Chapter 7: Return to Contemplation Cliff

During the three days before her punishment, Lu Mingyi’s days were quite fulfilling.

She went to Youlan Pavilion to find Xiao Yuxie, only to learn that the other had rushed back home due to a family emergency. She then headed to Pill Peak to see Shen Mingzheng, but though the girl was clearly at home, she stubbornly refused to let her in.

Later, Lu Mingyi climbed through a window into Jin Que Pavilion and nearly had her hair singed off by Shen Mingzheng’s flames, leaving her baffled as to what she’d done to offend her.

With her junior sister still serving her punishment on Contemplation Cliff, Lu Mingyi ran errands first, heading to Medicine Peak to deliver a thank-you gift to He Ming.

However, many on Medicine Peak weren’t exactly welcoming toward her. After all, she was someone who “might turn mortal at any moment,” yet she’d consumed so many of their heavenly treasures and even caused Peak Lord Yun He Zhenren to doubt her own medical skills, prompting her to enter secluded cultivation early.

But He Ming still had a good impression of Lu Mingyi. And thanks to Xiao Yuxie, with this senior sister of Medicine Peak holding down the fort, at least no one else dared act as brazenly as Chen Qinghe.

After delivering the gift, Lu Mingyi spent her days foraging for fish and fruit near her Jin Ji Pavilion, wandering about before returning to her residence to cultivate for a bit. With no progress in her cultivation, she’d then dive back into her storybooks.

Yet she noticed that during these days alone, that voice hadn’t appeared again.

This discovery left Lu Mingyi with an instinctive unease.

The “voices” in the storybooks—aside from the trope of hearing others’ thoughts—mostly involved the protagonist encountering some legendary old granny through a twist of fate. Under the granny’s guidance, they soared to greatness and fame across the world.

After flipping through them, she found nothing useful.

Three days passed in a flash. When the sun shone once more over Taiqing Sect, Lu Mingyi had packed her things and set off for Contemplation Cliff.

Contemplation Cliff lay on the northern face of the main mountain range—a sheer precipice, steep and perpetually snow-covered. With her current cultivation at only Foundation Establishment Third Layer and no ability to abstain from food or regulate her body temperature, Lu Mingyi felt a chill creeping in before she even reached the cliff’s vicinity, just from climbing the slope.

At the entrance to Contemplation Cliff stood guards from the Enforcement Hall, composed of inner disciples from various peaks. As Lu Mingyi approached, the leader spoke up first: “Well, well, Junior Sister Lu, you again.”

In truth, Lu Mingyi hadn’t come to Contemplation Cliff many times—this was only her third visit in a century.

Knowing they were picking a fight, she played along smoothly: “Yeah, here I am again.”

The group erupted in mocking laughter. The leader feigned a whisper to her companions, but Lu Mingyi could still hear from a few meters away: “Genius types sure have thick skin, huh? Getting punished over and over and still acting so righteous about it.”

“No kidding, how many times has she been here? No direct disciple in Taiqing Sect history has racked up this many punishments!”

“Shh, she’s Long Rainbow Sword Venerable’s favorite disciple—don’t want her tattling, do we? Hahaha!”

“I’ve heard Long Rainbow Sword Venerable is scouting for new disciples. Keeping a waste like that around is just a waste of energy…”

“Senior sisters and juniors, my punishment starts counting from today. If you keep me standing here, I’ll think you’re helping me shorten it,” Lu Mingyi called out loudly, cutting off the whispers.

She stepped closer. Taller than most, she looked down at the leader.

The woman inexplicably lost her momentum and shot Lu Mingyi a glare without a care: “Junior Sister Lu, are you questioning the Enforcement Hall?”

A smile played on Lu Mingyi’s lips, not reaching her eyes, as she prepared to reply. Suddenly, a nimble figure appeared at the exit to Contemplation Cliff, calling out in a voice both joyful and urgent: “Senior Sister Lu!”

Before she could make out the newcomer, Lu Mingyi was enveloped in a tight hug: “Cough! Wait, Ji Junior Sister, you’re hugging a bit too hard…”

“I’ve been so worried about you! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Ji Xuyun’s eyes reddened at the sight of Lu Mingyi, tears welling up amid her delicate features, making her look utterly pitiable.

Trembling with her movements was a small mole at the end of her right eyebrow, adding an indescribable allure.

Lu Mingyi had always thought Ji Xuyun was perfect in every way—except for those tears that fell at the drop of a hat, despite being Sword Peak’s top inner disciple.

The same dazzling gold sect robes looked dashing and noble on Lu Mingyi, but on Ji Xuyun, they came off as somewhat lavish and delicate.

“I’m fine. What about you? I heard from senior sister that you were the one who carried me out.”

As Lu Mingyi spoke, she checked Ji Xuyun over. Aside from a reddened nose tip from the Contemplation Cliff cold, she showed no signs of injury.

“I’m okay. I just got lucky back then,” Ji Xuyun replied simply, then sniffled. “I knew it was you who pleaded for me. Long Rainbow Sword Venerable was going to punish me for a month, but I got out after just seven days…”

“Hey, hey, this is Contemplation Cliff, not some street market!” the Enforcement Hall leader snapped irritably. “Junior Sister Lu, you’re here for punishment, not chit-chat, right?”

“Oh, you’re right. Thanks for the reminder, senior sister.” Lu Mingyi responded calmly, even flashing her a smile.

The woman felt like she’d punched cotton—her expression twisted comically.

“Wait, Senior Sister Lu, I’ll go in with you!”

Ji Xuyun clung to one of Lu Mingyi’s arms, clearly intending to follow her back into Contemplation Cliff.

Lu Mingyi was amused but exasperated. She tugged at her arm, but Ji Xuyun held fast, so she said, “Ji Junior Sister, you should head back and warm up first. Your nose is red from the cold. See you in a month.”

“But…” Ji Xuyun started to protest, then pivoted: “Okay! Senior Sister Lu, I’ll wait for you!”

She wiped the tears from her eyes, rubbed against Lu Mingyi vigorously, and waved, regaining her usual lively demeanor.

As Lu Mingyi stepped toward the entrance, she overheard the Enforcement Hall disciples whispering again:

“This Lu Mingyi really is a fool. Back then, she got in trouble in the secret realm with Ji Xuyun and ended up like this. That jinx is bad luck incarnate—yet she still hangs around her?”

“Rotten good Samaritan. When she was at her peak, all those she’d helped swarmed her residence. Look at her now!”

Indeed, Lu Mingyi’s life had changed dramatically from the day she met Ji Xuyun.

Three years ago, Lu Mingyi had been Taiqing Sect’s youngest Golden Core disciple, reaching Golden Core Peak at a young age. As the direct disciple of Long Rainbow Sword Venerable Jiang Liuzhao and a scion of the premier Shen Family, she was the hottest rising star in the Cultivation World.

When a Cave Heaven Secret Realm opened, countless sects and clans sent disciples. Lu Mingyi went too, encountering fellow Taiqing Sect Sword Peak disciple Ji Xuyun inside.

Ji Xuyun was already the top inner disciple, taught by an elder of Sword Peak, at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection—just a step from Golden Core—and hailed as a young genius.

After chatting, they discovered they were both from Sword Peak and hailed from Jiangxia. With such fate, they traveled together, chatting freely.

Lu Mingyi’s Golden Core Peak cultivation made their journey smooth, but perhaps that bred complacency. Soon, disaster struck.

One day, a mountain in the secret realm collapsed suddenly, unleashing a heavenly calamity. Lu Mingyi took several blows shielding Ji Xuyun, falling into heavy coma. Luckily, nearby Taiqing Sect disciples rescued her in time—otherwise, who knew the outcome.

Yet inexplicably, Lu Mingyi lay comatose for months, untreatable by medicine. When she awoke, her cultivation had plummeted from Golden Core Peak to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, and it kept falling, down to her current Foundation Establishment Third Layer.

Many in the sect blamed Ji Xuyun for dragging her down. As an orphan, she was dubbed a “jinx,” and people avoided her like the plague, fearing her bad luck.

Lu Mingyi, one foot already inside Contemplation Cliff, paused and turned back to the two who’d gossiped, her usual smile replaced by sternness.

She spat two words: “Apologize.”

“W-What?” Their faces changed, stunned she’d call them out.

“Hey, Junior Sister Lu, if you’re here for punishment, get on with it—stop dawdling!” The leader moved to grab her.

“Senior sister, is this how Enforcement Hall upholds sect rules?” Lu Mingyi looked down at her. “By seniority, Ji Junior Sister is their senior sister. By merit, she’s Sword Peak’s top inner disciple. Is it ‘by the rules’ to slander her like this? Besides, cultivation defies the heavens. If we blame every mishap on ‘fate,’ how can our Dao hearts stay firm?”

“You…” The woman’s face flushed, but Lu Mingyi’s sharp words left her speechless. With onlookers gathering, she turned her ire on the gossipers: “Don’t you have any manners? Apologize now!”

The pair looked aggrieved but complied: “Senior Sister Lu, sorry. We shouldn’t have talked behind your back.”

“I didn’t mean to me,” Lu Mingyi smiled. “Apologize to whoever you were spreading rumors about.”

“Uh…” They exchanged glances but, with things escalated, stiffly turned to Ji Xuyun: “Senior Sister Ji, sorry. We shouldn’t have talked behind your back. Please forgive us.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.” Ji Xuyun waved it off hastily, as if unable to bear the apology.

Her gaze never strayed, those autumn-water eyes—clear yet profound—fixed unwaveringly on Lu Mingyi.

This wasn’t the first time. Whenever someone called Ji Xuyun a jinx in her presence, Lu Mingyi never let it slide, even if they targeted her more.

And with Lu Mingyi’s own fall, despite her repeated defenses, people still bullied Ji Xuyun.

“Alright, Junior Sister Lu, enough drama—get inside! Don’t waste time out here.” The leader, fearing more trouble, urged impatiently.

“Right away, thanks for your patience, senior sister. I’m going in.” Lu Mingyi cupped her fists with a smile and turned without hesitation.

But Ji Xuyun rushed up, clutching her hand tightly with a pitiful look: “Senior Sister Lu, see you in a month. I’ll definitely wait for you.”

I’m just going for punishment—not like it’s life or death, Lu Mingyi thought.

Still, she bid Ji Xuyun a proper farewell.

As she passed the entrance, she heard the leader’s disdainful voice: “Tch, all she’s got left is a sharp tongue. Thinks she’s so great? Just you wait—you won’t end up with anything good!”

Lu Mingyi only smiled faintly. At the same time, she heard another voice:

[My dear senior sister, when you come out, you’ll find I’ve prepared a big gift for you.]

This voice was unusual. The previous ones had dripped with malice, but today’s—from Ji Xuyun—sounded positive?

On the way to her assigned cave for punishment, Lu Mingyi pondered the voice’s origin.

Contemplation Cliff was a sheer face where Taiqing Sect had carved several caves for rest. Punished disciples entered their assigned one, after which a barrier sealed the entrance until the sentence ended.

Lost in thought, Lu Mingyi nearly reached her cave when, amid the swirling snow, she spotted a tall, elegant figure standing there.