Chapter 22: 022

Perhaps because Wei Mingyi had chided her, Wu Chongyun repeated the above statement three times.

By the time she started her second repetition, Wei Mingyi was certain she was truly unhappy. For a moment she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She hurriedly soothed Wu Chongyun, saying, “I was only joking. It’s fine even if Shizun doesn’t speak. Shizun and I share a connection of hearts; what need is there for words when a single glance conveys everything?”

Anyway, she didn’t listen to what she didn’t want to hear, and didn’t understand what she couldn’t grasp. So saying this wasn’t a big mistake.

Wei Mingyi prattled on by herself. Wu Chongyun shot her a sideways glance and uttered two words: “Too noisy.”

She didn’t fight Wei Mingyi for control of the wheelchair anymore. Only then did Wei Mingyi sigh in relief, obediently escorting Wu Chongyun into the courtyard.

She mentally noted one rule: do not compare her Shizun to others; it would set her off.

August.

Assistant Master Hua Xiaozhu refined enough Miasma-Breaking Elixirs to support the sect members entering the Wild Domain for training.

And Senior Sister Mo Xuanxiao, after opening thirty Qi meridians, chose to establish her foundation. If she continued to dawdle, not only would she fail to open new meridians, her Dao cultivation might even regress, affecting her future. She could no longer hesitate.

In this short time, two more events occurred in Chongyuan Sect. First, Hidden Moon Sect’s Leader Li Ciyun decided to become a subordinate sect of Chongyuan Sect. Second, Feng Cangcang decided to join Chongyuan Sect. The former met the Golden Finger’s expansion criteria, granting Wei Mingyi two hundred Achievement Points. And as long as Hidden Moon Sect didn’t leave Chongyuan Sect, these two hundred points, like a badge, would refresh every month. This meant that from now on, Wei Mingyi would receive twelve hundred Achievement Points each month.

As for Feng Cangcang, she alone didn’t meet the standard for a faction. Only the achievement “Establish a Sect and Recruit” was triggered. According to the System’s habits, recruiting more people later wouldn’t re-trigger this; these hundred Achievement Points were a one-time thing.

Before departure, Wei Mingyi checked her interface panel.

【Achievement Points: 1500 (1200/month)

Talent Points: 17

Assets: Chongyuan Sect, Cangwu City, Wild Domain·Yangchun Terrace】

She hadn’t yet decided where to spend the newly acquired Achievement Points, so Wei Mingyi simply saved them. As for Talent Points, she had just reached the threshold to learn the Earth-tier technique “Six Classics Unrolled.” After serious thought, she still didn’t use them. She would try harder herself first. What if she couldn’t learn it simply because her Meridian Opening stage cultivation was too shallow?

The teleportation array had no time limit, no capacity limit, and no additional cost per use.

In this respect, the Golden Finger could be considered genuinely generous.

In a few breaths, the group from Chongyuan Sect and Hidden Moon Sect arrived at Yangchun Terrace in the Wild Domain.

The Wild Domain was inherently unsuitable for cultivators to live in. Daoists wishing to move within it either carried magical tools or took medicine. But the Golden Finger had granted this land a Yellow-tier spirit vein, causing spiritual energy to gather and swirl in the area. Although it wasn’t as pure as the Pure Domain and was still laced with faint traces of the Wild Domain’s Breath of Chaos, the hindrance to Daoists was greatly reduced, so they wouldn’t find it impossible to move here.

After arriving, Wei Mingyi slowly adjusted her breathing.

Her hands gripped the wheelchair. Lowering her head, she asked Wu Chongyun, “How is Shizun? Do you need medicine?” Originally, they didn’t want to bring Wu Chongyun here, but Wu Chongyun insisted on coming. The Sect Leader hadn’t resisted for long before relenting. Only Wicked Wraiths meant for the disciples’ training remained here. With their watchful eyes, Wu Chongyun wouldn’t be harmed.

Wu Chongyun said, “No need.” She lifted her gaze to observe Yangchun Terrace. Taiyi cultivators had once been stationed here, so naturally, there were corresponding structures. The Wicked Wraiths in the Wild Domain fed on flesh, blood, and vitality. Having not formed a real tide, they hadn’t destroyed the leftover buildings. The Taiyi of back then had been immensely glorious; even a small foothold surpassed the Dao grounds of minor clans.

“I’ve already cleared out a living area,” Su Xuanjing said. She sighed with emotion, “Once tidied up, this place actually looks more like a proper sect than Chongyuan Sect.”

“It always was,” Wei Mingyi said, blinking. She looked up at Su Xuanjing and asked, “Should we erect a stone tablet as a mountain gate marker? But would the aristocratic families see it?”

“That…” Su Xuanjing showed hesitation at this. As the Sect Leader of Chongyuan Sect, she naturally wanted to propagate the sect’s name far and wide. The greater their reputation, the higher the chance of finding Shizun. But lacking matching strength, acting ostentatiously would be courting death.

Wu Chongyun tapped the armrest of her wheelchair.

Wei Mingyi immediately lowered her gaze to her. “What does Shizun want to say?”

Wu Chongyun indolently said, “The Nine Provinces are vast. Aristocratic families share surnames, and sects share names. Sects large and small that use ‘Chongyuan’ as their sect name number no less than a hundred.” Major and minor families would add a regional prefix—for example, Cangwu’s Lu Clan, so you’d know which Lu family it was. But just saying “Lu,” who could distinguish them?

Wei Mingyi: “.”

In short, their “village name” was of no concern to anyone.

Su Xuanjing placed great trust in Wu Chongyun. Upon receiving this statement, she went to erect the mountain gate marker.

Wei Mingyi, for her part, fetched a sword and strapped it to her back. She spun in a circle in front of Wu Chongyun and asked, “What does Shizun think?”

Wu Chongyun raised her eyes and sized up Wei Mingyi. Dressed entirely in snow-white robes with a red sash swaying in the breeze, she hadn’t tied her hair in a Daoist topknot. Instead, she’d used a red silk ribbon to bind it into a high ponytail, with a sword strapped to her back. Her bearing was dashing, her demeanor noble and elegant, surpassing even her usual self. Wu Chongyun couldn’t help thinking of her younger self and her sisters. She held her whisk, and only after a long while did she say, “You practice Daoist seals; you don’t need to use a sword.”

Wei Mingyi: “…”

Forget it.

Wu Chongyun added, “The qi here is unusual. You cultivate a Heaven-tier technique; find 2nd-layer Wicked Wraiths to practice on.”

Wei Mingyi agreed. Inwardly, she muttered, No kidding? She had already set the game difficulty to easy mode. Under these circumstances, to still bully Wicked Wraiths weaker than herself would be truly cowardly.

Meeting Wu Chongyun’s weary, languid gaze, she had been about to ask, “How come Shizun is talking more now?” But the words turned at her lips just in time. If she really asked, what if Shizun stopped speaking again afterward?

Wei Mingyi put on a look of listening with respectful attention. “Does Shizun have any other instructions?”

Wu Chongyun said, “Your heart is not calm; you’re easily invaded by external evil. But you mustn’t overly rely on Miasma-Breaking Elixirs.”

Wei Mingyi blinked in confusion. Where was she not calm? Pressing down on the front end of the whisk that Wu Chongyun held, Wei Mingyi swore an oath: “I will kill three Wicked Wraiths today.”

Wu Chongyun: “…” Not until Wei Mingyi strode away with great, spirited steps onto the path of slaying Wicked Wraiths did Wu Chongyun lower her eyes and hang her whisk on the wheelchair.

Not far away, Hua Xiaozhu was tidying up herbs. Without raising her head, her words, tinged with a hint of laughter, reached Wu Chongyun’s ears.

“Wonderful to speak so freely.”

Wu Chongyun paused, pursed her lips, and denied it, “I didn’t.”

“Alright, you didn’t,” Hua Xiaozhu went along with her. With a toss, she threw a bottle of medicine into Wu Chongyun’s lap. “Tested no less than a hundred times. Although it can’t cure it, it can at least suppress those negative emotions, preventing them from spreading boundlessly anymore.”

“Sect Leader Senior Sister said—the first moment she saw you, she knew you wanted to live.”

A long while later, a faint, fragile voice of acknowledgment drifted through the wind: “Thank you.”