Chapter 3

After encountering something as bizarre as transmigrating into a book, Li Ruoshui believed her heart had long become indestructible.

It was just a ghost story scene, right? Ever since she had become a poor wretch, she no longer feared ghosts and monsters.

This was the third layer of mountains in the Taiyi Mountains, still within the patrol range of the Taiyi Sect cultivators. If any abnormality existed, the Taiyi Daoists would surely arrive at the first notice.

This person was dressed like a Taiyi Daoist as well.

In short, after Li Ruoshui stared down the Daoist’s “bloody eyes,” the alarm in her gradually lifted. Though the scene still looked eerie, there was no terrifying deathly aura surrounding it.

Mountain winds howled, trees swayed, sounding like crashing waves.

Li Ruoshui grew bolder and circled around the breathless Daoist once, secretly wondering if she cleaned up her remains and buried her, could she inherit the property she left behind?

“Fellow Daoist, if you’re unwilling, just shake your head?” Li Ruoshui stared at the Daoist and spoke politely.

See? She wasn’t acting unilaterally at all.

Several breaths later, Li Ruoshui leaned close to the Daoist. Under the clear moonlight, she carefully examined that face smeared entirely with blood. She formed the Spring Breeze Rain Transformation Art hand seal, then painstakingly tore a strip from the Daoist’s sleeve to use as a towel, wiping away the blood oozing from the Daoist’s mouth, eyes, and nose.

The kindhearted Li Ruoshui was meticulous and fully focused, so she didn’t notice the Daoist’s hand twitch. As the damp “towel” brushed across the Daoist’s face, Li Ruoshui suddenly met a pair of clear, serene, and ethereal eyes.

Li Ruoshui froze.

A moment later, a chill shot up her spine. It took every ounce of her strength to suppress the scream squeezing out from her throat.

Shivering, she tumbled to the ground, hands braced on the streamside pebbles, gasping rapidly.

No, that couldn’t be.

Perhaps an inner sect Daoist cultivating some profound technique here?

Li Ruoshui soothed her poor little heart while the Daoist frowned tightly, silently forming a hand seal to cleanse the filth from her body spotlessly clean.

Once the bloodstains vanished, that eerie, terrifying ghostly face instantly transformed into one as ethereal and transcendent as an immortal descended from heaven.

Li Ruoshui’s heart jolted.

She was just scared.

“Fellow Daoist?” Li Ruoshui dryly squeezed out two words.

The Daoist nodded to her in greeting, raising no objection to her “inheritance” actions. She merely glanced at her own sleeve before staring blankly at the half-charred fish. Several breaths later, she rose and drifted to the streamside like a gust of wind over melting snow. In an instant, she captured a lively, plump fish, rebuilt the campfire, and began anew.

Li Ruoshui was utterly baffled.

She knew she should leave at this point, but she couldn’t resist her curiosity.

What was this Taiyi Daoist doing? Were all Taiyi cultivators insane?

The poor plump fish was grabbed by the tail and smacked against a rock, its head half turning into pulp.

Li Ruoshui watched wide-eyed as a book slid from the Daoist’s sleeve. Thinking it some supreme technique manual, she craned her neck for a peek. The cover boldly read 365 Difficult Cooking Methods—clearly a scam street vendor knockoff.

The Daoist’s expression remained solemn as she took various herbs from her Universe Pouch, slit open the fish’s belly, and stuffed them inside. Next, she skewered the river fish with a dharma sword and roasted it over the fire.

Li Ruoshui: “?”

What kind of cultivation method was this? Did Taiyi inner sect require such desperation?

But if she wasn’t mistaken, that was just an ordinary river fish without a trace of spiritual power, right?

The burnt stench from the fish mixed with the aroma of scorched herbs wafted over, nearly making Li Ruoshui vomit. No scales scraped off, no guts removed—how could it taste good?

“Fellow Daoist, what are you doing?” Li Ruoshui couldn’t hold back amid the toxic smell.

The Daoist flicked her sleeve, and the character for “eat” appeared on the ground.

Li Ruoshui: “…” She couldn’t speak? Was this inner sect cultivator mute? Or practicing a vow of silence? She held back for a while before incredulously saying, “You can’t eat that, right?”

But the Daoist ignored her, even using spiritual power to fan the campfire and speed up the roasting. In less than a quarter-hour, a freshly baked fish that looked like it could poison a crowd emerged.

The Daoist kindly offered half to Li Ruoshui. Li Ruoshui didn’t dare take it. She watched as the Daoist bit into it and once again entered a state of blood streaming from all seven orifices. The dropped cooking book lay open to the fish page; Li Ruoshui’s gaze swept over it, catching only the character for “fresh.”

What a criminal waste!

Li Ruoshui ached thinking of those precious herbs that had brushed past her and ended up stuffed in the fish belly.

Li Ruoshui tentatively offered, “Give me three—no, ten stalks of Nourishing Essence Grass, and I’ll roast a fish for you.” Her heart drummed; was this too greedy? Probably not. But the Daoist said nothing. After thinking, Li Ruoshui stepped back: “Nine stalks.”

The Daoist flicked her hand, tossing the Universe Pouch to Li Ruoshui.

Li Ruoshui glanced inside: besides Nourishing Essence Grass, there was salt, chili, cilantro, chives… Did Taiyi inner sect teach cooking too? She didn’t ask. The ghostly-looking Daoist had already caught another live fish.

Though Li Ruoshui couldn’t make spirit cuisine, grilling an edible fish with her skills was no problem.

Once Li Ruoshui finished grilling the fish, the strange Daoist had recovered her transcendent demeanor.

She watched the Daoist carefully nibble the steaming grilled fish, revealing an expression of utmost astonishment.

As if she’d never tasted anything edible before.

Was Taiyi inner sect’s cafeteria serving pig slop? Li Ruoshui secretly thought, feeling a billion times more resistant to scraping money for inner sect entry.

“What’s your name, Fellow Daoist?” After finishing the fish, the Daoist flicked her sleeve, and words appeared by the campfire.

Shouldn’t she introduce herself first? Or was this inner sect arrogance?

Li Ruoshui eyed the Daoist warily. This fellow didn’t seem too bright; not suitable for turning a one-time deal sustainable. Without blinking, she lied: “Ru Bing.”

The Daoist nodded, glanced at her several times, then turned into a streak of escaping light and vanished.

Li Ruoshui didn’t care where the Daoist went. She clutched the Universe Pouch—mostly condiments—and wouldn’t let go.

No need to forage Nourishing Essence Grass now; saved a ton of effort. But most importantly, she didn’t need to save Spirit Jade Pills to buy one.

Was this good karma? Worth her kindhearted attempt at corpse collection, even if it failed.

While Li Ruoshui inventoried her gains, that escaping light crossed multiple mountains and landed in the Nanhua Dojo at Taiyi Sect’s rear mountain. Her body shimmered with brilliant light, and after a few breaths, she transformed into a long sword flowing with pale blue radiance.

A Daoist’s figure approached, stared at the sword for a moment, and said, “You sneaked out to eat again? And disguised yourself as me.”

The sword vibrated, writing on the ground: “No one could recognize it anyway.”

The Daoist frowned slightly and sighed faintly.

The sword hummed, circling the Daoist, but before getting close, a palm wind sent it several zhang away. Unfazed, the sword continued scrawling crooked words on the ground.

“You want to promote an outer sect Daoist to the kitchen to grill fish for you? Her name is Ru Bing?” Bewilderment grew in the Daoist’s eyes, but she doted on her sword spirit and saw no reason to deny such a trifle. She nodded “alright,” then used the Tianyan Mirror to send a message to the steward. She didn’t log off immediately but browsed Tianyan’s Dharma Realm as usual.

She wasn’t much interested in Dao debates—Dao was personal; no one could convince another, and if one’s Dao convictions could be swayed, their entire cultivation was wasted. After scrolling, she spotted a desolate post: Any tips for Shedding Mortality to Heart Fixing?

Such posts came only from sectless, masterless cultivators.

The Daoist stared at the twelve Spirit Jade Pills for a moment, smiled helplessly, and quickly left a few lines, attaching her Dharma Realm name seal—Chen Buyan.

–

Li Ruoshui hadn’t expected a kind Daoist to actually answer her question.

After laughing her fill while hugging the Universe Pouch, she munched Nourishing Essence Grass like snacks and browsed the Tianyan Mirror.

Thanks to the plot, she had some understanding of this cultivation world called the Nine Provinces—for instance, knowing it had Seven Sects and Three Lineages. The Seven Sects were the major immortal Dao sects: Taiyi Sect, Tianyan Sect, Three Saints Academy, the Empire, Wind Moon Heartless Sect, Joy Sect, and Medicine King Mountain. The Three Lineages were demon, devil, and ghost; the devils were devil Dao, with the top power being the Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace where Cang Lang resided. They included humans and demons, differing from immortal Dao only in cultivating turbid qi.

Cultivation methods varied wildly: besides common sword, blade, medicine, and strength, there were Literary Dao, painting Dao, wind-moon Dao, Heartless Dao, even Human Emperor Dao. Avenues to the Dao numbered three thousand, each unique. But the book hadn’t detailed how to enter or cultivate them; Li Ruoshui remained clueless.

“Just accumulate spiritual qi from Shedding Mortality to Heart Fixing, and it happens naturally? The key is breaking the barrier into Heart Fixing Realm—igniting the Dao heart, establishing the Dao vow? This stage requires choosing one’s foundational Dao?” Li Ruoshui mumbled at the words. But the problem was, what should she cultivate? How did she know what suited her? From past experience… become a farming immortal with the Spring Breeze Rain Transformation Art?

With a proper Daoist finally replying, Li Ruoshui hurriedly followed up to squeeze every bit of value from those twelve Spirit Jade Pills. “How do I determine my Dao?”

Once chosen at Heart Fixing stage, regret meant rebirth.

Chen Buyan: “Fellow Daoist, unaware of Tianyan’s Ascend Heaven Gate?”

Li Ruoshui: “Maybe?” It tested aptitudes, but no different from sect tests, right? She couldn’t even enter Taiyi inner sect; what flowers could Ascend Heaven Gate reveal? Besides, “Ascend Heaven Gate” sounded pricey; penniless Li Ruoshui wouldn’t dare.

Chen Buyan: “Every Tianyan user gets one free Ascend Heaven Gate entry. If confused about your path, why not ask?”

Li Ruoshui: “How many Spirit Jade Pills?”

A good while later, Chen Buyan replied: “None needed.”

Li Ruoshui’s heart leaped—such a good deal? She had to test it.

Of course, another joy: the other solved her query without taking her pills; Tianyan refunded them.

The Nine Provinces cultivation world still had living bodhisattvas.

Li Ruoshui gushed enthusiastically: “Fellow Daoist Chen Buyan, you’re a true great benefactor. From now on, you’re my bosom friend, my one true god!”

Once she struck it rich, she’d repay a hundredfold.

Chen Buyan: “What’s your name, Fellow Daoist?”

Li Ruoshui pondered the cryptic default username on Tianyan Mirror, then willed a new “net name”—Li Shangshan.

No one surfed with their real name in this world, right?