The peak of Qīngxiāo Peak [Qīngxiāo Fēng], where spiritual energy was most abundant in Chóngxū Gōng [Chóngxū Palace], was cloaked in mist and clouds year-round. Perched atop the peak was a cave abode that seemed to hang right on the edge of the heavens, shrouded in purple haze and a dazzling aura bright enough to blind any onlooker.
This cave abode was named Yúnchuān [Cloud River]—using clouds as rivers to stretch straight up to the ninth heaven. It was the private abode of Chóngxū Gōng's Sect Master.
Yet the person residing in this grand, extraordinary abode today was not the Sect Master himself, but his wife.
At this moment, Yú Nántáng was standing in front of a crystal mirror wall in sheer bewilderment. Her robes were sloughed down to her waist, exposing a broad swath of snowy skin reflected against the crystal glass.
Upon that flawless white skin, there was not a single scar to be found.
After checking repeatedly, her wounds had indeed completely vanished.
"How strange," she murmured to herself.
With such fatal, heavy injuries, even using the sect's finest medicinal salves, it would be impossible for her to recover to a completely unblemished state in such a short amount of time.
Could it have been her imagination?
She tried her best to recall the situation when she was injured. But the circumstances had been far too dire back then—the strange beast seemed to have appeared out of thin air, giving her no time to think as she fled in panic. Looking back now, the beast's appearance was filled with oddities. First of all, although the Qīngsuǐ Sǔn [Green Marrow Shoot] was rare, it was hardly a high-tier spiritual treasure. Even if a spiritual beast guarded it, its cultivation would never exceed the Jīndān [Golden Core] stage. Secondly, before heading to the ice cave, she had made thorough preparations, confirming that no high-tier beasts were active nearby.
From the moment she entered the ice cave to when she harvested the shoot, everything had been calm and quiet. Where on earth did that unknown, ferocious beast pop up from?
Yú Nántáng rubbed her temples, thoroughly perplexed, when a voice suddenly echoed from outside the hall.
"By order of the Sect Master: should Fifth Martial Aunt require any immortal medicines or spiritual herbs upon waking, she may retrieve them directly from the Sect Master's storehouse without needing his prior approval."
A warm, refined voice drifted in, and Yú Nántáng recognized the speaker instantly.
Although she was the Sect Master's cultivation partner, because she was also his Wǔ Shīmèi, the junior disciples of the sect addressed her as Fifth Martial Aunt. The one delivering the message right now was likely Niè Yǐn, her senior brother's eldest disciple, whom he had taken in just a few years ago.
Niè Yǐn stood outside the doors of Yúnchuān Hall, passing along the instructions to the young attendant boy. But before the boy could even reply, a gust of wind swept the hall doors wide open.
Through the open doorway, a female cultivator in plain robes was vaguely visible.
"Niè Yǐn, where is your master?" The female cultivator's voice sounded like wind chiming against jade ornaments, crisp and clear.
Niè Yǐn bowed respectfully to her. "Replying to Fifth Martial Aunt, Master is currently at Qúlíng Cave [Qúlíng Dòng]. Martial Aunt Yíngxuě was severely injured, and now the peak masters are gathered there to heal her."
Hearing this, Yú Nántáng's brows instantly knitted together. She recalled the conversation she had overheard while unconscious, as well as her Qīngsuǐ Sǔn.
"What happened at Qúlíng Cave?"
"The demonic beast Chì Yōu, sealed within the sect, broke free from its restraints and fled. Martial Aunt Yíngxuě led a group to hunt it down. Although Chì Yōu was recaptured, Martial Aunt Yíngxuě was critically wounded by it, her life hanging by a thread," Niè Yǐn reported.
"Did your master take my Qīngsuǐ Sǔn to formulate medicine for Yíngxuě?" Yú Nántáng asked directly.
Niè Yǐn uttered a quiet "Yes." Yú Nántáng fell silent, causing the atmosphere in the hall to freeze instantly. Niè Yǐn dared not take his leave. Although Fifth Martial Aunt's cultivation progress had been stubbornly slow over the decades—to the point where she couldn't even match a few outstanding juniors, and Niè Yǐn himself had surpassed her years ago—seniority was still seniority. Moreover, as the Sect Master's Wife, maintaining superficial respect was mandatory.
After a moment, Niè Yǐn heard her voice again.
"Once he is finished with his tasks, ask him to come to Yúnchuān."
Aside from this, Yú Nántáng said nothing more.
After Niè Yǐn departed, Yú Nántáng immediately summoned the hall attendant and instructed him to bring the guard who had first discovered her unconscious at the sect gate.
The one who found her was an outer disciple guarding the gates of Chóngxū Gōng. Having only reached the early stage of Qi Refining, he was a youthful fifteen or sixteen-year-old with a touch of naivety. Upon seeing her, he immediately bowed and called out with genuine excitement, "Greetings, Fifth Martial Aunt!"
In these times, only these newly joined, naive disciples who didn't know the full story would show her such heartfelt reverence.
Yú Nántáng gently raised a hand to signal him up and asked how he had found her.
"Yesterday, I was on duty at the West Gate. At noon, a teleportation array flashed at the entrance. Martial Aunt scrambled out of the array covered in blood and collapsed right onto the ground, giving me quite a fright!" Although young, the disciple reported the details in an orderly fashion.
"When you saw me, did you notice anything unusual?"
He thought carefully before answering, "When the array opened, a blast of cold air rushed out, and I thought I heard a couple of beast roars. Once the array closed, everything vanished. Seeing Martial Aunt unconscious and covered in blood, I didn't dare delay and brought you straight back to Yúnchuān."
"Where are the bloodstained clothes I was wearing?" Yú Nántáng asked the attendant. When she woke up, her clothes had already been changed to a clean set.
"Replying to Martial Aunt, they are here," the attendant boy replied, quickly fetching the bloodied dress and presenting it to her.
Yú Nántáng spread the bloody dress across the lotus bed, asking, "How long was I asleep?"
"Martial Aunt has been asleep for two full days," the boy answered.
Yú Nántáng nodded, her gaze falling upon the bloody dress.
What she had worn yesterday was a pale orange fire-scale silk dress, known for its superior warmth. Now, the dress was thoroughly soaked in blood, with large patches of dried, darkened bloodstains across the chest and back, alongside several jagged tears. When she held up the damaged dress, the torn spots lined up perfectly into five gaping holes.
Yú Nántáng formed her hand into a claw shape, measuring it against the torn holes.
It wasn't her imagination. She had indeed been run through by the sharp claws of an ancient beast.
Dismissing the attendant and gate guard, Yú Nántáng finally stepped out of Yúnchuān Hall.
It was deep winter, and most of the mortal realm was buried under heavy snow, yet bright spring sunshine bathed the surroundings of Yúnchuān. When the ancestral founder of Chóngxū Gōng established the sect, he placed the Huálí Pearl [Huálí Zhū] atop Yúnchuān, ensuring the Sect Master's cave abode enjoyed perpetual spring, untouched by summer heat, autumn decay, or winter cold.
Everything in Yúnchuān remained exactly as it was thirty years ago, when she and her Dà Shīxiōng bound themselves as cultivation partners.
Yet she enjoyed this magnificent scenery entirely alone—ever since they tied the knot, her senior brother had left Yúnchuān to her, moving to Qiónghǎi on the other side of Qīngxiāo Peak to cultivate.
That departure had lasted thirty years.
Were it not for the pair of small stone statues enshrined behind the hall—soaked in their respective essence blood and retaining fragments of their souls—she would have forgotten that she and Jiāng Zhǐ were Dao partners bound by a life-and-death pact.
A long journey on the immortal path meant sharing life and death, never abandoning each other until natural lifespan ran out. It was the heaviest romantic vow in the Jade Kun Immortal Realm.
Applying it to the two of them felt rather absurd and laughable, yet utterly unavoidable.
Who told her to get infected with the Suǒqíng Gǔ [Suǒqíng Gǔ]?
Binding themselves with a life-and-death pact was the only way to keep her alive.
Yú Nántáng shook her head, wondering why she was suddenly waxing nostalgic. Could her inner heart demons be stirring again?
Although the Suǒqíng Gǔ lay dormant because of the life-and-death pact, it had never vanished. Unbeknownst to the host, it continuously amplified negative emotions—obsession born of love, hatred born of obsession, followed by resentment and jealousy... As these feelings accumulated over time, they slowly settled in her heart, subtly altering her personality until they transformed into inner heart demons.
Anyone with heart demons was prone to qi deviation. She had sought the Qīngsuǐ Sǔn precisely because of its ability to calm the mind and suppress inner demons, allowing her to cast aside external distractions and focus entirely on her breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.
Once inner demons flared up, she couldn't control herself, so she could only find ways to suppress them, becoming increasingly quiet and reticent over the years.
However, what is suppressed long enough must eventually erupt, and the backlash of inner heart demons was terrifying. Fearing she might one day lose control of herself, whenever her emotions fluctuated slightly, she would immediately find ways to calm them down. Today was no exception.
Yet, just as she was about to circulate her mind-calming technique, Yú Nántáng felt her heart and sea of consciousness completely still and tranquil. Though past memories flickered through her mind, they felt like faded fragments and scattered shadows, giving her the bizarre illusion of being a detached bystander.
She stood at the hall entrance for a moment, verifying that her sentimentality was merely a fleeting thought, before activating a teleportation artifact.
Niè Yǐn had been gone for quite some time, yet Dà Shīxiōng had still not arrived at Yúnchuān.
Since he wouldn't come to her, she would go to him. Regarding the Qīngsuǐ Sǔn, he owed her an explanation—even if the item was gone, she had to find a way to get compensated. Besides that, she also needed to find her Èr Shīxiōng, Xià Huái. Xià Huái was an alchemy cultivator with formidable medical skills, and she wanted to ask him about those five bloody holes that had vanished into thin air.
After making a quick round through the sect, she finally inquired about their whereabouts.
Today, all four of her senior brothers were gathered at Qúlíng Cave.
Qúlíng Cave was located on Báiméi Peak [Báiméi Fēng], south of Qīngxiāo Peak, possessing the second-richest spiritual energy in all of Chóngxū Gōng. Although called a cave, it was actually a serene, elegant estate featuring a rushing waterfall, a crystal-clear pool, a bamboo pavilion, and a covered walkway along the water. A five-colored rainbow hovered over the pool year-round, surrounded by immortal flowers that never withered, exuding waves of exotic fragrance.
One glance at the place revealed it to be the residence of a fairy.
Yú Nántáng landed on the grassy field before Qúlíng Cave, but before she could step forward, she was stopped by someone standing outside the bamboo house.
"Fifth Martial Aunt," Niè Yǐn greeted with a bow.
Roughly guessing why Yú Nántáng had come, he took the initiative to say, "Sect Master is currently healing Martial Aunt Yíngxuě's injuries, while Martial Uncle Xià, Martial Uncle Sòng, and Martial Uncle Chéng act as guardians. They have reached a critical moment and cannot be interrupted. The matter Fifth Martial Aunt entrusted to me is kept in my heart, and I will report it to Master as soon as this concludes."
A single sentence completely blocked Yú Nántáng's mouth.
She raised her eyes to look. The entire waterfall and clear pool were enveloped in a semi-transparent frost-white barrier of light. Inside, three cultivators sat in tri-directional formation, guarding two figures floating in the center of the pool.
Across the distance, she could vaguely see the two sitting cross-legged in mid-air face-to-face, palms aligned against palms, as surges of cyan spiritual light shot up into the sky from between their hands.
"Fifth Martial Aunt, please head back for now..." Seeing her stunned expression, Niè Yǐn let out a silent sigh.
Yú Nántáng pulled her gaze back, turned around, and left.
Báiméi Peak was larger than Qīngxiāo Peak. After leaving Qúlíng Cave, Yú Nántáng did not return to Yúnchuān, but instead began wandering around Báiméi Peak.
Though called wandering, she was actually just walking aimlessly.
Walking and thinking.
Her palm rested against her chest, feeling the steady, gentle rhythm of her heartbeat, sensing that her current state of mind was suspiciously calm.
Usually, the mere mention of the three words "Qúlíng Cave" was enough to make her miserable. Yet, seeing that scene just now, aside from a faint trace of melancholy, there wasn't even a single ripple in her heart.
This was truly abnormal.
Say what she would, she had once secretly admired her Dà Shīxiōng, waiting for Jiāng Zhǐ in a muddled stupor for so many years. Though bound as life-and-death Dao partners, it was only to keep her alive, never to make him fall in love with her. Her heart demons were fed by the Gu, but rooted in love. Thirty years of unrequited longing, resentment, and obsession had accumulated. She couldn't stand him treating Yíngxuě well, couldn't bear his cold distance, suffering in silent agony with no one to confide in.
Yet just a moment ago, all that suffering had vanished like smoke into thin air.
In thirty years of cultivation partnership, such a clear-headed moment practically never existed—so much so that the moment she snapped back to her senses, she noticed it instantly.
Could her inner demons have evolved? Lingering in hiding, just waiting to trigger a complete qi deviation?
Lost in thought, Yú Nántáng unknowingly stepped into the dense, lush forest of Báiméi Peak.
Deep in the woods stood a few ancient, towering trees towering over a sprawling marsh. Sunlight was blocked out, and beneath the trees grew countless tiny blue mushrooms that glowed with a faint, ghostly fluorescence. The marsh was divided into several sections by patches of grass, reflecting bits of sunlight filtering through the canopy like scattered broken mirrors. Occasionally, a glowing butterfly fluttered past, dragging a trail of dim light behind it, filling the space with a silent, enchanting mystery.
Although the scenery here was quite lovely, the spiritual energy was lacking. Within the territory of Chóngxū Gōng, it was utterly unremarkable and rarely visited, making it desolate and quiet. Before moving to Yúnchuān, Yú Nántáng quite liked this spot. She would often lie on a tree branch, staring blankly at the dappled sunlight through the leaves, lying there for half a day thinking about absolutely nothing.
Not thinking about the grueling, endless path to immortality, not thinking about why she was cultivating, simply letting time slip away second by second.
Ever since she moved to Yúnchuān and Yíngxuě moved nearby, she had never returned. Revisiting the old haunt today, a strange thought suddenly sprouted in her mind—she wanted to bury herself in the dirt.
With this thought in mind, she slowly squatted down by the edge of the marsh and, unable to resist, gently poked her index finger into the moist soil.
Instantly, a subtle itching sensation tickled her fingertip, as if something was scrambling to drill into her finger from the soil, traveling up her arm and into her body!
Yú Nántáng snapped back to reality and yanked her finger back instantly.
A few specks of faint glow scattered from the dirt, dissolving in a flash.
What was hidden in this soil?
Yú Nántáng knitted her brows tightly. Just as she was staring intently at the tiny hole her finger had poked in the ground, a sharp, piercing beast roar suddenly erupted from the depths of the dense forest!
The sound of birds flapping their wings in terror echoed immediately after.
An anomaly?!
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