Chapter 54: “My Dear Disciple, Did You Miss Your Master?”

Bi Lan returned outside the Relay Station, but Yan Zhao was nowhere to be seen.

She took out her Compass and cast a divination. The compass wobbled unsteadily but gave no directional indication.

What was going on?

She immediately grabbed a station worker passing by. “Where did that young lady who was just here go?”

The worker looked troubled. “I don’t know.”

They all had their own work. With the street full of people coming and going, how could they notice who stood at the door for how long?

Realizing her urgency had frightened the person, Bi Lan helplessly let go.

The station worker immediately turned and left.

Bi Lan stood before the station, looking at the streets branching in all directions, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

·

Bai Jin and the young swordsman stared at each other, eyes wide.

After a stunned silence of about half a breath, the swordsman couldn’t help himself first. His brows relaxed into a smile. “My name is Jue Ya, a disciple of the Wusheng Sword Sect. May I ask how to address you, Miss?”

Bai Jin pouted. “I don’t want to tell you.”

Jue Ya wasn’t angered. He laughed freely. “So be it. Since it was all a misunderstanding, let us part ways here.”

The young swordsman turned and left with an air of nonchalance.

Bai Jin turned and headed in the other direction. She had wanted to find Yan Zhao, but after that missed encounter, Yan Zhao’s aura vanished, impossible to trace. She could only give up.

“Bored to death,” Bai Jin complained.

Who knew when the Medicine Ceremony of the Medicine God Sect would even start? If all her days in the Taiyan Immortal Domain were this idle, she’d die of boredom.

Bai Jin wandered around casually. Leaving the Immortal Market, she passed a carriage.

The carriage curtain lifted; Immortal Venerable Daoling and Ling Jiancheng were riding together.

Ling Jiancheng was severely injured, unable to move, drifting in and out of consciousness. He spent most of the time buried in sleep, occasionally waking up to ask in a hoarse voice, “Immortal Venerable, where are we?”

Immortal Venerable Daoling retracted his gaze from the distance and responded, “We’ve entered the Taiyan Immortal Domain. Let’s stay at the Immortal Market tonight. Tomorrow, this old man will formally deliver our visiting card.”

Ling Jiancheng closed his eyes upon hearing this.

Not long after Bai Jin left the Immortal Market, she passed a small peach forest.

Qingqiu also had peach forests, far superior to the trees here. But seeing something familiar in a foreign land stirred her emotions, and she couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

Bai Jin flipped over and lay down on the branch of a peach tree, closing her eyes for a short rest.

Suddenly, a fierce wind blew through the forest.

The wind was laced with a murderous aura.

Bai Jin’s eyes snapped open.

·

Tushan Yu had been with Elder Wu at the Medicine God Sect, drinking tea and playing chess. A day passed in the blink of an eye.

Watching the sun set in the west, he waited and waited, but Bai Jin did not return.

“That wild girl just loves to run around everywhere,” Tushan Yu sighed.

How could a little fox of Qingqiu be bound by rules? Bai Jin definitely hadn’t heeded his advice. She’d run out of the Medicine God Sect to play elsewhere.

He didn’t know how far she’d gone, or when she’d be back.

Just then, a streak of light shot across the sky, and a white-bearded elder landed in the courtyard.

Elder Wu sensed the commotion and turned back, puzzled. “Why such haste? What’s happened?”

The elder glanced at Tushan Yu, hesitating.

Tushan Yu politely stood up, his voice gentle. “This Junior will withdraw.”

“No need.” Elder Wu stopped him, then turned to the newcomer. “What exactly is the matter? Young Master Tushan is not an outsider. Speak freely.”

The elder’s expression was anxious. Seeing this, he could only relent and admit, “Miss Bai Jin has disappeared.”

·

Go to hell with your “pledge yourself in marriage”!

The little fox glared fiercely at Yan Zhao, then twisted its head away, ignoring her.

Yan Zhao forcibly turned its head back, grinning from ear to ear. “Little ungrateful brat!”

The little fox couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. It broke free and burrowed into Yan Zhao’s arms.

Seeing the sun slanting west and the sky darkening, Yan Zhao finally remembered what she had forgotten.

Bi Lan had told her earlier to wait at the Relay Station.

Which Relay Station was it again?

By the time Yan Zhao had painstakingly found her way back to the Relay Station, Bi Lan had already left.

Yan Zhao mimicked Bi Lan’s earlier actions and walked into the station, saying she wanted to book a superior room. The Shopkeeper demanded a single purple crystal. Yan Zhao couldn’t pay, and was chased out by the station worker.

“So staying at a Relay Station is that expensive.” Yan Zhao pouted. Forget it.

When leaving the station, the Small Gold Bead around her neck suddenly flashed with light.

Whenever she passed an Immortal Market while traveling with Bi Lan, they always stayed at a Relay Station. Bi Lan had taken special care of Yan Zhao, and Yan Zhao had grown used to it. Suddenly alone again, she felt a bit lost.

Unconsciously, she walked to the peach forest. As Yan Zhao passed through, she suddenly saw several fallen trees ahead.

The surrounding area bore clear signs of destruction. Sword Qi and blade energies had left their marks on this patch of earth.

The Small Gold Bead on her chest flickered again.

Yan Zhao just glanced at it, detoured around the area, found a secluded, quiet spot, and climbed a large tree to lie on a branch, just like she used to.

Closing her eyes, the incantation Yan Yuanqing had imparted to her automatically surfaced in her mind.

She subconsciously followed it. The inner energy flow began circulating on its own, and the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth surged towards her.

This time, her Spirit Platform was clear, and she did not dream.

The little fox sensed the disturbance and emerged from Yan Zhao’s arms. It jumped onto a branch, observing the surroundings. It didn’t feel safe here.

It looked back at Yan Zhao. It had never seen anyone cultivate while sleeping.

But this was Yan Zhao, so perhaps it made sense.

Then, its gaze sharpened.

A faint golden light flickered on Yan Zhao’s chest.

It was the Soul-Condensing Bead.

The Soul-Condensing Bead was usually quiet, only emitting light under extremely special circumstances.

The little fox leaped down from the peach branch. Landing on the ground, it transformed into human form, and with a single step, was beside Yan Zhao.

As it drew closer to Yan Zhao, the Soul-Condensing Bead’s flashing quickened, as if trying to attract her attention.

Ren Qingyue frowned, deep in thought.

The first time she sensed the bead’s power was in her Master’s Cave Abode. After that, it remained silent. She didn’t know what mystery it held.

Ren Qingyue gently pushed aside Yan Zhao’s collar, her gaze falling on the small bead flickering rhythmically.

After a moment of hesitation, her fingertip lightly touched the surface of the Golden Pearl.

Bzzz—

A vibration struck her eardrums, a powerful pulling force yanking at her Primordial Spirit. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery transformed.

Red walls, black tiles, singing birds, fragrant flowers.

Ren Qingyue’s pupils constricted.

This place…

Her Master’s Cave Abode!

Just by touching the Soul-Condensing Bead with her fingertip, how had she suddenly arrived at her Master’s Cave Abode?!

Ren Qingyue was shocked and uncertain.

Soon, she made another discovery.

Only her Primordial Spirit was here; her physical body had not followed.

This sudden development was truly terrifying. As she looked around in panic, a shadow suddenly fell over her vision.

A pitch-black figure hung upside down from the roof, hair disheveled, a paper fake tongue dangling from its mouth.

Ren Qingyue: “…”

Her eyes welled up.

Ren Qingyue wasn’t frightened at all, just staring blankly.

Yan Yuanqing pulled out the “tongue” and grumbled irritably, “Why aren’t you scared either? You kids have no sense of humor at all.”

Ren Qingyue gasped, crying out in shock: “Shizun!”

Yan Yuanqing flipped down, landing on the ground. With a toss of her hair, she instantly re-bundled her hair crown, transforming back into the unrestrained and dashing Immortal Venerable.

She stepped into the pavilion, approached Ren Qingyue, and patted her face. “My dear Disciple, three hundred years, did you miss your Master?”

Ren Qingyue’s eyes reddened slightly.

The familiar closeness made her dazed, but a string of caution remained taut in her mind, not daring to relax easily.

“Shizun,” she asked instead of answering, “three hundred years ago, how exactly did you die?”

How could she not recognize that the Yan Yuanqing before her was just a fragmented remnant of a Primordial Spirit? Though her temperament was still unrestrained and flamboyant, the palm patting her cheek lacked the blazing warmth it once had.

Yan Yuanqing suddenly fell silent, the smile in her brows and eyes slowly fading.

Then, she sighed helplessly.

In the end, she couldn’t hide it from this clever and intelligent disciple. If the current situation weren’t so dire, she wouldn’t want to drag Ren Qingyue into this.

“The exact truth no longer matters. You needn’t ask anymore.” Yan Yuanqing straightened her expression, sat up, and looked at Ren Qingyue. Suddenly, her voice rang out: “My Disciple, Qingyue!”

Ren Qingyue’s body reacted before her mind, dropping to her knees with a thud.

“Listen well.” Immortal Venerable Yuanqing’s voice was deep. When she wasn’t smiling, her features naturally held a chill, imposing without anger. “People from Fuyun Sect have already reached the Taiyan Immortal Domain. Take my Token and bring Zhao’er to the Medicine God Sect to seek refuge.”

Ren Qingyue abruptly looked up. “What exactly do they want? Why won’t they leave Yan Zhao alone?!”

Immortal Venerable Yuanqing sighed, speaking earnestly. “This matter’s cause and effect are tangled. The more you know, the more dangerous it is. With your current abilities, protecting Zhao’er is already difficult. I don’t want you to be too deeply involved, understand?”

Ren Qingyue bit her lip, her teeth breaking the skin at the corner of her mouth, tasting a hint of blood.

Her origins were unclear. She had forgotten her past due to injuries as a child. Just after transforming, she was picked up by Yan Yuanqing, taken as a Disciple, and raised with care.

In Ren Qingyue’s heart, Yan Yuanqing was her second mother.

Yet Yan Yuanqing had been murdered by hidden enemies, and she had been kept in the dark for three hundred years. Now, after finally glimpsing a sliver of the truth, she was so utterly powerless.

Yan Yuanqing took out a Jade Talisman and tossed it to Ren Qingyue, her voice weary. “Crush this talisman once you enter the Medicine God Sect’s territory. Someone will meet you. Go now, don’t delay any longer.”

Tears shimmered in Ren Qingyue’s eyes, her nose aching. She choked out, “Will this Disciple… ever see Shizun again?”

A faint sadness appeared in Yan Yuanqing’s expression, her tone wistful. “You and I are both Cultivators, yet we still cling to ordinary worldly attachments. In this… you truly are like me.”

Sighing deeply, she added, “The fate between Master and Disciple is not yet exhausted. When the time is right, we will meet again. Go now.”

On Ren Qingyue’s tear-streaked face, a strained smile finally appeared. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, and the heavy grief pressing on her chest eased slightly.

She prostrated herself, knocking her head to the ground with a heavy thud. “This Disciple awaits Shizun’s call.”