Cangwu City.
The majestic city walls loomed like slumbering beasts. Roads stretched out from a grid, flanked by orderly markets and neighborhoods. To the far north, at the highest point of Cangwu City, stood the Lu Family’s palatial compound, appearing hazy and indistinct amidst ethereal clouds.
Flight wasn’t strictly forbidden within the city, but out of deference to the Lu Family, very few cultivators outside the clan would fly back and forth overhead on beams of light.
By the roadside, in an inconspicuous teahouse, two women sat together drinking tea. One had the appearance of a middle-aged woman, while the other looked like a maiden in her late teens.
“Cangcang, you know that the First Rank is not lightly granted. The remaining ranks all have corresponding quotas, as they determine the allocation of the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s resources. The Wang and Zheng families are also laying their plans.” The middle-aged woman had deep, profound eyes. She fixed her gaze on Feng Cangcang and spoke plainly.
Feng Cangcang kept her head low, respectfully replying, “This matter is solely for the Deacon to decide. Cangcang’s purpose in returning to Cangwu City this time is only to visit family.”
The middle-aged woman was pleased with Feng Cangcang’s conduct. She was a member of the Feng Clan, holding a minor post within the Heavenly Dao Alliance. This time, she was in charge of the alliance’s June Review. She knew Feng Cangcang was highly favored by a certain influential figure within the Feng Clan, and if Feng Cangcang insisted on seeking advantages for the Lu Family, things would become thorny. But Feng Cangcang’s obedience and tactfulness eased her burden. Softening her tone, she gave a slight smile and said, “I shall accompany you on a visit to the Lu Family.”
Primarily, this was to give Feng Cangcang face; secondarily, it was to see what the Lu Family was willing to pay for the June Review. Feng Cangcang understood this in her heart, yet still she showed just the right amount of pleased surprise, quickly thanking the Feng Clan Deacon.
—
Chongyuan Sect.
Ever since news of the June Review arrived, the sect had been paying close attention. However, the Sect Leader was in closed-door cultivation, and Wei Mingyi and the other third-generation disciples were far too weak, leaving only Hua Xiaozhu to venture out and gather intelligence.
Although her combat ability wasn’t high, that was relative to cultivators of the same realm. She was still a Golden Core cultivator; even the Lu Clan wouldn’t recklessly target her.
After several excursions, Hua Xiaozhu sold a new batch of refined pills to cover the sect’s daily expenses and also brought back information regarding the Lu Clan.
The one presiding over the June Review was the Lu Clan’s patron family, the third-rate Feng Clan. For now, the Lu Clan hadn’t acted against Chongyuan Sect, but their people were constantly hovering near the mountain gate and investigating the activities of the other two families, clearly suspecting that Chongyuan Sect had found a new backer.
Chongyuan Sect currently lacked the strength to confront the Lu Family head-on. Although they received this information, they could do little about it. Hua Xiaozhu merely gathered the people in the sect to inform them of the news while also giving them a warning, instructing them not to leave the sect casually.
“Are the great families this… proper about it?” Wei Mingyi found it somewhat surprising. Shouldn’t the wicked cultivation world be all about settling disputes instantly with violence? ‘I hit you because I want to’—what need is there for reason?
Hua Xiaozhu explained, “When the families invaded the living space of Master-Disciple lineages, they used the justification that master-disciple bonds are less reliable than blood ties and clan relations. Non-clan systems lead to betrayal and chaos, they claimed, while kinship bonds act as a lock—if one commits patricide, there is immense moral pressure. Of course, thousands of years of conflict have proven all that to be utter nonsense. The families no longer speak like that, but on the surface, appearances must still be maintained. Though competition between the families is incredibly fierce and brutal, it’s very rare for one to launch an inexplicable, all-out attack to directly annihilate another family.”
Meeting Wei Mingyi’s skeptical gaze, Hua Xiaozhu thought for a moment and added, “At least, among the three major families under the Feng Clan, that’s how it is.” She had been picked up by Su Xuanjing and brought back to Chongyuan Sect when she was at Foundation Establishment; she hadn’t actually been to many other places. After Su Xuanjing helped her achieve the Golden Core, she remained at Chongyuan Sect, not wanting to bother with matters far from the sect. They didn’t want the disturbances of the outside world; they only wanted to wait in Chongyuan Sect for their Ancestor’s return. But the disturbances of the outside world always sought them out.
The relationships between the various families and sects across the Nine Provinces were complicated, an intricate web. Wei Mingyi’s exposure was far too limited to understand it all. Her golden finger allowed her to be reborn in the Nine Provinces, but it had only given her some very basic concepts that even a three-year-old would know; anything more required her own exploration. Relying entirely on her golden finger to coast to victory was proving a bit difficult. Self-sufficiency for food and warmth was easy, but she wanted to progress—after all, she had a Shizun to take care of above her. The Assistant Master had been unable to develop a proper pill, only managing to suppress it. No one knew when the suppressed “Wither and Flourish” might suddenly erupt.
“No matter what’s said, it’s only surface harmony, right?” Wei Mingyi asked. One hand rested on the wheelchair, the other propped up her chin as she wore a thoughtful expression. “Is there any way to make them tear off the mask completely?”
Hua Xiaozhu glanced at Wei Mingyi, and after a long pause, said, “I could travel some distance and try to make contact with forces from the Zheng or Wang Clans.”
Wei Mingyi couldn’t help asking, “You haven’t tried contacting them before?”
Hua Xiaozhu: “…” Because of the Alchemical Cauldron Pavilion’s existence, private trading was extremely rare. Given the time and effort required, most would rather take a loss on pill prices than go through the hassle. The only reason she was now considering communicating with them herself was because the Alchemical Cauldron Pavilion had ceased doing business with Chongyuan Sect. In the past, would they have risked going to Wang’s Langya City or Zheng’s Xingyang City? The Aristocratic Families’ ostracism and persecution of Master-Disciple lineages were all cut from the same cloth.
“Looks like it’s up to me then,” Wei Mingyi muttered, her eyes burning with determination like pillars of fire. She, Wei Mingyi, was born precisely to save Chongyuan Sect, to save the entire world of the Nine Provinces! Sensing the dire straits of Chongyuan Sect, Wei Mingyi hyped herself up, then immediately went before Wu Chongyun, bending down to meet her gaze at eye level. “Does Shizun know anything else? Why not share it?” She’d noticed her Shizun was found by the Sect Leader, given a new name, identity unknown. But the widely read Wei Mingyi possessed a keen intuition.
An incredibly beautiful and tragic figure of strength—wouldn’t that match the world’s opposite path?
And the current “Way” of the world seemed to rest firmly in the hands of the families.
Her Shizun being merely a rebel from the Master-Disciple lineage wasn’t enough; she had to be a rebel from the Aristocratic Families to truly fit the classic ‘beautiful, strong, tragic’ archetype!
A person who must have suffered a devastating blow, hence this complete personality change, becoming practically ‘mute’.
Hua Xiaozhu held no expectations.
That Wu Chongyun would even show up at a meeting was already a bizarre miracle.
Sure enough, after Wei Mingyi finished asking, Wu Chongyun remained as lifeless as ever, looking like she was separated from the world by an entire layer.
“Forget it,” Hua Xiaozhu said. For Wu Chongyun, even breathing was an agony; how could they expect her to strategize? Besides, such matters were likely beyond Wu Chongyun’s knowledge anyway.
“Shizun—” Wei Mingyi drawled out the word. She lifted a Whisk from where it hung on the wheelchair and used it to gently brush Wu Chongyun’s hand. She’d found this Whisk in Wu Chongyun’s room; finding it rather nice-looking, she’d hung it on the wheelchair.
Wu Chongyun, irritated by her prodding, pressed her lips together. Finally, with utter exhaustion, she spoke three words: “Azure Dye Sand.” She frowned at Wei Mingyi, then added, “You can’t do it. The sect is stable. Patiently wait for the Sect Leader to exit closed-door cultivation.”
Wei Mingyi strongly suspected that her Shizun’s prolonged isolation had also caused her language skills to regress; luckily, she herself possessed superhuman comprehension. What “Azure Dye Sand” was, she didn’t know—she skipped over that directly. As for the latter half, it meant: a few small cats like them were utterly incapable of doing anything; it was better to wait safely in the sect for the Sect Leader to come out. With the Mountain Protection Array present, no one could harm them anyway.
“Azure Dye Sand is a mineral, an absolutely essential item for those beginning to cultivate the Dao of Painting and Calligraphy,” Hua Xiaozhu explained. As an alchemist, she dealt with minerals in addition to herbs. “It can be found on the border between Cangwu City and Langya City. However, it holds little value within Cangwu City itself.”
Wu Chongyun said succinctly, “The Wang Clan uses it.”
Wei Mingyi’s eyes lit up. “I understand Shizun’s meaning. A border means contested ownership. If it’s a cultivation necessity, then cutting off its supply can create a feud of obstructing one’s Dao. So Shizun is saying, we disguise ourselves as Lu Clan members, hide or destroy the ‘Azure Dye Sand’, and force the Lu Clan and Wang Clan into a full-blown fight.”
Wu Chongyun: “…” She shouldn’t have opened her mouth.
Mo Xuanxiao couldn’t help but interject, “Junior Sister, we don’t have the ability.”
Wei Mingyi: “Oh.”
Hua Xiaozhu was somewhat tempted by Wei Mingyi’s words, but with the Sect Leader absent, she suppressed the thought that was gradually being led astray by Wei Mingyi. Worried that Wei Mingyi might act rashly, she spent a full quarter-hour repeatedly admonishing her before finally dismissing the meeting.
Wei Mingyi wore a contemplative expression.
Pushing Wu Chongyun’s wheelchair on the path back, she suddenly asked midway, “Is that Azure Dye Sand a pigment? Why does cultivation require a specific dye?”
She didn’t expect Wu Chongyun to answer, but before she could poke her with the Whisk, that weary, lazy voice sounded: “Not everyone can master abilities like using Qi as a sword from the start. In the early stages of cultivation, one needs a ‘Dharma Raft’ to reach the other shore. When disciples of the Wang Clan cultivate the Dao of Painting and Calligraphy, they initially need specific paper and brushes capable of resonating with spiritual energy, and then gradually discard them.”
“Is that so?” Wei Mingyi was startled. Faced with the choice of sheepishly retracting the Whisk or continuing to pester her Shizun, she chose the latter. Only when the Whisk was caught in Wu Chongyun’s hand did she ask nonchalantly, “When Shizun was cultivating back then, what was her Dharma Raft?” She paused, then asked again, “Or rather, what Dao does Shizun cultivate?”
At the Foundation Establishment stage, one must clarify their Dao Heart and choose a path to follow. The two Daoist texts currently in her hands corresponded roughly to the “Law Dao.” After learning Dao Script, she could sense that profound and mysterious Dao Rhyme, it was true, but neither of the two Dao scriptures could serve as an entry point. Could it be a lack of affinity, forcing her to use her golden finger to force it?
The question was somewhat overstepping boundaries. Forget whether her relationship with Wu Chongyun had reached that level—given Wu Chongyun’s current state, asking about the past was akin to stabbing her in the heart, wasn’t it? Belatedly realizing this, Wei Mingyi hurriedly apologized to Wu Chongyun. But just as she opened her mouth, Wu Chongyun’s voice also sounded.
“Zither.”
The simultaneous voices masked Wu Chongyun’s pronunciation. Wei Mingyi was stunned for a moment before coming back to her senses.
Zither? But she hadn’t seen a zither stand in Shizun’s room.
Or was it “Emotion”? Yet the Emotion Dao sounded even more absurd.
Where did her Shizun look like someone cultivating the Emotion Dao?
Probably just skipped the word “Un-” because she was too lazy to speak.
An Emotionless Dao, beautiful, strong, and tragically ill Shizun… This string of words surfaced in Wei Mingyi’s mind. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a sudden shiver ran through her body.
Wu Chongyun rarely concerned herself with external matters. She barely responded when others spoke to her, let alone actively showing concern for anything.
But now, watching Wei Mingyi’s strange expression, she frowned and said coldly, “What are you so excited about?”
Wei Mingyi: “…”
Did she? Heaven bore witness, she was absolutely not a pervert.
