shiyun’s. No wonder those in the Lower Layer said it was hard to find a good path after coming to the Middle Layer; even the threshold to be a servant for a lady of a great family was this high.
According to the Guild’s procedures, the cultivator must be notified immediately upon the completion of a commission. Sure enough, Nie Shiyun soon received a one-way notification via his communication jade. During this time, he hadn't seen any other Celestial Weaver leave the Guild, which made him even more certain that the one who repaired the garment was Madam Shang.
Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated and walked straight back into the Guild.
The receptionist had already memorized Nie Shiyun’s face. Seeing him appear so soon, a subtle expression crossed his face. Nie Shiyun acted as if he knew nothing, and the receptionist did not warn him that Madam Shang’s "eyes and ears" were nearby. He simply handed over the item in a businesslike manner.
In this way, they neither violated the rules by revealing Nie Shiyun’s personal information nor warned Nie Shiyun about Madam Shang’s unusual attitude toward the garment’s owner. They truly avoided offending either side. Nie Shiyun didn't know whether to laugh or cry; it was lucky he had happened upon this today and decided to meet Madam Shang personally. Otherwise, he surely would have been targeted by a great family the moment he stepped out the door without knowing why.
Nie Shiyun made no attempt to hide, openly inspecting the celestial garment before putting it away. He estimated those maids had already noticed him but found it inconvenient to seize someone here, so they only observed from a distance.
After leaving the Guild, Nie Shiyun could not sense the presence of those women at all without turning around, but he was certain they were following him. Thus, he simply turned into a deserted alleyway and spoke up before they could reveal themselves: "Seniors, please show yourselves."
A moment after his voice fell, the female cultivators hesitantly appeared, looking at one another. Nie Shiyun was clearly only at the Void Refinement stage, and they had deliberately hidden their auras—how had they been discovered so quickly?
"Can you take me to see Madam Shang? I might know what she wants to ask me," Nie Shiyun said. Madam Shang likely hadn't told these servants the specific details, so Nie Shiyun didn't need to be too explicit; he just asked them to lead him to the Shang residence.
"Ah... Alright. The Madam did ask us to invite you for a short visit. This works out perfectly," the women immediately agreed. They had expected to stake out the Guild for several days and thought that even if they found their target, it would take a great deal of effort to bring him back. Nie Shiyun being so proactive left them unsure of how to react; they even began exchanging glances, suspecting a trap.
But the subsequent matters were not for them to decide. They immediately notified Madam Shang and led Nie Shiyun past the long line of people submitting visiting cards at the main gate, quietly entering the courtyard through a sparsely populated side door.
"Madam, the person has been brought."
Arriving at the guest room, Nie Shiyun looked around before finally resting his gaze on Madam Shang, whom he had glimpsed earlier. She was so anxious she hadn't even sat down. As soon as the maid finished speaking, she hurriedly replied, "Good work. All of you may withdraw."
Once everyone had left, she stepped forward quickly and asked urgently, "You were the one who commissioned that celestial garment, weren't you? Who are you? Where did you get it? How long have you had it?"
"Madam Shang, please, one question at a time..." Seeing her state, Nie Shiyun quickly took two steps back.
"Ah... I’ve lost my composure."
Madam Shang looked at Nie Shiyun, hesitated, and first asked, "How did you know I was looking for you?"
Nie Shiyun told her about the encounter at the Guild earlier.
"You were there then," Madam Shang gave a bitter smile. "I was truly too anxious; I didn't even glance at those around me. Come, sit here. I have many questions for you. I must also trouble you to first swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao that your subsequent answers will contain no falsehoods."
Madam Shang did not mention her connection to the garment, only asking Nie Shiyun to swear. However, her attitude was already much better than Nie Shiyun had imagined. He had intended to tell the truth anyway, so he naturally agreed.
Nie Shiyun spoke candidly about coming from the lower realm, describing the cave dwelling he found in a secret realm over a hundred years ago and the illusion array he encountered within it.
Guessing that this garment might have been made by Madam Shang, he concluded with a sincere apology: "When ascending through the space, the external repulsive force was simply too strong. No other magical treasures worked, so I could only use it for protection. By the time I arrived here, it was damaged as you saw. I am truly sorry."
Madam Shang seemed dazed, and only after a long while did she speak haltingly: "No... that is not your fault..."
Nie Shiyun didn't know how to respond for a moment. Looking closely at Madam Shang’s expression, he was surprised to find tears welling in her eyes.
"Madam Shang, what is the matter?" Nie Shiyun gasped. It was a good thing no one else was present, or the misunderstanding would be massive!
"Her soul lamp went out a long, long time ago. I knew it... I clearly knew it all along..." Madam Shang murmured. "After so long, I thought I should have forgotten..."
She wiped away her tears with her fingers and steadied her emotions for a moment.
"Just as you suspected, this celestial garment came from my hands. I was only a Grade 2 Celestial Weaver back then." Madam Shang recalled the past, a nostalgic look appearing on her face.
"You say you were a Grade 2 Celestial Weaver, but this garment is of the Earth Grade..." Nie Shiyun said in surprise.
"Yes. My weaving skills had hit a bottleneck then, and I was deeply frustrated. It happened to be my daughter’s sixteenth birthday, and I simply wanted to do my best to weave the finest garment for her. I ended up breaking through by sheer luck." Madam Shang seemed to think of those times, a fleeting smile of happiness crossing her face.
"You said, daughter... could it be..."
"Yes. The one you spoke of, who fled to the lower realm because of her constitution and passed away leaving this garment behind... she was my daughter," Madam Shang replied.
Though Nie Shiyun had considered that Madam Shang might be closely linked to the garment, he never imagined the connection would be this profound! The passage had been closed for over two thousand years; he had never guessed he would encounter the biological mother of that woman in the vast Upper Realm.
However, a Great Completion cultivator has a lifespan of three thousand years. If Madam Shang had been quite young when she gave birth to her daughter, it made sense.
Madam Shang let out a sigh.
Through her bitter narration, Nie Shiyun learned that her daughter was not even fifty years old when she disappeared. A Heavenly Yin Constitution was extremely rare even in the Upper Realm. Had she not been born into a great family, she certainly would have become a supplement or a cultivation furnace for other cultivators early on. But if a Heavenly Yin Constitution had the conditions to grow, they would almost invariably break through to become a True Immortal. Thus, she had been strictly guarded by the family since childhood.
Madam Shang naturally wanted her daughter to have a happy childhood, but weighing freedom against safety, she chose to follow the family elders' wishes. Her daughter was not allowed to leave until her cultivation was successful; even going to the shopping street required dozens of attendants to ensure her safety.
No one expected that the well-behaved girl, who had rarely even left the town since birth, would set up an illusion to trick the maids and run away from home. Everyone thought she had been kidnapped by design, and the entire Shang family was thrown into chaos.
Madam Shang and her husband were still juniors in the family then. Despite their profound grief, they had to endure the scolding of the elders and spent a hundred years searching everywhere.
Until one day, her soul lamp went out without warning.
At that point, though the Shang family was unwilling to accept it, continuing to search for a dead person would only waste energy, so they quickly abandoned the matter. But Madam Shang was devastated from then on, having no heart for cultivation for the next several centuries. Initially, her husband would accompany her to seek news, but as time passed, he too grew indifferent. In the end, Madam Shang was the only one in the entire family who still cared.
"Later, I had another child. A son with a single spiritual root. He is very talented and works hard... my husband values him greatly," Madam Shang smiled faintly. "After he advanced to the Great Completion stage, my husband took our son to the main family in the Upper Layer. But I didn't want to go, so I stayed here alone. It’s a bit ridiculous to say—I always thought that my daughter had only ever lived in this town. If her soul really came back to find us one day and couldn't find us, what would she do?"
Nie Shiyun found himself at a loss for words.
Madam Shang sighed. "I know. When the soul lamp goes out, it means the soul has dissipated. But it seems my staying here wasn't entirely without benefit. At least I finally waited long enough to know how she truly went... This is for the best."
"...My condolences."
Aside from those words, Nie Shiyun didn't know what else to say in such a situation.
The room fell silent for a while. Suddenly, he remembered something. "That’s right, Senior. I took a painting made by that cultivator from the cave dwelling. I truly didn't expect to meet someone related to her; it is better to give this to you."
Madam Shang stared blankly at the scroll Nie Shiyun took from his spatial storage. After receiving it, she opened it carefully, and the tears she had just suppressed surged forth once more.
After a long time, Madam Shang rolled the painting back up, turned away to wipe her eyes with a handkerchief, and said to Nie Shiyun, "Thank you. I accept this."
"It is I who should be thanking you. If not for this celestial garment, I would not have been able to reach the Upper Realm after the ascension passage had been closed for so long. Now, it should return to its original owner." Nie Shiyun spoke sincerely. He took out the celestial garment as well, intending to return it to Madam Shang. Although he had previously hoped to sell it to recoup some savings, he immediately changed his mind under these circumstances. Money could always be earned again.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 天阴之体 | Heavenly Yin Constitution | A rare and powerful physical constitution, often targeted as "furnaces." |
| 魂灯 | Soul Lamp | A lamp linked to a cultivator's life force; it extinguishes upon death. |
| 大乘 | Great Completion | Also known as Mahayana; a high stage of cultivation. |
| 真仙 | True Immortal | A stage of cultivation above the mortal realms. |
| 拜帖 | Visiting card | A formal letter or card used to request an audience or visit. |
| 炼虚 | Void Refinement | A stage of cultivation (Nie Shiyun's current level). |
| 本家 | Main family | The primary branch of a clan or family. |
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 167 | The Garment's True Home | Novela.app | Novela.app
